What are some neat things you carry around that come in handy?
What are some neat things you carry around that come in handy?
I carry a powerbank and various USB C adapters so if someone's device dies I can help them out. It is a lot cheaper and smaller than carrying around seven different cables.
On top of that I carry Tylenol and bandages.
I used to carry a full first aid bag but kept forgetting to restock on supplies.
Water. I drink it. I'm very hydrated. You're welcome.
I've got quite the collection of waterbottles I carry with me. What's your go-to?
Gotta be real glass or ceramic. Hate the metallic or plastic-y taste of most. Love the bodum ones, forgot what they're called
Phones are pretty neat. I bring mine nearly everywhere.
Nearly? Amateur.
I guess the most unusual of the every day items is a headlamp. Much handier than a flashlight in a lot of situations. If you ever have to change a tire or diagnose a car engine in pitch black it helps to have light always exactly where you’re looking.
I don't carry a headlamp but I keep them around and handy. Very useful for dark corners of the garage and basement. Mandatory for camping.
Hands free task lighting is very useful.
I like my reg surefire, but I have a headband with a flashlight loop. It is perfect for my needs, which is mostly handheld to search bags and such, but gives a near zero space headlamp as well.
I carry around a cheap Ali Express one that has a magnet base. Great for vehicle troubles I've found
Also - and I realise this might be contentious - but I'd suggest one that takes normal batteries. Mine takes 4× AAA.
With Eneloops (or similar low-self-discharge rechargeables), can have a 2nd set that gets you back up and running in under 30 seconds, and if you get really stuck they're sold in every corner store in the world (heck, throw a pack of Li-FeS2 batteries in the emergency kit, 20 year shelf life).
No worrying about having the right charger cable (commonly a Micro USB, something I don't tend to carry anymore), or remembering to charge the thing lest it go flat right in the middle of what you need to do.
Mine tend to be AAA models, which works out since I also often have pen lights around.
One thing I have done in my car is attach a rigid MOLLE mount on the sunscreen and then put pouches with a pen light, small knife, lighter, and pens. The kinds of things you always need and often carry but sometimes aren’t quite sure where they have fallen.
I always keep jumper cables in my car. Mainly in case of my own emergency, but I have used them to help others.
Jumper cables should be in every car. I've only needed them for my own car once, but I've used them probably a dozen times for other people.
I also carry a small extendable snow shovel and an extendable snow broom. A bag of sand or oil dry (or cat litter) for winter are a good idea as well, assuming you live anywhere that snows regularly.
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Second this.
I am carrying two now. One flipper with pocket clip that is so easy to use. I use it many times a day to cut duct tape, packaging, rope, string, etc.
And a victorinox...super tinkerer, I think. Recently bought a pocket clip for that too.
I also carry a lighter so it is easy to burn rope/string ends or start fires. Dont use it a whole lot but it is useful.
At one point I had what we called the commuter chain saw. Battery operated with a 6in bar. Kept it in the side trunk pocket. Only need it once or twice a year, but it beats hiking to the house and carrying a full one back. Especially since trees don't fall across the road during nice weather.
There's a community devoted to this very question!
My keychain has a small knife on it, a small phillips and flathead screwdriver, a guitar pick, a handcuff key, a sim tool and a little metal pill holder! They're all pretty handy to have! I also carry a regular pocket knife and a small flashlight clipped to my pocket
The SIM tool is a smart idea. I had one but kept bending the tip. I started carrying around a very small Allen key for it but it is slightly too think for some slots
I have a Swiss Army Card, it has a scissors, small knife and other tiny gadgets.
Oh, and a Light Saber! [pushes button and humming sound starts]Multi tools are great for a a lot of purposes. A more oddball one that has gotten me many thanks is a high quality, 20a, 10ft extension cord with 3 outlets. Not a power strip or anything, just 3 outlets. Used it in airports many times to split the power at rare outlets. Helped friends running a stand at a a farmers market when there were literally 1 ft short of being able to plug in. It’s been useful enough times it just lives in my backpack.
A EDC thread!
Utility key with integrated bottle opener knife scissors etc on my keyring.
In my purse: power bank, USB cable, gaffer tape, face masks, alcohol, paracord, glasses, hat, headphone, screw top pen.
Nice to have medication: a few anti-diarrheal pills: and anti-inflammatory: and some fun pills
What kind of fun pills are we talking about? Benadryl so you can keep in contact with the Hat Man?
In my purse: power bank, USB cable, gaffer tape, face masks, alcohol, paracord, glasses, hat, headphone, screw top pen.
Sounds like a fun kidnap kit.
Lockpicks and earplugs. I've had to use both far more often than I'd like.
What do you typically use the lockpicks for?
Got locked out of the camp. Let friend into their house. Also let a friend into their truck after locking the keys in.
My cousin's house, a co-worker's desk, and my own shed, to name three different instances of lost or forgotten keys.
Also the stack of Masterlocks my friend thinks is funny to hide around my house but that's a different story.
Leatherman Juice Pro. I've used it nearly every day for 17 years and have done tonnes of house and auto repair with it. Also a cotton bandanna. Those things come in handy for cleaning, cooling, tying, bagging, you name it.
Aspirin for random headaches, a small sunscreen bottle to reapply throughout the day (I live in Ecuador at 3k altitude, skin cancer is a real concern), a charger with a usb c cable, a micro b cable, a mini b cable and a lightning cable cause you never know. A Bluetooth gamepad for my phone to play gamecube games when in have some time to kill. Scotch tape, silicone glue. Usb c otg, micro usb otg. An external 500gb hard drive, a waterproof poncho because I alwayd misplace umbrellas. A powebank, 2l bottle of water for the whole day. Those are some of the things I always carry on my backpack
Hand sanitizer and a small bar towel for if anything needs a light cleaning.
You should never forget where your towel is.
That's a guy that knows where his towel is.
The towel is a smart idea. I used to carry around a handkerchief for stuff like that (and if I needed to blow my nose while I was out and about).
Sheath knife around neck. Originally for self defense, but way useful for other things.
Self offence?
Tiny handle, small, would be to slippery to handle with blood involved.
Nail clippers. I'm prone to hangnails, so it saves me a lot of pain keeping them handy, but they're also good for cutting small things in a pinch (tags, loose threads, etc). I keep lots of pretty standard stuff in my bag/car, but the nail clippers get used the most for sure.
Band-aids. They fit easily into your wallet, taking almost no space. You'd be surprised how often you use one, either for yourself or someone else.
Leatherman Wave. Solid multitool.
Totally. I picked up a Signal a while back but with how quickly the paint is fading and breaking away I'm wondering it was a bootleg
EDC:
Keys, wallet, phone.
Utility multi-tool.
Small note pad and pen.
I've gotten a lot of keyring multi-tools over the years, but the only one I keep on my keys is the simplest: a Powerful Pete pocket screwdriver. It's just a little metal disk with 4 different sized flathead screwdriver tips. It's remarkably useful, I can even tighten hex socket bolts in a pinch.
Tampon.
Snapblade 18mm razor, sharpie, blistex (superior to balm/stick in every way), bandages and alcohol prep wipes and triple antibiotic, Sawyer mini filter and a vacuum insulated bottle, and a towel - you never know when you'll need a towel.
Oh also an extra mask, couple napkins, some new folded up tissues, and earplugs.