EDC Bags
What are EDC Bags?
Every Day Carry Bags
Why EDC Bags Are Important
Immediate Access to Essentials – Emergencies rarely give warning. Your EDC ensures tools, first aid, and basic necessities are always within reach.
Everyday Problems, Covered – From a busted zipper to a dead phone battery, an EDC saves the day more often than you think.
Bridges the Gap Until Help Arrives – Whether it’s 20 minutes or 2 hours, having supplies on hand means you’re not stuck waiting empty-handed.
Adaptable for Any Lifestyle – Urban commuter, parent, outdoor enthusiast—your EDC can be customized for your specific risks and needs.
What to Carry in Your EDC Bag
Think “lightweight, versatile, and immediately useful.” Here are the core categories:
First Aid & Hygiene – Compact first aid kit, bandages, antiseptic wipes, hand sanitizer.
Tools & Repairs – Multitool, small roll of duct tape, mini sewing kit, zip ties.
Lighting & Power – Flashlight, spare batteries, portable charger, charging cable.
Fire & Warmth – Mini fire starter, lighter, emergency blanket.
Food & Water – Collapsible water bottle, purification tablets, high-calorie snack bar.
Navigation & Communication – Compass, small map of your area, whistle, pen & waterproof notebook.
Personal Extras – Medication, spare glasses, cash, copy of ID, ammunition (if you're a carrier), USB drive with important documents.
Medicine
Know what a headache, aching stomach, and runny nose have in common? They all badly affect your day, especially when you’re not at home.
Unless you’re willing to grin and bear the discomfort, better include these EDC bag essentials in your pack:
Pain and fever meds (e.g., ibuprofen and acetaminophen)
Anti-diarrhea meds (need we say more?)
Antacids for stomach aches
Antihistamines, if you have allergies
Keep the tablets in one place so you won’t have a hard time finding them.
Also, don’t forget to check if you can still take them. To make the job easier, list down each tablet’s expiry date on a tiny sheet of paper.
Oh, and one more thing. Exercise caution when you take OTC meds, even if you don’t need a doctor’s prescription for them. Some pills just don’t mix. Check for interactions to be safe.
The biggest thing here is to choose a bag. Comfort is paramount since you may have to break out with just this bag. We always suggest a sling bag for this type of thing since overpacking it is rather difficult. Not impossible, mind you, but difficult.
A good bag to start with is here.
Mini First Aid Kit
While we’re on the subject of health, another thing to consider including in your EDC bag contents is a first aid kit. Nothing crazy like the full kit in your bug out bag, a small one like this, will do just fine. Also, we have a Get Home Bag that ticks these boxes too.
Or, you can build one with essentials. Now, essentials mean different things to different people, but generally, your mini first aid kit should have:
Band-aids
Bandages
Alcohol
Cotton swabs
Antibiotic cream
gauze
Collapsible Cup
Metal water containers are neat, but they take up a lot of real estate in your EDC bag.
Get a collapsible cup as an alternative. It can’t keep your water hot or cold, but it’s way more portable than a metal bottle. Just pull the cup to use it and fold it back when you’re done. This is perfect when you want to grab a drink on the go.
Snacks
Getting caught in traffic can make you ravenous, making snacks EDC bag essentials you can’t ignore. Throwing a few in your bag will help you stave off your hunger. Think hard candy, a CLIF bar, or jerky; anything that gives you an energy boost.
Utensils
You probably bring these already if you pack your own lunch for work. But even if you order from your go-to fast food joint, include a set of utensils in your EDC anyway. We all know disposable sporks aren’t any good.
Toilet Paper and/or Wet Wipes
You can never trust public restrooms to have toilet paper. Stash some in your bag to avoid crisis mode the next time you take a dump.
Ladies, make sure they’re not antibacterial for your uses down in your ‘no-no square’ area. Grab some feminine wipes, because dealing with certain issues down there during a crisis will not be fun.
Better yet, bring wet wipes. Besides coming in handy when you have to hit the can, you can use them to:
Freshen up during a hot day
Clean your hands before a meal
Remove mud from shoes
Sanitize germ-infested items (ex. grocery carts and door handles)
Chapstick
Chapstick has a place in many, but it’s not only for the ladies. Men need chapstick, too, because it’s effective for flaky lips. It also makes a good piece of urban survival gear.
Thanks to its waxy substance, chapstick can help you:
Start a fire
Keep debris out of wounds
Keeps blisters from getting worse
Prevent your glasses from fogging up
Powerbank
Your phone is a beast with enough horsepower to run the heaviest apps. Plus, it’s got a battery that lasts 3 days when fully charged. You never leave home without it.
But, let’s say you forget to charge your phone one night when it’s nearly dead. Then an earthquake strikes in the middle of the day. How will you get in touch with your kids?
That’s where a powerbank comes to the rescue. It may not be something you use every day, but it’s worth adding to your EDC bag in case of emergency.
We carry a solar one (coming in at 50000mAH), bundled an emergency charger, so you can charge two things at once.
Floss
No one wants the embarrassment of having food stuck in between their teeth, but that’s not the only reason why you should carry floss in your bag. Here are some ways it can help when you’re in a pinch:
Replace broken shoelaces
Fix your glasses
Attach gear to your EDC bag (as a dummy cord)
Seal plastic bags
Mend tears on clothes
Paperclips
Most folks don’t give paper clips a second thought, but there’s more to them than meets the eye.
A paper clip has several uses for survival. Check out these examples:
Improvised fishing hook
Sewing needle
Compass
Lock-picking tool
Handkerchief or Bandana
Handkerchiefs or bandanas should be EDC bag essentials. Bring either of the two to:
Mop up spills
Wipe the sweat off your forehead
Blow your nose
Clean your glasses
Curb bleeding
Face Mask
It took a pandemic to get the world to mandate face mask policies, but even if these requirements are easing up, we’ll still bring a spare mask everywhere.
Masks don’t just protect you against COVID; they’re effective against other respiratory illnesses like the flu. You’ll feel much safer wearing one when you ride public transport or spend time in a crowded space.
Important Documents
…or rather, digital copies of important records like:
Emergency contacts
Driver’s license
Birth certificates
Passport
Insurance
Save these files to your phone and to a USB for good measure. Make them password protected so they won’t be compromised.
All-in-all a good EDC bag is something that you carry daily, it's light but packed with necessities. Remember, low-tech is just as good as the bells and whistles of smart watches and typical survival tools on the market today.
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