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The Art Of The EDC

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How to choose Every Day Carry

As makers of top-quality concealed carry holsters, the team at On Your 6 Designs is always looking for opportunities for firearm owners to find new and convenient ways to keep their concealed carry firearm with them at all times.

With this in mind, we’re fascinated with the concept of the EDC, or Every Day Carry. The EDC lifestyle is made up of concepts and equipment that compliment your daily life. The EDC mindset can be expressed in a variety of ways, and through a variety of materials that are tailored to the everyday activities and needs of the individual. We feel that developing an EDC kit is an ideal complement to being a concealed firearm carrier. Below we’ve assembled an introduction to EDC, with some of our suggestions on what to include and why. Of course, our custom formed, Kydex holsters are the perfect match for your EDC kit, making concealing your carry firearm effortless and practical.

For many, when they first hear about Every Day Carry, they nod sagely. Their thoughts jump to the things already nestled in their pockets: phone, keys, wallet and a tube of chapstick. While these might be the things they have on them at all times, they only loosely fit into the EDC mindset.

EDC And You

The EDC philosophy is built around the concepts of preparation and practicality. EDC is a broad category of items that are supposed to fit into a focused idea. Each item that you carry with you should have at least one, specific function with, ideally, several useful related functions. Deciding what to include in your EDC kit is based on your needs, or the anticipated needs of your day-to-day life.

The items you include in your EDC kit should fit into a few considerations:

  • Do More, Do It Better: Adding new tools or items to your EDC kit adds new ways to make your life easier. With new materials, you can maximize the potential of everything you already carry.
  • Preparation Is Key: With your EDC always at the ready, you’re well-suited to meet the demands of your everyday life. From the mundane to the extraordinary, you’ll have the tools you need to navigate a wider range of situations.
  • Added Convenience: We all live busy lives. Sometimes, taking the time out of your day to go fetch a specific tool for a short, quick fix project, is impractical. Your EDC kit allows you to easily respond to these moments.
  • Expression: The EDC lifestyle is a great opportunity to express your identity, and your values. What you carry tells others about what you do, how you do it, and your expectations of your work and yourself.

In keeping these considerations in mind, you can develop an EDC kit that best meets your needs. When you’ve found the right EDC kit, you won’t feel dressed without it. Your morning pocket pat down will ensure you have everything you need to take on the day.

Building Your EDC Kit

There is no real end-all-be-all list of what to include in your EDC. What works for your neighbor might not work for you. As you build your EDC kit, you’ll include the items you use the most, and find the most uses for. Of course, there are a few items that most people find useful to have on hand.

The Essentials

There are a few pieces of gear that you carry with you everyday because they are an essential part of modern living. This includes your phone, your wallet, and your keys. With these three things you can navigate most situations you could find yourself in. Your phone keeps you in touch with loved ones, and emergency services like the police, and fire department. Your wallet keeps your money, and IDs safe and sound in one convenient place. Your keys grant you access to the safety of home, and the utility of your vehicle.

Expanding Your EDC

With your essentials at hand, you can start adding to your EDC kit. The addition of a pocket knife, flashlight, and a multi-tool make many a force to be reckoned with on any given work day. These tools respond to everyday circumstances, like opening packages, cutting cords, illuminating work spaces or walking paths, and addressing loose screws at the work desk.

For some, the addition of items like a pen, notepad, and watch allows them to refine their EDC so that they can address a situation and document it as well. These items are also handy to have when your smartphone battery inevitably runs out.

Keep In Mind

As you expand your EDC kit beyond your essentials, you should keep these characteristics in mind:

  • Accessibility: These tools are no good if you can’t get to them quickly and easily. Their features should allow them to be mounted to a belt, clipped to a keyring, or slipped into a pocket.
  • Durability: Because you’ll be carrying them every day, they’ll see more regular use than many of the other tools you have in your home. You’ll want materials that are durable, well made, and dependable.
  • Usability: Your EDC tools should be easy to use, and easy to maintain. They should feel like a ready extension of your body. If at all possible, find items that can do double-duty to address multiple tasks and situations.
  • Portability: You shouldn’t be weighed down by your EDC items. They should easily fit in your pockets, and shouldn’t hinder your ability to access your other EDC items. If they weigh too much, are oddly shaped or cumbersome, you’re less likely to carry them, and more likely to find yourself in situations where you need them.

These characteristics should also be kept in mind as you consider adding a vital new component to your EDC lineup: A concealed carry firearm. For many, the tools above do a more-than-adequate job of addressing any of the day-to-day circumstances they might find themselves in. However, by concealing and carrying a firearm, you are preparing yourself to address circumstances and situations that are nearly unimaginable.

Of course, creating an EDC kit has a wide variety of purposes and benefits; ensuring you have the right gear at the right time, keeping you organized, and aiding you in your sense of situational awareness. It’s also there to help keep you safe. Naturally, a concealed carry firearm is the perfect addition your EDC kit. Why make a firearm part of your EDC? Let’s frame in within our larger discussion of EDC.

The whole point of developing an EDC kit is to address the situations you might find yourself at any given moment. These are often situations you can likely think of readily, like the need to open a box, jot down a phone number of a business client, or repair a small object. But the reality is that life is not always predictable and orderly. Like carrying a multi-tool and flashlight daily, conceal carrying your firearm everyday address the situations that you simply do not want to find yourself in.

To best match your firearm and concealed holster to your conceal carry needs, go back to the characteristics we discussed earlier, and apply that to your firearm.

  • Accessibility: Think about how you want to position your firearm on your body, and how you want to conceal it. Inside-the-waistband and outside-the-waistband holsters each fit different situations and needs, but still allow for easy access to your firearm.
  • Durability: Both your firearm and holster should be able to to take a beating. Your high end range gun might be super accurate, but it might jam when exposed to clothing lint. Similarly, you don’t want your holster to fail at an inopportune time, dropping your firearm or keeping it from functioning.
  • Usability: The firearm you carry should be one you are familiar with, and includes features that you are comfortable with. When selecting a concealed holster, usability is also a factor. Rather than selecting a “universal” holster that doesn’t hold your firearm properly, find a holster that aids in drawing, and retention, making your firearm easier to conceal.  
  • Portability: This is perhaps the most important characteristic to think of. Find a firearm that is comfortable to carry with you so that you will always carry it with you. While you might feel the most protected with a Smith And Wesson 500, its size and weight will likely mean it spends more time sitting in a drawer at home rather than on your hip. Similarly, the concealed holster you use should be lightweight, durable and unobtrusive, so you never have any quarrels about carrying it. A holster that literally rubs you the wrong way will keep you from carrying your firearm daily.

Your concealed carry firearm is the most obvious form of self-protection you have. When you carry, you bear more than a handgun, you bear the responsibility of protecting yourself and your loved ones. This is an enormous undertaking, and leaves no room for compromise. When developing an EDC kit, you choose items that you carry with you everyday without question. It become a natural part of your wardrobe, and your body. You want your concealed firearm and holster to fit into this same sense of effortless familiarity. After all, if you aren’t carrying your firearm every day, it’s hard to consider it a part of your EDC.

Concealed Carry Holsters From On Your 6 Designs

On Your 6 Designs made their holsters with the conceal carry firearm owner in mind. In developing the best concealed holsters, we kept a few things in mind that make them an invaluable part of your EDC kit.

With Design In Mind

We started with our choice of holster making material. When we thought of what kind of holster would encourage a firearm owner to carry concealed every day, we kept three considerations for our material: weight, durability, and finish. Kydex has proven to be an ideal material to make high-quality concealed carry holsters from.

Weight

Kydex itself is incredibly lightweight. In fact, it’s so lightweight that even our concealed carry holsters that are fitted for full-sized, all metal handguns weigh a paltry 2 ounces. That includes all of the hardware, like the belt clip, screws, and grommets. Compared to the rest of your EDC kit, your holster from On Your 6 Designs might feel like it disappears as soon as you put it on.

Durability

Despite the weight of the material, Kydex is unbelievably durable. More than just plastic, Kydex is an acrylic-polyvinyl chloride composite. This means that your holster can stand up to the abuses of every day carry. Heat from your body and the environment won’t warp your Kydex holster. The weight of your firearm will never cause your Kydex holster to sag or bend. And the friction, scuffs, and bumps your holster experiences as you wear it will never cause more than minor cosmetic damage to your holster.

Finish

The finish is also an important element. Each of our holsters is covered with a sweat guard treatment, so the salts and oils from your body don’t collect on your holster and don’t mar your concealed firearm. Aesthetically, Kydex comes in a wide variety of colors, finishes and textures that can be chosen by the customer.

Design Elements

Furthering our design decisions, we poured over our holster designs, looking for elements that would create the best concealed holster. Immediately, we knew that a good holster had to fit your preferred firearm every time. To address this, we decided that custom fitting was the most sure-fire way to ensure that your holster retained your firearm. When you order a holster from On Your 6 Designs, we use your exact model of firearm in the custom forming process. The main point of retention is around the trigger guard, allowing the firearm to sit snugly in the holster all day. This also keeps errant fingers and debris from working their way into the trigger guard, which could cause a negligent discharge. Our holsters have an adjustable cant. This allows the wearer to position the holster on their body at an angle that best matches their drawing style and position.

Finally, any good EDC piece will meet your needs and anticipated needs. That’s why On Your 6 Designs offers the best concealed holsters for your preferred concealed carry style. This includes inside-the-waistband and outside-the-waistband holsters. Either style of concealed holster includes the elements above. They’ll have an adjustable cant, so you can position your handgun’s grip to your liking. They’re custom fit to your firearm, so they ride securely with you. And they’re made of impressively durable Kydex, so they can withstand any abuse you put them through. Of course, we recognize that the firearm alone might not be your entire EDC concealed carry setup. We offer magazine holsters for one and two magazines as well, all made from Kydex.

When you’re ready to start developing your EDC, On Your 6 Designs is here to get you started. We offer our EDC package, that includes many of the items discussed here, as well as some convenient items you may not have thought of. And of course, we offer our high-quality holsters that make concealing a carry firearm easier than ever. We offer some of the best concealed holsters, all back by our unbeatable lifetime warranty.

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