DIY Carabiner EDC Kits

The author uses a DIY Carabiner EDC Kit with items needed when walking the town and in the hotel room.

There’s a kit for everything. However, these DIY Carabiner EDC Kits are fun to make and convenient to carry. They’ll equip you for several scenarios and give you the tools to smash the day!

Carabiner EDC Kits

I hate Altoid Tin survival kits. Sure, they were fun to do 20 years ago. However, they force you to cram small, cheap, nearly useless pieces into a small space. Then, the snag factor comes into play when you need something. This usually results in several items ejected from the tin like Goose in TOP Gun. No good!

I’ll take a DIY Carabiner Kit any day and use substantial, quality items. These kits omit keys, as I usually keep them separate. However, personalize your kit accordingly. There’s no need to use climbing-rated or expensive carabiners for this DIY project. You need a simple carabiner to clip onto your belt loop or pack, not anything to repel a cliff with. Again, make it your own!

Travel EDC Kits

I’m a world traveler and don’t carry essential house keys with me abroad. I use a DIY Carabiner EDC Kit with items I’ll need when walking around the town and in the hotel room. I love walking at night, and having a small, capable light gives me peace of mind. Plus, you can use it as a quick distracter/blinder in an altercation. The light is usually within reach on the nightstand in case of a power outage in developing countries, which is very common.

Here’s a variant of the authors’ Woods Carabiner EDC Kit. It covers fire, cutting tool, signaling, navigation, and illumination.

Why a whistle for travel? Simple: In case of a natural disaster like an earthquake or another, if there’s a rescue party, you want to be heard.

The Victorinox Waiter is my go-to knife for travel. It’s small and contains a blade for cutting string off clothing, limes, and drinks, and most often, night market chicken, squid, and pork. The VIC Waiter also has a corkscrew and multi-use can opener/cap lifter/flathead screwdriver. Naturally, the toothpick and tweezers are always in season!

A Griffin Adventure Tool is usually in all my kits, and it is an excellent bottle opener, prybar, and screwdriver set.

Woods Carabiner EDC Kits

For wilderness adventures, I’m never without my carabiner kit. I have a cutting tool (Victorinox Camper), two ways of signaling (TOPS Dog tag Signal Mirror, Wazoo S.O.S. Whistle), Fire making device (Uberleben Hexa 3 Ferro Rod), and a general direction compass. These are the most essential pieces of valuable survival gear for me. They are not stand-alone pieces of kit. However, they are the key components that work with the rest of my gear.

This is the author’s updated Woods Carabiner EDC Kit. It covers fire, cutting tool, signaling, and navigation.

The VIC Camper has a large main blade for carving feather sticks and all knife tasks. It has a corkscrew that houses a small eyeglass screwdriver and helps undo knots, besides the obvious wine cork popper. The Camper features an awl and wood saw, perfect for a plethora of wood crafting. The usual cap lifter/flathead and can opener/Phillips screwdriver come standard with the tweezers and toothpick.

Signalling is paramount in a wilderness emergency. Keep at least two on you constantly. You can’t yell as loudly or for as long as you can blow a whistle. A small signal mirror helps you signal, enabling you to see yourself and check for facial abrasions or remove particles from your eye. This is essential in a carabiner kit.

A Ferro rod is a must-have piece of gear for the wilderness. Get a good one, and learn to use it. Practice it with various tinders and master it—your life may depend on this skill!

I change it up often and recommend you do the same to find what you like best.