I have a confession. I am a geardo. I love kit in all its varieties from camo to bags to clothing to slings and everything in between. I just upgraded my Level III EDC mag to a new Maxpedition Versipak EDC in Khaki. I rely on two sites primarily as a community of interest to feed this addiction and they are linked on this site:
EDC Forums and Military Morons
Doug Ritter’s site at Equipped to Survive is also outstanding but not quite as comprehensive or exhaustive in the breadth of reviews and TTP (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures).
You never leave your house anticipating a head-on collision or an untoward event of any kind but you will discover that if you prepare ahead both mentally and materially, your chances of coming out ahead will increase exponentially. It takes approx three thousand repetitions of a process to make it a battle drill which you don’t “think” through such as drawing and firing a handgun. BUT…it takes approx ten thousands repetition to unscrew a bad habit of doing business. Gear helps but don’t fall into the trap of thinking the gear will suffice without associated training and familiarity with equipment.
In the shooting community, a man’s ability to field a very expensive rifle in the field is inversely proportional to his ability to employ it with skill. My lightly modified Glocks consistently outperform two to five thousand dollar 1911 pistols because I have invested the time in training and at the range to ratchet up my skill level to a higher standard.
Check out this example of either the pursuit of excellence or the height of geekdom. A tip of the hat to ACHE over at EDC Forums who put together this absolutely exhaustive overview of building his Level III EDC bag.
Level I…..The smallest and lightest of all the kits with the least ammunt of capability.
Level II…..A modified version of what was my 2nd generation Level III. Similar in capability to my current setup but based on another bag which limits it’s size and it’s capabilities.
Level III….One could say this is my “true” EDC, since it’s the system I carry 95% of the time. Everywhere I go, it’s never more than an arms reach away and strapped to my back whenever I’m walking.
Level IV…This is my BOB/EVAC bag. It’s not an EDC since it never gets carried, but is always ready to be picked up on the run in case I need to abandon my home, it has equal capabilities to my Level III in many areas but with much more capable kits for the types of needs one could have in an evacuation scenario.
It is amazing the level of detail shown but it proves out one axiom I learned in the military: meticulous preparation is a large part of good luck. Over the next few months I would like to expand this series and approach the various “kits” one may need and some of the organizational schemes out there to make these functional and ultimately useful in a crisis if the need arises.keep in mind that it is simply the gear but your ability to employ it skillfully and effectively.