A few years ago I stumbled across a reddit thread in which a bunch of users detailed what they would do in the case of a zombie apocalypse. It was fascinating. Some of the detail that users went to was astonishing, and it got me thinking about how unprepared I was for any kind of disaster situation. Not that we experience a lot of natural disasters in Melbourne, let alone zombie apocalypses, but it's always good to be prepared for anything.
So, as you do when you read stuff about the impending zombie apocalypse, I went a bought a bunch of stuff; a big backpack (too big, of course), multi-tool, first-aid kit, various tools and containers etc... I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube about survival tips and techniques ("I'm Dave Canterbury with the Pathfinder School, and I thank you for your support") and read more and more stuff about bug-out bags and preparedness for various situations.
Eventually I came across the everyday carry (EDC) community. The basic premise behind EDC items are things you carry with you everyday (maybe for a particular period of time) in an effort to be prepared for particular situations; camping, hiking, work, school, holidays, etc...
Of course, I already had my own EDC, although without purposely having it; phone, keys, wallet, phone charger, bottle opener, water bottle, pen, USB drive, etc... all in my pockets or backpack, which I take with me almost everywhere.
Putting the usefulness of these tools aside, there was also a kind of aesthetic beauty attached to it, whether the owner was going for a tactical look, a smart and classy look or a vintage look.
So how bad is this new obsession? Let's just say it could be worse. A lot worse.
Since February I have bought four flashlights; a Fenix E05, a Petzl Tikka 2, a Fenix LD12 and a Klarus Mi X6. Who the hell needs to buy four flashlights in the space of 5 months? And there are two more flashlights that I'm eyeing off too; the CountyComm AAA copper flashlight and a Foursevens Mini ML. I guess I'll have to wait until later in the year, or even next year, for those. A titanium flashlight would be nice aswell...
I'm just glad Australia has some laws that make it tough for me to carry knives around for no reason, otherwise there would've been a few purchases from Spyderco too.
Multi-tools. I don't even know where to start with these. I'd love to buy a Leatherman Skeletool CX, or a regular Skeletool with a non-serrated knife if it still existed, to keep in my backpack, but they're stupidly expensive in Australia! I guess I'll stick with my Leatherman Fuse and Victorinox Spartan for now. I'm carrying a Pry Bar from Tofty on my keychain at the moment, but I'd love an Atwood tool, like a Weevil, except it's stupidly hard to get these from Peter Atwood's site, due to the timezone difference and how fast his batches sell out, and they are marked up a lot if you want to buy them from a third party.
And bags. At least I can justify buying bags because I carry one every day. That's a good enough reason, right? If I get the 5.11 MOAB 10, I can carry it to work every day, and also take it overseas as carry-on luggage, since it easily fits the size limitations. That's pretty doable for $100 AUD. Or I could get a GoRuck GR1, for nearly $300... Or maybe I should just settle on a REI Flash 18 for a much lower price tag.
Or maybe I should just get out now, before all of my money disappears...
