Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: MillCreek on March 25, 2023, 09:26:13 AM
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The Wall Street Journal published an article on EDC: every day carry at https://www.wsj.com/articles/edc-everyday-carry-reddit-pocket-essentials-8f87d3bd The article was based on the Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/EDC/
So this made me ponder my EDC. Pretty much any day when I am leaving the house, I have the following in my pocket:
On my split ring keychain
House and car keys
Orange safety whistle
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PG71J1B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
True Utility compact pen
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IOHPKY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Keychain flashlight
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09158251S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Pill container for hearing aid batteries
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085ZZ9M6Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
In a pocket
Camo bandanna
https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Bandanas-Camouflage-Military-Headwraps/dp/B0BW17J9XH/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3C155T7QNZFYY&keywords=camo%2Bhandkerchief%2Bfor%2Bmen&qid=1679750217&sprefix=camo%2Bhank%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-3&th=1
Leatherman Surge Ti
https://www.amazon.com/LEATHERMAN-Titanium-Multitool-Replaceable-Stainless/dp/B079MJHYKC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=KDMNNVH9J4W1&keywords=leatherman+surge+ti&qid=1679750306&sprefix=leatherman+surge+ti%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-5
Calti front pocket wallet
https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Titanium-Minimalist-Slim-Wallet/dp/B07BJMB54J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2087Y8DNU9HHD&keywords=calti+wallet&qid=1679751420&sprefix=calti+wallet%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1
Cell phone and firearm on my body somewhere.
I was a Boy Scout and I take the 'be prepared' seriously. It annoys me no end when people need a tool, or pen, or a flashlight and they are helpless to deal with the situation.
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You crazy kids and your paywalls....
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Paywall.
Anyways:
Right front, gun in pocket holster. Usually a .38 snub.
Right rear, Swiss Army Knife (accept no substitutes!). A couple speedloaders or speed strips. If the gun in the pocket is an automatic, I'll probably have an extra magazine in a Magholder carrier on the belt, front and center, instead of the speedloaders.
Left rear, random change and possibly handkerchief
Left front, wallet and keys.
Work doesn't like cargo pants, or this would be arrayed somewhat differently.
Around the neck is a lanyard with a usb stick, with 30GB of stuff I keep for work.
There's a bunch of crap in a backpack close by.
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Perusing the Reddit thread, I see a lot of tactical-ish folders. I always wonder when folks put up that sort of picture, how much they actually use those, and how much it's a fashion statement. My Deluxe Tinker SAK (https://www.victorinox.com/us/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Medium-Pocket-Knives/Deluxe-Tinker/p/1.4723) gets used, a lot, daily.
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From the thread, someone not taking it seriously.
(https://preview.redd.it/qumowt2sukpa1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=348a389701f8fe36a49bce098e6164e8b9129f11)
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At work I carry a four inch fixed blade custom knife on my belt, a Rotring 600 pen, a flashlight, and a 5” pair of Knipex Cobra pliers (think Channelocks but a thousand times better) and a set of Mac pocket prybars plus keys and Ridge clone wallet. My uniform is a button up Dickies type shirt with pockets that makes it easy to carry this stuff. I don’t like too much stuff.
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Currently I have my farm clothes EDC and my clean "going to town clothes EDC", which are pretty similar.
Farm:
Gunbelt with OWB holster and plain jane Glock 45 (I replaced the sights).
Left front jeans: SOG TAC-AU auto folder and surefire sidekick (but I'm always playing around with different lights).
Phone is usually in some pocket or another, depending on weather and stuff.
Goin' to town:
Gunbelt with either a Shadow Systems XR920 or a P365XL, IWB and pointed at my wiener. I flip flop on carrying extra mags.
SOG TAC-AU auto folder and a flashlight in the left front of the Vertx Defiance jeans*.
Phone in the back pocket.
Minimalist wallet in the right front pocket.
I used to carry some form of multitool or another, but these days, if I'm on the farm, I always have the right tool for the job handy, and when I'm in town, I never have the need for one. If I did, the get home ruck in the vehicle has whatever I might need.
Also, I'm almost always in boots. I don't care if it looks tacticool or not, but I always wore tac boots in the field at work and found them super comfortable and practical, so still wear them today. Other than when it's hot enough for shorts, I'll wear trail runners. I used to wear flip flops a lot in Santa Barbara, but now rarely wear them other than the patio. I don't want to face the zombie apocalypse in flip flops. :laugh:
*Currently the best EDC jeans I have found for me, with pockets and beltloops well-placed for EDC. I don't need all the hidden handcuff pockets, but everything else, including comfort, is top notch. Though I saw that a half a year ago they were listed as "discontinued" (and I bought five pairs to store), but now they are listed as available again, so I don't know if they changed anything. My experience is with the originals.
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My every day carry.
Either a Taurus PT-22 or a Smith & Wesson 042.
And, starting just a few days ago, a mini flashlight on my key chain.
That's all.
I don't even carry a knife, although I do have a folder clipped to the visor in my car.
I know, I know, I'm already dead because I don't EDC a Level 3 Trauma Center, a Level 4 Biohazard Lab, and a Hobart Tactical Deep Fat Fryer...
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I don't even carry a knife
Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.
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I guess it depends on the environment you live in, but I don't go without a cutting implement in mine. I literally cannot remember the last day that went by where I didn't use a knife at least once, but usually multiple times. That's before I lived on a farm as well.
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Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.
Would someone call 911, please? Looks like someone is having a stroke, and I left my Level 3 Trauma Center at home on my dresser.
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Would someone call 911, please? Looks like someone is having a stroke, and I left my Level 3 Trauma Center at home on my dresser.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Belshazzar%E2%80%99s_feast%2C_by_Rembrandt.jpg/330px-Belshazzar%E2%80%99s_feast%2C_by_Rembrandt.jpg)
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I need to update my EDC bag but: http://herohog.com/images/guns/bags/
http://herohog.com/images/guns/bags/edc.jpg is closest to my current setup.
ECD Outerwear: http://herohog.com/images/guns/CCWClothes/
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I don't carry much crap in my pockets, as my truck is a rolling FOB, and and pretty rarely very far from me, Unless I am out hiking, and then I have a pack for my "Be Prepared" gear.
Wallet, Phone, gun, knife, keys is just about it for the pockets. I am thinking about getting a little trauma first aid kit that an instructor at a class had, but it would mean putting *expletive deleted*it in my back pockets again, and my lower back appreciates them staying empty. The knife is any one of five or six interchangeable 3-ish inch folders I have, and the gun is a G19 or a P365XL depending on weather, dress, and my mood.
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(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Belshazzar%E2%80%99s_feast%2C_by_Rembrandt.jpg/330px-Belshazzar%E2%80%99s_feast%2C_by_Rembrandt.jpg)
That's two stokes, and some apostasy thrown in for good measure.
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Currently: Wallet, phone, keys, keychain flashlight (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09351YJFC/ref=twister_B09BJZKZ6K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1), Victorinox Manager (https://www.victorinox.com/us/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Small-Pocket-Knives/Manager/p/0.6365) (also on the keychain), and a full sized pocket knife, which is generally a rotation of various 3-4" pocket knives, depending on what I expect to be doing for the day.
(https://i.imgur.com/cU3h26T.jpg)
Knife in the picture is the Hogue Dekka in CPM 20CV, which is currently getting the most pocket time.
I'm thinking about replacing the Manager with a Victorinox Compact or a Tinker (already own both) so as to cut down on the amount of crap on my keychain, especially with t-shirt weather on the way. I'm also eyeing the Outrider, but haven't acquired that one yet.
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One thing I ALWAYS carry with me, no matter what?
Poop bags for Seren.
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One thing I ALWAYS carry with me, no matter what?
Poop bags for Seren.
Some guys carry a poop bag for themselves. That's some serious EDC.
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Going to work:
Keys in left front pocket, flashlight & pocket knife in right front, notebook in left rear, wallet in right rear, phone on belt above left rear & multi-tool above right rear pocket. Carry a ton of *expletive deleted*it in both pockets of the (required) vest. S&W 642 in right front.
Going to town:
Keys in left front pocket, flashlight & pocket knife in right front, wallet in right rear, phone on belt above left rear. S&W 642 in right front
Working at home:
Pocket knife in right front, multi-tool above right rear pocket, either K-bar or 7" Buck behind right front pocket. Various firearms and/or long blades available in different work areas.
Poop bags are kept in the car & truck, not in my pockets.
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At work, I -always- have a 10mm and 8mm ratchet wrench in the shirt pocket, along with a straight and phillips screwdriver. Saves steps.
I haz a toolbox too. My tools. Knife is currently a little fixed blade skinner. I don't use my pockets a lot at work.
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Until I finally implement my transition to pocket carry, my EDC is on this wise:
I wear a gun in the waistband.
I keep a locking folder and a scout(ish) knife in my right front pocket, and sometimes a tube of lip balm. The Skinth knife case I use has a back pocket that holds a flat, metal body key for my F-150. That's helped me out many times since I got the truck, just last year.
I keep my keys in my left front pocket, and one of these (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/511-edc-pl-2aaa-flashlight-53380-019-1-sz?cid=Shopping-Bing-Product1707011-&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20-%20All%20Products&utm_term=4585375807245420&utm_content=All%20Products), because it's the best EDC flashlight I've found, so far. Went through the washing machine, and the only damage was to the paint job.
I keep a handkerchief in my left back pocket. Started out as a summertime necessity, but I now carry them year-round.
I keep my wallet in the usual, back-right pocket, like most other right-handed blokes. I use a bi-fold, leather wallet; not those minimalist things the EDC junkies are so into. When I did facilities maintenance, I started keeping a paper-clip in my wallet. They can be handy.
I started keeping a spare magazine in the top of my right boot about five years ago. Last year, I started buying Carhartt B151 pants, that have a magazine-sized pocket on the left leg. That's probably better. The downsides are that it takes a little effort to get the mag out; and sooner or later, that mag is going to take a trip through Mr Maytag.
The B151, like every pant I own, has a "tech pocket" on the right leg.
During the cooler months of the year, I still wear the same Timex I've been wearing for the past 20-some years. Wrist gets too sweaty, in warm weather.
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Left shirt pocket extra glasses (carry closeup and distance pairs)
Left front pants 5-rd speedloader, dedicated toothpick device, change, tangled-up rosary, chapstick, small folder, a tissue.
Right front pants kept clean of lint, abrasives, 5 rd hammerless J-frame only. No holster.
Left rear pants nothing
Right rear pants occasionally only, and for short periods, my wallet. I found out a long time ago that sitting on that thing for any length of time gave me excruciating sciatic pains. ER-quality pain and I thought I heard them discussing the use of snake venom for it but my mind was getting bleary from the agony. Wallet goes in coat pocket or inside shirt if necessary.
Belt keys on big rings, chained to wallet, great little key chain flashlight, keys for "hillary holes*" in two of my revolvers, re-mailing "if found drop in any mailbox" postage guaranteed ID tag, and I used to have a tiny pair of pliers with phillips head driver on one handle and straight screwdriver on other handle, but it got lost somewhere.
Man purse goes with me but usually, like a dog, stays in the car when I park it. Small first aid kit, checkbook, camera, cellphone (always off), asthma spray (never used, probably out of date by now), small notebook, pen, magnifying glass, another 5-round speedloader.
Left shoe contains my left foot and a sock, same scheme in my right shoe. Bladder usually empty.
Terry, 230RN
*Personally preferred term.
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Left Shirt Pocket: Android Phone attached to a lanyard around my neck.
ALL other Pockets: Empty.
Messenger Bag: EVERYTHING (http://herohog.com/images/guns/bags/edc.jpg) (but I DO need to add a tourniquet)
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I see a LOT of urban guys carrying murses. Which are usually big enough for a full-size handgun.
I'm not referring to my neighbors. I'm talking about the guys who cruise down south from the north side.
Some of 'em go for messenger bags big enough for an AR pistol.
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Tourniquet. Thanks, HeroHog, good idea, never thought about it. Made me think maybe the strap on my man purse would work, but realized rigging it as a tourniquet would be a time--wasting project in an emergency. Have to figure out what I can still fit in the bag
Looks roomier than it is 'cause the camera was removed. Scaling: the tag on the zipper is 4" long:
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Tourniquet. Thanks, HeroHog, good idea, never thought about it. Made me think maybe the strap on my man purse would work, but realized rigging it as a tourniquet would be a time--wasting project in an emergency. Have to figure out what I can still fit in the bag
Looks roomier than it is 'cause the camera was removed. Scaling: the tag on the zipper is 4" long:
The absolutely last thing you want to do is use something "field expedient" like a bag strap or belt as a tourniquet. That's one of the reasons tourniquets were so frowned upon for so many years.
Twenty years of GWOT was a laboratory that showed that a proper tourniquet, with proper training, is a primary lifesaving device. A "stop the bleed" kit is a higher priority than a trauma kit, IMO.
If you're gonna use a tourniquet, spend the $30 on a real, made in the USA tourniquet. Either a Gen 7 CAT or an SOF Tactical Tourniquet. Then spend four hours in a hands-on class that will teach you how to use it. As well as how to stop the bleed on body areas where a tourniquet cannot be used.
https://www.stopthebleed.org/
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^^^^
Yep. I would put a Stop the bleed/ trauma kit before a gun in terms of "stuff to have handy at all times"
Terry, you can get any number of little pouches to put a proper TQ on the strap of your man purse and have it handy.
Any of the TQs on this list will work well: https://books.allogy.com/web/tenant/8/books/f94aad5b-78f3-42be-b3de-8e8d63343866/
Just don't get them from Amazon. Too many fakes.
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(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Belshazzar%E2%80%99s_feast%2C_by_Rembrandt.jpg/330px-Belshazzar%E2%80%99s_feast%2C_by_Rembrandt.jpg)
He has never been someone who could see the writing on the wall.
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This was linked in Multitool.org, so see if it works:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/edc-everyday-carry-reddit-pocket-essentials-8f87d3bd?reflink=share_mobilewebshare&fbclid=IwAR36dcmOr9H02gND94742iVSgpT_wlJFosBK9r90qIfm9aMSyiR87Guxsks
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This was linked in Multitool.org, so see if it works:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/edc-everyday-carry-reddit-pocket-essentials-8f87d3bd?reflink=share_mobilewebshare&fbclid=IwAR36dcmOr9H02gND94742iVSgpT_wlJFosBK9r90qIfm9aMSyiR87Guxsks
Doesn't work for me. Often, if it doesn't work on my confuser, it will work on the phone. This hits a paywall on both.
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^ Thank you ! I may have to get a bigger bag anyhow. The slightly bigger one I had for years was given to me by a son, and plumb wore put. The one shown is the only replacement I could find but didn't really hold quite enough, let alone a tourniquet as well. I used to keep two non-melty oat and honey candy bars in the old one as well as a few more sundries.
Terry, 230RN
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One thing I ALWAYS carry with me, no matter what?
Poop bags for Seren.
LOL. Anytime I put on a coat, at least one pocket is stuffed with poop bags for Bennett, our Bernese Mountain Dog.
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I found the WSJ article by switching to Firefox, and DuckDuckGo-searching "What's In Your Pocket?" The full article came up, but just to keep a paywall from popping up later, I hit the reader view button.
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LOL. Anytime I put on a coat, at least one pocket is stuffed with poop bags for Bennett, our Bernese Mountain Dog.
We have a bag dispenser that clips to our dog's leash. A friend of mine uses a harness with a built-in dispenser.
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I've not found a commercial dog poop bag that is really large enough to comfortably allow me to "scoop" Seren's poop and get it bagged away without fear of getting it on my hands as I try to fold the narrow bags up over the leavings.
I use plastic grocery bags.
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I am at work so no gun strapped on. But right now, 4" folding knife, keys, little keychain O-light, bigger O-light Arkfeld light clipped on, cell phone, wallet. I guess my earbuds case is in my pocket, but I don't carry it all the time.
I guess I need to get some "stop the bleed" training. I guess CPR/First aid training with work, but it isn't much.
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I guess I need to get some "stop the bleed" training.
For the basic course, there are a lot of free ones with certified instructors that run like 90min and give you all the basics. I think they should be listed by area at that link I posted. I know they use a dummy, but I don't know if they use a "bleeding dummy". In the course I took, I found the dummy with the pressurized fake blood to be especially enlightening regarding what it takes to stop blood flow. Also to handle an actual situation with messy, gushing blood. I was pretty soaked in the stuff when I did it.
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I've not found a commercial dog poop bag that is really large enough to comfortably allow me to "scoop" Seren's poop and get it bagged away without fear of getting it on my hands as I try to fold the narrow bags up over the leavings.
I use plastic grocery bags.
We use these bags that are available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Bags-Board-Pickup-Handles-Dispensing/dp/B07JHTJHST/ref=sr_1_5?crid=M8VK1E1GTF6Z&keywords=hand+armor+dog+poop+bags&qid=1679959721&sprefix=armor+for+hand%2Caps%2C75&sr=8-5
They work well and it's rare that we have to use more than one bag.
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I'll have to keep those in mind. The plastic grocery bags are way too convenient, though, and they're a natural byproduct of my regular shopping, and I have a ton of them.
My county recently put a 5 cent per bag tax on plastic grocery bags, but exempted pet waste bags. Since my grocery bags get recycled as pet waste bags, I never "honor scan" the number of bags I use at the self checkout. That tax money isn't going to litter maintenance and prevention, so it's a goddamned punitive, and useless, tax, and I'm recycling those bags as pet waste bags, so *expletive deleted*ck the tax grubbing commies on the county board.
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Can’t carry at work or have a loaded weapon in vehicle (military are restrictions) so I’m vulnerable to/from and on base.
When I’m not on base, pistol with spare mag. Benchmade 4” pocket knife and compact OLight flashlight.
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My on-body EDC is pretty limited.
Work/around town
Streamlight ProTac 2L-X
Glock 43
Spyderco Delica
Keys (bare minimum - truck, house, work, and a metal toothpick)
Wallet (with a couple of bonus items therein)
Phone
Around the property the pistol is usually a G19.
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I'll have to keep those in mind. The plastic grocery bags are way too convenient, though, and they're a natural byproduct of my regular shopping, and I have a ton of them.
My county recently put a 5 cent per bag tax on plastic grocery bags, but exempted pet waste bags. Since my grocery bags get recycled as pet waste bags, I never "honor scan" the number of bags I use at the self checkout. That tax money isn't going to litter maintenance and prevention, so it's a goddamned punitive, and useless, tax, and I'm recycling those bags as pet waste bags, so *expletive deleted*ck the tax grubbing commies on the county board.
<standing ovation>
We recently had a 10¢ charge for the plastic bags but I don't know if it's a tax or just another charge by the store. I have a boatload of them I use for all kinds of things but not for poop scooping. But now I look at the pile of them as being a hard coin dime each.
I found that Walmart has quite sturdy and reasonably attractive capacious blue cloth bags for 75¢ each which I am slowly developing the habit of bringing into the grocery store with me. I have two of them and they make sturdy bags for other things. They have Walmart advertising on them, but they look durable as hell. Anjd they have large cloth handles which makes carrying stuff into the house real easy and safer than with the flimsy plastic "handles" of the regular bags.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s66O1kXCfgc/SfZneHb0s7I/AAAAAAAAAY0/GnMOn3NU3Qo/s320/walmart+bag+2.jpg)
Funny thing is, I remember when I was a kid, everybody had big cloth shopping bags they brought into the stores with them.
I guess we've come full circle on that one, huh?
Terry, 230RN
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Starting April 18, 2023, all WalMart stores in Washington will no longer offer any plastic bags at the checkout stands. This includes the multi-use plastic bags available for eight cents each. You have to bring in your own bags. I used to save the plastic grocery bags for poop bags, but Washington eliminated all single-use plastic bags in October 2021.
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Reusable bags aren't good for groceries unless you wash them after every use. They harbor bacteria.
I like paper bags. They tend to hold a lot more than the disposable plastic ones.
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Reusable bags aren't good for groceries unless you wash them after every use. They harbor bacteria.
That's kind of like worrying about raindrops in the ocean. What is not already in a container before you put it in your bag can be put in protective packaging, which is why they have all those plastic bag dispensers in the produce section (maybe not in some commie states anymore). Also, everything you touch in the store has already been handled, coughed on, and sneezed on by dozens of people before you grabbed it to stick in your bag.
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<standing ovation>
We recently had a 10¢ charge for the plastic bags but I don't know if it's a tax or just another charge by the store. I have a boatload of them I use for all kinds of things but not for poop scooping. But now I look at the pile of them as being a hard coin dime each.
Aldi's recently stopped making the plastic bags available. Made a big deal of being "sustainable". Likewise, their cloth(ish) bags are more expensive, but should last somewhat longer.
Funny thing is, I remember when I was a kid, everybody had big cloth shopping bags they brought into the stores with them.
I guess we've come full circle on that one, huh?
Terry, 230RN
Oh, mon, you old. Brown paper bags, when I was young.
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That's kind of like worrying about raindrops in the ocean. What is not already in a container before you put it in your bag can be put in protective packaging, which is why they have all those plastic bag dispensers in the produce section (maybe not in some commie states anymore). Also, everything you touch in the store has already been handled, coughed on, and sneezed on by dozens of people before you grabbed it to stick in your bag.
People do not always do the smart thing. Packages leak. The surface of meat packaging is contaminated with bacteria. When it gets smeared on the shopping bag, it contaminates other things.
There is research suggesting bag bans do increase food poisoning. This study found an increase of 25% in emergency room visits for food poisoning after a ban.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2196481
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You give me a $50,000 grant for a year to prove that the no-bag situation does not increase food poisoning, and by gum, by golly, by cracky, I'll find the data to show that.
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People do not always do the smart thing. Packages leak. The surface of meat packaging is contaminated with bacteria. When it gets smeared on the shopping bag, it contaminates other things.
There is research suggesting bag bans do increase food poisoning. This study found an increase of 25% in emergency room visits for food poisoning after a ban.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2196481
That's an interesting link, and I will give you that things like raw chicken leaking in the bag are going to be health concerns. I made the mistake in my post, of assuming people using reusable bags were all normal and using ordinary care. I guess we have to allow for people that will, after something disgusting leaks in the bag, do absolutely nothing about it. =)
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At home we use our un-holed plastic grocery bags for the 3 cat boxes we maintain daily here!
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I fluff them out and check for holes. If holed, I use them for non-icky "dry" trash.
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I have to take a moment to praise the Amazon Basics poop bags that arrived today. They put a label on the end of the bag that says 'open this end'. Someone like me who is on the downhill side of life and picking up speed appreciates this. I have problems with the vegetable grocery bags, too.