I've read a lot about what people carry with them every day. Some call it Every Day Carry (EDC), my husband calls it pocket litter. It's what you have on you on a daily basis. Everyone is probably different, so I thought I'd just throw in what I carry.
First of all, I'm a cancer patient. My hair hasn't come back in yet. I was wearing wigs or hats, but I decided if SHTF while I'm away, they wouldn't add anything to my situation. I started wearing long scarves tied around my head, turban style. There are a lot of uses for a scarf or bandanna. If there's a fire, you can keep smoke out of your mouth with it. Or, you could soak it down with water to drape over your head and face to keep fire away for a bit, long enough to get out of a building that's on fire. You could use it for a sling if you hurt your arm, or a tourniquet if you are bleeding. You could also carry things in it, hobo style. Works for looting, I suppose, just kidding.
I also have my purse. In it I carry a lot of things I don't really NEED, but are useful to me. I try to keep it small, but I do have a family. I have a planner with calendar, place for notes, etc., with a pen. This could also be used in case you can't communicate verbally, if there's a need for silence. You could also tear out a page and leave a note or burn a page for some reason.
In my little side interior pocket, I carry the keys that don't go on my car key chain. These include the valet key for my husband's truck, my parents' house keys, even though they are in a different state, mirror and a pocket lent brush. Don't know how the lent brush would help in an emergency of the SHTF type, but it will if I suddenly need to meet someone important. I always have my parents' house keys in case we suddenly need to bug out and need to drive 12 hours away and get to their house.
In a little almost see-through plastic cosmetic bag I have migraine meds, splenda packets along with salt and pepper and some little jellies that were left on our table for meals out. I also have a thing of dental floss, nail care kit and a pack of Rolaids. These are items I might need if I were out under normal circumstances longer than anticipated.
Obviously, I have my wallet. In it is all my ID, credit cards, cash, library cards, etc. I keep it in a zip pocket of my purse so someone can't just bump me and grab it. In this same zip pocket is a pen size pepper spray, and a wallet that only has pictures.
On an outside pocket, I have lip gloss and a thingy that allows you to hang your purse on the table instead of putting it on the ground. My purse has side pockets as well. I carry a water bottle on one side, and a tin of emergency gear on the other.
More about the emergency tin. I had read so many articles about keeping a survival tin, like an Altoids can, with you at all time. I tried to stuff everything I thought I needed into a small tin like that, and it wouldn't fit. So I found a candle tin that had a lid and got the wax out and I'm using that.
So, now the contents of the tin: First, it's held shut with 2 hair bands. Inside the lid, I have scotch taped to the lid a sewing needle. On top of that a small rolled piece of duct tape holding a square foot of tin foil, folded to fit the lid exactly. The sewing needle is obvious, and the tin foil has several uses. I could fold it just right to hold water, it can signal, it can be used over a fire to cook or boil water. I have a flashlight that has a small amount of duct tape wrapped around it. The tin is the same height as the flashlight, and it's the kind that has the push button on the end, and it kept being turned on when I closed up the tin, so I took out the battery pack and it's stored separately. Inside the flashlight barrel is a small roll of sport tape (the kind you wrap around a band aid when you get a blood draw), nail clippers and a salt packet with a pepper packet. Then the battery pack for the flashlight (3 triple A's in a holder). I have a roll of duct tape with 2 safety pins, 2 paper clips, tweezers, a nail file and two pennies (don't ask me why, just seemed right at the time), rolled to about the size of a cigarette lighter (you can never have too much duct tape). Next is the lighter. Then I have a combination whistle, thermometer, compass and magnifying glass (for signaling, direction finding, etc). Then I have a little zip bag with Q-tips and 3 band aids. I have a small sharpening stone, again, not sure why, but it seemed right at the time. Rolled up real tight and held with another hair band is 2 $1 bills. Then I have a small Berkley multi-tool that has pliers, a small blade, small saw, 2 different sizes of standard screw driver heads, a Phillips screw driver head, a bottle opener, awl with file, and scissors. With it open and the backs together, it has a ruler that goes to about 4.5 inches and 11 cm. Also in the tin is a military can opener. Along one wall is my sealed pack of migraine meds. The last thing is a small pill box with a day's meds for me, a couple tums and a couple Pepto-bismol. It's a certain way it all goes in there, and since I had to empty it to list everything, I'll have to work at getting it all back in there....
Also, in the same pocket of my purse as the tin, I have a homemade whistle that my grandpa gave me years ago. I know how to blow it (very much like when you whistle with your fingers), but my kids don't. So I can give up my other whistle if one of my kids is with me.
Another part of my every day carry is my keys. I have keys to both our vehicles, keys to our house (all three doors) and a key to a trunk that has our bug out bags in it. These keys are separated by 2 links of copper wire made into chain links (also a present from my late grandpa) and a small replica knife that he made me. I just discovered, as I was going through all the blades on the multi-tool that chemo has made my nails not capable of getting out a knife blade and used the replica knife as a pry bar. Worked great. My instincts of putting it on there were good. I have 2 carabiners, one small that holds all the house keys, and a bigger one that clips my keys to my purse.
The last thing on my purse is a little gel type holder that holds a small bottle of hand sanitizer. One never knows when one will need to keep germs away.
Besides all that, I have my IPhone that I always carry. I used to be a fashionista 3 years ago, making sure I had nice shoes, my outfit matched, etc. Now I wear either Capri's or long pants that have lots of pockets, cargo type. I also have neuropathy in both feet, so I have to wear "sensible" shoes. I have on my feet at all times, shoes that I could hike a distance in if I have to. I only wear the heels going to church. I may decide at some point to throw in the sneakers when ever I go to church even, based on the situation in the world at the time.
And that's my every cay carry list.
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