My Current EDC :)

It's been some time since my last post now.  I believe previously I'd written about my mini pocket first aid kit.  :D  Well, I'd always been interested in the idea of "EDC" (Every Day Carry) and making those PFAKs just made me go back and research more into it.

School's started, so my EDC is a bit different, but I think I'd finally narrowed down to a true (albeit, "urban") EDC that works for me.

Housed within an old makeup bag, I have:

Ziplock #1 (3x5"):  OTC Medications

• Advil - 1 packet (2 ct tablets)
• Pepto Bismol (chewable) - 4 tabs
• Benadryl (liquid gels) - 2 tabs
• Claritin, 10 mg - 2 tabs
• Zyrtec - 2 tabs
• Tums - 1 roll (8 ct chewables)

Along with these medications are scans their Drug Facts just in case I forget the dosage.  And why the selection of allergy medications?  Some people, including myself, react to each type differently.  Some don't affect me whatsoever and others are quite effective.  Because Benadryl does make me drowsy, I keep that on hand in the case that I have allergies at night when I'm staying away from home.

Ziplock #2 (3x3"):  Super Glue

• gel - 1 ct
• liquid - 1 ct

Why super glue?  It comes in pretty handy!  Just yesterday, my brother showed up during lunch time with a broken flash diffuser on our Nikon D40.  Super glue to the rescue!  It's also great for small cuts where a bandage can't get to (surgeons even use this stuff for sealing minor cuts), though I've never actually done so.  The gel and liquid types are best for different materials, so be sure to check that out.  The packages I get from the Dollar Tree have that information on the back of each baggie.  By the way, they're only $1.00 for a pack of 3 there.  :)  They haven't failed me yet!  They work just as well as others, I've noticed.

Ziplock #3 (3x5"):  PFAK (Pocket First Aid Kit)

• antibacterial wipe - 1 ct
• alcohol wipes - 2 ct
• antibacterial bandage (standard size) - 1 ct
• fabric bandage (standard size) - 1 ct
• bacitracin (sealed in straws) - 1 ct (and again, made by way of Brian)

Ziplock #4 (3x3"):  Feminine Products

• liners - 2 ct
• tampons - 3 ct (one of each, ladies)

And the final items housed in the makeup bag is a package of pocket tissues and a small case of floss picks and interdental brushes.  :D

I love having everything in separate ziplock baggies since it makes it easier to find items since they're more or less "categorized."  And then all of those items are stored in the larger makeup bag for easy access rather than sprawled in my bag or backpack.  Plus, the modular goodness of it all makes it easier to transfer said items between bags.  :D  Admittedly, there are still some items I can pack in there (so far the whole thing takes up only a space of less than 5x7x1"), but a lot of it would be redundant considering the other things I'd need in a typical day is already carried on my person in one form or another... such as having a small bottle of hand sanitizer clipped to the outside of my bag.  :)

I have no doubt that this setup will change time and time again.  But for now, I think those are my basics and I'm quite happy with what I've got so far.  :)

PICTURES SOON!  :)


UPDATE (17 February 2012):

It's a long weekend and I'm sick in bed.  Gives me all the more time to update, right?  :)  And here is the picture of my current EDC set up, minus the bag that everything is contained in:

I'd also taken the liberty of adding a full 0.5 ounce tube of ointment rather than dealing with the little straw containers.  I figured for this bag, there's no need to minimize it.

Kodak Playsport (Zx5) Review

Like I've said in my preview post, this little bugger can do it all.  I took it on my most recent mission with the G.I. Joe Search and Rescue team and it did fantastic work.  It went through mud, rain, got hit by rocks and trees, came down the side of a mountainside, and it's still working just as great as the day I'd gotten it.

There are some pros and cons, I guess.  But it does exactly what I want it to.  I'm not expecting professional grade photos from this device; that's what my DSLR is for.  Before purchasing, I knew full well that it had would have some setbacks (no flash and such).

Pros:  (starred [**] items were my main focus for purchase)

• **shockproof
• **waterproof (up to 3 meters)
• dust proof
• takes SD cards
• has a tripod mount
• ** turns on and is ready to shoot within a second
• ** extremely long battery life
• On a full charge, the battery lasted me throughout a 3-day camping trip and then some.  I took plenty of photos and videos, using up my entire 4GB SD card.  The battery lasted more than the card!
• This time around, the last I'd charged my camera was a month ago, the first week of October.  Here it is now, a month later, and without charging it prior to the mission and using it throughout the weekend, still has like a 90% charge on it.
• With these specs and such a long battery life, I'd recommend it as an emergency car camera.  You never know what can happen on the road so it's best to keep a quality camera nearby that won't die on you.  Just make sure to charge it every couple of months.  Film cameras work just as well in that situation, but the film can go bad.
• ** uses an almost "universal" charging tip; same one used for my phone, NDSL, etc.  So I don't need to carry around different chargers unless I want to charge all of my devices at once.
• ** price!  ($130.00 shipped a couple of months back)
• Now you can easily find it for about $80.00 shipped or less if you can hold out for a deal to come up.  I've seen it plenty of times at 1SaleADay.
• ** compact
• menu is easy to navigate w/ minimal buttons

Cons:  (Mostly things I knew fully before purchasing but can cope with)

• no flash
• pictures can come out a little grainy depending on the lighting (but at 5MP, they're still good for 4x6" prints)
• I wish the macro setting was quicker to navigate to.  I've been leaving it on auto focus, but when I want that macro setting, it just takes too long to get to so I don't use it at all.

It's got a couple of other options that I don't bother using.  The video setting is great, though I don't use it too often.  I know it's "meant" to be used as an outdoor camcorder or the like, but eh.  My other option at the time was the Fuji XPS since it's also waterproof and shockproof (and comes with flash!) but I wasn't in the market for something with so many options.  I just wanted something almost like a toy camera (point and shoot but turns on and off in a second), but with a name that backs it up and for it to function in the environment I need it to.

All in all, I definitely think it's worth it for the price.  If you're in the market for something similar but do not need the durability of the PlaySport, the Zx8 I believe, has the same exact specifications.