What is your Everyday Carry?

[Air Force Brat]

I've generally found a pair of pants is the only thing I need to get through the day. If I'm wearing pants everything seems to work out fine. No pants, however...

I def think you are onto something raven, on occasion I carry 2 cents in one pocket, and an old pocket knife that belongs to my father in law in the other.

I really like the idea of always keeping your pants on.

 

[Air Force Brat]

Thanks for the info there. I'll check if I can import a Safariland or Blackhawk compact/consealable holster for my crappy little Walther PP.

Now Eeshaan, I'm telling you, you are quite well armed, just remember to use reliable ammo that has sufficient energy to function the weapon, a two handed Chapman modified Weaver stance, and go for the Ocular/Cranial shot if you have a failure to stop. I would avoid hollow points that you haven't tested for functioning, and carry a spare magazine and keep it all clean and lubed.

 

[King Wally]

EDC on my person...
- phone
- Wallet with cash/cards/important phone numbers
- Key's with Key ring mini-flashlight
- Hankercheif (actually has a lot of good uses)
(Due to Australian laws I cant legally carry knives or weapons etc)

EDC in my car (get home bag and assorted bits and pieces)
- Couple bottles of water
- Car phone charger
- waterproof jacket
- Hat/Sunglasses
- fix-a-flat
- Jumper leads
- duct tape
- Multi-tool
- Shifter Spanner
- pocket knife
- cable ties
- flashlight
- Pain killers
- Small first aid kit
- Notepad and pen
- Wet wipes
- extra $100 cash hidden away
- Mints.... they can keep the hunger away for a number of hours easy lol

Been broken down on the highway a few times, cut off by flood waters and been on the scene at some fatal car acidents too. Always think your better being a little prepared in your car. Not necesarilly to win the zombie apocalypse but still enough to get you though the 1% dramas that can catch you when your not expecting it.

 

[Todjaeger]

If people are interested, I can inventory (and possibly photograph) my Go Bag, along with what I put into my car on long trips or activations.

-Cheers

 

[Air Force Brat]

If people are interested, I can inventory (and possibly photograph) my Go Bag, along with what I put into my car on long trips or activations.

-Cheers

Sure, I'd love to see it, Illinios has been ordered to come up with some kind of CCW here very shortly, although I only half jokingly refer to it as Central Obamastan. It is now legal to carry a cased and unloaded handgun in your automobile, it used to have to be in the trunk or a locked compartment of your vehicle although they have lightened up on those requirements, as long as its in a case, even the loaded magazines may be cased with it, but for proprietys sake I never carry loaded magazines in the case, just because. I have in the past carried in my vehicle a Combat Commander, S&W 3913LS, Stainless Springer 45, or conversely a 4 inch Model 29-2 S&W, I no longer throw it in the glove box as I once did, simply because in carring any weapon, you risk someone breaking into your vehicle and taking it. I do frequently carry a stockmans knife, most all men in Central Illinois carry a knife, I have a combat folder, too large, and a very nice small Benchmade Griptilian, with the axis folding mechanism.

When at the farm or about in the woods or fishing, I almost always carry the 45 on my belt in a nylon holster, with one magazine full of Hornady 200 gr XTPs, in condition 3, I am confident I can draw and slingshot a round into the chamber for coyotes, cats etc. If I am handgun hunting I usually carry one of the 29-2s with a Nylon holster worn crossdraw on my belt, or in an Uncle Mikes shoulder holster if the weather is bad. I have taken several whitetail deer with the 44 magnum or 357 caried with iron sights..... if I were to carry the 44 Mag for defensive carry, I would load it with a 44 spl with the 240 Hornady XTP.

I always follow the laws, and although I do occasionly throw something in the glove box it is always cased and unloaded, until I get to the farm or wherever. With crime on the upswing here in Central Illinois, my wife called the other day and stated "theres a creep up here at the bank" and her bosses husband, who usually runs such details was gone, so I plopped the 45 in a brief case and drove up to the bank, where I observed the indidual leaving the bank and getting into a vehicle with several others and driving away. The city police are aware of this individual as he has been in prison, and locked up several times for beating up his stepfather, several days after the above incident, the ladies observed our local mounty driving through the drive-through backwards in order to head this individual off, and they arrested him for driving without a license.

As others here have suggested, situational awareness will help you avoid most unpleasantness, although a major roadway between two larger city's passes through our town, our city police are augmented by the county and state police. Since my wife works at our local bank, security is something we do think about, she has carried before when the situation dictated, and here in rural Illinois, many are armed, but everyone is very discreet, so not much is thought of it. Since you might spot a coyote or whatnot, lots of farmers carry their coyote rifles in the cab of their trucks, but they must be cased, so ARs and detachable mags are the rule of the day. If you visit the local gun shop, many of the sole proprietors will be wearing a sidearm of some sort, a sign of the times I'm afraid, as several years ago a shop owner in Springfield was shot by an armed robber, he recovered and now wears a small .45 in the shop....Cheers Brat

 

[King Wally]

If people are interested, I can inventory (and possibly photograph) my Go Bag, along with what I put into my car on long trips or activations.

-Cheers

I'd be interested to hear your take on it sure.

I dont own a GO bag myself. Sure I could throw one together if need be but I guess that isn't really the definition of a GO bag anyway is it.

Do you keep a basic bag with what you need to run and stay in a community shelter/friends place for a couple days or do you go for the survive in the hills for a month style direction? I always questioned the logic of the Man vs Wild GO bags and wondered if anyone has ever actually used one to run to the hills to get through some event? Seams more a romantic vision then practicle preperation if you ask me.

@ Brat.... I find the American firearm situation very facinating. I'm from Australia myself and it wouldn't cross my mind to consider needing a gun for a every day car accesory or on person EDC. It's very interesting to see the arms race dynamic that develops in a country where there are more liberal gun laws. There is the freedom to protect yourself in a way I couldn't enjoy but the flip side is the inherrant need to protect yourself from all the other people that are similarly armed. I guess that's a topic for another thread, it's just interesting that what someone in one location would consider a important every day carry in another location wouldn't even be considered.

 

[Air Force Brat]

I'd be interested to hear your take on it sure.

I dont own a GO bag myself. Sure I could throw one together if need be but I guess that isn't really the definition of a GO bag anyway is it.

Do you keep a basic bag with what you need to run and stay in a community shelter/friends place for a couple days or do you go for the survive in the hills for a month style direction? I always questioned the logic of the Man vs Wild GO bags and wondered if anyone has ever actually used one to run to the hills to get through some event? Seams more a romantic vision then practicle preperation if you ask me.

@ Brat.... I find the American firearm situation very facinating. I'm from Australia myself and it wouldn't cross my mind to consider needing a gun for a every day car accesory or on person EDC. It's very interesting to see the arms race dynamic that develops in a country where there are more liberal gun laws. There is the freedom to protect yourself in a way I couldn't enjoy but the flip side is the inherrant need to protect yourself from all the other people that are similarly armed. I guess that's a topic for another thread, it's just interesting that what someone in one location would consider a important every day carry in another location wouldn't even be considered.

Well, there is a well developed firearms culture here, and in spite of the lack of good manners by some, those good manners preclude a great many problems. Here in Central Illinois, there are year round opportunities to hunt coyotes, although most folk hunt them in the winter and spring after the firearms deer seasons for whitetail.
Anyone who desires to participate in the hunting seasons is required to show proof of attendance at a firearms safety clinic, usually taught by the Dept of Conservation police officers, so in order to hunt, you have to pass a firearms trainging course, if you don't pay attention, you don't pass. This is something that I grew up with, as my Dad was in the military, and as we had a small farm in the country, many of my Dads co-horts would come out to hunt or shoot.
As I said earlier, most folks are quite discreet, but a Saturday foray for many here is a trip to the LGS, Cabella's, Scheels, or Gander Mt. There are few actual ranges here in Central Illinois, but lots of wide open places to shoot. If I want to shoot, I load my range bag and 3 or 4 weapons that I would like to shoot, course I usually shoot with a friend and we shoot one anothers toys, so we load up the Landcruiser, usually take some steel posts and cardboard targets, drive to the farm and set the targets in front of a nice safe hill or creek bluff, and shoot for an hour or two. I like to shoot at a little longer ranges than he does, so I shoot at 35 to 60 yds with my iron sighted handguns, usually off the hood of the LandCruiser.
As I said I normally don't carry everyday, although at one time, I drove a considerable distance to work, and I would throw something in the glove box.
Here in the States we regard our basic human rights as God Given, not government granted, and if you read our Bill of Rights, it is quite impressive, however with great freedom, comes an even greater responsibility, I practice firearms safety, I never walk around with a loaded gun, I don't have a loaded gun in my house, they are all locked up, with one exception, if I pick up a gun, I first check it for ammo, I always know where the muzzle is pointing, and I NEVER put my finger on the trigger unless I am preparing to dry fire or discharge that weapon.
When my partner and I shoot as we have been doing for nearly 20 years, we practice extreme courtesy, we Never shoot at the same time, if I load my gun while he is still shooting, I normally don't chamber a round until I move to the line to fire my weapon.
I collect older firearms, I don't own a Glock, S&W Shield, or Springfield Amory XD, I would classify all of my shooting as sport shooting, preparing to hunt or defend my home and family. I consider my collection as an investment, an investment that can be sold, passed on to my wife or children, or used to defend our home or nation, but mostly an investment in sanity and peace of mind, shooting like riding a motorcycle or flying an airplane, requires a certain "manly" discipline, not that the girls aren't welcome, they are, but they are generally not all that keene on the shooting sports, or sport bikes, or flying airplanes, its a "guy thing". AFB

 

[Todjaeger]

I'd be interested to hear your take on it sure.

I dont own a GO bag myself. Sure I could throw one together if need be but I guess that isn't really the definition of a GO bag anyway is it.

Do you keep a basic bag with what you need to run and stay in a community shelter/friends place for a couple days or do you go for the survive in the hills for a month style direction? I always questioned the logic of the Man vs Wild GO bags and wondered if anyone has ever actually used one to run to the hills to get through some event? Seams more a romantic vision then practicle preperation if you ask me.

Pretty much the idea behind a Go Bag is that everything is essentially together, and in within a matter of a minute or two, one could grab it and just 'Go'. You would be surprised just how difficult it really is to quickly put one together, even if you already have all the components in your home. Where I live (northeastern US) people are starting to realize the potential for a Go Bag, after the major weather events we have had in the last two years. I mention that because I volunteer during/after disasters and a few of the people I have interacted with were rescued from their home via fire boat in a storm surge during Storm Sandy. They were brought in with nothing but the clothes they were wearing which was a mix of regular clothes and pajamas.

The basic idea behind the Go Bag is to never find oneself in that situation, where the only thing you have is just the clothes on your back.

Now I have had people make cracks about my Go Bag being appropriate if one were getting parachuted into Alaska to rescue a platoon of Marines stranded for a month... Realistically, it is configured to last 3 - 5 days without much difficulty, then have the ability to be stretched for longer with some effort.

One of the things I do stress when teaching about emergency preparedness though, is to never include anything in your Go Bag which you do not know how to use properly, as that is a waste of money, space and weight.

Over the next few days I will try and do complete breakdown and inventory of my bag(s), with what I carry and why.

-Cheers

 

[King Wally]

Where I live (northeastern US) people are starting to realize the potential for a Go Bag, after the major weather events we have had in the last two years.

Yeah mate I hear you. Before 2011 I never even knew what a GO bag / Bug out Bag etc was. It was when we got hit with the floods that year that I started to take it serious. I was caught out with long blackouts and empty shops and some bloody scarey drives in the car and I didn't even have basic stuff like a flashlight or candles etc. Little things like that prep wise can make life a lot easyer and yet you'd be surprised how many people were caught out. Even little things like how do you get cash when the ATM's dont work? Those plasic cards are great when life is all dandy but man you can get caught fast when the system goes down. Also how to charge your mobile phone when the power goes out? Some times is the most basic of things you realise can turn your life into a huge headache fast if you dont plan ahead.

 

[old faithful]

I have a grab bag in my boat, I fish in very remote area,s at times, and if the boat go,s down, I can grab it, and survive until help arrives ( could take days to weeks)

I live in the tropics, and have a cyclone kit. Every season, the news paper, and TV. Channels make suggestions on what it should include,
Basics like dry clothes including shoes, battery powered radio, and spare batts, non perishable food for 5 days, drinking water, flash lights, etc etc, I also have a 60 car fridge and duel batteries in my hilux a boat.

My boat grab bag is much smaller, and has things like head lamp (. Led lenser) cigerette lighter, water proof matches, a pair of sturdy sneakers,flares,a 24hr ration pack, 2 LT water!a life straw, alight rain coat, shorts t shirt, hexy tablets, a gerber knife and sheaf with stone, about 15m of hootchie cord, and some other bits and pieces, it sounds like a lot, but all fits in a day pack(water in a bladder) and it floats.

 

[Bonza]

I have a grab bag in my boat, I fish in very remote area,s at times, and if the boat go,s down, I can grab it, and survive until help arrives ( could take days to weeks)

I live in the tropics, and have a cyclone kit. Every season, the news paper, and TV. Channels make suggestions on what it should include,
Basics like dry clothes including shoes, battery powered radio, and spare batts, non perishable food for 5 days, drinking water, flash lights, etc etc, I also have a 60 car fridge and duel batteries in my hilux a boat.

My boat grab bag is much smaller, and has things like head lamp (. Led lenser) cigerette lighter, water proof matches, a pair of sturdy sneakers,flares,a 24hr ration pack, 2 LT water!a life straw, alight rain coat, shorts t shirt, hexy tablets, a gerber knife and sheaf with stone, about 15m of hootchie cord, and some other bits and pieces, it sounds like a lot, but all fits in a day pack(water in a bladder) and it floats.

What about the crocs mate? Surely you could fit a nice sawn off in there...

 

[Todjaeger]

I have a grab bag in my boat, I fish in very remote area,s at times, and if the boat go,s down, I can grab it, and survive until help arrives ( could take days to weeks)

I live in the tropics, and have a cyclone kit. Every season, the news paper, and TV. Channels make suggestions on what it should include,
Basics like dry clothes including shoes, battery powered radio, and spare batts, non perishable food for 5 days, drinking water, flash lights, etc etc, I also have a 60 car fridge and duel batteries in my hilux a boat.

My boat grab bag is much smaller, and has things like head lamp (. Led lenser) cigerette lighter, water proof matches, a pair of sturdy sneakers,flares,a 24hr ration pack, 2 LT water!a life straw, alight rain coat, shorts t shirt, hexy tablets, a gerber knife and sheaf with stone, about 15m of hootchie cord, and some other bits and pieces, it sounds like a lot, but all fits in a day pack(water in a bladder) and it floats.

There are a few things in the list I am not familiar with, or I might know them by other names.

Hexy tablets, are they some sort of hexamine fuel tablet?
Hootchie cord, not sure what that is, but sounds similar to para or 550 cord.
Lastly, what is a life straw?

-Cheers

 

[ngatimozart]

After the first Christchurch Quake I've had a Go Bag and my other half has one too, but they're more of emergency bags / kits. About six days water food, change of clothes, spare shoes, sleeping bags, knife, hatchet, batteries, couple torches, matches, shovel for digging dunny, dunny paper etc. Enough to survive on for about six days if need be. We've learned the lesson of the shaky & hard way.

 

[Air Force Brat]

What about the crocs mate? Surely you could fit a nice sawn off in there...

I'd hafta agree, some type of firearm might be usefull, one of the reasons webby started this discussion was that he was contemplating CCW, to that end I recently purchased a 3913LS, Smith and Wesson. Aluminum frame/stainless slide-small size like the old cut down Model 39s, called Devel, with an 8 rd, 9MM magazine it is quite handy. I like your idea of a short double, I saw an ad for an old 97 Winchester Riot gun with 18"barrel, I believe some of those were also take down. One of the reasons I continue to hang on to our old 95 Toyota LandCruiser, we had 15" spring snow, and thats the only thing able to gets us down the drive. We had a 7 day power outage a few years ago due to loosing a main transmission line due to spring storms, we live in town with running water, but that could/did get interesting??? LOL I was humored when I started reading, but I'm not smiling now, and Todd, I would really like to see what you have in your go bag...
Although our twin daughters are now 14, that further complicates the go bag, one of the reasons the Landcruiser is still hanging aroud???? and the Shotgun!

 

[old faithful]

Lol! Only time a croc is a problem, is when you are. In the water with one. I imagine that if your boat had just sunk on you, and you managed to get hold of the grab bag, and were swimming to shore, a 3 to 5m croc pops up near you, treading water, and gettiñg the shotty ready, would Bea problem, then you would probably be better off sticking the barrel under your chin anyway.

Would be a crap day wouldn't it!?

Hexy is hexamine, hootchie cord is like green venitian blind cord, about 1mm diameter, and breaks at about 300 lb.

A gun would probably be useless in my boat, no pirates here, can't think of a situation where I would need one to survive here.

A life straw is a portable water filter, about the same shape as a bycicle pump, but half as long,and you stick one end in a puddle, and drink through the other end, good for up to 1000 litres, very effective filter, you could drink from a pot hole in Bali, and have better water than from their tap!

 

[Todjaeger]

Lol! Only time a croc is a problem, is when you are. In the water with one. I imagine that if your boat had just sunk on you, and you managed to get hold of the grab bag, and were swimming to shore, a 3 to 5m croc pops up near you, treading water, and gettiñg the shotty ready, would Bea problem, then you would probably be better off sticking the barrel under your chin anyway.

Would be a crap day wouldn't it!?

Hexy is hexamine, hootchie cord is like green venitian blind cord, about 1mm diameter, and breaks at about 300 lb.

A gun would probably be useless in my boat, no pirates here, can't think of a situation where I would need one to survive here.

A life straw is a portable water filter, about the same shape as a bycicle pump, but half as long,and you stick one end in a puddle, and drink through the other end, good for up to 1000 litres, very effective filter, you could drink from a pot hole in Bali, and have better water than from their tap!

I will have to look into seeing if a life straw or something comparable is available in the US. I personally at present do not have a water filter, having found them to be too weighty and unreliable when compared to water purification tablets. Something like what you described however, could potentially augment what I already have.

-Cheers

 

[old faithful]

I will have to look into seeing if a life straw or something comparable is available in the US. I personally at present do not have a water filter, having found them to be too weighty and unreliable when compared to water purification tablets. Something like what you described however, could potentially augment what I already have.

-Cheers

Just read an article about life straw on wiki, they are available here at Mitchels camping in darwin, if they arnt available where you are, I'm sure Mitchels do mail order, mine was $22.95 aust.

 

[the road runner]

What about the crocs mate? Surely you could fit a nice sawn off in there...

Would not want to go to Jail for shooting a croc would you?
They are a protected animal.

Hell would not want to go to jail for having a sawn off shotgun either.
Welcome to the Nanny nation !

EDIT: I am with your below comment Bonza ,was just trying to show that crocs are protected ,i am sure if your life was at stake and you shot a Croc ,you would get off.Then again...

 

[Bonza]

Lol! Only time a croc is a problem, is when you are. In the water with one. I imagine that if your boat had just sunk on you, and you managed to get hold of the grab bag, and were swimming to shore, a 3 to 5m croc pops up near you, treading water, and gettiñg the shotty ready, would Bea problem, then you would probably be better off sticking the barrel under your chin anyway.

Would be a crap day wouldn't it!?

Hah, yes indeed, once you're in the water you might as well kiss it goodbye for all the good it'll do. Friend of mine got their boat stuck on a semi-submerged sandbar at dusk and had to get it unstuck while under the gaze of a very large and increasingly interested croc. Still, the fact that he could see it at all was probably a better sign than anything else.

Road Runner, endangered species or not there's a few people I know from up north who would far prefer to risk jail time and take a shottie along with them in the boat than be mauled, drowned and left under a log to rot, can't say that I blame them.

 

[Volkodav]

Would not want to go to Jail for shooting a croc would you?
They are a protected animal.

Hell would not want to go to jail for having a sawn off shotgun either.
Welcome to the Nanny nation !

EDIT: I am with your below comment Bonza ,was just trying to show that crocs are protected ,i am sure if your life was at stake and you shot a Croc ,you would get off.Then again...

You wouldn't want to shoot a crock with a shotgun either, you would just make it mad, those things are armoured. A .303" or .308" in the head isn’t even guaranteed to penetrate either, maybe an RPG might do it.