Three EDC items for your keychain when the SHTF

You don’t have to be a “doomsday preparer” to appreciate that it’s a great idea to have certain items with you in case of an emergency. Preppers and Survivors call these items their “EDC” (Every Day Carry) items. Depending on how far you take emergency preparedness, your EDC items can fill your pocket, a tactical “guy bag,” or even a backpack in the trunk of your car.

Let’s take a look at a very modest EDC system that can fit on your keychain and could be a lifesaver if SHTF (Sewage Hits the Fan) ever occurs in America.

Item 1: P-38 Can Opener

This item weighs next to nothing, can be purchased at any Army Surplus store or camping/outdoor activity store, and weighs next to nothing. It’s about the size of a small key, so it won’t weigh down your key ring, but if you ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t get home, it will easily open the canned goods that every savvy prepper should have. in the trunk of his car.

Article 2: Lantern / Kubotan

Having a small penlight type battery flashlight on your keychain is a must. If there is a power outage, Murphy’s Law states that it will happen at the worst possible time, so having a light on your keychain could come in handy.

If you’re smart and get an aluminum model, like a quality mini-Maglite or Brinkman light, then this can work as a Kubotan for self defense. That’s a melee weapon that you use to poke someone in the ribs or neck or (well, that’s a whole series of items on its own!) to pain or incapacitate an attacker long enough for them to die. you can escape safely.

The other thing this flashlight can do is break a car window in case you’re trapped and need to get out (or get in to rescue someone after an accident) quickly.

Article 3: Leatherman Micra

Granted, a lot of preppers and survivors are going to be annoyed at this suggestion, since they’d already have a nice multi-tool on their belt to begin with. However, these are suggestions for the top 3 things I would carry in my pocket on a key ring, and if you have this base covered in another way, all the better.

The nice thing about a multi-tool like the Leatherman is that it gives you a sharp knife and several other options. Don’t underestimate the usefulness of a multi-tool; there are many surviving backpacker types who take their Leatherman into the woods with them, and the biggest tool on great Leathermans is a pair of pliers, which many wouldn’t imagine would be needed in the woods.

Now hopefully if you don’t already have an EDC strategy this will give you a start and you can get all three of these items for less than $50 total. The worst thing you can do is start analyzing and comparing and get into overanalyzing that leads to paralysis and end up doing nothing.

The EDC kit you have with you when disaster strikes is infinitely better than the perfect EDC kit you never got to assemble!