Non-Standard “Tactical” EDC Items

If you haven’t realized by now, Jared is always on his instructors to write articles. The point is to have us sharing lessons learned and thoughts with students, especially on subjects that may not necessarily come up as part of a particular class’s POI.

So, here are some non-standard items which I carry daily at work. Just because I say EDC, does not mean all of this is carried in my pants pocket – some is, and some are elsewhere on my kit, but all of it has been proven useful (and small) enough to be carried as part of my regular load. As I have said before, I am assigned to a full-time tactical team, so that colors my opinions and needs. I say that only so that you, the reader, know the perspective from which I am speaking. This does not mean that anything here is something you should or should not carry, only that you should be viewing it from your own unique needs and role. I’ve gone ahead and added links when appropriate to save you the trouble of chasing them down.

Like many, I carry a small handheld flashlight. While I have and still use more powerful handheld lights for certain tasks, I wanted something that was small and light enough that I could carry it, regardless of how I was kitted out at work. I didn’t need it to have output and switchology to be a handheld weapon light, I just needed a little flashlight for, well, seeing stuff. Looking under my car seat, digging through a pelican case, and the other things no one thinks of until you need some extra light. I didn’t want to have to put anything on my belt, I didn’t want to carry a headlamp in my pocket, and using the light on my phone just feels silly. Eventually, I settled on the Streamlight Wedge. Conveniently, it met all those requirements and was thin enough to slip right into the right knife pocket of my Cryes. Obviously, I carry a knife in the left knife pocket so, as Rafer Sanders said in the Wild Geese, it “sort of balances me out.” https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/wedge

Occasionally, people end up in flex cuffs as part of my job, and occasionally those flex cuffs need to come off for a variety of reasons. I’ve seen them cut off with EMT shears or knives. It is probably painfully obvious why cutting a set of flex cuffs off someone’s wrists is a bad idea with an open blade. Using EMT shears, while effective and safe, has the downside of dulling their blade. When you need to cut someone’s garments off to treat them for an injury, the last thing you want to be doing is struggling with dull shears. So, I carry a purpose-built flex-cuff cutter to avoid all those problems. I like the ASP Scarab Tri-Fold cutter because they are small and easily tossed into an admin pouch until they are needed. There are other flex cuff cutters which are far easier to employ, but for my use case I needed something small. https://www.asp-usa.com/products/tri-fold-scarab-cutter

I am sure everyone has had the need to clean off an optical lens before due to fogging or sweat. And if you haven’t, you will at some point. Night vision, eye protection, pro mask, weapon optic – these are all things which should be prepped with anti-fog and cleaned regularly as part of routine maintenance. However, regardless of preparation, you still may find yourself with the urgent need to clean a lens in the field or on the range. Rather than using my shirt tail and risking scratching the lens, I carry a small, self-contained, microfiber cloth that came with a Nightforce scope. Asking around, they are made by Spudz and are common promotional items in the industry. Cheap, small, but indispensable especially in the summer. https://alpineproducts.com/collections/spudz-microfiber

A fair number of years ago, I was at an active-killer response class. Post-engagement procedures and coordination with follow-on assets were a major focus. At one point, we had stopped the threat and had to communicate our location inside a large office building. We gave out the floor, but all the rooms on that floor were unnumbered. The instructor controlling our scenario suggested we use a cardinal direction to add information. Being a young, and somewhat arrogant, tac guy who had been through plenty of half-baked training, I quickly got on the radio and said we were on the north side of the building. However, this was not half-baked training.

The instructor gave me a look that would peel paint and said “Did you just make up a cardinal direction? How about you carry one of these *pointing to his wrist* instead and then you’d know where you are.” He was right, and besides a dose of humility, I walked away with a very important lesson. Ever since then I have carried a wrist compass. I would not consider them accurate enough for land navigation, but they are accurate enough for what their intended role is – giving you a rough sense of direction. Yes, you probably have a compass on your smart watch but think about how many steps you need to get to that compass, vs. just glancing at your wrist. A wrist compass is useful for rural or urban, inside or outside. There are many ways to talk about where you are inside or outside of a building, but cardinal directions are universal. Depending on what I am doing, it may or may not be on my wrist, but I always have one on me. They are cheap enough that I have a couple, scattered amongst various kits so that I will never be without one in a pinch. I personally like the Suunto M9, it is easy to read and comfortable. Suunto M-9/Black/Black/NH with velcro strap - Handy wrist compass

 Last, but not least – the handyman’s secret weapon (aka duck tape). Yes, duck tape. Not duct tape. Take it up with Vesta Stoudt and Revolite. I can’t tell you what use you’ll find for it, but I can’t tell you how many times I have ended up needing it for one thing or another. As they said in Boondock Saints, “Charlie Bronson’s got rope, and he always ends up using it.” The real trick is how to carry it. I got the tip, probably in high school, from Backpacker Magazine, to wrap duct tape around an old library card to keep it flat. I use hotel room key cards and fold the open end into a starter tab so that I can use it easily in the dark or with gloved hands. It keeps the size and weight down, which ensures it can be carried easily slipped into an admin pouch or anywhere else you can think of.

While far from exhaustive, these are some small items that have proven useful time and time again, in situations big and small, in training and in the real world. By no means am I saying you NEED to add these items to your EDC, but I wanted to share some items that have assisted me in my professional life. At LTAC, we are always preaching the importance of principles. Hopefully, you can find a principle-based use for what I listed, or by me talking about my solution for my problem, you can find a solution to your problem, by applying the same principles.

Stay safe and I hope to see you on the range.

— “Flynn”