One Woman’s Perspective on an EDC

My husband is thrilled – after several false-starts, I finally have an EDC that he and I agree is practical and useful.

Before you laugh, let me explain.  In three years I’ve had four Hubby-attempts to supply me with a Every Day Carry Bag.  The first was an expensive, backpack purchased for my birthday.  It was too big, too heavy and … it was camouflage.  Couldn’t you just see suburban-mom, with kids in tow, at the mall, with a big camo-mollie-pack?  Needless to say, it stayed in the trunk, under a concealment blanket so the boys at Lowe’s wouldn’t peak their eyebrows when helping to load a bag of mulch.  This is not what Hubster wanted for his wife’s EDC.

The second Hubby-attempt was a double-stitched, tactical fanny-pack and it had similar results.  Let’s just say that it wasn’t very stylish when wearing stilettos and my skinny-jeans.

However, I did find myself making room for a few useful items.  I liked having a handy flashlight and I did use the multi-tool a few times.  I was seeing the benefits of having items close at hand.    
edcbag

The positive side to the failed attempts was that Hubby and I learned what didn’t work for me.  For one thing, I was already carrying a purse, and the last thing I needed was a second bag to keep track of in addition to 3 kids.  In the end, I felt that a well built purse would better suit an EDC for me.

edcbag2

I have two rules for a purse:   It can’t weigh more than 7 lbs., and, I don’t want the contents spilling out all over the floor should one
of the kiddos knock it over.   My goal was to carry a feminine purse with tactical elements.  I do not carry a firearm in my purse.   With those rules in mind, I have a set-up that I actually use, and love!   My new purse – ut, um, EDC is 10” tall, 12” long and 6” wide.

Side Compartments

A compartment on each end of the purse holds convenience items for easy access.  One compartment is home to a hair scrunchy, hand sanitizer, a measuring tape, Tic tacs and (this time of year, chapstick. edcbag3

The other side contains electronics, including my cell, AC and USB adapters, and phone charger edcbag4

Outer Compartments

The purse also has front and back compartments.  In the front I keep spare glasses and eyeglass repair kit, a tide stain removal pen and paperclips. edcbag5

The rear compartment includes a small notebook and calculator.  There’s even spare room for coupons or a paperback. edcbag6

 

Inner Compartments.  There are three inner compartments.

The zipper compartment includes glow sticks, a winter hat, a pair of socks, panties, a bandanna  vacuumed sealed (to reduce bulk) and a pair of work gloves.  They come in handy when loading lumber, concrete blocks or other Hubby requests for his many projects. edcbag7

One inner compartment includes “normal” purse items including a coin purse, thumb drive, my purple bag with makeup and other girly-items, a hair brush, a Sharpe, highlighter, ink pen, mechanical pencil and sunglasses. edcbag8

The last compartment is the one that Hubby is especially excited about.  It probably holds more than an EDC needs to, but I’m not sorry that I have its contents.  I keep things organized with 4 green bags about 3” wide x 2.5” deep and 7” long.  I’m not in love with the green color, but they were cheap at the Dollar Tree and the perfect size. edcbags9

At some point, I’ll upgrade the little green bags.  I’ve recently found the Cube Packing System.  The ¼ Cube seems to be close to the same size, as my green bags if you’d like something similar but in a more subdued color.

Hygiene Bag

The Hygiene Bag is my travel bathroom kit that I use at work as well as for the kids.  It includes a toothpaste, sunscreen, lotion, moist towels, mouthwash, foot powder, floss around a large paperclip, soap, hair clasp, deodorant, tweezers, nail clippers and a nail file. edcbags10

 Survival Bag

The Survival Bag is my least used compartment but it provides Hubby with the level of security that he was working toward when originally encouraging my EDC habit and includes N95 masks,  an emergency bivy bag, duct tape   heavy-duty aluminum foil,  flashlight batteries, water purification tablets, safety pins, BIC lighter, multi-tool, matches, mosquito repellent, tie wraps, rubber bands, and eye-protection. (i.e. swimming goggles)

 edcbag11

First Aid Bag

The First Aid Bag provides me with lightweight support for everything from skinned knees to an occasional cough and includes:  Q-Tips, ACE Bandage, medical exam gloves, Flew-Away pills (a homeopathic blend of herbs to stop colds before they latch on).  L-lysine (I get cold sores), Celox –blood stopper, a condom (no, it’s not for that type of emergency!) it’s a sterile bandage.  Advil, Tylenol & Excedrin.  Fiscars folding scissors, alcohol swabs, moist towel, 2”x2” gauze bandages, cough drops, triple antibiotic, butterfly closures and Band-Aids. edcbag12

I purchased the small clear plastic bags at the craft store.  They help to keep small items organized and easy to find.

 

Food Bag

The Food Bag is designed to tide me over when driving the Mommy-Taxi or to provide a hungry child with a snack attack, until something more is available.  I carry gum, protein bars, electrolyte (Gatorade) water flavorings,  Sfork, 2 lawn and leaf trash bags and several paper napkins,  tea bags, and instant oatmeal.

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An EDC is unique to each person.  What I carry is probably different than what you need or want to carry.  I continue to revise it as needed items come to mind.

If you are a woman, looking to build an EDC, and you, like me share have the habit of allowing everything to amass in the bottom of the purse – you’ll be frustrated.  Success is organizing like-items into small bags.

If you are a man looking to encourage your wife to carry an EDC, ditch the camo.  Buy her a beautiful, well-made purse with compartments and a few lightweight useful items.  She’ll come to love it and she’ll add items that are useful and appropriate to her.

MsKYprepper


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14 thoughts on “One Woman’s Perspective on an EDC”

  1. Looks like a nice small kit with plenty of useful stuff in it. But an EDC kit? You carry this every where you go right? That is generally what people consider to be an EDC kit, things you have on your person.

    It’s a nice kit, don’t get me wrong but I’d never carry all of that stuff around on my person. In my opinion 99% of that stuff belongs close at hand, not on hand. That stuff goes in my vehicles along with everything else in my GHB’s, not on my person.

    It just seems like a lot of stuff to lug around all the time and most of it will not be used often.

    For me my EDC consists of –

    Gun
    Knife
    Flashlight
    Wallet and all the normal wallet stuff in it
    couple band-aids in the wallet
    keys

    That’s it for my EDC. Much more is close at hand in the car and then of course much more at home. My first line layer EDC is small stuff that is used regularly (other then the gun). I’d not have the will power to lug around that bag everywhere I go and then the stuff I need wouldn’t be there when i needed it because I left that heavy bag at home. So instead I layer, with more capabilities the farther up the layering chain I get.

    Cool kit, very well thought out and if it works for you then great. I just think most of that stuff can live “close by” in the car and not actually on your person.

    Reply
    • KoryN –

      You should have seen the bag my mother carried around. I think sometimes she had a spare set of clothes and an entire kitchen sink! If you have had kids you are aware of the size diaper bags can be. So – I really didn’t give the size or the amount of stuff being carried a second thought. It was merely what she decided was best for her situation.

      Me? A Go Bag in my Jeep makes more sense. One of the reasons is I haven’t found a purse that will match my shoes. 🙂

      Take care and thanks for the comments –

      Rourke

      Reply
  2. I agree with KoryN, unless you have a strong desire to haul a few extra pounds of stuff everywhere you go, you have a GHB not an EDC.

    I assume you have a tactical blabe (fixed or folding) and a firearm on your person as well as the purse. If not you’re missing some critical components (IMHO).

    You have some decent first aid supplies, but nothing for serious trauma. Consider adding a one handed tourniquet (C-A-T is a good choice). It’s hard to stop a major arterial pumper without one.

    Also, you probably should add several quart sized zip locks for water storage. Having water purification tablets is a great idea, but only if you have some type of container for the water. The tablets don’t work too well if you just toss them into whatever puddle you choose to drink from.

    BTW, great pictures – really helps to visualize your post.

    Reply
  3. I’m assuming both the previous commenters are men since they don’t get the purse as EDC. Women regularly carry a lot of stuff. MsKYprepper you have the most organized purse/EDC I have ever seen. You gave me lots of really good ideas. I carry a backpack not a purse but it still gave me some great ideas. I have a niece who is an EMT and it gave me some ideas for a birthday gift for her. Great post and great photos.

    Reply
  4. You have a nice set up there. I like how you (very well I might add) section everything off … that is my own downfall. I have a number of things together that would probably better suited to be split apart.

    Reply
  5. MsKYprepper, great ideas that I’m sure will help my DW get better organized and more comfortable with “EDC” items that she can always have with her even if she chooses to leave the “purse” stashed in the car. I see the value of your thoughts and method which can be applied in several ways that come to mind. Thanks for sharing the info and pictures.

    Molon Labe

    Reply
  6. I like the compartment / separate sections ~ and labeled ~ easy to grab what is needed , when needed. Concealing in an everyday purse or likewise type of bag ~ makes it also not a target that another would grab in an emergency type situation; most likely not thinking anything of use would be in the bag; but truly most any woman’s purse would be a MacGyvers treasure trove. 🙂

    Reply
  7. A great setup, MsKYPrepper 🙂 Keep up the good work.

    I DO wish I could find an EDC-bag that had the same TARDIS-like attributes as my ex’s gigantic (but not that heavy) purse – much bigger on the inside than the outside.

    I have seen her pull out of its 11-dimensional depths: diapers, snacks, bottled water, a sheath-knife, first aid supplies, hardcover books, and, on visiting a new Chinese restaurant on its opening night, 3 sets of rosewood chopsticks in silk bags, because they had not received their chopstick delivery yet. We always got great service, and the chef would come out and greet us for the next 12 years at that place, because of that evening 🙂

    I’m also glad to see I’m not the only one with swim-goggles (although mine live in my car , since I realized that I haven’t been more than a minute away from my car in years – I do need more sets)

    Well done 🙂

    Reply
  8. LOL, Rourke,

    the really cheap “Sigma” carry-case that came with my camera, and the megamart-type nylon/plastic insulated “lunchboxes” don’t attract many “is that a man-purse?” comments 🙂 They fit a lot of stuff, too, but only in 3 dimensions 🙂

    Reply
  9. I have a few “survival” items that I keep in my purse: flashlight, cash, pepper spray, knife, lighter, granola bars.

    In the backpack that I take to work I have another small survival kit, knife, lighter, paracord, food bars, flashlight, small first aid kit.

    In the trunk of my car (tucked into a hidden cargo area) I have a 3 day supply of lifeboat ration bars, water, water purification tabs, emergency blankets, tarp, rope, maps, first aid kit, lighter, bug spray, and a bunch of other stuff to help get me home safely.

    Between the three kits I should be fairly well covered for simple to moderate emergencies without having to lug around too much stuff on a constant basis.

    Reply
  10. MsKYprepper –

    I had never heard of the Scope trick. Must be A LOT of alcohol. Might have to try that.

    Thanks – Rourke

    Reply
  11. I love how you’ve organized it. I would add a few things maybe but all in all this is a very useful kit. Here’s what I now carry as a purse and it doubles as an overflow for some of my EDC items. It can be worn crossbody so when I’m away from home it’s pretty much on me or on the seat in the car beside me. The extra pockets are great for organization of items and I love the the two main compartments zip nearly open so you can get to stuff that my be stored in the bottom. https://www.swissgear.com/swissgear-1092-vertical-travel-bag-black?fee=1&fep=525&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6Mn-tfuh1QIVghuBCh0h6w1YEAQYASABEgKwzvD_BwE

    Reply

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