EDC for the OAG

 

Photo by John Vachon, Library of Congress

So, EDC stands for “Everyday Carry,” it’s a formalized term for the stuff men have been carrying in their pockets for the past 300 years. Did it need a name? Probably not, but it’s a hobby now, so it’s gotten a name. OAG stands for “Ordinary Average Guy”, a phrase made popular by Joe Walsh, God bless him. The question is: Do OAG’s need an EDC? I am now, and have always been, an ordinary average guy, so let’s see.

Most EDC kits are centered around a pocketknife. Do you need a special knife for this? No. You know that Pakistani Buck Knife clone you’ve got in your pocket, the one you traded a kid for your Stretch Armstrong in the 3^rd grade? Yeah, that will do fine. I know, the guy at work next to you has a two hundred dollar knife from a company you’ve never heard of, made from a steel you’ve never heard of, and says you need one too. You don’t. If that Buckastani does what you need it to do, save your money. That guy next to you is a knife enthusiast and that’s fine too, he just gets a little carried away. No matter how old we get, we’ll never get over Show and Tell.

How about a first aid kit? Keep one at home, one in the car, and they probably already have one at work, so you don’t need to carry one around.

How about paracord?  I have no idea how this could be useful. Once I used some twine to make a leash for a stray dog I took home. It turned out he was happy to follow me anywhere, leashed or not.

Multitool? If your life is plier-centric I say “yes, absolutely.” My boss loves to say “get the best cheapest,” sound advice. It seems like there’s two kinds of men in this world: pliers or knife. (I’m a knife guy, but I admire multitools. So far, I have only been able to justify a Gerber Dime.)

And all the rest: mosquito netting, flint & steel, sandpaper, sharpener, ipecac, oil of squibb, camp saws, flare gun, whatever, it’s all the same, if you need it fine, if you don’t, leave it home.

Sometimes you may need to carry some special, though temporary, EDC gear and that can be interesting. Once, while visiting a third world country, way out in the middle of nowhere, an odd item helped me. My hammock failed and I used unwaxed dental floss to sew it back up. The only reason I had floss is because a friend told me, years before, that every camper should carry some. Go figure.

What if I want to upgrade my EDC? Yes, that’s great. I have a bunch of knives etc., some of them a little pricey, they make me happy. I’m just saying that nobody should feel it’s mandatory.

Buckastani Uber Alles.

Photo by Marion S. Trikosko, Library of Congress