What things are items you take with you almost every time you leave the house? What's their purpose? Guys, what's in your wallet/bag/breifcase, ladies, your purse, bag, pockets? I carry a backpack to work, everything goes in it. I have leftovers for lunch most days. A small bag of emergency items: dry socks, space blanket, lighter, matches, paracord, paper, Tylenol, alcohol wipes. For a scenario getting stuck in snow/mud in the country (where I grew up and my mom still lives) overnight. Hunting knife: wrapped in paracord with a ferrorod. Open boxes and self defense (did martial arts for 20 years.) Keychain with LED flashlight: office keys, house, two cars, both divorced parents houses, few membership cards, mailbox, few misc. Power outages, walking the dog in the country at night. Bottle of water. Don't drink them often, more for emergencies. Periodic table / math notecard: I do a lot of math and found it useful to have a list of formulas that's I use a lot. Insurance, credit, membership cards, drivers license, nothing exciting. Fidget cube: I get anxiety and fidget enough that I used to need xanax (yes it was prescribed) but I find keeping my hands busy relaxes me so I haven't needed it in months. Enough cash to be able to get by for a day if for some reason I can't use my credit card. Wife may use it and forget to give it back and I don't want to get stuck. Wallet knife. Multi tool like a cheap Swiss Army knife. I use it a lot at work because of the screwdriver. Paranoid that I'll forget about it and try to get on a plane, but it was cheap so I wouldn't be terribly upset if I had to throw it out. My phone: mostly taking to wife and reading/YouTube on the bus.
Keys, smokes, lighter, wallet, phone... That's it for my person. Car is loaded with extra clothes and winter survival gear, including water and snacks in case I tumble down a mountain pass. A moot point... theyd never find my ass. Kitty litter for mud and snow too.
Oh, good - I thought this was going to be a gun thread. In terms of personal items, I travel pretty light. I count to four when I leave the house - keys, phone, sunglasses, wallet. Wallet has cash and credit cards and ID, but not much else. I'm trying to train myself to count to five and bring my inhaler, but my asthma is really at the "nuisance" level rather than the "danger" level, so it's hard to get inspired. My winter car has the standard winter weather stuff, but my summer car doesn't have more than a first aid kit and a flashlight/flare combination.
My standard commuting kit is: My venerable (but immensely useful) Surface Pro 2 that mostly plays indie games but also does some occasional writing. Typically I write on my phone because it's more amenable to working while changing trains and at least works reasonably well standing up. Even on longer trains, my Surface is much harder to replenish the batteries on than my phone, so I tend not to use it unless I have a socket available. I always want my SP2 at full charge as I head back because I tend to be chilling out on the way home and that means playing games (and sometimes drinking whisky) rather than trying to be productive.I have a bluetooth mouse that goes with that and a bag full of sundry cables and memory sticks and such. I occasionally take an Xbox controller with me too. My phone which is a Blackberry KeyOne (think a normal phone with a physical keyboard stapled to the botterm). It's awesome for writing, which is a big deal to me as someone who writes as his primary form of entertainment while on the move (at least in the mornings). It's also my media platform so it has a 128gb memory card in it that is literally stuffed with things, mostly audio books but it's got a reasonable selection of music on it too. My big, comfy, reliable Skullcandy Hesh 2 Wireless cans. Wireless headphones were a huge frikkin upgrade when you are often covered in bags of all sorts, or even just lots of coats. I got a pair with lots of bass and with massive batter life (because they are huge) and that you could use as a wired pair too. They are loud but well insulated and I love them. No-one has ever complained about hearing my music which is quite impressive. A 12000MAH battery pack that has saved my bacon more times that I care to count. My paper copy of Neuromancer; back up entertainment in the event of EMP or all other power sources failing. My e-cig and related fluids. Water. Lots of water. Paracetamol, co-codamol and Imodium. I work long days that cover hundreds of miles of rail travel to unknown end points and there is nothing worse than suffering through the day with headaches, period pains or an upset stomach (and we live off fast food) so I always carry at least some combination of these things and stock up when I can. Also co-codamol is about the only form of opiate I can carry without getting arrested and it's there just in case. A working day when you are in withdrawal will go bad very quickly. Plasters. I have pierced nipples and humping heavy bags around all days means they tend to chafe and it can be horrendously painful. These days I don't even bother trying, I just tape my nipples down before I go out. Also they're good for bvlisters. And then keys, cards, driving licence, the usual crap. Everything above lives in my one messenger bag that I wish was slightly bigger but is fine and fits everything. My headphones and water bottle are attached to the outside by big heavy duty S-beaners that are awesome (just don't ask me what things I originally bought them to attach to stuff). It's a much better way to carry stuff IMHO, which comes with the option of clipping stuff to your belt loops as needed.
Y'all make me feel incredibly unprepared. I go keys-wallet-phone and I'm out the door, no doubt dead two seconds later if there's any kind of situation. Recently I got a fidget cube and usually remember to grab it (depends on whether I left it on my desk or headboard), and I wear a spinner ring but I'm not sure if that counts. Used to carry a knife and a pen every where (the pen was also a knife), but then I started going places that don't appreciate you having more than zero knives on you at any given time and fell out of the habit.
In fairness that's my work kit and it just lives in my work bag until I need to go out and see a client again. It's not so much prepared it's "I have nothing to do for 8 to 12 hours over the course of today". Let me tell you; my life vastly improved when I got my Surface and I could start actually playing proper games on the move. It's not the best £200 I've ever spent (I could tell you stories) but it's definitely one of the better decisions I've made in my adult life.
Okay, let's see: Wallet with credit cards, debit card, health insurance card, driver's licence, cash. Swiss Army knife - one of the pretty darn full-featured models. I keep forgetting I have it with me, and I've lost about four of them when trying to board airplanes. I have three backups of the identical knife in my desk drawer. Cell phone. Samsung Note 4, I think it's called, and it's too big. Big enough to be awkward and annoying to use. I only use it for calling and texting people (I've surfed the net with it once, I think, and I once played Angry Birds, but you know, meh.) Pen and pencil. Moleskine hardcover notebook. If I can't write when I'm away from home, I get the heebie-jeebies. A tiny little black book called Pocket Ref. It's mind-bogglingly useful. Pocket Ref knows everything. An HP 50g graphing calculator. I get the heebie-jeebies if I don't have a sophisticated calculator with me, and this one is very cool. HP stopped making them, and I'm paranoid that this one will stop working for some reason, so I have four of them. Whenever I'm away from home by myself (happens a lot - I eat a lot of meals alone), I amuse myself by figuring things out, like what's the weight of the Earth's atmosphere? How much would I weigh on Ganymede? How much energy could I store in a parallel-plate capacitor that's as big as the continental USA? Could I launch myself on a rail gun with enough velocity to reach the moon with that amount of energy? That sort of thing is fun. A magnifying glass with built-in light - it can serve as a flashlight in emergencies. A pocket size packet of tissues - I get sneeze fits in this climate. An orienteering compass. Mine has a ruler and a thermometer built in. I have a lousy sense of direction and a compass makes me feel more comfortable. Keys for my Subaru Outback and my roommate's Nissan Altima. My watch is an elaborate looking pilot's watch. I never finished getting my pilot's license, but this watch has some cool navigation features and it looks pretty damn sexy! That's the usual kit. I haven't yet equipped my Outback with survival gear, but I plan to. I hope I haven't forgotten anything.
Wow, I also feel unprepared for emergencies. All I take with me when I walk out the door is my phone, wallet and keys. That's it! I do have this habit of bringing my Taurus 38. Revolver in my pants when I'm wearing my mariachi clothes. I live in Phoenix so I never have to worry about winter.
I was going to say a Kimber Pro Carry II in .45, but the thread title misled me. Just wallet, phone and keys, then.
What do I carry on me? Aside from my sexiness? The usual bs, RFID blocking card holder, keys, and music. If I happen to be carrying my bag, unpaid/paid bills, pen, mechanical pencil, paper, and, some days, a 3DS or book (whichever I know I can get away with).
I am in the wildly unprepared department. Since I just grab my keys, wallet, and phone, and go. Though it also depends on where I am going. I carry my things in one of those reusable grocery bag totes, and I often have my fidget tangle, my notebook, a pen, and then my keys, wallet, and phone. That is my Bus Kit. To survive the metro and to ignore every human being that tries to speak with me.
I like this thread, it lets me know which of you are worth mugging. I've got my eyes on @Tenderiser. You can never have enough pilau rice
hmmm, i thought i actually carried too much- so glad i read this thread, it makes me feel normal again!! wallet (with regular wallet stuff), notebook/pen, phone, kindle, pills (because you just never know. . . . )
Just around town, not at work: Keys, wallet, phone, badge, Glock 21C (.45ACP), Benchmark push dagger. In my truck is a go-bag with ammo, water, and various item,s for either crime scene or patrol response, including two tactical first aid kits. When going to/at work, add spare mags, handcuffs, back-up pistol on person, M4 and beanbag shotgun in vehicle. In office more ammo, Benneli entry shotgun.
In my bag atm: keys, wallet, pen, usb stick, tissues, notebook, good glasses, ok glasses, sunglasses, camera, mobile phone, forgotten mail that I took from my post office box maybe last week. Alas I have no weapons :O .
On my person? Wallet with credit cards, alien registration card, IDs for all the various places I work, lunch tickets for my primary job. Keycase with keys (house, locker, bicycle, podium) and emergency cab/hotel money. Mini Swiss Army knife. My students are still undecided on whether even that is legal here, but I figure I'd have to have seriously pissed someone off to have a legal case made out of it. Cell phone. In my bag... Ah, my bag. Tablet. Pens. Keyboard. Sunglasses. Towel. Handkerchief. Spare 1400mah battery. Pens, so many pens. And highlighters. Lots of charging cables, audio cables, video cables, video and audio adapters. Breath mints. Magnets. Pens. A leatherbound notebook. A fidget spinner that doubles as a brass knucks (very little martial arts training, but I'm 17.4 times more aggressive than the average local). A half gallon ziploc bag to serve as emergency waterproofing for my waterproof tablet. A mini-umbrella. Did I mention pens yet?
A few years ago I got nominated to go to reception to talk to one of our suppliers (we were pretty rubbish at paying anybody, and everybody was scared this was a "pay up or we'll eat your first-born") (at the same company we did have one supplier who threatened to fire my wife if we didn't pay...my wife walked out on them anyway 'cos they were pretty crap anyway, and they couldn't understand why!) who was just a rep drumming up goodwill, so he gave me a complimentary keyring penknife. Neat little thing, blue cover, one-inch blade, screwdriver, that's it. I kept it...guess where...with no problem for years, and got kinda attached to it. Got to Brisbane airport, where immigration took it off me. God knows how he expected me to take over the plane with a one-inch blade, but you know what Aussie immigration's like! Like @BayView I go through a brief mantra...money, mobile, meals (mnemonics work better with alliteration). But that encompasses everything that lives in my back-pack... Waterproof overtrousers, Waterproof jacket, Gloves, Beanie hat, Muff. (Note the emphasis on being prepared for the weather. I'm British, doncha know!) Flask of coffee, Kindle to read on the train, Tablet to play games on the train if I don't feel like reading, Earphones to play music if I've forgotten to recharge my tablet And everything that lives on my bike... Pump Water bottle Hi-viz waistcoat
Bus pass. And other stuff. Like keys, cards (including a scan blocker), cash, StupidPhone, kleenex, pen, notebook, first aid items, grooming items like comb and folding toothbrush, a tiny LED torch as it gets dark here early during the winter, a little bottle of water, tiny swiss army knife with onboard tools, etc. And THREE flash drives containing anything I'd hate to lose from my computer, in case we get burglarised while I'm oot. Keys, knife, torch and flash drives are all on a keyring which I keep tied to the strap ring on my bag. So when I need them, I just grab the leather cord and pull them out. No fishing around in the bottom of the bag for keys, etc. A tiny, very lightweight (and ineffectual in anything but a gentle, non-blustery shower, but better than nothing) umbrella. And two small fold-up shopping bags (2 x 1-inch folded size) made of sturdy nylon, as we don't get free plastic bags in stores any more. I also carry paper copies of my important documents. Birth certificate, citizenship papers, marriage certificate, passport, etc. And one of my most precious and important items: my current address and phone number list, which I have stored on my computer and is printed off in a tiny font size to carry with me. All this documentation folds up and fits into a flat zippered bag that's about 3 inches by 4 inches—and is also secured within my bag with a cord and clip. Depending on what I plan to do during the day, I also sometimes carry my Kindle and an iPod Shuffle. I carry a medium-sized lightweight nylon handbag (I have several colours) with plenty of zipped compartments, inside and out. Always room for a few more things, if I need them, including a rolled-up waterproof mac. For bad weather, I also have a waterproofed laminated bag. After 68 years of experience, I've got this kind of packing down to a fine art! I'm good to grab and go.
In order of importance (mostly): Keys (because I have to get back home!). Cigarettes. Lighter. Bus pass. Money. Debit card (lot of ATM machines where I live, almost as good as money). All my citizen cards (never know when I'll need them). Phone (not as important as the previous, I'm from a time without cell phones). Paper handkerchiefs. If I'm going to work: Work card (that card that opens the doors for you). Some pills I might need regularly, like for allergies or migraines. A bottle of water. A couple of pens and my appointment book. A folded plastic bag in case I need something small from the supermarket. Nothing too heavy. A coat (since they insist on freezing air conditioning I always need a coat, winter or summer). If I'm going to party: lipstick, maybe some other make up, but not usually as I have my make up done before I leave. Nothing too heavy. I go with a purse, not a bag. Do you guys really carry a Swiss Army knife with you? That's interesting. The most "bad ass" thing I carry with me all the time is the lighter. But I've heard that you can fit your keys betweens your fingers as a weapon if you have to hit an assailant. Not that I've used it, or ever needed to, fortunately.
In my present situation, yes, I do, but this is the knife: It has an about one inch (2.5cm) blade, a scissors (I hate having long fingernails) a nail cleaner (or dirty ones), a nail file (or rough ones), a toothpick, and a tweezers. Lest you mistake me for a dandy though, I'm perfectly content to bite my cuticles off.
Wallet, keys, cellphone, water bottle. I travel light usually. I carry a Glock 17 on my hip, a P-96S tucked into my boots, and I never leave the house without an AR-15 slung over my shoulder with two extra clips shoved in my belt. Don't forget the shotty behind the seat either. Gotta' stay prepared, am I right? J/K
Yeah, that's like the one I carry as well (although mine is green.) It's the scissors that get used most often. I've got a big swiss army knife as well, but that's only for camping, etc. The little one is with me all the time.
