A couple years ago I wrote a post about EDC and what I carried in my pockets as a nurse. I commented how much I like the idea of all the cool EDC gadgets that are out there, but I never actually buy anything because I hate carrying stuff in my pockets. My EDC is still a tiny minimalist wallet, three keys, a small pocketknife, a handkerchief, and my phone. I closed out that previous post by wondering if maybe I should start wearing a fanny pack. Fast forward to today and the past has become reality.

No, not a fanny pack. That I don’t think I’m ready for. What I did buy was a sling bag. Sort of a mini messenger-type bag. This came about after a discussion on carrying a weapon in today’s crazy times. I have been unwilling to so far for a number of reasons, one of them being weight. I suppose I could manage it during the winter with jeans and long coats and jackets, but summer would never work. I wear shorts every day and that’s not conducive to being strapped… if you don’t want your shorts to end up around your ankles. Although, I suppose I could always go the cargo shorts and suspenders route. Hmmm no, not ready for that yet. (wait, I’m now wearing Crocs and I swore that would never happen either)

Anyway, the discussion about summer carry evolved into carrying a bag of some sort, which is how we ended up with the sling bag. Me being me, I watched approximately 2,730 hours of YouTube videos on the best EDC sling bag. Decision finally made, I clicked the purchase button, and eagerly waited for my bag to arrive.

Of course once you have a bag, you’ve got to fill it with stuff! While I waited for my shipment, me being me, I watched approximately 5,280 hours of YouTube videos on EDC carry gadgets. Flashlights and knives, and carabiners. Key holders, water bottles, organizers, power bricks, and thumb drives. The amount of time people spend finding clever ways to carry stuff around is impressive. So many gadgets and doohickies! Oh my, I was in heaven.

Finally the day arrived. Yesterday my sling bag showed up. It looks to be everything I hoped it would be. I cut off the tags and explored all the pockets. I put it on, adjusted it, and practiced getting in and out of the pockets quickly. It’s a perfect holder for stuff that doesn’t look too much like a purse. But let’s be honest – it really is just a purse for men who don’t want to carry a backpack everywhere. We just say sling bag to avoid the murse label. It’s ok. I’m confident enough in my manhood to call it what it is. It’s a purse.

So there I am, admiring my new bag. I set it out on the floor and started thinking about what I wanted to put in it. And I drew a blank. I guess I could put some chapstick in there. And some breath mints. A pen maybe? I checked to see if my Kindle would fit. It does, but where am I going to go that I’d need that?

I sat there and stared at the bag for the longest time. All those hours of watching YouTube videos and I couldn’t come up with a single thing to put in there. I’ve managed to survive all of my adult life without carrying a bag of stuff around with me. How do you suddenly go from carrying a house key and wallet to becoming MacGyver with a Bat Belt full of equipment?

I promised myself that I’d at least commit to trying to carry the bag every day. We’re a week out from Thanksgiving travel. I’ll carry it every day this week, and then bring it for the holiday airline travel. That should be enough to figure out if an every day carry bag is for me.

I still don’t know what to put in it. Maybe some saltine crackers and my sunglasses? If you use one, what’s in your EDC bag?