Geared Up: An Introduction to EDC

Having participated in Boy Scouts as a young adult, one concept was instilled in my head every day: Be Prepared. This mindset and continued desire to be prepared for anything I might experience led me to carry gear and tools daily. Years later, I learned that I wasn’t alone. In fact, there was an entire culture of enthusiasts making up an EDC community. Now, I document my EDC adventures through my Instagram, Spacedout.EDC. 

What is Everyday Carry?

Simply put, everyday carry (EDC) is a term used to describe the collection of items you carry regularly. While these items vary from person to person, they are specifically chosen to help make your life better. Many who are interested in EDC are gear collectors who are invested in finding/comparing various items, hoping to create the perfect carry for themselves.

Throughout history, human beings have carried tools, and the practice has continuously changed and adapted. Whether it was the Ancient Egyptians who carried small tools, Roman citizens who carried coin pouches, or Vikings who were known for their axes, the act of carrying items has been a staple of civilized cultures. Thanks to technological advances we no longer need to carry axes or heavy coin pouches, but we still need certain items to make it through our daily lives.

There are two things about EDC that I think make it special. First, EDC is unique to each person. For some people, EDC might be as simple as a phone, wallet, and keys, while others might carry an entire backpack full of gear. Being a gear enthusiast and content creator, I often find myself carrying multiple sets of gear as I test, compare, and review items. At any given point, I may have three knives, five flashlights, two watches, and a multitool in my bag, along with my phone, wallet, keys, and camera.  Surprisingly, some people feel the need to carry significantly more gear than I do, and that’s an amazing concept.

Secondly, just like watches, there’s no limit to what you can collect as an enthusiast. Just as there are watch collectors who love affordable Timex pieces, and those who collect more luxurious or even opulent watches, there are gear collectors across the board. I know people who collect the cheapest Victorinox Classic SD (a $25 Swiss army knife) and those who collect custom-built knives worth thousands of dollars. Regardless of your budget, one thing brings all of these people together: a love of gear. 

Community & Culture

Something else that I find exceptionally special about EDC enthusiasts is the community they have created. Thanks to social media, primarily Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook, you can find groups for broad EDC concepts and niche subsections of highly specific use-case items. Along with large fan pages, you can find countless smaller pages managed by brands and makers who value the interaction and feedback from those who own and use their products.

Additionally, you have the opportunity to connect with other people who share the same interests as you. I was introduced to some of the Worn & Wound crew through this same group and met them at the Worn & Wound X Carryology meetup in Austin, Texas. I’ve met people I now consider my closest friends through a Facebook group, Carryology Classified, and have traveled across the US to meet others who share these interests. 

Welcome to the Community

If you’re new to the EDC community, let me be the first to welcome you in. As a fellow enthusiast, I’m happy to have you around, and I hope that you’ll learn something, find a new piece of gear, or just enjoy the articles. I think that Zach Weiss said it best in his recent letter to readers, Worn & Wound: A Home for Enthusiast Communities: “We are enthusiasts for the tools and experiences that enrich our lives.”

There’s a special feeling when you come across a problem and realize that you have the tools needed right in your pocket (or pack) to solve it. Having that experience is at the core of what this happy is all about, and I hope that you get to enjoy that one day.