Everyday Carry: What is it? … Where is it popular? … Why do people do it? …
These are all great questions. For our latest blog post, we set out to answer them (and others) for you. Because let’s be honest, we wouldn’t be a very good everyday carry gear company if we didn’t have the answers!
For a closer look at the infographic
What Is Everyday Carry?
Everyday Carry (also known as EDC) refers to pieces of gear that someone consistently carries to help them take on a wide range of tasks—anything from an everyday chore to dealing with an emergency situation. This gear can include things as tech savvy as a smartphone or as rudimentary as a pocket knife. As you delve deeper into the world of EDC items, you’ll find that there are subsets of interest groups. EDC-ers are made up of survivalists, do-it-yourself crafters, preppers, outdoor enthusiasts, handymen, urban fashion aficionados, etc. How can EDC span such a wide breadth of people? Because EDC is primarily about being prepared.
How Do I Know If I’m Prepared?
If you’re an American citizen, there is a 50/50 chance you’re prepared. In 2016, Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness published a report on American preparedness. They found that, despite 83% of Americans reporting being concerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack, only 50% of American families had an emergency preparedness plan. Similarly, 41% of Americans reported that they were not confident that their community had adequate plans to in place to cope with a disaster that occurred with no warning. And yet, 65% of Americans had inadequate plans for a disaster or had no plans at all.
Of course, no one wants to think about disaster striking their home or community, but a great first step toward preparedness is having a plan of action. Once you have a plan in place, it’s much easier to start collecting your own everyday carry gear that will help you in your everyday tasks and will be available should an emergency situation arise.
Where Is Everyday Carry Popular?
Ironically, despite American’s seeming lack of preparedness, the United States is the number one country in the world that searches for the term “everyday carry.” Clearly, there’s great interest in the US for EDC items—we just need to get everyone on board with taking actionable steps to becoming prepared! Admittedly, because we collected data on an English keyword, the results are skewed toward English-speaking nations. However, we were surprised and delighted to see a lot of non-English speaking countries in the top ten too! Check out the results below and see if you’re surprised by any of the countries on the list.
Of all the countries in the world, the following had the highest search volume for the term “everyday carry” from August 2017 to August 2018:
- United States
- Canada
- Germany
- France
- United Kingdom
- Romania
- Sweden
- Brazil
- Japan
- India
What Everyday Carry Gear Is Most Popular?
Firstly, it’s important to know there’s a wide breadth of EDC items out there. Maybe you’re a techy and you want the latest, greatest mechanical watch. Maybe you’re an avid fisherman and a handcrafted filet knife is what catches your eye. Or maybe you’re an average joe like the rest of us that just wants to keep your keys organized. Regardless of what interests you, there’s a ton of everyday carry gear out there. The research we conducted found that pocket knives, keychains, money clips, multitools, and tactical flashlights were the top five most searched for pieces of EDC gear from July 2017 – July 2018. Possibly the most surprising piece of gear in the top ten was the EDC journal notebook. But! We have to admit, if SHTF and the world as we knew it came to a sudden end, we’d probably want a place to record our thoughts too…
What Everyday Carry Brands Should I Know About?
Just wetting your feet? There are a couple brands you’ve probably already heard of like Gerber, Timex, Moleskine, and Lever Gear! But, there are tons of great brands out there. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but as you dive into the world of EDC items, these are some brands you’ll want to keep on your radar:
- Pocket Knives
- Keychains
- Money Clips
- Multitools
- Tactical Flashlights
- Tactical Pens
- Minimalist Wallet
- Tactical Watches
- Journals/Notebooks
Where In The World Is Lever Gear’s Everyday Carry Gear?
Lever Gear may not be a household name…yet. But, we’re pretty ecstatic to know that our Toolcard Pros can be found across the globe! In fact, in the top ten countries that we sell our products, four of the world’s seven continents are represented. Furthermore, we’re happy to report that in our company’s history we’ve shipped our products to countries in six of the world’s seven continents. (We’re still holding out for an order from Antartica!)
So, want to know where you’re most likely to run into a Lever Gear fanatic like yourself? Check out our top ten list to know what countries Lever Gear products are most often shipped to:
- USA
- Canada
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Finland
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Japan
- Thailand
Do some of those countries ring a bell? They should! Many of our most popular countries where we ship EDC items were also listed in the top ten countries where everyday carry is most popular. A coincidence? We think not!
What Am I Supposed To Do Now?
Excellent question! Above all, we hope you’re empowered by your newfound knowledge. After reading this, you should have a better idea of what situations you’re prepared for and those that you’re not. Maybe, you’ve even started to think about the gear you want and the gear you need in order to be prepared. Whether you’re anticipating the everyday or an emergency situation, we hope this blog has provoked you to consider your own preparedness. Welcome to the world of EDC items. This is just the beginning!