I believe I have everything I need to address my urban survival concerns when I have to rely on my EDC. I've added an 8 oz. bottle of water (an emergency container of water to supplement the larger bottle of water I always carry), a roll of antacid tablets and a large red bandana to my bag. Ironically I realized there is another use for a bandana: something used for signaling could also be used to blend in, depending on the part of town. The one thing I did not buy, but considered, is a backup whistle to my primary whistle.

I saved the list of my concerns, and items to address those concerns, to my computer so I can review it and make changes when needed.

Jeanette Isabelle

I've read many fine suggestions in this thread, so I'll just mention a few things that were not mentioned: A water filter bottle and/or straw. My research makes Seychelles my choice in both catagories. YMMV; A 4-way silcock key to open and close commercial water hose outlets (Ironraven, how could you forget? I learned this from you.); 3-4 flashlights- A Photon type button cell or 2, a small headlamp with xtra batteries ( e.g. Princetontec Scout), One or both AA/AAA flsahlight ( e.g. Zebralight SC-51 with headband and Fenix EO-1). Why 4 lights? Battery variety , backup, handsfree & share with a fellow. If regulations permit, a Boker Cop Tool; and a good trauma kit with the basic knowledge to use it, even if its only from old Army/Marine training videos on U-Tube. Such a kit might include 1-2 Izzy bandages (the 2 pad model is best), TK-4 tourniquet, primed compreesed gauze, chest seal bandage, 28 Fr. nasal airway, Celox or Quik-clot pad or Combat Gauze & small sharpie (mark the head if you use hemostatic dressing). Sounds more complicated to use than it is.

This is pretty heavy for EDC, and not as flexible as a good multitool. I haven't yet run into a silcock that my LM Wave couldn't open.



Looks good for a heavier kit (like car or home) but pretty heavy for EDC.



My instructor said that the CAT and SOF-T were the best, as they can be applied to yourself very quickly one-handed. I understand that they're the only ones recommended by CoTCCC.

My best trauma kit is expensive and has all the tools I'm trained to use. I carry it on my person when on the range. I have an IFAK with some things I've added to it that sits in my car kit. It's not quite as complete but significantly less bulky and much less expensive than the one I carry on the range. The Pocket Trauma Kit I EDC in my laptop bag is the smallest, least complete and least expensive, but hopefully enough for me to stop a big bleed before the paramedics arrive.

I cannot recommend training highly enough.

I agree that the silcock key is heavy and my EDC does include a Leatherman, when possible. The silcock key is for when the Leatherman isn't possible or must be checked, e.g. government buildings, airplanes, many museums, etc. I guess a needlenose pliers could also substitute, but its at least as heavy and "tools" are often banned in Government buildings. Same as to the Boker Cop Tool. If you want a smallish pry-bar, this is the muti-function bomb at a reasonable cost. Lastly, the TK-4 is easily self applied.

I personally believe the most important thing you can have in a Urban Area is Light. Sunlight and moonlight will only reach so far into buildings and most often going deeper into them beyond the sunlight is required. A Flashlight that takes common cell sizes such as AA or AAA is best in my opinion. C or D cells are to heavy and currently with LED technology don't give much of a leg up for their size and weight.

My favorite forms of light for long term often are the cheapest smallest forms of flashlights. The 6-9 LED 3AAAcell Flashlights are decent for close quarters but do not reach that far. Same with most Inexpensive Pen lights. Often or not You will need to Reach long distances inside a building with a flashlight. Something around the lines of a LED 2AAcell Maglite May work best for those situations but with the amount of flashlights out there it would be easy to find a usable light.

A lantern would be great as well for downtime within a building tho im still not familiar with current lantern LED so on tech.


Last but not least DO NOT rely on Crank, Solar, Shake based Flashlights for emergencies. While in the long term They may Prove useful in the immediate Issues that would occur they may leave you worse off. The 3LED flashlight radio i own states for 3 hours of use you would have to crank it at 2 revs a second for 90seconds. If you have to Run and fast at night that 90 seconds of tiring your arm may be your undoing. Instant usable long term light is the best solution for such occurrences. Getting 15 Hours of up close usable light from a penlight such as the rayovac I own on 1AAA cell which can be changed in a few seconds instead of minutes can be a welcome comfort over cranking a light like a madman every 3 hours.


When You're taking refuge in a Building with no power and its pitch black nothing you carry will matter if you cannot see it.

Thanks Paul810, some really good advice. I do have some gloves and glasses handy in the car, but not as part of my EDC. I've been keeping a lookout for a suitable test window. One day I'll go ang buy some from a wrecker (practice for the whole family), just takes time and priority !

a post I just made on another thread reminded me to mention the need of a NOAA weather alert radio, that allows you to program in your county specific codes, for violent weather warnings... with modern doppler radar and GPS accuracy, they can precisely locate tornadoes,hail, and violent lightning activity...if it goes off at O dark-thirty you know you had better pay attention as it is a location specific warning for you

"I've been keeping a lookout for a suitable test window. One day I'll go ang buy some from a wrecker (practice for the whole family)."

Suggestion: buy some from a wrecker but leave them where they are, and do it. The height, the frame holding the glass, etc are all going to affect entry. It's not the same just laying it down on the ground and whacking at it.

Since you want to learn from the experience, in situ is the best way. You may find out that breaking in the center and then pulling out the glass with the hook end of a pry bar is the fastest way to gain entry to a vehicle. Or not.

I tried to break the passenger window of a sports car with a 30" pry bar, and couldn't do it. It turned out that the best way to get in wasn't to break the side window, but to push the top edge inward, then reach in and unlock it. I couldn't have foreseen that in a hundred years until I actually had to do it.

Sue

Funny, I had a similar experience recently. A friend accidentally locked his keys in a running vehicle (a Ford/Mazda extended cab truck). Temp was -23C with windchill below -30C, which made it interesting. My friend had been trying to break the passenger window also (he's no wuss, ex-Air Force survival instructor and heading toward his 50th full marathon). He tried it with a metal snow shovel, then with a landscaping rock the size of a basketball. The window would not break. I showed up, and my 3/4 length axe would probably have done it; but we ended up using a Cold Steel shovel to pry/cut the goo and seal holding the rear side window in place. It took two of us, reefing on it with everything we had and expecting it to shatter in a million pieces at any second. But it came off without a scratch. I couldn't bloody believe it. I need to re-evaluate my notions about exiting a trapped vehicle.

I've always heard to smack the lower corners of the window and it shatters.

On TV Mike Holmes said that tempered glass would take a hammer hit straight on, maybe shatter, probably not. But hit it on an edge and the glass explodes.

FWIW, not done either. Will check with retired cop sister at some point and see what she says. Rumor said she knocked out a few windows in her time.