What's In My Everday Carry (EDC) Adventure Kit
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Time to read 10 min
As you're building out your EDC gear, I thought it might be helpful to share what's in my kit. If you've read the earlier posts on this topi, you'll know that I think this collection of gear - whether your full-featured EDC gear box or portable version are the most important part of outdoor gear you own. They can get you out of a bind - help you repair a broken piece of equipment, deal with injuries, help with communications, or provide food and hydration if you run low. It's all about helping you adapt to what you can't plan for.
Being a little bit more prepared to deal with for the unexpected, can be all of the difference between having a great day and a chaotic epic. My kit has evolved over years of my experience dealing with different scenarios that we have to solve for from time to time. It's been informed by family ski vacations and camping trips, multi-sport road trips with my friends, and countless day trips to the trails, ski hill, or crag.
This is part 2 in a series about building out your Everyday Carry (EDC) adventure kit. If you want to learn more about building out your system, check out the posts on the principles of building out your EDC adventure kit and what's in my EDC-GO kit, those are good primers that give this post a bit more context.
What's in my kit
Let's get right to it. There's a ton of stuff here. And, honestly, there's a bunch more that lives in the truck all the time (recovery gear, tools, etc). But this is the core gear that I use most often.
It's also worth noting that this is what currently works for me, my family, where I live and play most often, and my primary activities - mountain biking, backcountry skiing, climbing, and camping. But most of this gear is pretty universally valuable for anyone that spends a lot of time playing outside.
Our kit has evolved a lot over time, but every piece is in there for a reason. Some items get used every time we go outside, others maybe once or twice a year - but when we need them, we NEED them.
So, consider this a thought starter for some of the things you may want to include in your EDC adventure kit. If you have other ideas for items that have come in handy in your setup, please share those in the comments below - we're all learning together and we'd love to hear other perspectives.
This kit has been designed to provide:
- Basic first aid supplies.
- Basic tools and repair supplies.
- Extra food and hydration.
- Emergency communications.
- Extra clothing for when conditions aren't what we planned for.
- Some extra goodies that just make being outside a little bit more fun.
Always Good to Go.
1. Electronics
- Extra batteries – AA, AAA, and coin style batteries (CR2032 and similar as needed). Make sure you test and refresh them from time to time.
- Extra headlamp. I prefer headlamps that run on batteries, as we always have those available. If you do opt for a rechargeable option, look for those that can also run on batteries, or make sure you test and recharge it regularly.
- Charging cables for all of your devices.
- Portable power bank. There are a ton of options here. I like options with integrated cables and USB-C and USB-A outputs for specialty cables (Apple watch, etc.). Have had good experience with this option from Amazon . It’s cheap enough for the kids to each have one as well.
2. Communications
- ·Satellite messenger. If you frequently play far enough from emergency services that getting back to a trailhead or reaching emergency services could make the difference in a time-critical situation. I’ve been carrying an InReach Mini for years. It’s tiny, rugged, has long battery life, and the subscription is inexpensive enough to make sure it’s always activated when you need it.
- Two-way radios. For climbing, skiing, paddling, camping with a family, or other activities where you need to communicate with your partners for safety purposes. I’ve been using Rocky Talkie Mountain Radios for a few years now. Small size, range/signal quality, battery life, durability, and integrated carabiner and tether, make them just about perfect for outdoor use. They also make a fully waterproof 5W version.
3. Basic Tools & Survival Gear
- A good multi-tool. There are so many options out there, but these are essential for all kinds of situations from repairs to first aid. At a minimum, it should have quality pliers, sharp knife, serrated knife, and a couple sizes of flat and Phillips head drivers. We also keep a small tool kit in the truck with a broader assortment of wrenches, sockets, etc.
- Ski/utility straps. Voile and Titan straps are both tested options and have several different lengths and styles. These are also great for lashing items to your Gear Box accessory rails.
- Gloves. Heavy-duty work gloves are always getting put to use. Protect your hands when making repairs, dealing with hot stuff when cooking or tending a campfire, or adding a little extra grip when needed. These live in a mesh pocket on the outside of my gear box for easy access.
- Lightweight bag. I also keep a couple of extra Stowaway Wet/Dirty Gear Bags at the ready on the outside of the gear box – for yes, wet & dirty gear, but also for trips to the market or generally gathering the small stuff that inevitably collects over the course of a trip.
- Duct tape. These mini rolls of Gorilla Tape are great.
- Various lengths of zip ties and a length of steel wire for repairs.
- Small notebook (waterproof field notes are great), Sharpie marker or space pen.
- Folding survival shovel. We actually use this way more than expected for everything from digging cat holes to an improvised pry bar. This option from Rhino is super compact and durable.
- Battery powered vehicle jump starter. The only solution when you’re the only one around. Select a portable option like this , that can also serve as a backup power bank to charge electronics in a pinch. Just make sure it’s strong enough to start your vehicle and put a reminder in your phone to check the battery from time to time.
- A can of fix-a-flat.
- Lighter, fire starters, emergency blanket, hand warmers.
- An extra 1 or 1.5L Nalgene (pre-filled) and a bike water bottle, so we always have a little bit of extra water on hand, and can deal with a forgotten bottle. Lesson learned after a day of climbing with not enough water. I also carry an MSR pump water filter just in case.
Tools organized in a gear cube.
Portable EDC kit.
Quick access to frequently used gear.
4. Portable "EDC-GO" Kit
This kit lives in the gear box all the time and contains a subset of the most essential elements of the larger kit. When the gear box isn’t with me, or if I need to travel light – if a friend is driving, or we’re traveling by air, or the gear box would otherwise be overkill. I pack mine in a Kitworks Gear Cube (size medium works for this kit) and fits into any backpack.
Check out the EDC-GO blog post for a full run-down of what's in my kit. Here's the high level:
- Full-featured multi tool.
- Most of my communication devices.
- Headlamp & extra batteries.
- Small tube of sunblock and lip balm.
- Small first aid kit
- Extra energy food and hydration supplies.
- Basic tools and repair gear.
- Basic survival gear.
5. First aid kit and a basic knowledge of first aid.
There are plenty of resources online about creating first aid kits and basic first aid skills. Your needs will vary based on where you’re traveling, your activities, how far you are from emergency services, etc. Take the time to create a basic kit and get educated on how to deal with common injuries or conditions you might experience.
Our kit is intended to help us manage injuries that often happen outside – cuts, blisters, burns, fractures, etc. It's relatively easy and cost effective to piece together your own kit, but there are also a ton of basic kits out there – we’ve been using this one from Rhino Rescue for a while now.
I'm going to leave most of the first aid advice to the experts, but want to share two things from my experience that inform how I think about first aid:
- REPLENISH. Create a process for replenishing or refreshing things that you've used during the course of a trip. I use a note on my phone to track this stuff, and always unload my gear to our staging table in the gear garage to reset everything after longer trips. A first aid kit can't help you if you used your last bandage or pain meds.
- Get educated, but realize that there are limits to what you can do with your knowledge and tools in the backcountry. I recently had a discussion with some of my doctor friends that practice emergency medicine about wilderness first aid training. In summary their advice was the following: know the basics of first aid - how to stop bleeding, how to assess and treat common minor injuries and conditions, and know how to assess more serious situations. But if you're far enough from emergency services that a serious situation could be life threatening - always have a way to call in the cavalry (Garmin InReach or other satellite communictor).
6. Extra Clothing
Having a little bit of extra clothing on hand is super helpful when you, or one of your partners has forgotten something essential to making the day safe or just more enjoyable.
Over the years, we inevitably end up with extra gear – that older gear is perfect for stashing away in your EDC kit for when you need it.
- Extra rain shell. I just pack an older lightweight 2.5L waterproof shell that is no longer in the daily rotation. It’s perfect for when we get to the trailhead and the weather isn’t exactly what we planned for.
- Crushable hats – I carry a lightweight, quick drying brim hat and an extra beanie.
- Extra pair of sunglasses. Find something amazing from a gas station. Or Good’r $25 .
- Gloves – I carry some fleece liners and waterproof shells.
- Socks – for changing out of wet socks or when you left yours on the counter at home.
- I also like to carry a lightweight change of clothes – t-shirt, shorts, underwear.
This all packs down small enough to fit in a large Gear Cube.
7. Stuff that can make being outside a little bit more fun.
- Small Bluetooth speaker: There are a ton of options, but I’ve been using the Ultimate Ears Boom or Wonderboom for it’s ideal blend of sound quality/volume, battery life, and durability. Just, please use it responsibly.
- Playing Cards or other games: GSI makes some great, compact games to add to your kit. We put our portable cribbage board to use all the time.
- Coozies: cold drinks are always better.
- Snacks: stuff that lasts a while – trail mix packets, prepackaged jerky, chocolate covered espresso beans, and starburst candies for the kids are some of our favorites.
- Small camp chair: Sometimes, it's really nice to have a chair - and there are a ton of options that pack down super small and take up no space in your gear box. I've used products from REI and Cliq and both are great.
- Packable puffy blanket: Having a small, packable blanket on hand doesn't just take the chill off - in an emergency situation, having a little bit more insulation around can make all the difference. We've used a bunch of Rumpl products over the years.
Greg Mills
Greg is the founder of Kitworks. A lifelong skier, mountain biker and climber with an active family, he founded Kitworks to bring better solutions for managing outdoor gear. To help his friends and adventure buddies get outside faster, start organized and stay organized during trips, and have their best adventures. Greg lives in Beaverton OR, with his wife Erin, his sons Ryan and Ian, and dog Riley.
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