Choosing the Right Everyday Carry (EDC) Gear

Jul 31st 2020

With the recent spike in crime across many major cities in the United States, now is a good time to take a close look at your Everyday Carry (EDC) equipment. For those unfamiliar, EDC generally refers to emergency gear that is compact and easy to carry on your person, such as knives, multitools, handguns, flashlight, etc. However, there are also multiple body armor options that you can easily incorporate into your EDC load out. This includes products such as our Flex Fused Core™ soft armor, Concealment Wraparound Vest, backpack body armor, and even first aid equipment like our Advanced First Aid Kit (AFAK). Life has become increasingly more unpredictable lately and it doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. Let’s review some options that can discreetly increase your safety.

Concealable Body Armor - Flex Fused Core™ IIIA Soft Armor Panels

Soft body armor is flexible and thin, but still able to stop handgun rounds up to .44 Magnum SJHP or SIG .357 FMJ. This means that you can wear soft armor comfortably under many types of shirts, sweaters and coats. If you opt for a concealment carrier such as our Spartan DL carrier, you also gain 4 magazine pouches built directly into the carrier (2 on each side). Whether you use the pouches to carry additional ammo or tools (such as a tourniquet or pepper spray), you have options to discreetly increase your potential for dealing with the unexpected.

Flex Fused Core™ IIIA Soft Armor

Concealable Body Armor – IIIA Wraparound Body Armor

Another great option is our Concealable IIIA NIJ Certified Wraparound Vest. This is a great product for anyone looking for low-profile body armor that can be worn comfortably for long periods of time. The included IIIA soft body armor panels are removeable via a zippered access pocket which means you can easily clean the vest without compromising the integrity of the armor itself. This is something that can’t be said for other vests on the market where the soft armor panels are sewn in.

Concealable IIIA Certified Wraparound Vest

Expand Your EDC with a Backpack

Carrying a backpack is a practical and realistic way to gain an advantage in the case of an emergency. There are so many choices ranging from bags designed to carry SBRs (short barrel rifles) to more standard backpacks such as our Spartan SIX backpack. Obviously, a backpack expands your ability to carry more stuff, but what stuff should you carry? Below are a few suggestions.

Backpack Body Armor - Flex Fused Core™ IIIA 11x14 Soft Armor Insert

Made out of the same material as our Flex Fused Core IIIA Soft Armor Panels, these 11”x14” backpack inserts provide lightweight protection against handgun rounds and are very easy to conceal. At just .35” thick, they will hardly take up much space in your bag leaving plenty of space. This is a particular popular product for use in laptop cases and children’s backpacks.

Flex Fused Core™ IIIA Backpack Armor

Spartan SIX Armor Ready Backpack

Backpack body Armor – AR650 Level III+ 10”x13” Steel Core Armor Plate

Carrying steel body core armor in public is not very practical in most scenarios. However, with our 10”x13” AR650 steel core backpack armor plates you can achieve rifle rated protection in a way that won’t make you stand out from the crowd. These armor plates can easily defeat high velocity penetrator rounds such as M855/SS109 aka “green tips”. AR650 backpack armor weights 8lbs per plate so there are some considerations to be made to the overall weight of your EDC load out. As AR15 and AK-47 rifles become more prolific, AR650 backpack armor can provide the necessary protection against nearly all common rifle threats.

AR650 Level III+ Backpack Armor

Don’t Forget a Med Kit!

When most people imagine being in an active shooter situation their first thought is usually about their sidearm and what tactics they might use to evade or neutralize the threat. Whether you choose fight or flight, it’s possible that you or someone in your vicinity may have a gaping wound. Our AFAK med kits contain all the medical equipment necessary to field treat traumatic bleeding and can certainly mean the difference between life and death. Both lightweight med kit options we have can easily fit in a backpack.

AAdvanced Individual First Aid Kit (AFAK)

Let’s face it, the sad reality is that our world is not becoming any saner. We’ve seen increases in violent crime stemming from gang violence, drug use, human trafficking and now violent mobs of activists. Being prepared for an emergency has always been a good idea, but nowadays it’s critical. Choose your EDC gear wisely and try to cover as many bases as reasonably possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions about the products discussed in this article. Our #1 mission is to provide safety and peace of mind for our customers.