For those of us that want portable useful things that you might use everyday… Not looking to set up camp at a moment’s notice in a national disaster.
I always have a Leatherman Wave on my belt… Having external opening blades that lock on a utility tool makes it the best one I’ve used. Can take off the belt, open, and begin use with only one hand.
I always have a mini Mag Lite on my keyring, AAA battery sized… Works great for those odd dark situations.
A lighter… Can’t go wrong with that one.
A sharpie marker. Not obvious, but I use it daily here and there as a tool to quickly mark something… And it marks EVERYTHING.
I have a Leatherman Micra, I believe it is, on my key chain. It’s the kind with scissors rather than pliers, and it’s incredibly handy. I gave my sister’s sons Leatherman Waves for their HS graduations, and both of them were very grateful. I think that they are good graduation gifts, far better than a pen & pencil set, unless the recipient is a pen collector.
I always have a bandana or plain white handkerchief on me. And I always have a towel in my car.
In addition to the other things I carry with me, I always keep an extra shirt in the car. It may sound weird, but you really never know when that might come in handy. For me, it has at least three times.
The bag I carry every day is full of all sorts of useful things.
-Bandages
-Neosporin
-Paper clips
-Safety pins
-Sunglasses
-Pens and pencils
-A pencil sharpener
-A pocket mirror
-Two copies of the US Constitution (it’s a long story…)
-A pirate eyepatch
I bring my Vanagon Westfalia with me most places. With its 2 beds, refrigerator, sink, 2-burner stove and storage for all the tools/flashlights/food I’d need for weeks I think I’m covered.
Pulll over, pop the top, close the curtains, crack a beer, make the bed and you’re home!
I don’t carry a lot of things like that on my person or in my purse, but my car/office/home all have things like multitools, bandaids, hand-sanitizer, etc.
Took me a minute to realize this one… You hand one copy to the cop and read from the other?
I kinda have a similar situation… In just about every state there’s no law against taking photographs of just about anything from public property (i.e. walking down the sidewalk). I’ve been threatened to be taken to jail if I didn’t delete photos from my camera (one of three or four instances involved a city police officer across the street from my subject in the background on the corner). I had to print out a pamphlet from http://carlosmiller.com/, a photographer who was in a high profile case regarding the same situation, and put it in my wallet. I don’t go around specifically taking photos of cops, but if a situation arises again I’m prepared. And it better come in useful… One sheet of paper folded up to fit in a wallet is noticeable when I’m carrying the thing around.
Unless you’re wooshing me Leaffan, will your bank card work when you’re trying to change a tire? When its 5 degrees out and your hands are cold while you’re trying to change said tire? When its pouring and you gotta get about a mile to the next gas station without getting wet? When the power goes out and you’re in an unfamiliar place but you’d like to have the convenience of, say, not falling down stairs?
If that was a woosh… I apologize.
And another thing, Electric Warrior, what’s with the pirate eye patch?
I’ve discovered a couple new items to toss in with the list of stuff I carry around every day.
On my person:
A heavy bladed folding knife clipped to my pocket.
Lip balm
Pen
In my bag:
Swiss Army knife
Small first aid kit with band aids, liquid bandage, disinfectant, antibiotic ointment and burn cream
thumb drive
book
In my car:
Change of shirt
window breaker/seatbelt cutter tool
high end first aid kit with pressure bandages, suture kit, emergency blanket, etc.
large knife
flashlight