Essential EDC for every day life

[lister]

Oh and i carry 10 a 15 zip ties of different sizes in my jacket pocket, my add some copper wire to it.

You won't need them if she says yes.

Well that escalated quickly... 

[Cupboard]

I've found that the LED on my phone is good enough to replace a Fauxton (it's better, in fact). Hopefully I'll not kill it!

Other than that, something to cut stuff with, something to pry stuff with and something to write with. In practice that's at least a Sideclip, which I find is a great size/weight/utility combination.

[firiki]

How does one write down something with a Sideclip, by carving

[Cupboard]

Oops 

I carry a Uni-ball Power Tank pen, they're great pens that cost about £1 and are waterproof and pressurised like a Space Pen. Only you don't mind if you lend it to someone and they walk off with it.

[Etherealicer]

From the traditional pool of EDC items, I get by with my phone, blade and a PH1 screwdriver. No need for pens, pliers, saws, lighter or light or at least not much so those are nearby but not carried on me.
I have a tiny FAK (well its more of a painkiller/pill-box). It is incredibly rarely that I use it, but when I do its a huge relief to have it.

There are several non-traditional EDC items that I grab before a MT / Lighter / Flashlight:
Spot removal pen: Another item that does not get much use but whenever it does it saves the day.
Earplugs: I'm really sensitive to noise, so I always have some earplugs on me to quieten the world.
Toothpick: No matter what the form, never leave home without.

[av8r1]

I try not to rely on my phone as a light source because it chews up the battery.  Same reason I wear a watch; it really eats into your battery lighting up the screen to see the time.

The last time I used a spot remover pen, it ate a hole in the fabric.  I don't own it anymore.

[Kampfer]

I try not to rely on my phone as a light source because it chews up the battery. 

Agree, with phone calls, emails, GPS, games, etc the battery can barely last until diner time...forget about using it as flash light. Also the phone requires a hand to hold, very problematic for tasks that requires two hands to perform.

[captain spaulding]

Pffttt..... Phones. You guys rely on technology to much. 

[enki_ck]

Pffttt..... Phones. You guys rely on technology to much. 

Well most of the pay phones here have pretty much disappeared, maybe 2 or 3 left in town. The fire department frowns upon communicating through smoke signals and I fear carrying a messenger pigeon in my pocket or bag might get me in trouble with the SPCA.

[captain spaulding]

Pffttt..... Phones. You guys rely on technology to much. 

Well most of the pay phones here have pretty much disappeared, maybe 2 or 3 left in town. The fire department frowns upon communicating through smoke signals and I fear carrying a messenger pigeon in my pocket or bag might get me in trouble with the SPCA.

Valid points, but still no excuse. 

[enki_ck]

I don't need excuses, I'm just that cool.

[captain spaulding]

I don't need excuses, I'm just that cool.

Yes you are. 

[Steinar]

Knife, pokey-pry-thingy, flashlight, notebook, pencil. I prefer leadholders and wooden pencils over pens and also mechanical pencils. Phone is often an annoying necessity, also I'm old enough to prefer a wrissmurfch over waving a phone around.

I think better with paper than a screen, as witnessed from my posts on this forum.

[bmot]

Knife, pokey-pry-thingy, flashlight, notebook, pencil. I prefer leadholders and wooden pencils over pens and also mechanical pencils. Phone is often an annoying necessity, also I'm old enough to prefer a wrissmurfch over waving a phone around.

I think better with paper than a screen, as witnessed from my posts on this forum.

Ha, show us the proof!

[Steinar]

The great thing about paper is that it's so much harder to access unauthorized than a computer. My private notebooks are private.

Anyway, you asked for it yourself, here's a short piece on software development where the ideas were worked on over a little longer than what a forum post usually gets: http://www.ppvt.org/essay/janitors_and_hero_programmers.text I have absolutely no idea whether it makes sense for people outside software engineering, but I suspect the dynamics have some universal qualities.

[firiki]

Knife, pokey-pry-thingy, flashlight, notebook, pencil. I prefer leadholders and wooden pencils over pens and also mechanical pencils. Phone is often an annoying necessity, also I'm old enough to prefer a wrissmurfch over waving a phone around.

I think better with paper than a screen, as witnessed from my posts on this forum.

Hey, I could have said the very same things

[Steinar]

Hey, I could have said the very same things

[Gareth]

These days (since I stopped being a maintenance engineer) my carrying habits are a little lighter than they used to be.  So;

Either a non-locking MT and keyring SAK, a bladeless MT and pocket knife, a larger SAK and possibly a pliers based keyring MT.

Either a 1xAA or 1xAAA torch on my keys.

Phone

Pen; usually a Parker Jotter.

Lighter; it's been a Imco ever since the last MT.org meet-up.

Wrist-watch.  I just can't get along with the idea of not wearing one.

[Etherealicer]

I try not to rely on my phone as a light source because it chews up the battery.  Same reason I wear a watch; it really eats into your battery lighting up the screen to see the time.

The last time I used a spot remover pen, it ate a hole in the fabric.  I don't own it anymore.

Just got around reading this now...

Too bad you don't own it anymore, that's some kick-ass spot removal pen (and with the fabric gone, the stain is certainly gone too). As someone who has spilled just about everything on his cloth (yup, sulfuric acid included), that is quite a feat, wonder what it would do to skin and what it contained .

[shark_za]

I agree on all of these, I need to cut things, open things, tighten screws, see in the dark and write.
I also may have to shoot.

OHO knife, SAK with openers, maybe scissors, Parker Jotter or Plus scales at minimum, some Philips capability,
lights are tending to be AAA models now while in the past they were Surefire,

[Cupboard]

I had a chuckle today when a couple of reps came to demonstrate a £20k NIR analyser and needed to cut some cable ties on it to get at the power cable. "Has anyone got a knife?" they go. My boss looks at me "Tom... do the honours!". 

Out of the five of us, I was the only person to have a knife (well actually I cut it with the Wave's wire cutters, but still). 

[Megan]

I always have some sort of MT, knife and a flashlight.
But I never ever think about carrying a lighter with me regularly. As a non-smoker it really doesn't cross my mind.
Only if I am hiking or camping I guess.

[Aloha]

I had a chuckle today when a couple of reps came to demonstrate a £20k NIR analyser and needed to cut some cable ties on it to get at the power cable. "Has anyone got a knife?" they go. My boss looks at me "Tom... do the honours!". 

Out of the five of us, I was the only person to have a knife (well actually I cut it with the Wave's wire cutters, but still). 

Bravo.

I always have some sort of MT, knife and a flashlight.
But I never ever think about carrying a lighter with me regularly. As a non-smoker it really doesn't cross my mind.
Only if I am hiking or camping I guess.

I'm the same way.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It's funny how that works.  I often have people ask me innocently "Do you have a knife?" then remember who they are talking to and roll their eyes and say "Of course you have a knife, look who I'm asking."

Def

[Rossko07]

It's funny how that works.  I often have people ask me innocently "Do you have a knife?" then remember who they are talking to and roll their eyes and say "Of course you have a knife, look who I'm asking."

Def

Lol I love this.

I don't get this much at work but family and friends are well aware!

[Obi1shinobee]

It's funny how that works.  I often have people ask me innocently "Do you have a knife?" then remember who they are talking to and roll their eyes and say "Of course you have a knife, look who I'm asking."

Def

Lol

[pfrsantos]

It's funny how that works.  I often have people ask me innocently "Do you have a knife?" then remember who they are talking to and roll their eyes and say "Of course you have a knife, look who I'm asking."

Def

I get that plus some wiseguyperson ( politically correctness) always says: "That's not the question. The question is 'How many knives does he have today?' "

 

[Ryo Saeba]

One thing that everyone should carry no matter what is one of these packets.



It's the size of a credit card and could save a life.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Interesting.  I'll have to look for those.

I usually carry Tylenol in my truck, along with various types of Advil, Aspirin and other over the counter pain meds because of my arthritis issues, but I haven't seen that one before.  I can see how that would be very helpful.

Def

[Tooltime]

For me it's a LM Wave(mini surge +)  Fenix E12 light, SAK-Explorer plus, a c33tx folding knife, a forceum rod and the all important .38 spec sub nose revoler(at the very least) and spare ammo. All because as we see every day the world is a getto.