It’s one of the easiest, most fundamental ways a person can become better prepared, so the more people utilize EDC, the more prepped we are as a society.
I completely agree with your judgment that not everyone should carry a firearm. Once I understood the extremely limited set of circumstances where the use of deadly force is justified, I concluded that there are a lot more ways for the gun in my pants to get me into trouble than to get me out of it.
I have a friend who is an undercover cop in a big city. He was on public transportation one day during the Summer of Floyd when he was assaulted by a group of apparently unarmed youths. He left his gun concealed while he took a beating, knowing that whatever they dealt out was going to be less painful than the professional and legal trouble that would come from shots fired.
It’s interesting to think that a lot of what you suggest in your EDC is what men used to just carry. I’ve always carried a pocket knife and lighter on me just because that’s what my dad always carried and that’s what his dad carried. I can’t tell you how many times I use those two items alone. Dislodging something, cutting a loose thread, burning a loose thread, burning a document with sensitive information, needing to scrape something, etc. Pens and cash are also musts. I’ll add a small notepad as well and a timepiece of some sort. For personal use, I always have a bottle opener on me too lol.
One more thing, a man should always wear a belt. I’ve always worn a braided belt well because I’m a trad but also because it can be disassembled with a knife into its constituent strands if you’re in need of skinnier strips of leather. Pro tip: if you ever have a bunch of books that are difficult to carry with your hands, take your belt off and wrap it around the stack of books, loop it as you would around your waist but don’t insert the pin into the belt. You can then easily carry your stack of books by the loose end of the belt since the tension from the belt keeps the stack together.
One more thing, and I mean no offense Mr. Remington, we must keep in mind that our contemporary blazers and sport coats are based off WWII and prior military jackets. They have pockets galore, and I must say are much more stylish than fanny packs or that European abomination you put in the first picture. Moreover, your personal items are literally kept close to the vest, and most interior pockets have buttons that won’t allow pickpockets to reach in even in the most cramped urban environments. Cut or tear out the thread from the front pockets to store less valuable items or items you use more often-- the knife or lighter or pen for example. If people think these jackets are cost prohibitive, most thrift stores have a variety of them for no more than $30. I picked up a fine Harris Tweed coat which retails for $600 for $20 from the thrift store. If you can afford a nice waxed hunting jacket, like a Barbour, then that can expand your stylish utilitarian wardrobe even more. Yes, these jackets are expensive but are meant to last a lifetime if taken care of properly.
One last word on coats. Apart from being an excellent way to store your personal items, they obviously also give you warmth. Even in the summer, night can develop a chill or it rains. Your coat can serve as a makeshift umbrella for you or a lady. If there is a summer night chill, which ladies are typically more susceptible to, you can lend her your coat.
The coat is social in many ways. It tells others you’re thinking about them by not assaulting them with your nearly bare figure, but it can also tell others you were thinking about them if you ever lend it to them in the course of a social interaction. I know that seems like an imperceptibly small thing, but I think in the world of billions of interactions in a day, it’s you doing your own part in reinstating civility in those mundane everyday interactions. Dress and act like you’re of a higher order and people will naturally be inclined to follow, even if they don’t know it. Don’t be flashy, be modest, but I think carrying some degree of gravitas does a lot better in the long run for social cohesion than merely avoiding risks for the sake of avoiding risks. A man’s fashion is to be primarily functional followed by form. If you don’t need it, don’t wear it. But Mr. Remington, I can’t abide the fanny pack when my Harris Tweed or poplin coat does just as well and if I may say so, looks quite a bit better. I hope you take the last comment in jest.
I completely agree with your judgment that not everyone should carry a firearm. Once I understood the extremely limited set of circumstances where the use of deadly force is justified, I concluded that there are a lot more ways for the gun in my pants to get me into trouble than to get me out of it.
I have a friend who is an undercover cop in a big city. He was on public transportation one day during the Summer of Floyd when he was assaulted by a group of apparently unarmed youths. He left his gun concealed while he took a beating, knowing that whatever they dealt out was going to be less painful than the professional and legal trouble that would come from shots fired.
It’s interesting to think that a lot of what you suggest in your EDC is what men used to just carry. I’ve always carried a pocket knife and lighter on me just because that’s what my dad always carried and that’s what his dad carried. I can’t tell you how many times I use those two items alone. Dislodging something, cutting a loose thread, burning a loose thread, burning a document with sensitive information, needing to scrape something, etc. Pens and cash are also musts. I’ll add a small notepad as well and a timepiece of some sort. For personal use, I always have a bottle opener on me too lol.
One more thing, a man should always wear a belt. I’ve always worn a braided belt well because I’m a trad but also because it can be disassembled with a knife into its constituent strands if you’re in need of skinnier strips of leather. Pro tip: if you ever have a bunch of books that are difficult to carry with your hands, take your belt off and wrap it around the stack of books, loop it as you would around your waist but don’t insert the pin into the belt. You can then easily carry your stack of books by the loose end of the belt since the tension from the belt keeps the stack together.
One more thing, and I mean no offense Mr. Remington, we must keep in mind that our contemporary blazers and sport coats are based off WWII and prior military jackets. They have pockets galore, and I must say are much more stylish than fanny packs or that European abomination you put in the first picture. Moreover, your personal items are literally kept close to the vest, and most interior pockets have buttons that won’t allow pickpockets to reach in even in the most cramped urban environments. Cut or tear out the thread from the front pockets to store less valuable items or items you use more often-- the knife or lighter or pen for example. If people think these jackets are cost prohibitive, most thrift stores have a variety of them for no more than $30. I picked up a fine Harris Tweed coat which retails for $600 for $20 from the thrift store. If you can afford a nice waxed hunting jacket, like a Barbour, then that can expand your stylish utilitarian wardrobe even more. Yes, these jackets are expensive but are meant to last a lifetime if taken care of properly.
One last word on coats. Apart from being an excellent way to store your personal items, they obviously also give you warmth. Even in the summer, night can develop a chill or it rains. Your coat can serve as a makeshift umbrella for you or a lady. If there is a summer night chill, which ladies are typically more susceptible to, you can lend her your coat.
The coat is social in many ways. It tells others you’re thinking about them by not assaulting them with your nearly bare figure, but it can also tell others you were thinking about them if you ever lend it to them in the course of a social interaction. I know that seems like an imperceptibly small thing, but I think in the world of billions of interactions in a day, it’s you doing your own part in reinstating civility in those mundane everyday interactions. Dress and act like you’re of a higher order and people will naturally be inclined to follow, even if they don’t know it. Don’t be flashy, be modest, but I think carrying some degree of gravitas does a lot better in the long run for social cohesion than merely avoiding risks for the sake of avoiding risks. A man’s fashion is to be primarily functional followed by form. If you don’t need it, don’t wear it. But Mr. Remington, I can’t abide the fanny pack when my Harris Tweed or poplin coat does just as well and if I may say so, looks quite a bit better. I hope you take the last comment in jest.
Better to carry a pistol and never need it than wish you had one when your life is threatened. Be safe out there people!