Three Everyday Takeaway (EDC) Readiness Items For Your Keychain When The SHTF

You don’t have to be an “doomsday preparer” to realize that it’s a great idea to have certain items with you in case of an emergency. Preparers and survivors call these items their “EDC” (daily transportation) items. Depending on how far you take emergency preparedness, your EDC items can fill your pocket, a tactical “tote 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 prove to be a lifesaver if SHTF (Sewage Hits the Fan) ever happens in America.

Item 1: P-38 can opener

This item weighs next to nothing, can be purchased at any Army surplus store or outdoor / camping store, and weighs next to nothing. It’s about the size of a small key, so it won’t weigh your keychain, but if you’re ever in a situation where you can’t get home, you’ll easily open canned goods that every smart preparer should have. in the trunk of your car.

Element 2: Lantern / Kubotan

It is essential to have a small battery-powered flashlight on the keychain. 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 be really helpful.

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

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

Item 3: Leatherman Micra

Granted, a lot of preparers and survivors will bristle at this suggestion, as they would already have a good multi-tool on their belt to begin with. However, these are suggestions for the top 3 things that I would carry in my pocket on a keychain, and if you have this base covered in another way, so much the better.

The great thing about a multi-tool like Leatherman is that it offers you a sharp knife and several other options. Don’t underestimate the usefulness of a multi-tool; There are many types of backpacking survivors who take their Leatherman into the woods with them, and the greatest tool of the large Leathermans is a pair of pliers, which many would not imagine would be needed in the woods.

Now hopefully if you don’t have an EDC strategy yet, this will get you started and you can get these three items for less than $ 50 total. The worst thing you can do is start analyzing and comparing and delving into the over-analysis that leads to paralysis and never end up doing anything.

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