On you at all times?

[das]

The astronomical odds of being involved in a real emergency can be comforting but they also lull us into a false sense of complacency. Like many of you I have a small emergency bag at my office, a larger messenger bag in each car and a full backpack at home. I feel good that I can make it through most situations or evacuate as necessary.

Yet the most vulnerable times are when we are away from all these great resources. I wanted to share my recent thoughts on what I have been practicing carrying around as part of my daily dress.

Let me first say environment plays a HUGE part here. I live in Texas (hot) and work in a professional office so I try not to overdo what I carry. My goal is to ALWAYS have this on me and NOT have to remove this to comfortably sit in a chair, my car, etc. Clearly most of this will never pass a metal detector or a security check but that isn't my goal.

Please look over this and tell me what you think I should add or subtract (preferably!!!)

Wallet with $100 or less (yes I have been pick pocketed before)
Wallet Survival tool (Not TSA compliant)
Credit cards (Signed with REQUEST ID on each)
Two $20 prepaid LD telephone cards (AT&T and Sprint)
Family Photo's
Bible passages cards (Gift from church)
(Galatians 4:4-7, Ephesians 2:19-22, 2 Timothy 4:18
Hebrews 11:1-3, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 John 1:7-9)
US Passport ID Card (as soon as it arrives)
TX Drivers License
Organ Donor Registry Card (HRSA)
TX CHL Card (No I don't but I COULD, means I am still in America)
Auto Insurance Card
Medical Insurance Card
Emergency Contacts Cards (Laser printed, hand cut and laminated)
(Family, friends, neighbors and out of state contacts)
(Sheriff, EMS, Police, Fire Dept, Poison Control, TCEQ Emergency
County Emergency Management and TX Roadside Assistance)
(Three local cab toll free numbers)
(Reliable Road Rescue and lock companies)
(Visa, MC, AmEx toll free numbers)
(Concise written directions for EMS to find my house and work)
(Preferred Hospitals ER contacts)
(Spouses Emergency Contacts)
(AmEx and Hartford Ins. Travel Assistance Contacts)
(Family Doctors and Insurance Contacts)
(List and dosages of daily medication)

Phone: Motorola Razr Digital/Analog Cellular
with 4 megapixel video/camera plus 4 GB removable card
All phone numbers, emergency contacts, auto VIN #'s and
DMV License plates under name of Joe Auto, stored 3x5 family mug
shots on card synced to home laptop.

Eyeglasses (safety lenses with scratch resistant coating)

Lanyard with break-away snap
Work ID/swipe pass
2 office keys
Etón Stick ballpoint pen
Red LED pen light (Li 3V battery)
Sony 8 GB flash drive with encrypted insurance inventory, scanned
marriage license, will, medical directive (DNR), power of
attorney, medical power of attorney, mutual fund certificates,
Auto titles, mortgage, Google Health Medical Records and family photo's

Key Ring with wrapped 12' paracord key fob
2 Auto Keys
2 House Keys (House/Storage bldg)
1 Safety Deposit Box
2 Radio remotes (Auto and Home Alarm)
Collapsible Ink Pen (black)
Removable metal wire ring
Folding straight razor (Cut down blade in protective sheath)
Widgy miniature pry tool
Key strike flint
Miniature G.I. Can Opener
Butane Lighter

Belt Holster
Victornix knife and AAA light combo (Tweezers, scissors)
Leatherman Skeletool CX (Folding knife, pliers/wire snip and saw)

Belt Pouch (Seems like a lot but it fits)
Disposable CPR mask
Breath of Life Emergency Escape Mask
EMT Shears
2 x Energy Bar
4 x Ranger Bands (Hvy duty rubber bands hold everything together)
2 x Bandanna's
Trauma Bandage
Disposable Small Cold Pack
Spare 3V Lithium and AAA battery
Button Compass
Zero Water Z-Tester (Available at Walgreens)
Sonic Whistle
Disposable Gel Air Plugs
XL Disposable Latex Gloves
Retractable Sharpie Pen (black)
6" Crush proof 12 oz. tube with first aid supplies
(2 Motrin, 1 Itch Relief Wipe, 2 Safety Pins, 12 Water
Purification Tablets, 2 Butterfly Bandage, 3 needles,
3 After Cuts and Scrapes Wipes, 1 Triple Antibiotic
Ointment Tube, 1 3x4 Moleskin, 1 Sterile 2 x 2 Gauze,
4 1x3 bandages, 2 Knuckle Bandages, 8 Baby Aspirin
8 Salt Tablets, 12 Potassium Iodate Tablets)

Watch: Mechanical Swiss Chronograph with Alarm (100m water resistant)

Finally, if I am not at work I usually have a hat for my bald head.

[TheUnboundOne]

On you at all times?

Dear das,

Man! And I thought I had a lot.

:D

I'll have to take inventory of myself and get back to you later, but it's nowhere near that much.

One way to pair off some of it would be to have several numbers on one card and/or on a PDA and/or memorized by heart. In fact, if you have one central County dispatcher or 911 service in your part of Texas, you might not need so many numbers at all.

[TheUnboundOne]

On you at all times?

Dear das,

Okay, I've taken inventory and here's what I carry:

* 100 % UVA/UVB-blocking sun shades, good for protection from Summer Sun and Winter snow-blindness, as well as to shield eyes from sparks and flying rock shards when fire-making and flint-knapping
* Work gloves to protect hands and fingers from many hazards
* A Post-It Note Pad
* Two Uniball Pens, with ink that resists "check-washing" techniques of identity theft
* Two handkerchiefs, good for wounds or covering the nose and mouth from smoke inhalation
* A plastic box of Ice Breakers Mints, which I've found can carry many tiny survival items once emptied
* Two sets of auto keys, house keys, and P.O. Box keys, each in separate pockets
* On each key ring, I carry a four-in-one survival tool, which is a whistle with a magnifying glass, mini-thermometer, and a mini-compass
* Also on each key ring, I carry an aluminum pill fob, containing matches, a striker surface, a tiny X-Acto knife blade, a small paper clip to bend, file off, and use for fish-hooks, a nail for pressure-knapping stones into tools, and a tightly-wrapped length of about 6' of 50-lb-pull fishing line
* One key ring has a giant nail-clipper, which is the ultimate death-defying tool, according to Kip Kedersha a.k.a. "KipKay":

I escaped from a coffin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18BxeSHq_Gg

(Note: You have to use this before they drain your blood and fill you with formaldehyde. Timing is everything here!)

* The other key ring has a fisherman's multi-tool with scissors, blade, tweezors, three tiny jeweler's screwdrivers--two regular and one Phillips, a bottle opener, file, wire-straightener, and mini nail-clippers (not a Leatherman, but still serviceable)

In my main wallet, I carry:

* Sometimes $20, but never more than I need for my planned transactions
* Sometimes a pre-paid debit card (mostly for online transactions, never for gas, since many gas stations put a reserve on credit and debit cards which may exceed the available funds)
* Always my discount cards for stores I frequent (recommeneded with a pseudonym and abandoned address)
* Always my coffee club and drink club cards for Wilco/Hess, BP, and Petro Express
* Always (TM) a reloadable Wal-Mart Gift Card (it entitles you to up to five Cents off of each gallon of gas at participating Murphy's Gas Stations; Not much, I know, but better than using high-interest credit cards for the same purpose)
* Always a local library card (if you ever check out something controversial or "for information purposes only," throw 'em a monkey wrench and check out Dr. Seuss or Winnie the Pooh or your favorite kiddie book as well :cool: )
* Always a plastic card holder containing my Driver's License, registration, receipts for registration, proof of insurance receipts or cards, and fishing license
* Always a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Card
*Always paper clips and pocket files (again, paper clips can be bent and filed to form fish hooks)
* Always three Durex Latex Condoms (Hey! You have to prepare for all possibilities! ;) )
* Always a plastic card holder containing small bandages to hold me until I get to my First Aid Kit
* NEVER a Social Security Card or any document bearing a Social Security Number (That is best saved for undisclosed, fire-resistant, water-resistant storage)

* I also have a dummy wallet to fake out muggers, which contains: foreign paper currency that's even more worthless than U.S. Currency, a GuyCard, two Durex Latex Condoms, and a Post-It Note to crooks requesting that they please not breed. I almost hope someone heists this and tries to spend the money! They'll be the next headline on Paul Harvey's "dumb crook" department.

One belt pack has my cellular phone with still camera, an LED light and laser pointer, a tiny bottle of sanitizer, a tiny bottle of epoxy, and spare shoelaces, string, and other tiny things I pick up over the course of the day.

Another smaller belt pack has my magnesium fire-starter block with flint, a small folding knife, a wire saw, a Bic lighter, a tiny pocket comb, A foot-square of aluminum foil folded up, a pill bottle with three multi-vitamins, three aspirins, and three Tylenols, more paper clips, more shoelaces, and two more Durex Latex Condoms. (I really need to put these to use.)

[das]

TUO,
Awesome supplies and well thought out list. I agree memorizing these numbers would be helpful but in a stress situation I want a clear and concise listing instead of relying upon 911 or similar. I have written directions for my family cards, in the heat of the moment you can hand this card to someone while you tend a victim or cover a perpetrator and they can call EMS or the police and have directions prewritten.

The Library card, yeah I carry one and it can be a real life saver when you are bored and broke on a weekend and no one wants to help you beat the expiration dates on those half-dozen condoms you have! Just escaping the 106 degree temperature this weekend would have been nice but instead I watched a movie each day with free A/C for $4.50 matinee...awesome deal.

Speaking of something controversial at the library I pulled up my online records of interlibrary loans one day and had to shake my head. They must think I am either a nut or a terrorist. I think I definitly need to take your advise on that front and try some childrens/happy books occassionally. I mean after reading nine various First Aid manuals looking for the one I wanted to buy you might begin to think I was strange!

I wish I could use store cards but my conscience dictates otherwise. Saving $0.05 on gas at the expense of American jobs going to China is something I don't find equitable. Don't get me wrong, I am just talking for me here, I know this can really add up for most families in our economy.

The four-in-one survival tool is something I own but have never actually put it on a key ring. Do you find it adds to much bulk to your keyring? As you can see I am trying to cut back. I removed fishing hooks/weights/swivel/line from my belt pouch as I am just not a good enough fisherman to make the weight/bulk worthwhile though I like your idea of reusing a paperclip I have never practiced doing this.

Same goes for a folder knife. Compared to the multitool I just never used it often enough to make the space worthwhile...then again I work in an office so that may have something to do with this. I have no hair so no comb....ditto for the condoms, lol. I think I will add the epoxy and the foil...maybe even a spare pair of shoelaces if I can weave them into a keyfob to save space/utility.

The dummy wallet is clever. Having been pick-pocketed twice I unfortunately imagine few thieves takes more than 5-seconds to grab your cash and trash your wallet. I recovered my wallet both times by rummaging through garbage cans and dumpsters in nearby alleys. At this point in my life I have a hand on my wallet in ANY crowd. Your mileage may vary!

[Diesel]

Have you guys seen this? May make a great addition, comes in black as well

http://www.opsgear.com/ICE-Companion-p/tool-icc1b.htm

[TheUnboundOne]

On you at all times?

Dear Diesel,

Yes, I have seen several types of such card-sized multi-tools. They are a possibility. Since that one is pricey, I would want it well-protected and secured from loss. My experience with The Leatherman is that once you lose them, you never get them back. They are that good.

[TheUnboundOne]

On you at all times?

das,

You wrote:

Speaking of something controversial at the library I pulled up my online records of interlibrary loans one day and had to shake my head. They must think I am either a nut or a terrorist. I think I definitly need to take your advise on that front and try some childrens/happy books occassionally. I mean after reading nine various First Aid manuals looking for the one I wanted to buy you might begin to think I was strange!

Truthfully, I should probably ditch the library card and get any public domain information I need via the Internet. At least I can clean my own hard drive and view history.

I wish I could use store cards but my conscience dictates otherwise. Saving $0.05 on gas at the expense of American jobs going to China is something I don't find equitable. Don't get me wrong, I am just talking for me here, I know this can really add up for most families in our economy.

I myself don't like the idea that so many of our products come from a Communist regime like Red China, nor do I like the idea that so much of our petroleum products come from Islamofascist regimes or the quasi-Communist regime of Venezuelan Hugo Chavez, but this dependence is a symptom of an unfree economy. If our government didn't tax, regulate, and litigate American businesses out of existence, we'd have greater choice in these matters, we could thumb our noses at totalitarian regimes, and we could have more good-paying American jobs to boot.

The four-in-one survival tool is something I own but have never actually put it on a key ring. Do you find it adds to much bulk to your keyring?

It can add bulk, but for me, it's not a real problem. I guess it depends on the size of your pockets.

[das]

I myself don't like the idea that so many of our products come from a Communist regime like Red China, nor do I like the idea that so much of our petroleum products come from Islamofascist regimes or the quasi-Communist regime of Venezuelan Hugo Chavez, but this dependence is a symptom of an unfree economy.

If our government didn't tax, regulate, and litigate American businesses out of existence, we'd have greater choice in these matters, we could thumb our noses at totalitarian regimes, and we could have more good-paying American jobs to boot.

I agree and would add the courts aren't able/willing/capable of moving real lawsuits through the system for the same reason. Congress needs to allow real laws to be updated. As an example we still have mining laws that were written when pick and shovels mined by hand, crazy.

We all need to learn about these issues if we hope to understand the problems. That is part of why I still use the library interlibrary loan programs to read books. The internet has good information but it hasn't replaced what I am reading.

[kenno]

I work from home. Most of my outside work is walking distance from home; about 18 miles max and I have walked home several times before! I carry a leatherman tool and a 3.5" folder. I used to carry fire making tools but have gotten out of the habbit since I gave-up smoking! No cell phone, often no wallet. I usually have hand and power tools nearby. My PU truck has a BOB and a LARGE winter survival kit, fuel, additional tools etc. I often have a firearm but that is sorta hit and miss. 'note to self: "take-up smoking again!"
More than once I have arrived at home, on foot, past midnight, genuinly tired from a 8 hour walk out of the nearby mountains. I have found that high energy foods that have both bulk plus starch and fat or sugars are the best nutrition when faced with a long hike in the dark, my BOB reflects this and contains mostly food and shelter items in a small pack. My winter kit has enough gear to keep me alive for a week in sub-zero weather, it is packed in a US Army duffel-bag.

[TheUnboundOne]

Das,

Yep, I agree we need a much better tort system, especially one that doesn't treat work-a-day risks of life as a justiciable claim, and one that doesn't sue manufacturers for third parties misusing their products. The vicarious liability lawsuits against the tobacco, gun, and so many other industries were and are simply insidious.

I also like the idea that new laws should have to be approved every decade or so before keeping them on the books. This would make legislators think twice before making new restrictions on our individual rights.

[TheUnboundOne]

Kenno,

18 mile commutes on foot? You are a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

:)

I don't think I ever walked that much in a week's time even during the years I didn't have an auto of my own. Amazing!

You also bring out an interesting point that we can survive on even less than we think. Having things to live on of is one thing; having the right things to live on and in a manageable amount is quite another.

[kenno]

Well I never left home and walked 18 miles to a work site then back home again. What I meant was that I have sometimes walked 18 miles cross country or on back roads to home from my work site when my truck stopped moving. Unfortunately it seems that my personal warranty has expired and I now suddenly find myself suffering the indignity of worn knee joints and all the symptoms that entails! It is doubtful that I will be taking any jaunts through the sticks anytime in the future!

[Zombie Axe]

ZA's EDC gear...

Things I carry with me...

A Kershaw Blur
SAK Multi Tool
Blackhawk Gladius Tactical Flashlight
Zippo Lighter with spare flints (don't smoke but am a pyro ;) )
Pepper Spray
BlackJack Cellphone

On keychain
Back Diamond Carbriner
Peanut Lighter
Micro Widgy Tool
P-38 Can opener
Kubotan (yes I know how to use it:) )

With these I feel I can resolve most problems that I encounter. Of course there are other things best left to discover if you are a bad guy ;)

[das]

ZA,
Do you not find your keychain to be rather....err, pokey when you are keep it in your pants pocket? I keep trying to lighten my actual keychain and move things to my pouches.

I wish BDU's were available in a dress pants style for office work as that would simplify my entire problem.

[Rustyshakelford]

ZA,
Do you not find your keychain to be rather....err, pokey when you are keep it in your pants pocket? I keep trying to lighten my actual keychain and move things to my pouches.

I wish BDU's were available in a dress pants style for office work as that would simplify my entire problem.

I fly too much. Most of the stuff you have would be confiscated by the KGB....I mean the TSA. If you ever question whether or not America is becoming a police state, hop on a flight sometime.

You have to carry government issued ID papers, and government issued papers that give you permission to fly, and you have to abandon your right to illegal search and seizure. Their answer? Flying is not a right, it is a privelege.

We do not have freedom of travel, except on foot. Any other way requires some sort of government permission.