My edc issue is that I can’t find a smallish, smart enough for work bag that has an insulated compartment for my lunch and also a pocket that will take an iPad mini and also a large enough bit for my mx mechanical mini keyboard and mx master mouse (which is a weird shape). With the possibility of a carrying a protein shaker on the side or within somehow.
I realise this rather hyperspecifc and niche - but I like to hope that somewhere on the internet I will find one.
Might this fit your requirements? My current bag combo is from them and I'm delighted with the service and the quality.
It just dawned on me that what I referred to as ID I carry around is just a load of personal & medical information. I haven't anything that would get me admittance into anywhere that requires a legally authorised ID. Best I can do in that line is my bus pass, as my passport ran out a year or two ago.
The bus pass is in my purse, and that is always tucked in the waistband of my trousers - where it is secured with a nappy pin!
My edc issue is that I can’t find a smallish, smart enough for work bag that has an insulated compartment for my lunch and also a pocket that will take an iPad mini and also a large enough bit for my mx mechanical mini keyboard and mx master mouse (which is a weird shape). With the possibility of a carrying a protein shaker on the side or within somehow.
I realise this rather hyperspecifc and niche - but I like to hope that somewhere on the internet I will find one.
Might this fit your requirements? My current bag combo is from them and I'm delighted with the service and the quality.
They do look good, but somewhat bigger than what I’m ideally looking for.
In the UK, ID = photo ID. There may be other identifying information that you carry with you, but you wouldn't typically call it ID. In a lot of EU countries, people have govt-issued photo ID cards that work like a passport for crossing borders within the EU and are often compulsory to carry.
Iirc, photo ID is more commonly needed in the US than in the UK - I've never needed it at a bank or pharmacy for instance, just my bank card or paper prescription.
I've had a variety of bags over the years. Started out with handbag with a short handle type, then when children arrived I had a nappy bag and handbag to tote, normally the nappy bag hung off the handle of the pram/stroller.
I loved it when backpack leather bags (smallish) became available, particularly good for having two hands free rather than one. I still have one that I've hung onto as it is useful on occasions. Normally I just go out with my phone which also stores my id, cards and a small amount of cash. I have also hung onto a tiny pleather cross body bag, which I rarely use now as my replacement phone doesn't fit it and zip up, but it's pretty and I have a lovely cloth bag gold with appliqued flowers, which holds all the things I take for an outdoor lunch with friends, including sunscreen and the larger phone.
The person in my house who really likes to upgrade things of a tech nature is Cheery husband, it has been the cause of many a cross word between us in the past, not quite so much now.
I don't like keeping things in my pockets, so while in theory the idea of being ready for every contingency appeals, the reality of dragging around a bunch of gadgets does not.
What this maps to is a few backpacks of varying size and style near the front door, a shelf full of various types of equipment, more stuff in the car, and then a few things stored inside suitcases for business and leisure travel.
That covers everything from utility tool+torch to small mobile network with streaming attachment for hotel TVs.
When I was a re-enactor, I got used to having a belt pouch for small useful things. These days, thanks to the lack of decent pockets in women's clothing, I have a range of pouches of various types and colours to go with all my outfits.
Purse and phone are essentials, with bank card, library card and bus pass and a note saying who to contact in case of accident. I write a blog about the local area, so I also keep a stash of cards with the details of the blog and my email to give out. I also keep an emergency stash of headache tablets in the zip pocket of my phone case.
And also my keys, of course.
When I was a re-enactor, I got used to having a belt pouch for small useful things.
Ah, I remember those fun care-free days of Tudor re-enactment when your EDC was the knife hanging from your belt, and you had to remember to remove it when popping in the co-op on your way home in full gear.
I need a new one, and am having all kinds of fun times (!???!) trying to work out what to get. Basically, it needs to be a TARDIS, and be made of the toughest but most beautiful material available.
No, I’ve never carried an alarm, not at home in Luton or even when I was a nurse in London and had to walk from Old Street through Hoxton (pre-gentrification) to Bethnal Green after the late shift at Moorfields. In the 1990s I had friends all over the East End, Whitechapel and Mile End etc, and I just planned safe routes on main roads at night time. The riskiest part was actually the 5 minutes on my own estate of Victorian terraces as it was very quiet and deserted. I never walked on the council estate next door though, my housemate got mugged at knife point while cycling through one evening.
That’s one of the reasons I wear a cross body bag - most of the time it stays on me so I don’t forget it.
(Other reasons to wear a cross body bag: I have narrow shoulders which bags don’t stay on, and to protect against bag snatching)
@Heavenlyannie Yes, I've wandered about town carrying a sharp knife without thinking about it at times, while in full kit! It's surprising how useful a knife can be on camp!
Pocket carry is my preferred option - but pockets of the right size are less of a given. If I wear men’s trousers then the pockets will be big enough, but when women’s clothes do have pockets they tend to be quite a bit smaller.
I can't always tighten the belt of trousers enough to hold them up with heavy things in the pockets because of IBS, especially when I need to wear elasticated waists. At that point, things have to go somewhere else.
Yes, I generally wear elasticated waist trousers for sensory reasons which is why pockets can't hold everything (although having zippered pockets helps prevent lighter items escaping). I really should get some kind of sling bag that can be worn on the back or on the front - crossbody bags have become fashionable again, especially ones that are crocheted or made from upcycled fabrics (crocheting is very popular with teenagers at the moment!) so there is actually a lot of variety on Etsy.
@ThunderBunk wool tweed or felt is surprisingly tough and also relatively waterproof - maybe look for a Harris tweed bag.
I have never carried a personal alarm as imo a person shouting in distress is actually a lot more effective in attracting help - a personal alarm sounds too much like a car alarm or some other alarm that people often dismiss as being a false alarm. Also, for too-small pockets in women's trousers it's actually very simple and not expensive to get the internal part of the pocket replaced with a larger version. Any place doing basic clothing repairs would be able to do it.
I have found there are certain cuts of men’s jeans etc I can wear and generally do that nowadays. I just have few things where,the pockets aren’t really robust enough for octet clips etc
Being short in the leg I have often had to buy trousers that are too long, and then cut several inches off the bottoms of the legs.
I have found these pieces very useful for making pockets to sew into the side seams of the trousers if they are, only too frequently, pocketless.
If I go out with pockets laden I look/ feel weighed down and scruffy. That doesn’t stop me of course.
I bought a faux leather small cross body bag just big enough for phone, purse, tissue, but that is heavy too before I put anything in it.
When I wear my rucksack I am reluctant to put phone and money/ cards in the outer pocket in case I am robbed without realising. Yes I know I can put them in an inside pocket but that makes them hard to dig out when I need them.
I have been considering the pocket clip versus soggy pocket dilemma and I have ordered myself a cash wrap wallet thingy - with the theory. I can pocket clip my multitool, pocket, knife, pen etc to it and then take it in and out of pocket or bag as required, it remains to be seen if it works, the version I bought was only a fiver so I haven’t lost out much if it turns out to be too bulky.
I've carried an EDC pouch for years. It contains, amongst other things:
Lighter
Torch
Mini powerbank (5000 mah)
10m paracord (can't remember tensile strength, but will bear my weight)
10m duck tape
5 cable ties
Gerber Dime multitool
4 'nightlight' candles
Cheap plastic 'disposable' poncho
£100
Emergency 'thinoptics' key chain reading glasses
'Write in the rain' paper and pen
Wire
Gluegun stick
Compeed blister plasters
Small quantities of immodium, paracetamol, ibuprofen etc
This has helped in a range of situations, including (paracord) helping out walkers with broken laces, delaminated boots (duct tape), walkers with no waterproofs (disposable poncho), fire lighting in a bothy, emergency beer purchases and many others.
I just have the one kit, and swap bits in and out according to activity (eg cycling).
It has done quite a few miles, and quite a few nights in the wild.
It is a pleasure to help people where I can, for a few hundred grams.
I have been considering the pocket clip versus soggy pocket dilemma and I have ordered myself a cash wrap wallet thingy - with the theory. I can pocket clip my multitool, pocket, knife, pen etc to it and then take it in and out of pocket or bag as required, it remains to be seen if it works, the version I bought was only a fiver so I haven’t lost out much if it turns out to be too bulky.
The cash wrap thing has worked rather well, though the feel of the pleather ain’t great. I have ordered myself a small sheet of actual leather which I hope to cut to shape and use.
I have managed to get my EDC bag down to a small cross-body, which contains phone, RFID wallet, leather zipped change purse (for a actual metal money), a shopping bag for those moments when you realise you need one, a very small umbrella and my "survival kit" of things I rarely do need but I just might need (nail file for those annoying snags, headache tablets, travel toothbrush and paste, Rennies...all of which are in small sizes etc and zip into a very small bag which is easily transferable.
It is small enough that I can (and indeed have to) re-stow it regularly when it's fall out of their appointed place.
I have a large amount of very nice handbags, shoulder bags, cross body bags, grab bags and tote bags...but at the moment, this is the bag of choice.
When I went through a period of day-dreaming about travel, I discovered Travelon cross-body bags. I was hooked. I've owned several. They are roomy, protective (anti slash), lots of zip compartments. My contents are phone/wallet (which includes driver's license, cards, emergency info), keys (though those are often in my right pocket), pocket calendar, pens, a lovely pill box that is just the right size to hold my OTC stash of pain killers, energizers, and digestive aids. There are pockets on each end for a sunglass case and one for a mini-umbrella or a water bottle. All I really want now is a penlight and a charger.
Startled because I haven't ever thought much or written about this before. Whether I'm in an urban centre, travelling by train or bus or in a small country town, South Africa is a dangerous place, especially for women alone.
I have concealed or buttoned pockets inside shirts or waistcoats for my bank card and notes of cash, in case my bag is snatched (this has happened several times over the years); my ID and passport carried at all times in case I am stopped by police and have to prove I am a South African citizen and not an illegal Zimbabwean; in my outside jacket pocket there is a small pepper spray for protection, a clean cotton mask in case I stand next to someone in a queue with compromised immunity because Covid is a thing; in another outside pocket my mobile phone (we often have Internet breakdowns so I can't rely on being able to access personal details online), flat keys and remotes for the security gates and doors in the complex where I stay.
Then I carry a heavy denim book bag if I'm going up to the library, or a large leather bag in which is kept a small handwritten diary, a Kindle sometimes, shopping lists, whatever I'm reading in paperback, my medical aid details written down in case I'm assaulted and someone has to get me to a hospital (grief, this sounds paranoid but everyone here does this), details of next of kin to be contacted in case I'm found dead (with bag and documents stolen), a bottle of mineral water, a tube of sun block cream, money in cash to tip parking lot attendants and security guards at the ATM, for donations to homeless shelters, a battery-charged panic button on a chain (unless this is around my neck if I have to walk anywhere at night), tissues and occasionally lipstick.
Of course I then walk along the street and see sunburned tourists in T-shirts and sandals swinging their hotel keys in their hands...
This being Glasgow, I carry an overdose kit (Naloxone nasal sprays) and a "stop the bleed" catastrophic bleeding kit everywhere I go - they just live in my little backpack and I never think about them apart from checking the expiries. I started carrying them because I work with a group that serves rough sleepers in the city centre, then I found it was easier just to leave them in my backpack permanently rather than risk forgetting them. (Never had to use either of them!)
Then in the top flap of the backpack I have a Ziploc of medicines like paracetamol and stuff for stomach pain; and a separate Ziploc with some small tools in it - I love my tiny little Knipex Cobra pliers! They can handle a quite big range of nuts and bolts, but are precise enough to take out splinters too, easily fit in a pocket.
Then I just have the usual wallet contents, debit cards-driving licence-library card. And folded up in one of the wallet slots I carry an empty Skittles packet for sentimental reasons. It goes with me everywhere, but the reason for that is a longer story!
(Formerly JB) On my infrequent visit I arrived here out of curiosity for "EDC". Like Jabberwocky, I imagined "Concealed Carry" with a delightful moment of disbelief.
Like The Rogue, I find cargo pants essential and I wear pocket tee shirts at every opportunity. However, work requires a briefcase.
Then I just have the usual wallet contents, debit cards-driving licence-library card. And folded up in one of the wallet slots I carry an empty Skittles packet for sentimental reasons. It goes with me everywhere, but the reason for that is a longer story!
I think that would make an interesting new thread and am off to start one.
Comments
Might this fit your requirements? My current bag combo is from them and I'm delighted with the service and the quality.
The bus pass is in my purse, and that is always tucked in the waistband of my trousers - where it is secured with a nappy pin!
They do look good, but somewhat bigger than what I’m ideally looking for.
Iirc, photo ID is more commonly needed in the US than in the UK - I've never needed it at a bank or pharmacy for instance, just my bank card or paper prescription.
I loved it when backpack leather bags (smallish) became available, particularly good for having two hands free rather than one. I still have one that I've hung onto as it is useful on occasions. Normally I just go out with my phone which also stores my id, cards and a small amount of cash. I have also hung onto a tiny pleather cross body bag, which I rarely use now as my replacement phone doesn't fit it and zip up, but it's pretty and I have a lovely cloth bag gold with appliqued flowers, which holds all the things I take for an outdoor lunch with friends, including sunscreen and the larger phone.
The person in my house who really likes to upgrade things of a tech nature is Cheery husband, it has been the cause of many a cross word between us in the past, not quite so much now.
What this maps to is a few backpacks of varying size and style near the front door, a shelf full of various types of equipment, more stuff in the car, and then a few things stored inside suitcases for business and leisure travel.
That covers everything from utility tool+torch to small mobile network with streaming attachment for hotel TVs.
Purse and phone are essentials, with bank card, library card and bus pass and a note saying who to contact in case of accident. I write a blog about the local area, so I also keep a stash of cards with the details of the blog and my email to give out. I also keep an emergency stash of headache tablets in the zip pocket of my phone case.
And also my keys, of course.
(Other reasons to wear a cross body bag: I have narrow shoulders which bags don’t stay on, and to protect against bag snatching)
@ThunderBunk wool tweed or felt is surprisingly tough and also relatively waterproof - maybe look for a Harris tweed bag.
I have never carried a personal alarm as imo a person shouting in distress is actually a lot more effective in attracting help - a personal alarm sounds too much like a car alarm or some other alarm that people often dismiss as being a false alarm. Also, for too-small pockets in women's trousers it's actually very simple and not expensive to get the internal part of the pocket replaced with a larger version. Any place doing basic clothing repairs would be able to do it.
I have found these pieces very useful for making pockets to sew into the side seams of the trousers if they are, only too frequently, pocketless.
I bought a faux leather small cross body bag just big enough for phone, purse, tissue, but that is heavy too before I put anything in it.
When I wear my rucksack I am reluctant to put phone and money/ cards in the outer pocket in case I am robbed without realising. Yes I know I can put them in an inside pocket but that makes them hard to dig out when I need them.
Lighter
Torch
Mini powerbank (5000 mah)
10m paracord (can't remember tensile strength, but will bear my weight)
10m duck tape
5 cable ties
Gerber Dime multitool
4 'nightlight' candles
Cheap plastic 'disposable' poncho
£100
Emergency 'thinoptics' key chain reading glasses
'Write in the rain' paper and pen
Wire
Gluegun stick
Compeed blister plasters
Small quantities of immodium, paracetamol, ibuprofen etc
This has helped in a range of situations, including (paracord) helping out walkers with broken laces, delaminated boots (duct tape), walkers with no waterproofs (disposable poncho), fire lighting in a bothy, emergency beer purchases and many others.
I just have the one kit, and swap bits in and out according to activity (eg cycling).
It has done quite a few miles, and quite a few nights in the wild.
It is a pleasure to help people where I can, for a few hundred grams.
Heron
The cash wrap thing has worked rather well, though the feel of the pleather ain’t great. I have ordered myself a small sheet of actual leather which I hope to cut to shape and use.
It was the backup glasses make I recognised !
It is small enough that I can (and indeed have to) re-stow it regularly when it's fall out of their appointed place.
I have a large amount of very nice handbags, shoulder bags, cross body bags, grab bags and tote bags...but at the moment, this is the bag of choice.
But still haven't significantly traveled. :-(
I have concealed or buttoned pockets inside shirts or waistcoats for my bank card and notes of cash, in case my bag is snatched (this has happened several times over the years); my ID and passport carried at all times in case I am stopped by police and have to prove I am a South African citizen and not an illegal Zimbabwean; in my outside jacket pocket there is a small pepper spray for protection, a clean cotton mask in case I stand next to someone in a queue with compromised immunity because Covid is a thing; in another outside pocket my mobile phone (we often have Internet breakdowns so I can't rely on being able to access personal details online), flat keys and remotes for the security gates and doors in the complex where I stay.
Then I carry a heavy denim book bag if I'm going up to the library, or a large leather bag in which is kept a small handwritten diary, a Kindle sometimes, shopping lists, whatever I'm reading in paperback, my medical aid details written down in case I'm assaulted and someone has to get me to a hospital (grief, this sounds paranoid but everyone here does this), details of next of kin to be contacted in case I'm found dead (with bag and documents stolen), a bottle of mineral water, a tube of sun block cream, money in cash to tip parking lot attendants and security guards at the ATM, for donations to homeless shelters, a battery-charged panic button on a chain (unless this is around my neck if I have to walk anywhere at night), tissues and occasionally lipstick.
Of course I then walk along the street and see sunburned tourists in T-shirts and sandals swinging their hotel keys in their hands...
Then in the top flap of the backpack I have a Ziploc of medicines like paracetamol and stuff for stomach pain; and a separate Ziploc with some small tools in it - I love my tiny little Knipex Cobra pliers! They can handle a quite big range of nuts and bolts, but are precise enough to take out splinters too, easily fit in a pocket.
Then I just have the usual wallet contents, debit cards-driving licence-library card. And folded up in one of the wallet slots I carry an empty Skittles packet for sentimental reasons. It goes with me everywhere, but the reason for that is a longer story!
Like The Rogue, I find cargo pants essential and I wear pocket tee shirts at every opportunity. However, work requires a briefcase.
It's good to see so many names from long ago.
Hi! So good to see you here!