EDC (Every Day Carry) Belt Pouch Project

Communities Blog
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So for a while I was trying to have dedicated pouches for every part of my EDC. My wife pointed out just how dumb I was being, which led to this little project.

I picked up this pouch or fanny pack from Wal-Mart for about $8. It's by "Outdoor Products" and is a decent size for what I was trying to achieve. Now, whilst I'd consider firearms a necessary part of EDC, they have nothing to do with this project. Also, my knife again, falls into that bucket of not that part of my EDC. These wouldn't fit even if I wished them to.

So what does go into this pouch?

  • First aid kit
  • Passport, DL, & wallet
  • Notebook & Pen
  • Multitool(Gerber Suspension if you're curious)
  • Keys
  • iPod Nano & earbuds (really, any rechargeable MP3 player in an sff would work)
  • Nook
  • Phone, if I ever bother to get one again (dumb, naturally. Keep yer smartphones.), and headset
  • Small P&S digi-camera
  • Chapstick
  • 2 emergency tampons for wife
  • 2 doses each of migraine & panic meds
  • 18 cigs & lighter
  • Vape, oil, charger
  • Torch/Flashlight in SFF over 200 lumen

As you can see, the list is pretty long. I really don't like to be caught unprepared. And I really despise pockets. They're ugly when full, and uncomfortable and... anyway, back to the project.

Taking advantage of the pouche's design to minimize my work, I removed the center stitch from the front clippy/elastic bands, cut two holes in the rear of the pouch. I sealed the edges in the (formerly) rear, now front, with a lighter, then folded the waistband into the now-front pouch. This way it has a cleaner appearance on my belt without removing any functionality.

Do you think I could have done better with the same or similar investment? Do you think I've forgotten something I should be carrying?

Edit: Forgot part of the list. Second Edit: Yeah, I forgot another part.

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nice fanny pack.

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Don't hate the fanny pack. @thedmbarlow Have you seen nutnfancy's videos on his EDC? I feel like this is inspired by it, but if you haven't I'd check it out.

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Never heard of this guy. Is he on YT?

I was actually trying to avoid the whole "fanny pack" thing. I don't like them. Hence the repurposing I've done.

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Yeah, he's on YT, he does videos on a ton of different topics. One of his EDC videos talks about his fanny pack and what he puts in it. I don't recall which video. It's actually pretty interesting, don't like fanny packs because they get in the way for me. But certainly not a bad thing to have as EDC.

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Perhaps I was unclear about how I'm using this?

It's closer to a dump pouch than a fanny pack.Hangs from my belt on my left hip.

I'll look this guy up though.

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He has some really good videos. I've been really liking the new motorcycle content.

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Nah, you weren't being unclear, I'm just bad at figuring out what to say. I was expressing my opinion on adding a bag to someone's waist as a way to store and carry something.

I carry a backpack because 90% of the time I have my laptop with me, and I just toss everything into it aside from wallet, phone and knife (when I need it). If I don't have my backpack it is usually when I either can't have one, or don't need one.

I might add that a bike tube patch kit is part of my EDC, it is always in my backpack, especially after I got caught three miles from where I live with a small little puncture that didn't feel like lasting the rest of the ride. Ended up waiting nearly an hour for someone to pick me up. Not sure if that is something you need.

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I'd agree with you but for 2 points.

First -- I don't bike. If I got back into biking, I'd need a specialty frame that supports way big tires. I'm over 6' and uncomfortable on standard size frames. Further, if I got back into biking, it'd be for exercise.

For transit, I prefer my Jeep. :) Living out in the country like I do, and running a large household (both in humans and animals), regardless of my personal feelings (though they tend to follow in line) it'd just be unreasonable. I will plug this ad nauseum if you let me, fair warning, but the 1990 Jeep Cherokee is a fantastic machine, with lots of space for it's size, a surprisingly powerful (beats out larger V8s in my experience) small-sized 4L fuel-injected inline-6. It's not an auto, but that's a plus in my book.

The second point... As a journalist and a novelist, one might assume that I want a laptop, that I would get a lot of use out of it. Fair assumption, but the answer is no. Unless I'm traveling under circumstances that don't allow me to take my tower, I have no use for a laptop. Since that rarely happens, my laptop (since it's older and was fairly high end in it's time) is relegated to retro games that don't play nice with modern systems.

I really find a helluva lot more use out of a notebook-to-evernote system for a lot less weight and a lot more reliability. Ink running out in my pen is a lot less likely than a battery dying on me and a lot easier to fix in the middle of nowhere.

Since I'm not carrying anything with more bulk than the Nook, I can get away with avoiding backpacks. I don't like them in the first place, I find that they encourage my bad habit of slouching, and I've already got back problems including (minor) scoliosis.

Hell, if I'm travelling, I'd much rather do it with an engineer's field satchel, like the M-51 from RothCo. Sadly, the first one I got my hands on was defective, and I've yet to be able to replace it.

Still, a major consideration that we should apply to our EDC is weight. Do you really need that laptop with you every day, @VXAce? Could you make do with a system like mine? Should you? Or perhaps a tablet & keyboard is a better solution for you?

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Should you want to avoid more fanny pack comments, you should consider getting something along these lines http://www.amazon.com/5-11-56037-019-8-PUSH-Pack/dp/B003Z0EW8I/ref=pd_sim_200_64?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H36E8WEC0SJK0JGV1WA

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Too big. At that point I might as well just use a satchel like the M-51 I mentioned.

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Mine's an official nintendo fanny pack, picture is pretty old though

Why didn't ya just like, make a belt that can clip on easily, and like something that you could simply run pouches around expanding your storage capacity as needed and having pockets for everything? Basically bat man's utility belt, just with pockets. It would certainly be more manageable than a single large pocket. Hell I need to make that now.

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Well, because I think it exists, has been patented, and carries connotation I don't necessary want.

I believe the modern variant is called "MOLLE"? And the predecessor was "ALICE"?

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That seems like more of a vest system though, I need to work on this, it'll probably keep my desk clean

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I'm still a student, so when I go out it is either for class, or to go out with friends and study, work on things or play games. I'm fairly worked into my laptop, as most if not all my work is done on it aside from communication and very little entertainment, so it is hard to not go places with it.

There are times when I don't have my laptop, but those are rare and I just end up with phone, wallet, flashlight, knife and sometimes a lighter.

I agree fully with the weight issue, I also happen to have a damn heavy laptop (almost 6 pounds). But it is just one of the sacrifices I have to make for now. I hope to lighten up eventually, with either a lighter laptop (most probable) or ditching it all together.

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They're just gear systems, really. But that's not the problem.

The point is that they are military systems, primarily designed around weapons systems. Of course firearm(s) and other weapons are necessary parts of EDC, but my priorities are very different than those of an individual on the battlefield.

But in a more general sense... I -was- doing that. My wife pointed out how dumb it was, and she was right. It was difficult to get to something without dislodging and possibly dropping something else, difficult to keep track of what went where, decisions to be made about what things are important enough to have dedicated pouches and which make more sense in a group, etc, etc.

This way, basically everything is in one spot with the exception of the main knife and any weaponry.

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But doesn't it become a hassle to try and reach something under something else?

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In your case, as a student, yeah, the laptop is probably best. I'd take a close look at tablet options, however. 6 pounds is a lot of weight to dedicate. Is it possible that an Android solution might work just as well?

I'm watching the 2013 EDC update from nutnfancy now -- started at what I think is the beginning. He has some great ideas. Personally I have to say I hate-hate-hate shoulder, belly, and waistband holsters -- much prefer a gun on the hip -- but that's very subjective.

Speaking of subjective, and weight to dedicate, I'm super concerned about weight balance because I disagree with him -- 9mm is insufficient for carry as far as I'm concerned, at least if you're a decent shooter with something larger.

My first aid kits are also, apparently, far and away more comprehensive thant nutnfancy's. A couple bandaids, some neosporin, and a couple alky swabs? Pfffff, good way to get yourself in a really bad situation. Doesn't even require the "bad guy" -- you take a fall in the wrong place, or make a mistake with a knife just one time, and all of a sudden you need a method of placing and maintaining pressure.

If you're alone, and all you have is bandaids, and you are injured badly? Suddenly you have 0 hands free to get yourself to help. I've been damn close to there. There's still a foot-wide stain of my blood in the Jeep -- and I was lucky not to be alone.

That's just one reason to dedicate a lot more weight to first aid.

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Things like the pen, the chapstick, there's a mesh/zipper pocket in the pouch's main pocket. The first aid kit is in a box in the main compartment. The multitool sits vertically off to one side. Simple organization and everything's in reach.

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It is impossible for an Android tablet of any type to replace what I do on a windows laptop. It is very hard to replace Solidworks, Photoshop, Aegisub and a couple of other things with anything else. I'm looking at possibly selling or scraping together some money and getting a Lenovo Y40-80 (yes, with that bios thing, but whatever), which will be a pound lighter and be much smaller.

I probably should put together a more comprehensive first aid kit, since all I carry is bandaids and alcohol wipes. And sometimes I even forget those after a clean out.

Very rarely I have another bag that doesn't include my laptop, but again, very rarely.

God, sometimes you get something (a laptop), decide you freaking love the thing and have it do everything you need. But when your focus changes (mine changed to more gaming and less CPU intensive things like rendering and encoding on the fly), you suddenly regret a purchase. I don't mind the weight at all, but certain things just don't cut it at a "dropping below 60 FPS" range.

Edit: This is possibly one of the most interesting conversations I have had on this forum, haha, made me think of a lot of things.