EDC stands for everyday carry, a term used in the military to designate the most useful tools carried on your person at all times. Product design blog and online merchant Kaufmann-Mercantile, has put together a similar EDC Kit, using the same military suppliers, that will come in handy to almost any type of outdoor enthusiast.
The EDC Kit contains a pair of precision tweezers, Phillips screwdriver, flat head screwdriver, pry bar, and a waterproof emergency lighter. A lightweight titanium key ring holds all the tools together. Weighing only 2 oz. all in, this utility kit is not going to load down your pack.
The pry bar or mini crowbar, made from industrial grade metal, comes in handy for prying open cans, such as hot cocoa, or even for use on those stubborn tent stakes that don’t want to come back out of the ground. You can even jam the pry bar up under a beer bottle top if you forgot your opener or aren’t wearing beer friendly gear.
The precision tweezers can be used for everything from plucking out slivers or cactus quills, to removing ticks from you and your pet. Made from hardened steel, the screwdrivers can help fix almost any of your equipment including your camp stove, snowshoes, skis, crampons, you name it. I even found the flat head screwdriver to offer good leverage to help open a bear canister.
The 1 inch high refillable capsule lighter features a waterproof and airtight seal. No water can get in and no lighter fluid will leak into your pack. The flame stays lit until you blow it out, great for those times you need to light your stove or start a fire if you get caught out somewhere.
I once forget to carry a lighter with me when backpacking through the Desolation Wilderness and as my Jetboil igniter was malfunctioning, I had to cut my trip short. Though I plan to never make the same mistake again, I will feel much more comfortable knowing I always have a waterproof lighter backup as part of my multi-tool kit (just can’t forget to pack it now).
I plan to always keep the EDC Kit in my climbing pack during the season. As Kitty Calhoun has lectured many times, the one thing you always bring is a lighter as you never know what is going to happen. I can see the screwdrivers also coming in handy for fixing crampons, ice axes, or even rock gear.
The EDC Kit retails for $44 and can be purchased from the Kaufmann-Mercantile website.