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As Mort writes, “I do not drive cars; I only ride motorcycles. Therefore, my “EDC” kit must necessarily include gear specific to my normal method of transportation. I have had the same basic system for nearly 25 years, albeit things like cellphones and hand sanitizer were absent decades ago.” See everything Mort’s carrying at Everyday Carry . . .

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17 COMMENTS

  6. Well, I actually left out the transient stuff… like gum, receipts, vapor gadget, etc. What it doesn’t show is my other essential piece of daily gear: Kevlar Sliders (biker pants that look like casual wear, I recommend… heavy, but comfy & admirably durable)… mine are cargo pants. So, gotta lotta space.

    Yes… whenever I have to go through a Security Theatre line, people just plain hate me….

      • That is a great question… and, indeed I have.

        Shortly after the Richard Carmona DGU here, I figured it would be a wise idea… talking late ’90s I think (i.e., the former US Surgeon General… if I recall, he was a Vietnam vet and a cop here… best I can remember, there was some sort of a road rage incident with a criminal who, as it turns out, had killed someone earlier… anyway, stopped in traffic, he fired at Carmona, who returned fire and put the guy down…).

        It occurred to me, as I’m not the most “compassionate” rider (read: Life first, Feelings second…), that the remote possibility of being attacked while being stopped in traffic was feasible in real life. So, when I have had the opportunity– alone and not inhibited by the perception of goofyness– I have practiced both drawing and firing in full riding gear (i.e., with gloves, sitting on my bike, etc.). It is partly how I came to be carrying double… on the belt, IWB can often be awkward and obstructed on the bike. So, pocket… so, revolver.

        Probably, I don’t practice it as much as I should… but something tells me we all don’t practice a lot of things we should do more often. I have only had two DGUs in 25years, never discharging… one off the bike, one sitting on the bike (helmet on, yes). Both assailants came to their senses and took the opportunity to flee, faced with the prospect of dying for their senseless endeavors. I recall being ridiculously relieved that I did not have to fire… it is just so not fun at all. So practice. Because it sucks.

        Be safe.

  7. Good call on the Guardian back up knife. Gotta love a double edged straight blade. Do you carry that as a boot knife?

    Carry any of this in a saddle bag or backpack or do you just use your jacket pockets and some holsters for most of your storage?

    • Thanks, I like the Guardian, too. When I wear my Stewart’s boots (excellent local Tucson Western boot maker), I do put that knife inside my right boot, in the hind cutout of the rear shaft. However, if I am riding and wearing those Salomons, then I usually hang it off my belt at the SE or 5 o’clock position.

      Between my shirts, jacket, and kevlar cargo pants, I have a dozen pockets. So it all fits just fine with holsters, and then some. However, I do have a backpack that I also carry everyday– either a light Marmot Kompressor Plus for around town, or an LBT (London Bridge Trading) “3Day Assault Pack 1476A” for an overnight. The backpack carries stuff like my Helly Hansen rain gear, cold gear (balaclava, Goretex gloves, thermal underwear, etc.), glasses & spare contacts, and binoculars, sewing kit and palm heel, basic meds (i.e., Tylenol, Advil, Zantac, Benadryl, albeit all generic), bandages, some wet wipes, batteries, spare charger, dry sacks, headlamps, bungie cords, etc. And then whatever I might pickup at the grocery store or whatever… so, space for stuff-as-yet-unforeseen.

      Now if it comes to a ride of weeks-plus on the road, that is when the panniers come in… (saddlebags) …then I am carrying tools, brake fluid, motor oil, chain lube, firestarters, instant coffee, TP, paper maps (lotsa no-signal on the road…), lantern, tents, mats, down Big Agnes sleeping bag, BCM rifle, dry boxes with mags, ammo, mess kits, more Gerbers (LMF2, Strongarms), sharpeners, fishing poles, tackle… and of course more clothes… it can get a bit ridiculous back there… wait, there’s more (bit no Ginsu knives…).

      But, if I am riding out for 4-5weeks, and camping in the woods, well you really do need all of that stuff! This year I did a New Mexico to Colorado to Wyoming to Idaho to Utah to Arizona four weeks… I used every bit of gear I brought and then some.

      But we were talking *everyday* right, haha… oh, how I wish it were, yup

      This is why I want National Reciprocity so badly… I want to tour California, Oregon, and Washington… (and visit family in the Bay Area of California). And who the hell rides out alone for weeks unarmed? That is just plain dumb– just plain moronic. I am not willing to risk being an evilchildhatingbloodthirsty felonious criminal just to peaceably tour the state while sensibly minding my own safety… so for the love of god, can we just pass National Reciprocity already? You’d think it was the USSR over there, jeez… the stupidity boggles one’s mind, doesn’t it?

      ummm, yep, okay… please let’s pass it this year.

      Be safe!

      • OK Mort, I need to ask. What do you ride? Originally I thought sportbike because you talked about hooning around town, but carrying all that stuff on the back and riding for a month, that doesn’t seem practical. With the Honda key I’m guessing Shadow or VTX.

        I was going to give you crap for having so many key chains, then realized that I also have the same 3: Ignition key on its own, keys to the bags, the QD sissy bar, and QD windscreen, and my carabiner with the house keys.

        What is your reasoning for carrying so many knives? To me, they all seem to fit in roughly the same niche. I tend to only carry my one Gerber folding knife every day. (but rarely I find myself wishing it was my Leatherman)

        Do you ever consider the implications of going down with metal on your hip? Up here in NH I have a greater chance of getting run over by a Massachusetts transient than needing a firearm while riding, so I haven’t put a lot of thought into how to carry while on the bike.

        • All the big miles Honda riders I know pretty much all ride Pan Euros now, except for the few who will cling to their ‘wings until their dying moments.

        • Howdy,

          Well… I hope you find this amusing… here goes:

          I ride a CB500F, in 2014 with ABS. One of the little 47hp twin standards that Honda released a few years back. Neat little urban zipper… I put Dunlop Q3s on it to throw it around like a monkey bike (yes ha– oh, warning: the Dunlop Sportmax D222 stock tires are, IMHO, not even close to ideal for this bike; hard, vague, not esp durable, shitty grip… change them ASAP and it will transform your CB). If I need carrying space, I bungy a $17 upsidedown laundry wall rack to the rear seat, and it is big enough to carry a large 50L trek backpack and/or rifle case on the rear. Looks weird, but functionality is King in my world.

          Okay… so I admit, while I have taken the CB on tour (~2500 miles, couple weeks) and she can do it, it is not ideal. Really she is an around town bike– small, light, 65-75mpg, huffs & puffs above 85mph (ya gotta plan your passing). So….

          My other bike is an Aprilia Caponord, 2015 with a 1197 V2 and a 7″ thick foam seat that my ass is in love with. She has a nice rack, top box, hard panniers, and has been all over the United States (except some unConstitutional rantrantrant)… about 28k now. This bike is my “real” horse today, and it has saved my life several times, for almost three years now. She rides on Pirelli Angel GTs; I think I am on the 3rd pair, after the stock Dunlop Q2s….

          I measured the weight I tour with on the back, hard bags and all, and it is between 170-200lbs, plus me not-quite-200. So basically the gear is like a passenger. This bike capably hauls it all, with sublime balance and speed. A criticism from bike rags was that the suspension was too soft and not sporty enough– I would concur, but 80-90% of the time, you’re not attacking roads all out like a racetrack… you’re just riding, and the softness is something I have come to love after a long day. Zero complaints on power/torque, and reliability… best 6-speed I have ever had, literally perfect. (Another press complaint I read was “moar powah!” but these people live in a different world of sampling many bikes for a few hundred miles, not riding the test bike for years and tens-of-thousands miles… if 0-60 in 2.9 and a 1/4mile of <12sec is not enough power for you, you're just being silly & unrealistic… Says the GPS ha) Thirsty & chugs a bit, 35-42mpg… but with a 6 gallon tank, it works.

          I also have an Aprilia SL750 (Shiver… brrr), 2011. This is a sportbike (re: "naked"). I like it… but it is a hard, rigid bike for younger men. I bought it as a daily rider, but it failed; the CB500F is a superior commuter bike in every way. To me this bike is a toy… less than 100miles per tank, exhaust under the rear seat (In town, I carried a Gibson Flying V on my back once, and the rear pipes set the soft case ON FIRE… and NOBODY in traffic alerted me that I had flames flying off my back… until I smelled it at a stoplight. Yeah… too busy texting or Facebooking… you fkn kiddin me). Anyway, cool bike…hardly ride it.

          What else… knives. I don't feel like I carry "so many knives," but I guess I carry at least three, technically. I feel like the EZ Out is just my go-to tool, and the Guardian is the only "fighting knife" (and does only one thing… although, I have been known to use it as a toothpick after meals, so two things…). Over the years, I have lost NINE EZ Outs in various unknown places (else I woulda found them…); I've only lost one Guardian. The Leatherman MUT is handy for all sorts of stuff, but I don't use its knife that often. So on paper, it looks like "so many knives." In my mind, it's like this: one pocketknife, one stabbing-toothpick, and one multitool.

          All that steel, and going down… yeah, it would suck, ouch. But I just don't ride like that. Nor do I think like that (all the time, at least…). I suppose it would be sort of like saying, "Well, if you carry, then you accept that you may draw, and if you draw your gun, then aren't you worried you could also be fired upon, ergo you need a bulletproof vest. So, carrying a gun without a bulletproof vest is unwise." It probably is, but you can go with that in all sorts of ways. In other words, hypotheticals ("slippery slopes") are generally an unreliable way of preparing, once the base contingency solution has been fulfilled. Sometimes, your (my) mind disallows me from NOT considering cascading contingencies… I just MUST answer the what-if problem, or it doesn't "feel right." I think we all do this… we just have a nagging feeling that we'd be "safer" if we prepped to a certain likely-scenario plan, even though much of it is often illogical and/or unnecessary outside of wildly aberrant circumstances that probably wouldn't unfold how we think, at all. This is indeed the reason I know several sportsmen who don't carry guns at all– they have nothing against them, several are veterans… it's just that they realize the odds of a certain type of "disaster" are so remote, they feel perfectly comfortable devoting time towards prepping contingencies in other, more practical ways, for them. And it's hard to prove them wrong, outside of our own personal anecdotal experiences that shape our thinking. But I do know plenty of "real men" (hard mfs) that just think carrying a gun is an uncomfortable waste of time– this is right for them, works for them. For me, my mind stops and feels adequately prepared right now, let's say the bike is "going down." I wear the gear, I do my best, but I just don't worry about the steel gun breaking my bones or spine… I am aware of it, don't misunderstand. But first, I plan to stay upright. Should I be worried? Probably… I certainly would not begrudge somebody who actively accounted for this possibility… if it works for you, good. It's probably smart… smarter than hoping all that steel just flies off my person! Maybe I just don't know how to craft a solution– perhaps there is a market for ultra-padded holsters for bikers! America! (Come to think, all my full-sizers are in padded nylon KNJ holsters… if "Uncle Mike" is all you know about nylons, there really are far superior nylon holsters….)

          As for the fellow who said Pan Euros… thanks for the chuckle… fat, glorified scooters, love it… Pacific Coasts. I have only ever had CBs… 7 or 8, I think. My favorite was a '92 CB750 Nighthawk. (To the MF who stole it… better not show upon craigs, bc I watch….)

          Be safe, yall. Thanks for the fun.

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