I regularly carry a Glock 26, spare magazine, light, knife, OC Spray, and a tourniquet as my standard EDC. These items go in my waistline or in my front pockets, along with keys and a phone, etc… Statistically speaking, this should be ample gear to resolve the kind of predatory violence that a common citizen is going to encounter. If there is a failing, it will probably not be due to a lack of gear, but to other factors. Such an EDC as mine, based around a single, concealable, carry gun is quite standard among armed citizens. Some carry larger, or more, items than this, but most probably carry less, opting for an even smaller gun than the readily concealable Glock 26, and with little else in support of it. Most likely, it will be all you need.
However, regardless of your standard EDC, considering recent social trends, I think there is good reason to add additional tools to your person when in crowded, public settings. Multiple assailant crime, flash mobs, civil unrest, riots, and the ever-looming threat of terrorist activity, leads me to tool up more than in years past, and I specifically add these other items when I am in public places with my loved ones. When I do carry this extra gear, I usually carry it on my ankles, as that is the obvious remaining on-body real estate for doing so.
Pertaining to carrying a second gun, I have addressed this extensively elsewhere, explaining that I tend to carry a backup gun only when traveling or when spending time in crowded environments with family, as the main reason for a backup gun in citizen use is to arm a second person who is with you. When I do carry a backup gun, I usually ankle carry it.
The key to successful ankle carry for a small gun (I use a small revolver for this) is a good ankle holster. I use the Galco Ankle Lite (only because the even better Galco Ankle Glove is not available for left-hand carry) and it is absolutely comfortable compared to many others I have tried and given up on due to discomfort. The holster makes all the difference.
I gave up on full-blown ankle IFAKs as, again, they were all uncomfortable. However, I have returned to carrying some additional gear on the ankle, made possible by carrying minimal items, combined with using the Galco Ankle Safe for this job. The Ankle Safe is a two-pocket ankle band that is as comfortable as the ankle holster I use for the gun, made out of similar neoprene. I carry my tourniquet always in a pocket, and that reduces the bulk of what is on the ankle, to which I only add packing gauze, a card of duct tape, a small spare light, and a speed strip for the backup revolver. I add the Galco Ankle Safe to the opposite ankle whenever I carry the backup gun, as these additional items are good to have, and I don’t even know it is there.
Ankle carry is a great way of adding additional tools to your person. If you are like me and find it generally uncomfortable to do so, try the neoprene-made Galco products, as these prove the only ankle holsters/bands I can tolerate. I don’t like ankle carry for a primary gun, but for a secondary backup and some additional small items it is a great option.
Obviously, ankle carry only works in pants, not shorts. If you want to add a backup gun and additional tools while in shorts, a feasible way to do so is to use cargo shorts that have the thigh pockets on each side. While not particularly fashionable, such shorts are certainly widely worn and blend right into any crowd in a hot climate. Your typical EDC items likely live in your waistline and in the hip pockets, as you would wear in jeans, but in cargo shorts the thigh pockets can be put to use for additional EDC items.
I use a pocket holster for the LCR and put the gun in my support-side cargo pocket. A light weight revolver like this rides surprisingly easy in the cargo pocket and is not uncomfortable even though it is against the thigh. Select a pocket holster that keeps the gun upright in the relatively wide cargo shorts thigh pocket. I also recommend keeping the pocket buttoned. This makes for a draw that is rather slow, but it is a backup gun most likely used to arm a friendly. Your primary gun should offer a fast draw and deployment even though the backup gun draw may not be ideal.
Obviously, in shorts you can’t use an ankle for the extra tools, so this is where the thigh pockets can come in useful for the extra medical devices and other gear. In fact, the Galco Ankle Safe is sleek enough that I simply fold it and put it in the opposite-side cargo pocket of my shorts, avoiding the need for a different pouch, when I add these extra tools to shorts.
Discreet concealment is always a huge advantage and a top consideration for the armed citizen. While having long guns available whenever possible makes good sense, when in public and crowded places you will realistically use only what you have on your body. For a lot of people, ankle carry offers a means of adding additional life-saving gear while staying concealed. In shorts, you can also add this additional capability if you want to, with some effort. I believe that now is the time for additional life-saving on-body equipment when in crowded places.
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