If you truly embrace the idea of everyday carry, you realize your kit will often change depending on where you’re going and what you’ll be doing when you get there.
Sometimes, you’re limited to what you can hide beneath a suit. Other times, you can rock a fly fishing sling bag packed with everything you might need to address a threat or an emergency situation no matter where you are, in addition to your core EDC gear.
Mike Glover of Fieldcraft Survival runs through his personal EDC gear list that he has developed after years as a Special Forces and CIA operative working in a bevy of environments around the world. There’s always a temptation to carry too much, especially if a bag of any size is involved. In the video above, he shows you how he packs out an unassuming fly fishing bag with med gear to supplement the tourniquet he carries at all times.
“When we’re talking about everyday carry, I’m not just talking about your fancy pistola on your appendix carry on your waistband,” Glover said. “I’m talking about all the things that you would carry just in case. In special operations, but also as a CIA contractor, we changed what we were doing environmentally based on the threat. You can take the same kind of premise and apply it to your world.”
“If you’re rolling through the hood in the middle of the night because you’re out and about, […] that would change or dictate what you would everyday carry compared to maybe your routine,” he added.
At the same time, you have to think about blending into your environment as much as possible. Where Glover lives is a fly fishing hot spot on the Provo River, so a Carhart vest, lumberjack shirt, Salomon shoes, and a fly fishing sling bag don’t look out of place at all, but that may be drastically different where you live. Choose gear and plan accordingly.
The activities you regularly engage in also dictate your EDC gear. Glover says you can never carry enough tourniquets because you have four limbs, and any person to whom you may have to render aid also has four limbs, but there’s more to it.
“Don’t just think about applying a tourniquet and first aid and trauma. That’s the easy part. Think about what you would do after the fact,” he says. “If I’m rural riding UTVs and overlapping, I want to have the ability to splint the wounds. So you’ve got the Rigid Immobilization System for Extremities (RISE). It’s just a splint that allows you to immobilize an injury.”
A ChitoGauze XR2 Pro hemostatic bandage rounds out Glover’s more robust fly fishing pack med kit. If he can’t rock the bag, he still has his everyday carry staples that he never deviates from. Those include a SIG Sauer P320 XCarry pistol in a magnetic retention IWB holster in the appendix carry position loaded with a 21-round magazine.
Glover admits that’s a pretty significant carry gun, but that it doesn’t deviate from his 32-inch waist, so it’s good to go. Folks with a bigger frame can get away with carrying larger gear, and more gear, on their waist, especially in fall or winter clothing.
He also carries a TacMed Solutions SOF Wide tourniquet IWB in a Fieldcraft holster that can be moved easily if necessary.
For illumination, Glover digs the Surefire Stiletto Pro flashlight because it’s slim and easy to carry, rechargeable, and has multiple output intensity settings.
“I don’t like gluing [my light] to my gun because I like to use it offset, and also, I’m going to use the light more often in utility, like ‘What’s under the hood,’ ‘What’s under the car.’ You wouldn’t want to use it for that tethered to a gun. Don’t be that guy,” he said.
He even carefully considered his footwear before heading out for the day based on what he’ll be getting into.
“When I was a global response Staff Officer for the CIA, I remember I once had a team leader tell me, ‘Hey, Mike, don’t wear flip-flops.’ And I’m not the flip-flop guy, but I’m like, ‘Man, why would I not be able to do that? I’m off-duty.’ ‘Well, Mike, you’re always on duty. And if we have to react, respond, you can’t do that barefoot in this country. You wouldn’t be effective,’” he said.
“I actually consider that when I put my shoes on in the morning. Like, am I going to be somewhere where I might have to think about security, if I’m with my family or with friends, then I’m going to use the appropriate shoe for me. And this case [I’m wearing] Salomon shoes. They’re utilitarian. They’re light. They’re airy, but they’re not like hiking boots. They’re also not like my cowboy boots. They’re a little bit more functional and [offer more] utility. I got Vertx pants: nice, cozy, and comfortable and stretchy — I need that because I’m a fat kid.”
“I also have a leather belt. I always wear a full leather belt because I like the way the leather is in strength. And I could use it principally as an alternative tourniquet. If I have to adapt, if I have to improvise,” he added.
READ NEXT – 5 Ways to Ensure Medical Preparedness
Comments