Urban EDC Backpack

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheUrbanPrepper

Definitions:

1. Everyday carry (EDC) or Every Day Carry refers to a small collection of tools, equipment and supplies that are

carried on a daily basis to assist in tackling situations ranging from the mundane to the disastrous. The term EDC

also refers to the philosophy or spirit of 'preparedness' that goes along with the selection and carrying of these

items. Implicit in the term is the sense that an EDC is an individual's personal selection of equipment, arrived at

after deliberation, rather than a standardized kit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry )

2. An Urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas

surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to

rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.

Total Weight: 16.5 lbs All items | All compartments | Both bottles (coffee/water) full

Compartments: In an effort to keep my Urban EDC Backpack organized, I use individual compartments for various categories that I find to be useful. Each compartment is color coded with an ID tag on the compartment container. The colors of the compartment ID’s are reflected in the compartment listings in this document. The colors used are more for others to use to easily identify the compartments, in the case that I am unable to access my backpack. For example, if I was injured or was trying to describe to someone from a distance on what compartment I need, I could tell them to get the “yellow” first aid compartment out of my backpack.

COMPARTMENTS

Office

Electrical

Hygiene

Food

Survival

Clothes

Medical

Urban EDC Backpack

MAIN COMPARTMENT

The Main Compartment consists of all items stored in the Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II backpack. This does

not include the items of each individual compartment, which are also organized and stored in the main body

of the backpack. The Main Compartment contents vary in type and are meant for quick access (commonly

used items).

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II Backpack 1 36.9 $80

2 Fenix LD20 Flashlight Flashlight 1 3.9 $55

3 Fenix LD20 Flashlight Sheath Storage 1 0.7 $0

4 Maxpedition Single Sheath Storage 1 0.4 $17

5 Leatherman Knifeless Fuse Tools 1 5.8 $40

6 Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Wide Mouth Water Bottle Kitchen 1 10.25 $23

7 ASUS Eee Netbook Electronics 1 46.4 $400

8 Zebra F-701 Stainless Steel Ballpoint Retractable Pen Office 1 0.7 $9

9 Pentel P209 0.99 mm Mechanical Pencil Office 1 0.4 $4

10 Sharpie Fine Point Marker Office 1 0.4 $1

11 Kleenex Bath 1 0.7 $1

12 REI Campware Fork Kitchen 1 0.4 $1

13 REI Campware Knife Kitchen 1 0.4 $1

14 REI Campware Spoon Kitchen 1 0.4 $1

15 Cookware Sheath Storage 1 0.4 $0

16 Fox 40 Whistle (Mini) Communications 1 0.4 $5

17 Eagle Creek Storage Bag Storage 1 4.1 $8

18 Candy / Mints / Cough Drops Kitchen 25 0 $1

19 Half Dome Travel Umbrella w/Case Clothes 1 6.2 $17

20 Starbucks Double Walled Coffee Cup Kitchen 1 13.2 $20

21 Map of Seattle Communications 1 2.3 $8

22 Map of Washington Communications 1 2.3 $8

23 Bus, Commuter Rail & Light Rail Maps and Schedule Communications 1 4.9 $0

24 Diaper Hygiene 1 1.2 $0

25 Brunton Compass Communications 1 1.2 $10

26 Roll of Quarters Money 1 8.1 $10

27 Nite Ize S-Biner (10 lb) Tools 1 0.2 $3

28 Black Diamond Carabiner Tools 1 0.2 $3

29 REI Thermometer Keyring Tools 1 0.2 $5

30 GoLite Kenai Pertex 2.5-Layer Hardshell Jacket Clothes 1 10 $50

31 Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio Communications 1 5.5 $50

32 NiteRider TL-5.0 Rear Bike Light Communications 1 1.2 $10

MAIN COMPARTMENT

OFFICE COMPARTMENT

This Office Compartment is located in the very front pocket of the Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II backpack. The

Maxpedition EDC Pocket Organizer is used as the storage method for this particular compartment, due to its

flexible construction, durability and great organization design for common office items. This is my most

commonly used compartment and is regularly removed from the backpack to use while I am at work. (14.6 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Maxpedition EDC Pocket Organizer Storage 1 4.1 $20

2 Business Cards Misc 5 0 $0

3 $100 Cash Money 1 1 $100

4 Zebra F-701 Stainless Steel Ballpoint Retractable Pen Office 1 0.7 $9

5 Pentel P209 0.99 mm Mechanical Pencil Office 1 0.4 $4

6 Sharpie Fine Point Marker Office 1 0.4 $1

7 Yellow Highlighter Office 1 0.4 $0

8 Pink Highlighter Office 1 0.4 $0

9 Streamlight Stylus Pro Flashlight 1 1.2 $20

10 Kingston DT101 G2 8GB Flashdrive Electronics 1 $15

11 Stanley 4-in-1 Pocket Screwdriver Tools 1 0.7 $4

12 BIC Lighter Fire 1 0.7 $1

13 Zip Ties Tools 10 0.4 $1

14 Rubberband Office 2 0 $0

15 Moleskin Pocket Notebook Office 1 1.6 $3

16 Gaffers Tape (6ft) Tools 1 1.2 $2

17 Spare Keys Home 2 0.5 $0

18 Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Office 1 0.2 $1

19 Paper Clamps Office 3 0.2 $0

20 Paper Clips Office 4 0 $0

21 Envelope Office 2 0 $0

22 Stamps Office 2 0 $1

OFFICE COMPARTMENT

ELECTRONICS COMPARTMENT

The Electronics Compartment is used to carry all types of electronics, ranging from surge protection, USB

cables, power cables and more. I find this particular compartment to be especially useful for business travel,

both local and out of town. It is also useful when doing computer work from a local coffee shop. The Belkin

Surge Protector is the main piece of gear that is used for charging all devices in the Urban EDC Backpack

(highly recommended device). (1 lb 3.9 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Eagle Creek Quarter Cube Pack Storage 1 2 $7

2 Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger Electronics 1 6.9 $13

3 ASUS Power Adapter Electronics 1 7.9 $0

4 JVC HAFX1X Headphone, Xtreme-Xplosivs Electronics 1 0.5 $23

5 Sandisk MicroMate SD/SDHC Reader Black Electronics 1 0.4 $10

6 Transcend SDHC 16GB Card Electronics 1 0 $14

7 USB Micro Cable Electronics 1 0.5 $1

8 USB Mini Cable Electronics 1 0.7 $1

9 Bluetooth Jawbone Electronics 1 0.4 $30

10 Bluetooth Jawbone USB Cable Electronics 1 0.7 $0

HYGIENE COMPARTMENT

The Hygiene Compartment is meant as a travel bathroom kit to be used at work, out of town business trips and other

miscellaneous travel. While the items in this compartment are not necessarily used daily, they do get used often enough

to warrant including in the Urban EDC Backpack. It allows me to use this backpack as a travel bag without ever having to

worry about packing a bath kit or worrying about airline flight restrictions on carry on liquids (11.8 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Eagle Creek Quarter Cube Pack Storage 1 2 $7

2 Cottonelle Flushable Moint Wipes Hygiene 1 2.3 $1

3 Chapstick Hygiene 1 0.4 $1

4 Dental Floss Hygiene 1 0.4 $1

5 Travel Toothbrush Hygiene 1 0.9 $1

6 Travel Toothpaste Hygiene 1 0.5 $1

7 Q-Tips Hygiene 10 0.2 $0

8 Eurcerin Daily Moisturizer Hygiene 1 0.9 $1

9 Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer Hygiene 1 1.6 $1

10 Nail Clippers Hygiene 1 0.7 $1

11 Tweezers Hygiene 2 0.5 $2

12 Tampon Hygiene 1 0.4 $0

13 Tide Stain Stick Hygiene 1 0.7 $2

14 Tide Travel Wash Hygiene 1 0.2 $0.50

15 Wet Ones Hand Wipes Hygiene 2 0.4 $0.50

16 Hair Bands Hygiene 3 0 $0

FOOD COMPARTMENT

The Food Compartment is not designed as a “survival” food cache, so this will not provide me with enough

nutrition for 72-hours like most Get Home Bags (GHB). This is mainly a “snacks” compartment that is just

meant to tide me over until I am able to eat a normal meal. It also contains various drink options, which are

used in conjunction with the two cups (water bottle and coffee thermos) that are stored in the outer pockets

of the Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II backpack. (1 lb 1.3 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Eagle Creek Quarter Cube Pack Storage 1 2 $7

2 CLIF Bar Food 3 2.6 $1

3 Starbucks VIA Food 5 0.2 $1

4 Gatorade Food 2 1.6 $0.25

5 Honey Shot Food 2 1.4 $1.50

6 Tazo Tea Food 4 0.2 $0.75

7 Altoids Food 1 1 $1

SURVIVAL COMPARTMENT

The Survival Compartment is the least used compartment in my Urban EDC Backpack, but it provides me with a level of

security that I was seeking when originally designing this kit. While minimal, it meets some of the missing elements that

are key to survival situations, such as “shelter”, which are not included elsewhere in the backpack. Preferably, I will

never need to use the items in this compartment except for the headlamp, which I often find myself using when needing

both hands free at night (Ex: car repair). I wanted it stored in a “red” compartment (Eagle Creek Quarter Cube Pack) for

easy finding within the backpack. (1 lb 1.6 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Eagle Creek Quarter Cube Pack Storage 1 2 $7

2 N95 Respirator Mask Clothes 1 0.5 $2

3 Swimming Goggles Clothes 1 1.2 $5

4 Space Blanket Shelter 1 2.1 $1

5 Adventure Medical Kits Emergency Bivy Shelter 1 3.9 $12

6 Katadyn Water Purification Tablets Food 1 0.5 $10

7 Fenix LD20 Lamp Flashlight 1 0.4 $7

8 Petzel Headlamp Flashlight 1 2.8 $20

9 Paracord Braclet Clothes 1 1.1 $10

10 Box of matches Fire 1 0.4 $0

11 Frontier Water Filtration Straw Water 1 0.7 $9

12 BIC Lighter Fire 1 0.7 $1

13 Duct Tape Tools 1 1.6 $0

CLOTHES COMPARTMENT

The Clothes compartment only has three items included, but I find the items to be very useful for my personal

urban needs. The ultralite jacket (GoLite) located in the main compartment of the backpack is not included in

this compartment, even though it is technically a clothing item as well. During the design of this compartment,

I did experiment with including other clothing items such as socks and ultralite underwear, however I found

that I did not use them as often as the other three items included in this compartment. (9 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Eagle Creek Quarter Cube Pack Storage 1 2 $7

2 Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon Hat Clothes 1 2.6 $30

3 Dwalt Work Gloves Clothes 1 3.4 $15

4 Bandana Clothes 1 1.4 $2

MEDICAL COMPARTMENT

The Medical compartment provides me with a small, lightweight first aid kit that can adequately handle the most

common injuries that I might experience during a normal day. The Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .5 First-Aid Kit

covers the majority of supplies that I find beneficial, and I have simply added a few extra non-prescription medications

and a full tube of Neosporin to the kit. Packaged in a rugged, yet lightweight silnylon bag with a DryFlexwaterproof liner,

the UL / WT .5 will stay dry whatever the elements. (4.8 oz)

# ITEM TYPE QUANTITY WEIGHT COST

1 Adventure Medical Kits UltraLight / Watertight .5 First-Aid Kit Medical 1 3.68 $17

2 Neosporin Medical 1 0.9 $4

3 Tums Medical 1 0.5 $1

4 Tylenol PM Medical 4 0 $0

5 Motrin Medical 8 0 $0

6 Immodium AD Medical 8 0 $0

7 Asprin Medical 8 0 $0