# What should you or do you always have with you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206 "2015-01-18T19:43:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/41 "2015-01-20T12:32:40Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I never leave home without my penis. And I mean _never._ It keeps me from getting bored in so many circumstances. And it doesn’t need batteries; not yet anyway. If a penis was involved, it’d better be attached to a man and he could carry all this crap in HIS vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/42 "2015-01-20T13:02:50Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I never leave home without my penis. And I mean _never._ It keeps me from getting bored in so many circumstances. And it doesn’t need batteries; not yet anyway. > [@Sattua](#): > > I have often suspected that having a penis would make just about any situation more entertaining. Sadly, I only came equipped with a pair of boobs. Maybe equally entertaining for other people, but not very entertaining to me. We have/had a poster whose sig line was something like “Vagina: never leave home without one.” Sadly AFAIK we can’t search for sig lines so I can’t post a ref to her (?) user page. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/43 "2015-01-20T13:15:00Z")
Living as I do in suburbia my EDC list is pretty much my smartphone, car key (singular), & minimalist wallet with ID, CCs, and a couple emergency cash. The car has a phone charger, a flashlight, some extra cash & jumper cables that haven’t been used in a decade or more. When I go biking or beaching I have dogtags with emergency contact info and that’s about it. No keys or wallet needed. Oh yeah, and as mentioned a few posts ago, pants. Shirts are optional. Since I travel a lot my suitcase has a few more extra things, like wall chargers & pens & vitamins & kleenex. But barely 8 oz. worth of stuff total. I could go on a month long safari \*and \*an Arctic expedition with less baggage than I see our flight attendants dragging on 3-day trips involving only warm weather destinations. Boggles the mind it does. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/44 "2015-01-20T13:18:25Z")
I had someone ask me for a jump recently. We were the only two cars in a parking lot late at night. I asked which side their battery was on and pulled up alongside them, then popped my hood. Then I found out they didn’t have cables. I no longer carry any, preferring to call AAA. I assumed requesting a jump meant they had cables and needed a battery. I offered to call AAA for them, but they weren’t members. I offered to call a service station, but they said they couldn’t afford it. I offered them a ride, but they didn’t want to be without their car. ? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/45 "2015-01-20T13:32:25Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > On Friday, I found myself making a surprise visit to the ER, where I spent all freaking day. Everything turned out fine in the end, but I had on me my ID and cell phone. Nothing else. No cash, aside from a $20 emergency bill I carry (can’t use that in a vending machine), nothing to read, and by the afternoon, my phone was nearly dead. > > Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time in recent months where I’ve found myself stuck some place, wishing I had a phone charger, something to drink, or a small snack–all without the time to pack something beforehand. I realize there are a few things I should carry with me (small bills, change, phone charger, bottle of water, small snacks, etc.), or at least have in a bag in the trunk that I can grab when needed. But aside from what I’ve just mentioned, I’m not sure where to begin. > > I’ve done some research on “what to always have with you” and bug out bags, and while the bug out bag seem very…prepared, it also seems very extreme. (Other lists include crap like “lipstick”–seriously, if I’m stuck unprepared, I don’t want freaking lipstick.) I am thinking this would be something, like a backpack, that I could throw in the trunk of my car and have ready for times (like surprise trips to the ER) when I might need something, but not think or have the time to grab things individually. > > What are things that you always have with you, that you carry in your car or on your person? What should I add to my bag? So far, I have: > > [ul] > [li]phone charger[/li][li]cash (small bills and coins)[/li][li]small flashlight (I usually carry this in my coat, but it should be in the bag as well)[/li][li]Bottle of water[/li][li]Snack of some sort (hate granola bars…what will keep but not be full of sugar?)[/li][li]small pair of scissors[/li][li]band-aids or small first aid kit (this is in the car, but it should be in my bag)[/li][li]pillbox with OTC medicine (aspirin, Advil, Benadryl, etc.)[/li][/ul] Instead of a phone charger, which would be bulky - you should take one in a car, but otherwise it would be cumbersome - take a spare battery and keep it charged. In your car and on your person are very different questions. On my person, the everyday essentials: Asthma inhaler (went out without one for the first time in years recently, by accident, and it didn’t turn out well) Keys Mobile phone Debit/cashcard Oystercard (for public transport) Spare pare of contact lenses and/or glasses Cover-up stick and lipstick Taxicard (for disabled people’s access to taxis at a discount rate) There’s other shit in there but it’s just other shit, really. I mean, my wallet has about ten memberships to various museums but I know from experience that I don’t necessarily need the card. In the car: A blanket A cushion Oil A map of the UK Various other things that take up half the boot in a bag. I don’t drive. None of the things is a spare wheel. I honestly have no idea what these things are since they’re not a blanket or oil or a map and we live in London. In the bag we take into the car: My blue badge The satnav ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/46 "2015-01-20T13:39:47Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/47 "2015-01-20T13:57:09Z")
According to the seminal research work “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, you should have a bath towel. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/48 "2015-01-20T15:26:41Z")
In my pockets: Pocket knife (3" lockback), cell phone, [flashlight](http://www.thrunite.com/thrunite-ti3/), wallet (with credit cards, $100 emergency bill, whatever other cash I have, etc…) In my truck: Emergency flares/extra bright lightsticks (for road placement) Lightsticks for passengers. Toilet paper (I’m surprised I’m the first one to mention this) Emergency blankets (those crinkly reflective mylar things) Emergency tire inflator (like Fix-a-flat, but non-flammable) for full-sized spare. Jumper cables. Spare quart of oil. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/49 "2015-01-20T17:44:55Z")
In the “saddlebag” on the arm of my power chair: cheap cellphone/charger/Swiss Army Knife/6 feet of rope/duct tape/tissues/flashlight/billfold with money&cards. Other odds&ends of whatever I find interesting on the road… pecans/nails/nuts&bolts and funny rocks ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/50 "2015-01-20T20:01:41Z")
When I’m not in my house or office, on my person I always have: [ul] [li]Some cash[/li][li]ATM card[/li][li]Insurance card[/li][li]Credit card[/li][li]ID[/li][li]Phone[/li][li]House key/car fob[/li][li]Handkerchief (you’d be surprised how handy they can be in a pinch)[/li][/ul] In my car I always have: [ul] [li]Auxiliary/backup cell battery/charger (which I stick in a pocket if I’m going to be away from my car & electricity for more than a few hours)[/li][li]Phone charging cord[/li][li]Flashlights[/li][li]Leatherman multi-tool[/li][li]Umbrella[/li][/ul] I’m not sure there’s been a situation in the last five years that between the two lists I needed something I didn’t have. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/51 "2015-01-22T02:21:26Z")
Cell phone goes without saying. Scissors. The ones in my car could cut up a chicken. And unlike knives they don’t seem to make people uneasy. And I use them all the time. iPhone cable. You can buy a charger anywhere for $5, but a cable can be hard to find, A watch or clock. Paper and pen An extra pair of shoes. I used to fly SEL and one of my instructors said, ‘always wear shoes that you can walk out in after a forced landing’. I keep ‘walking out’ shoes in my car and at the office just in case I need to ditch my sissy shoes for some real walking. Flashlights. I feel a little obsessive with this, but I have flashlights in my cars and in every room in the house, plus a couple of lanterns hanging at the top of the basement stairs, and emergency lights next to the front and back doors. I am _not_ wandering around the house in the dark looking for a flashlight when the power goes out. It’s just stupid not to be prepared. Duct tape. A screwdriver. A bag to carry stuff in. When I lived in the desert I used to keep a couple of gallons of water in the car, but I’m over that now. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206/52 "2015-01-22T15:51:13Z")
I absolutely hate having things in my pockets, so my everyday carry is my wallet, and even so it is a slim one. I will also have my phone with me, but not in a pocket unless it’s winter. My car is a different story. I was a Boy Scout, so I must “Be Prepared”! Inside my car are:[ul][li][A Complete ANSI first aid kit](http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-First-Ansi-White/dp/B0043X5WK8), augmented with some of my stuff from Wilderness First Aid (super glue, SAM Splints, etc).[/li][li]Wool blanket (Swiss military surplus).[/li] [li]12V air compressor and tire plug kit[/li][li]Morakniv 4in fixed blade knife[/li][li] Firesteel[/li] [li]Dickies coveralls (in case I need to get out and fix something)[/li] [li]Basic tool kit[/li] [li]Bic lighters[/li] [li]4 bottles of water and handful of protein/candy bars[/li] [li]Leather work boots [/li][li][REI Flash daypack](http://www.rei.com/product/747522/rei-flash-ul-pack)[/li] [li]Gerber multitool[/li][li] 100 lumen LED flashlight[/li][li] LED headlamp[/li][li] GMRS handheld radio[/li][li] Extra batteries [/li][li] Probably some other stuff I forgot[/li][\*] Everything on **iiandyiii** ’s list plus a duck[/ul] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-you-or-do-you-always-have-with-you/710206.md?page=2)