Every morning we get up, brush our teeth and get ourselves ready for the day. At minimum we grab our wallet (or purse), our car keys and our cell Phone and head off to work. While some of these might not be considered “survival” items in the typical sense of the word, they are absolutely necessary for us to have in order to “survive” the day.

As preppers we take this one lever deeper and think about what we should be carrying every day that might come in handy if something catastrophic happens, or even if something happens that isn’t life threatening, but makes a problem much more bearable.

If you’ve ever used a butter knife as a screw driver you know what I mean.

In the show this week I talked to Chris from thebugoutbagguide.com about his new book The Everyday Carry Guide and we went through everything from what you might need in an EDC kit to how to decide on those items. Chris also set up a special page sore Survivalist Prepper listeners here.

SPP108 What Goes In My EDC

Before we get into everyday carry kits let’s talk about everyday carry items in general and some ideas. Generally everyday carry items are items you carry in your pocket, on your belt, in your purse or in you wallet.

Basic everyday carry items include…

* Folding Knife. For more information about picking a knife click here and here. We also talked about the low cost Wartech 8″ Tactical Assisted Folding Knife.

* Flashlight

* Multi Tool

* Concealed Carry Weapon

* TAZER, Mace or Stun Gun

* Sun Glasses

* Pen and Paper

* Bic Lighter

There could be more or less depending on your needs, but these items are items that have a higher likelihood of being useful in your day to day life…. hopefully a handgun never needs to be used, but just having one can be a good deterrent.

If this is where you decide to stop then honestly you are better off than most people these days, but just like bug out bags and everything else when it comes to preparedness, there is much more that we can do to increase our odds for survival.

Beyond the Basics

This is where doing a threats assessment comes in. The situations you face on a daily basis will be different than another person, while some of these items like water purification tablets might be the same.

Take a look at your situation, and the situations you are likely to face during your daily routine. If you live in an urban area or drive a lot you will need to tailor your EDC items accordingly. Think about the following as you are deciding on every day carry items.

High Probability Items: A multi tool is a good example of this,