Welp. I give up. I mean, I can EDC on-par with the rest of the crowd, but this is next level.

What level is that? The recognized by Guinness Book of World Records level… That’s right, almost 20 years ago this guy could put all of our pocketdumps to shame.



A familiar concept driven passionately towards the critical limits, Eric Le Fou (which means Crazy Eric) lives in France and carries more than 1300 items on his body almost all the time, and this was back in the early 2000’s, more than 15 years ago! It even gained recognition by Guinness Book



“I wear all this each time I go outside my home (unless I go to the swimming pool or to the beach of course, or unless I go out only 3 mn to drop a letter in the post box down the street (boring ancient times snail mail !)”

No ultralight titanium multi-biners here… just a man and his practicality. He started by building a backpack more than 10 years ago with items to keep handy in case the right situation arose, something I think all of our readers can relate to. He likes “to be prepared for all eventualities” and that’s a philosophy that resonates deep within us. Since then, Eric’s item list has evolved into the carry you see in the photos and lists below.



“There are many things useful for travelling, I use to travel a lot, sometimes I leave for 3 or 4 days, without knowing where I will go ; I like adventure (but with preparedness it’s more fun ! I like adventure and discovery, not struggling all day against problems (I’ve seen too many tourists with painful stories, nothing in head)”

The kit weighs in at 15kg, which includes 3kg of clothing and even a leg-pocket containing an umbrella and paintbrush. He says due to its even distribution, he doesn’t really notice the weight.



“At work, on travel, at friends or family, on strolling, in the city or in the country, everywhere, everyday it happens that some things must be repaired, fixed, cleaned, cut, glued, written, soothed, recorded, eaten, enlightened, and so on… And I really do not have the time to search or shop each time I need such small and usual things.”

Eric says that almost all people who meet him think he is “mad” within 30 seconds of introduction, but that this is simply the term people use when they don’t understand something. “Personally I don’t care about knowing if I’m crazy or not,” he says, “I enjoy my life”



“When I built this clothing, each time I added an item, I “asked me” two questions : “can it fit somewhere ? yes there is a little place between these two pencils” (for example) and “can it be useful one day ? yes probably” ; then, “why not ?”



Ya, why not? Here is a “quick list from his site:

** ONLY THE MAIN ITEMS (sorry about my translations) :

* IN THE JACKET (Schott summer jacket) :

– teaspoon, fork

– small mirror

– paper handkerchiefs

– spare lamp bulb

– mint tablets

– light head lamp

– small electrical fan

– jokes

– flat bathplug (for washing underwear in youth hostels)

– “triple plug” (for plugging 3 devices on a 220V mains socket)

– tube (you place it on the tap (water) for filling the water pouch)

– pollumeter

– inflatable pillows, mask for eyes (for sleeping in plane)

– sponge

– plastic bags, doggy bags

– small blow up mattress (self inflatable), sufficient for sleeping on the floor with two another small pillows placed at the right locations of the body

– very light rain jacket

– very light viscose american towel (PackTowl)

– very light plastic poncho

– water pouch with tube

– swim brief

– big travel bags (one can contain all the suit)

– home made “tent” (like a big sleeping bag, for sleeping outside in the rain, cold, or sand – possible to walk inside it for avoiding any grain of sand inside, or emergency cases)

– light trousers

– spare polo, briefs, socks

– sunglasses

– Casio Exilim EX-M2 (photo 2 Mpixels / video / voice recorder / MP3 player)

– medicines, vitamin C

– elastic bands and many small things like that

– glues

– spare DV cassette, cleaning DV cassette

– small monocular (for looking far)

– spare handycam battery

– meal bars

– spare paper handkerchiefs packet

– spare batteries (not rechargeable)

– all purpose concentrated cleaning liquid (“Camp Suds”)

– small travel charger for the mobile phone

– A4 plastic folders (pouchs) with paper sheets, envelopes, documents, newspapers cuts, the items list, CDroms…

– coat hanger (slightly modified)

– aluminium film, plastic film for food

– 100 liter garbage bag

– home made powerful alarm device

– many pencils of all kinds

– cyanoacrilate powerful glue

– cutters

– telescopic magnet pen

– small microscope pen (50x)

– marker pen

– white corrector pen

– toothbrush pen with tooth paste going out of the fibers when you turn the bottom

– digital thermometer pen

– brush pen for optics

– electrical tester screwdriver with battery and red LED

– plastic to be melted to make any item

– epoxy metallic paste

– electrical dominos (for linking to wires together)

– city public transports map

– many cards (like business cards)

– many small towels for cleaning optics and so on

– cottonbuds

– cards “Non désolé” (“No, sorry”) for people asking things in the street

– cards “FROID” (“COLD”) to throw at people : in France we call “to throw a cold” when you say something or some joke that nobody understands and when people then don’t know what to say or what to do… but it is only an expression, an image, of course nobody (but me) really “drops” anything.

* ON ME :

– basic mobile phone (Ericsson T18s) with free hands earphone/mike

– Psion 3mx organizer (small computer) with two many things inside – it’s an old model (no color display) but I did not find better for my use

– Casio “Thermoscanner” wristwatch (measures the temperature remotely with infrared rays) and shows the moon phases (and the time too…)

– compass

( the 4 following things are “regular”, not “spare” or “extra”) :

– white polo (various brands)

– briefs

– very good socks

– Nike shoes

* IN THE TROUSERS :

– very good belt (Boss)

– many hooks on the belt with many things : many sorts of keys, small Leatherman Micra tool (with scissors), small diving flashlights, laser pointer, swiss army knife (not the biggest), small tools, battery checker, measuring tape (1 m)…

– gaz torch lighter

– earphones set

– money, credit card

– pocket wallet with many personal documents and things

– small diving light

– digital multimeter (volt, ampere, ohm…) with spare batteries

– surgical gloves (for dirty works)

– emergency blanket

– various documents

– small perfume atomiser

– small soap flask

– earplugs for sleeping or noisy places

– ultraflat lighter

– adhesive tapes

– adhesive papers (Post It)

– many small towels with cleaning fluids and so on

– very powerful small flashlight (SureFire Z3 combat light), 200 lumens, uses 3 CR123A lithium batteries

– butane torch

– small screwdrivers of all kinds

– small tweezers

– spare batteries

– very good multitool pliers (like Leatherman) : Gerber Legend 800 Multipliers, with very good removable parts in tungsten carbide, cobalt and zirconium, like a saw or cutting pliers

– various kinds of cleaning small towels

– small magnet

– passport, pens

– paper handkerchiefs, WC paper

* UNDER THE TROUSERS (“ANKLE POCKETS”) :

– too many things !

– pharmacy kit (too long too describe the inside, many things)

– rain umbrella (small when folded but normal size open)

– butane soldering iron for electricity

– big adhesive tapes

– small cutting pliers for fine works

– multipurpose key (with “squares” for opening doors)

– silver thin bar and special paste for soldering with the butane torch

– metallic wire

– “Aquastraw” (big straw with filters inside for drinking water in the nature when doubts)

– paintbrush (for “sweeping” if I must sleep on a dusty ground (for avoiding putting dust in my suit))

– paperclips and pins

– all kinds of glues, remover fluids, oil, grease

– many small parts like elastic bands, small cell batteries (button batteries), spare lamps for lights

– wrench

– padlock

– small razor on 2 AA batteries

– small hand razor with foam spray in the handle

– spare toothbrush pen and spare toothpaste

– many things for washing (toiletries) (shampoo, hair gel, perfumes, alcohol and so on

– there are condoms at various locations of the suit, and even a luminous condom (glows in the dark) (for joking or “playing”)

– various audio plugs and adapters

– meal bars (paste that also serves as “cushions” in order that the ankle pockets do not hurt the top of the foot when walking (no shocks))

I made this list “from memory”, maybe I forgot some things, but there are probably quite a lot here !

http://ericlefou.1.online.fr/MES_TRUCS/MESobjets/Mon_equipement/international.htm