Thanks. There are other great ideas in the thread, like water purification tablets or a military issue can opener. But I subscribe to the theory of having the most focus on the most likely potential problems- hence the band-aids for a cut or nail clippers for a broken nail or ibuprofen for a headache. Having what you need when you’re out of the house converts an emergency into a blip of annoyance. You deal with it and move on. The 60l duffel go-bag in the car takes everything up yet another level with more supplies and more backup and redundancy, plus a car kit and an EMT jump bag. Pretty much prepared for almost any foreseeable event. And of course the home preps are even deeper and broader, well informed by this terrific site.
I live in the city and don’t typically stray more than a couple of miles from my house so I have three levels of EDC. The first is when running errands or walking in the neighborhood. That’s a Pelican 1910 pocket flashlight, a pocket knife with a 2 1/2” blade, a couple of hundred dollars in cash, a clean handkerchief, 2 band-aids and 2 steri-strips, a plastic toothpick and a charged smart phone with multiple apps. Level 2 is if I’m just going for an hour’s walk in the woods or a nearby neighborhood. That’s a small fanny pack with: an 8000 mAH power bank and cords, a whistle, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, 2 protein bars, a flat first aid kit with: 2 2”x2” gauze pads, alcohol pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment packets, band-aids, steri-strips, Benadryl tabs, and 4 chewable baby aspirin; a flat pint bottle of water and a bandanna. Level 3 EDC is when I’m out of the house for hours, or on a trip: That’s a small backpack with a wide variety of back-up: small towel and 2 bandannas; sunglasses; baseball cap/woolen knit cap; gloves (winter); 3 meal replacement bars; 6 oz nuts; pint bottle of water, emergency water packets; 20 feet orange paracord; whistle; carabiners; clips; dozen assorted length zip-ties; 2 small rolls of duct tape; steel spork and plastic fork, knife and spoon; retainer for sunglasses; clip-on retaining cord for cap; sunscreen and 30 SPF lip balm; 5.11 ATAC A1 flashlight; headlamp; powerbank for phone; extra batteries; eyeglass repair kit; Leatherman; Rite in the Rain notebook with Fisher space pen, Sharpie, pen and pencil; facial tissues; hand sanitizer wipes; bottle of hand sanitizer; KN95 mask; gum; earphones and charger/cord for phone; eyemask and earplugs; small sharpening steel; lighter and waterproof matches; Mylar emergency blanket; Mylar poncho; toiletry kit in small case: nail clipper and emery boards; plastic toothpicks; Q-tips; assorted safety pins; small bar of soap; 2 band-aids with antibiotic packet; cortisone packet; 2 packets of Alka-Seltzer; 2 Pepto-Bismol; 3 hard candies; 6 caffeine pills; 4 Sudafed pills; 2 Claritin; 2 Benadryl; 6 Imodium; prescription meds; travel toothbrush and toothpaste; dental floss; Fenix E01 mini-flashlight with 2 AAA batteries; small tube of super glue; sewing kit; tube of Advil; 2 paperclips; eyemask and earplugs; extra cash; pen. First Aid Kit: hand sanitizer wipes; wound wipes; alcohol wipes; gauze pads; Celox hemostatic granule packs; compressed gauze pack; SWAT-T tourniquet; vinyl gloves and KN95 mask; CPR mask; band-aids; steri-strips; moleskin; burn gel packet; antibiotic packets; aspirin; safety pins; laxative pills; Benadryl. Also, when driving I carry a full emergency bag in the trunk as well as a full EMT jump bag (certified EMT).