Hard / Extreme EDC usage…your story?

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First, I’m an EDC addict because I’ve lived and worked in a whole lot of places where you only have what you’ve got. And, what you’ve got is the difference between survival/comfort and misery. Did I mention I USE my EDC stuff?

There’s so many things I like, I think are cool, but I always ask myself if I would realistically ever use a particular item or piece of gear. I’m a strong believer in…if you’re not going to use it (ever) why carry it?. Consequently, I’m interested to hear from other ‘addicts’, what uses have you put your EDC to, what shortcomings did you have and what successes were you pleased with.

So, to my storie(s)…

I guess my biggest one is a ‘business’ trip I was on one time to a very remote place in the middle east (northern central Africa). Upon arrival, it was just complete desert. I knew it was going to be remote, but had no idea just HOW remote. Of course all my luggage was lost; I figured something would get lost… but I didn’t think EVERYTHING would be missing. Well it was.

I’ve always prided myself (after several (x10) million miles of travel), “okay, I’ll just go buy what I need.” Well, not so much in this place. All the shops were closed…forever! Just venturing out in the local streets was a recipe for needing advanced trauma medical care. (i.e. don’t EVEN do it!).

My baggage lost, with no real hope of ever finding it, I was 200 miles from where I arrived. Our “home” was what I call a ‘C-can” (ocean going multi-modal container) stacked three high. It was HOT; I think the surface of the Sun is cooler! (at least they had A/C inside, but this is another story). No private rooms here, nope! Two men to a container, bunk beds. Inside the container it was about absolute zero, and outside it was 4,000F. There was a bunkbed, a small desk, a microwave and a tiny refrigerator.

All I had was what was in my pack. That was it! My roommate lit up when I showed up (he was Marine Corps)…”Whatcha got? I’m STARVING!!” I dumped my pack out on the bed and we started going through it…(a couple breakfast bars, some soup, an MRE, a bunch of med supplies (former EMT). I threw him the MRE; he really did look hungry. “Oh, No, no, no….we’re going to make a FEAST out of this…let’s just heat up some soup and eat these breakfast bars!!” he said. I knew there was a commissary, but I hadn’t been to it yet. So we ate some soup and Kind bars…and took a nap in the sub-zero container.

“WOO HOO!!! An actual FULL MRE!!! WOW!!” was what I woke up to from my nap. “We’re gonna’ eat GOOD tonight!!!”, and he darted out the door. He came back about 5 minutes later with about 4 other guys all with handfuls of MRE pouches. They had this really nicely done alcohol stove made from a pop can and also a large covered pot. We mixed a bunch of those MRE’s together, cooked it up on the catwalk outside the door and had an absolutely fabulous meal.

“The food at the commissary sucks”, my roommate said, “It all tastes like diesel fuel, and breakfast is not edible!”

And one day, you will use your EDC. Mark my words. Only carry what you need, but need what you carry.

edit…I never did get my luggage. Wound up looking like all the other military there. It was all I had or could get.

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