An Every Day Carry (EDC) Survival Kit is the most basic survival kit that you can carry with you every day. Your EDC kit will help you get home or to your car in an emergency. It needs to be small so you can always have it with you while still being useful.
Many prepping websites discuss EDC from an American point of view, often including weapons that are illegal to carry in the UK. We will focus on how to make an EDC kit with items that are legal to carry in the UK.
Everyone’s needs are different. We have identified a number of items that are useful for an EDC Survival Kit. Make your own EDC kit using the items that will be most useful to you.
Consider how you want to carry your EDC kit. If you don’t want to carry a bag, limit items to what you can fit in your pockets. A few extra items could fit in a handbag or backpack if you already use one. Finally, you could have a dedicated bag for your Every Day Carry UK Survival Kit. This will allow you to carry the most items, but means you’ll always have an extra bag to carry.
EDC Items That You Probably Already Carry
These items are those that you already usually carry with you and use regularly. They form the basis of your EDC kit, but do not include any survival equipment. You can, however, make more use of some of these items so that they can help with survival. The list below includes several items that most people will carry with them regularly.
Phone
These days most people carry a smart phone. They can be very useful in a survival situation, but remember there may be no reception in an emergency. Consider saving useful information on your phone so you can still use it with no reception. For example, a local map, lists of useful information and photographs of important documents. Download apps that can help identify your location even without phone reception.
Wallet or Purse
Usually we all carry ID, cards and some cash in a wallet or purse. A little cash can be useful in emergencies. Keep some hidden elsewhere (in a pocket, clothing or shoe) in case your wallet or purse is stolen. You can also add a credit card sized multi-tool to make your wallet or purse part of your survival kit.
Keys
We can’t leave home without them, but have you considered adding survival equipment to your keyring? There are many options for miniaturised survival kit to add to your keys. This keyring includes paracord, a mini carabiner and a flint fire starter. Another example is the Gerber Shard miniature pry bar and multi tool. Here’s our list of Seven Survival Kit Items You Can Keep On Your Keyring.
Lighter or Matches
Some of us carry lighters as day to day use items already, but it’s definitely worth adding one to your EDC. A very quick and easy way to start a fire, you never know when you might need one. Try a double jet windproof lighter; these work in almost any conditions.
Face Covering
During the Covid-19 pandemic, most of us have got used to carrying a face covering. A face covering has survival uses as well as its intended purpose. A damp face covering will help you breathe in a smoky environment in case of fire. A face covering can also act as a very basic emergency water filter. It won’t filter out bacteria, but it will remove the majority of dirt particles.
Hand Sanitiser
Always useful to have with you to keep your hands germ free. Alcohol based hand sanitiser is flammable, and can be used as an emergency fire starter. If you’re able to find an empty drinks can, you could even create a makeshift pot to boil the water you’ve filtered with your mask!
Common Use Items For Your Every Day Carry UK Kit
Mini Battery Pack
Add a small battery pack to your EDC kit so that you can charge your phone or power other small electrical equipment. The Anker Power Core 5000 is a lipstick sized battery pack that has enough power to provide most phones with at least one full charge.
Every Day Carry UK Legal Knife
A knife is an extremely useful piece of survival equipment. Weapons are tightly controlled in the UK, but it is legal to carry some knives. You can carry a knife without justification of why you are carrying it if it has a folding blade no more than 3 inches long (7.62 cm) . Swiss Army Knives, and many other multitools are equipped with blades 3 inches or less.
The Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife is a great knife to include in an Every Day Carry UK Survival Kit. It has two knife blades, the larger of which is 3 inches. It also has a small saw, and scissors, screwdrivers and a variety of other tools. This is a very useful bushcraft and survival knife, that fits easily in an Every Day Carry UK Kit.
Torch / Flashlight
You may have a torch on your phone, but phone torches often drain the battery very quickly. A small torch doesn’t take up much room in an Every Day Carry kit, and will last longer than a phone torch. This A50 Tactical torch is very small, but with a bright focusable light, and comes in a pack of two.
Paracord
A favourite of many preppers, paracord has a multitude of uses. Wearable items made from paracord contain a useful amount of cord. They are also very easy to include as part of your Every Day Carry UK kit because you can wear them! Some paracord bracelets, such as these, include more survival equipment like a mini firesteel and compass.
Small First Aid Kit
It’s always useful to have some first aid items with you. For your Every Day Carry kit, you need to keep it small otherwise it will become impractical to carry.
A small first aid kit contains the equipment that you’ll need to clean and dress minor wounds.
Survival Items For Your EDC Kit
Water filter/tablets
In an emergency situation, you may need to find water from a river or stream to drink. A small water filter or water purification tablets can make the water safe to drink. If you have the space, a water filter or purification tablets can be a very useful addition to your Every Day Carry UK survival kit.
The Sawyer Mini water filter is very small, but also a very effective water filter. You can use it to filter water into a bottle, or drink directly from a water source.
Alternatively, water purification tablets take up very little room in your kit, and can be added to water to purify it.
Fire Starting Kit
A small fire starting kit increases your chance of survival if you unexpectedly have to spend a night outdoors. A small waterproof tin with tinder and matches or a flint fire starter takes little space, but allows you to easily start a fire.
What’s In Your EDC Survival Kit?
Everyone has different needs for items they carry every day. What do you consider to be the most important items in your EDC kit? Let us know in the comments below.
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