Every Day Carry - How Much Is Too Much?

[Ryder]

I generally run very light but that varies depending on what situations I may expect to face. My backup preference is toward more lethal weapons, not less.

 

[BushyGuy]

i carry my SR9 with 17+1 rounds , i dont feel undergunned cuz i am a great shot! when i go to dangerous cities i carry an extra mag in the truck.

for SHTF i would be more well prepared like carry my AR in my truck with 3 full 30 round mags.

 

[MisterMike]

The fact that I choose a slim and minimalist EDC load does not make me morally superior to anyone else. It just makes me, well, me.

I would never claim moral superiority because I am a light packer . . . and I haven't seen any of the other critics here claim that either. But some of what you see reflected in these videos is clearly the manifestation of mental illness. Either that, or a joke that I don't quite get.

I can't define "nuts," but I know it when I see it. Some of these guys are nuts. Their thought processes seem to be overwhelmed by fear or, perhaps, fantastical visions.

Having said that, I acknowledge that some here would view me as under-prepared.

 

[CoRoMo]

I'm all about the minimalist approach myself.

Me too. The major difference is that my definition of minimal is different than others'.
If anyone thinks I carry too much crap on me, they should see my truck!
My roadside/emergency/first-aid/bug-out gear might make you spit your coffee all over your keyboard. Then again, it might not.

 

[altitude_19]

It's a sound theory that a man who carries so much, must not have been carrying it for very long (18 year old with a CCW, maybe?). Every gun I buy nowadays is lighter than the last, but I NEVER carried spare ammo for a spare gun and I certainly didn't drop the cash for a "fighting pen."

 

[skeeziks]

"Your CC firearm isn't supposed to feel comfortable...it's supposed to feel 'comforting.'"

- Jeff Cooper

 

[Mudinyeri]

Specific to the people making Youtube videos ... the very fact that they have made a video of themselves and advertised via a public medium the items that they carry should tell you something about them.

If you search Youtube for my forum name you'll also find videos of me. Most of them are of me doing things ... not of me telling everyone in the world what gear I carry with me. The difference may be slight, but it should also tell you something about me.

Face it, some people are "attention whores." Others are "gear queers." Some guys just like to spend money on stuff and show everyone what they bought. I'm guessing there are a LOT of guys who like to do that.

My guess is the person with a 50 item laundry list of EDC items isn't that different from the person with a laundry list of items bolted onto their gun ... or Jeep ... or Corvette ... or boat ... or ....

 

[Hatterasguy]

Maybe it's because I know people from work and from my Army unit who a lot of people on THR would call a Mall Ninja or a "gear queer" from the amount of Blackhawk and Magpul stuff they have. On in particular always has the latest addition to his M4 or vest from all the top companies. The thing is, he's one of the best team leaders I've ever met, and is on his departments swat team. He's got the skills to back it up, which I have personally witness multiple times, and not just in training. But I don't doubt many people here would dismiss him as a fraud.

Maybe that's the difference. I'm around people all the time who buy and use a lot of "tacticool" gear and I have chances to see people who know what they're doing use that kind of stuff in real life. I imagine that cannot be said about many posters on THR. Some, but not all. For a lot of people, that stuff probably really is just a bunch of doodads in a Bravo Company catalog. If you have no reason to use that stuff, and don't know anyone who does, I guess that would be a reason to think it's all useless. But keep in mind there are people out there who shoot at stuff other than paper targets, and for whom something like night vision optic or a tactical vest might really be what saves their life.

Yes but were talking about people who for the most part are out of shape, have never served in the military or police, and probably work at Target.

The are not "operators" they are mall ninja's. If someone opened up on them with a AK they would probably piss their pants and cry for mom.

This "sheepdog" thing is silly, I don't want a poorly trained Star Trek fan with a silly barrel in his Glock "protecting" me. No thanks go play ninja around someone else.

 

[huntsman]

This "sheepdog" thing is silly, I don't want a poorly trained Star Trek fan with a silly barrel in his Glock "protecting" me. No thanks go play ninja around someone else.

now THAT is funny

 

[easyg]

"Your CC firearm isn't supposed to feel comfortable...it's supposed to feel 'comforting.'"

- Jeff Cooper

With all due respect to Cooper, the two notions are not mutually exclusive.
One can have a CC firearm that is both comforting AND comfortable.



As for the characters toting all of that gear....

Carrying all of that gear makes sense if you're a soldier in Afghanistan.
But otherwise it's just silly.



Keep it simple...

Wedding band.
Wrist-watch.
Pocket-knife.
Wallet with ID, CCW permit, cash, and credit cards.
Keys to the car and house.
Cellphone.
Loaded handgun.

That's it.

 

[Sam1911]

The mall-ninja thing is becoming like zombie and SHTF threads. Largely a chance to pick on people less prepared (less paranoid) or more prepared (more paranoid) than whatever we are.

It's silly for someone to post a video of the stuff they choose to weigh their pants down with. It's almost sillier to have a sixty post thread discussing someone posting a video of the stuff they choose to use to prevent "pants flyaway." If these guys are out for attention, we sure can't help ourselves but to give it to them.

Look, maybe someday a mall-ninja will be standing next to a "real operator" when the "real operator" needs a double-ended, extendable, polymer stealth tanto-point grapnel hook, three flashlights, and some tactical chap-stik. Now the story has a happy ending. A hero and a pack mule, as it were.