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Friday, July 24, 2009

Everyday Carry

I am a big fan of the EDC forums (http://edcforums.com). Being a kind of techno-geek, I like to see what other techno-geeks find new, useful, and interesting. The EDC forums is a good place to do this. One thing I like to do is refine the things I carry with me on a regular basis. My criteria for these items: compactness (I've long since passed the days when I want to lug around a backpack full of junk in the off chance I might need it), usefulness (items should do double or even triple duty and be things that are used almost daily), and quality (I've also long since passed the days when I want to carry around cheap crap that cost very little up front but ends up in the garbage after very little use). Here's what I carry in order of usefulness:
  1. Cell phone (this is a basic Nokia cell phone which I can also use to access the internet--with effort. I am tempted to get a new touch screen iPhone type phone with all of the bells and whistles but the monthly cost would be double what I pay now and I'm not sure if it is doubly valuable compared to what I have now. That said, my phone provides a clock, alarm, phone capabilities--obviously, access to the internet and my email/Twitter/news, a camera for stills and videos, and a music player/FM radio.
  2. Wallet (with ID, cash, bank cards, concealed carry license, etc).
  3. Pocket knife (a Swiss Army knife that is so old I don't even know what model it is. It is sharp enough to perform surgery but quite basic with a couple of blades, a bottle opener and Phillips and flat screwdrivers).
  4. Small nylon pouch (which contains a packet of two aspirin, a couple of bandaids, a alcohol prep pad, a Handi wipe, a jump drive with all of my important files, a mini lighter, flat roll of floss, tiny flashlight, a Fischer tekker space pen, and a few quarters).
  5. A digital camera (an 8 mg Canon Power shot which has been used for everything from documenting accident scenes to photographing documents that I need to save).
  6. An aluminum water bottle.
  7. A Nike windbreaker that folds up ultra small.
  8. A granola bar, raisins, or other portable snack food.
  9. A small Moleskine notebook.
  10. A KelTec .380 with spare magazine (depending on where I will be for the day--courts, airports, and military basis frown on such an item and going out of my way to secure the firearm at these types of facilities is a huge hassle).
  11. Occasionally I carry an Asus netbook, but even though it is really small it is still a bit heavier than I like for everyday carry.

My work can take me from downtown in a large city, to an airplane, to mountain biking, to hiking down a wilderness trail sometimes all in the same day so I carry these items in a Timbuk2 messenger bag that blends into almost any environment.


Original: http://codenameinsight.blogspot.com/2009/07/everyday-carry.html

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