Every day carry, what's in your pocket?

All sorts of stuff in the vehicles..... not so much in the pockets as things are too big and the pockets would get holes!!! But we have all sorts of things to fix fences, WD40 of course, bolt cutters, pruners, string, etc

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Here's a thread from last year on "what's in your pockets while you work on your property." There's a lot of crossover, so it may be of interest.

https://permies.com/t/145770/Gear-Check-Empty-Pockets

This is me in the yard. I don't travel light. It saves me a lot of walking.

What is the yellow and black-handled thing (that looks like a scraper) in pocketstuff2.png above?

Although many in this thread have chosen to include provisions and gear in their vehicles among "EDC," I am going to go with a stricter definition and include only what I carry on my person.  But for me, that is a lot!

For many men, EDC is restricted to what they can carry in their pockets or maybe clipped to a belt.  Women often carry purses or other day bags on a routine basis, expanding their EDC potential.  For reference, this is all written with a North American cultural bias as to clothing fashions.  But as a permanent wheelchair user, I buck any such conventions.  I am a man who carries more "purses" than any woman.  At any given time, I have four different storage areas that I've incorporated into my wheelchair.  They are all added by me using improvised and/or after-market materials.  The chair itself is categorized as a manual, ultralight, rigid aluminum frame, everyday model.

I am also something of a prepper, based both on personal philosophy and on practical necessity.  By the latter, I mean that living as a paraplegic provides far less flexibility for improvised responses to situations compared to my life prior.  I've learned that I must be equipped with pre-planned solutions, routines, and the necessary gear to implement them.

All of this adds up to a substantial list of EDC.  I've included links herein for any items that are either unusual or that I think are particularly nice and I'd recommend:

- tethered wallet with cash, credit cards, business cards, etc.
- cell phone
- car key fob
- house keys with a very bright LED keychain light
- backup set of car/house keys, also with a very bright LED keychain light
- dietary fiber supplements
- in-ear wired headset
- BIC lighter (even though I don't smoke)
- mini role of Gorilla tape
- lightweight folding box cutter
- Swiss Army knife "Huntsman"
- Amenitee multi-tool
- 2 zippable cloth sandwhich baggies (used to organize other items, but which could also be used to carry whatever)
- pepper spray
- 22LR pistol
- extra magazine for said pistol
- aluminum water bottle
- cath kit (big Ziplok freezer bag carrying self-catheterization supplies, but also includes a couple latex gloves, individual packets of disinfecting wet wipes, lots of paper towels)
- emergency backup cath kit
- bicycle tire tool (...I don't know why I still carry that, as I no longer use pneumatic innertubes)
- emergency rain slicker for wheelchair users (not this brand, but something similar)
- wide receiver's gloves (i.e. a pair of sports gloves with grippy palms; useful for keeping control of a wheelchair in heavy rain)
- zippered canvas pouch (used to organize other items, but which could also be used to carry whatever)
- hand sanitizer
- fat-tip Sharpie
- ball-point pen
- carpenter's pencil
- write-in-the-rain notebook
- "Master Tree Finder" mini field guide
- 6' mini tape measure
- audio jack splitter
- LED headlamp in pouch with USB charger
- DEET-free mosquito spray

Alina Green wrote:What is the yellow and black-handled thing (that looks like a scraper) in pocketstuff2.png above?

It looks very much like a wood chisel.

A curious choice...

Pruners.  In my belt at home, in the console of the truck.  One never knows when a cutting is needed.  😆

I didn't have time to go through the whole list of posts here: Has anyone put together a master list , combining  all the items posted into one list for items to go into a tote or backpack?

Matthew Nistico wrote:

Alina Green wrote:What is the yellow and black-handled thing (that looks like a scraper) in pocketstuff2.png above?

It looks very much like a wood chisel.

A curious choice...

It's called a wrecking knife. It has a double bevel on the tip and also on one side of the blade, which is sharpened. The blade itself is very thick, suitable for light batoning. It also serves nicely as a garden trowel, since it can handle some prying.

A pocket knife, hair ties, daily meds. If leaving home, money, ID, cards, keys, mini flashlight. In the car I have an emergency bag but I haven’t looked in it in a long time. Might need to revisit that to see if anything has been damaged by the summer heat.

My EDC in my purse:

wallet so stuffed it doesn't zip closed anymore
hairbrush (the kind that the bristles retract into the handle)
small hand cream
lip balm
tweezers
lint roller (mini)
folding knife
eyeglass repair kit
tissues
foil blanket
sunglasses
LED flashlight
hair clip
phone
multi-tool (small)
compass
homemade sewing kit inside round plastic pill bottle with child proof cap
tic tacs, cough drops
paper clips (why not?)
note pads, pens, nail file, tissue salt tablets (decades old now)
compact mirror
travel toothbrush & floss
little round "survival kit" my dad gave me (unopened)
disposable lighter
probably other stuff I've long forgotten...

Our vehicle has no trunk, so I am at a loss on how to stash gear without the car looking like a closet exploded inside it.  We have a plastic bin with tools and such that slides around behind the seats.

Donna Lynn wrote:My EDC in my purse:
...
paper clips (why not?)

OoooOoooh, I don't think I have those in my purse. I must remedy that!

note pads, pens, nail file, tissue salt tablets (decades old now)
compact mirror
travel toothbrush & floss
little round "survival kit" my dad gave me (unopened)
disposable lighter
probably other stuff I've long forgotten...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who tucks thing in their purse, only to forget I had it in there. I had DripDrop electrolyte powder in my purse for at least 7 years. I hadn't even known, because it was so deep in the tall back pocket of my purse. By the time I found it, I figured it probably had gone bad!

Keeping it simple but practical.
A bottle opener
Lighter
Pocket Knife
Fishing Hook
Measuring Tape made of paper
Wallet and cards
Glasses box and cleaning wiper
Coffee and water heater plus water
Tent and sleeping materials

Just to get through a day

I carry a lot of stuff, but the most often used are:

Metal Toothpick
Pen
Fingernail clippers
Tweezers
Flashlight
Mini cobra pliers

R Scott wrote:... Mini cobra pliers

Those look mighty handy. If only they had a wire cutter ...

Nicole Alderman wrote: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who tucks thing in their purse, only to forget I had it in there. I had DripDrop electrolyte powder in my purse for at least 7 years. I hadn't even known, because it was so deep in the tall back pocket of my purse. By the time I found it, I figured it probably had gone bad!

LOL!  Oddly, I never intended to keep so much stuff in my purse.  I got a large purse because I wanted room for a book and/or laptop in case I wanted to take one with me for down time.  But nature (and apparently purses) abhor a vacuum, so it just got filled up over the years.  I guess that speaks well of the quality of the purse that it has lasted long enough to accumulate decades' worth of forgotten stuff!  My paperclips, however, are easily accessible, clipped onto one of the dividers in my overstuffed wallet.  I did one time find old paperwork from a seminar I attended years earlier inside the deep tall pocket in the back of mine...

Well if we are limiting this to pockets, then I don't go anywhere without my pocketknife.  I absolutely feel naked without it.  It is just such a very useful, handy tool.

Eric

I made this video in June with my spouse's help, of what's in my bag.  it would be a little different months later, living in a different biome now.  I was in the desert then.  maybe I will make a new one, someday.  

Robert Ray wrote:Not necessarily a Survival thing but what's in your pocket every day. What do you carry in your car for "just in case"

I once visited Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.  It wasn't until I was in the 'bag search' queue that I remembered the large pair of secateurs I had in my bag.  Luckily the security guards weren't bothered 😅. I'm now more careful about only having what I really need for each day in there!

Interesting lists. I reckon my first step ought to be to get some pockets . . . . .

After moving to the forest I converted a 27 liter backpack previously used for day hikes in the mountains. It's roughly what some people refer to as a get home bag. It weighs 15 lbs. including water. It contains first aid, water filtration & purification, poncho, compass, terrain map, dry socks, rope, multi tool, trash bag, headlamp, fire starting, snacks, gloves, a metal water bottle, toilet paper, trail marking tape, etc. I don't remember removing anything but did add a honking big Bowie knife for quickly field dressing wild pigs if necessary. Also added some double pulleys for extracting the ATV from mud. There's quite a few miles of trails & dangerous animals around here. My initial cell phone didn't work here. I wanted to be ready to be lost overnight. Good chance nobody would even know to come looking until the next day. Now I know the trails very well & have better phone coverage. Have been considering downsizing to a couple of band aids, the snake bite kit, the poncho, the pulleys, & the headlamp. All that could stay in the small storage area of the ATV. That would free up a luggage rack to haul more veggies from the garden. I carry an 80 liter backpack in my car. That has the same items with extra clothes & several days worth of food with a tiny backpacking stove. Plus extra batteries & a solar charger. I'm never far from one of those bags. I also carry a special tool on my body for stopping dangerous critters of all sorts. Always.

At home: pruners, pocket knife, tractor/quad keys, sub lingual nitro (heart patient), $100 cash.

in our vehicle: get home bag: bear spray, solar phone charger, 3 water purification systems, fire starters, compass,  small first aid kit, Harbor Freight sheath knife, pocket knife, small freeze dried meals packs, paracord, thermal blanket, more nitro, roll silver quarters, Tylenol.

Nicole Alderman wrote:Whoo-boy, I have so much stuff crammed into my tiny purse/bag:

...

These all fit inside this bag:

maxpedition versipack. I've had it for 12 years with constant use. It's in perfect shape

I read this thread and couldn't get your post out of my head for a couple bags days. I don't normally buy stuff online, but after reading your inspirationally gargantuan list of EDC items, I "needed" to get this bag. So I did, and so far, I love it.

Unless I anticipate that I'm going to "need things", I just carry my phone, a Milwaukee pocket knife, and my wallet bag or "strawberry" (my girlfriend crochets these little bags - I'd been using the strawberry as my wallet for about a year, but she switched me over to a newer model this summer. Very handy for never dropping or forgetting your wallet). This covers most of my needs when doing typical daily life, keeps me lightweight.

When I'm doing "real work" or going off property, I bring my fancy new Maxpedition Versipack with me. I've been slowly adding more and more things to it as I go along: nails, screws of different sizes, The Pocket Ken Wilber, gum, earbuds, keys to various assets, cash, and the many other things mentioned on this dope thread of lists. Writing this, I feel like I'm just discovering what a purse is.

I have realized one added benefit of the Versipack - it has a nice slot for my phone so I don't need to have it in my pocket. I've been trying to distance myself from my phone recently, and having a nice "dedicated" spot where it's still nearby but a little bit less immediately accessible has been a happy medium for me. Makes me think before grabbing it, which usually means I don't use my phone unless I actually need it.

This bag comes with a detachable "leg strap". I've experimented with the leg strap a bit, but I think I prefer not using it unless I'm doing work where I'm on my back or rolling around a lot. By not using the leg strap, I can swing the bag around to either side of my body (or even covering my butt) depending on how balanced I feel or if I need to squeeze past something. On the bike, I put the bag in back of me, and it functions as a little saddle bag. Nice!

I am an outdoor hobbyist explorer. I want minimal "exploring gear" with me at all times to take advantage of an immediate opportunity that may arise when bicycling, driving, walking.

I "label" my pockets as "belts" that hold up to four pouches, each one a "kit" specific to a particular hobby interest.  This allows me to be gear-complete for exploring different hobby interests I have in the great outdoors.
I have more than one belt with separate pouch-kits so that when an opportunity arises, I can pick the belt that suits my terrain.  For example, sometimes I want to explore an abandoned quarry.  Quarry gear is different than foraging gear, and different from "Navigation-mapping gear", and med kit gear, etc.  But by picking gear that is most suited for different interests, I am ready to go at any time.

I really do not like putting much in my pockets, beyond keys because "stuff in pockets" imprint the pocket, promote uneven wear/wear out pants faster; and one can't hardly carry what would be most needed.  Further, sometimes stuff in pockets causes a butt-skin sores, like when driving long hours sitting on the gear in your pockets.

So I have re-defined for myself "pockets" to refer to "multiple belts with belt pouches already filled and attached, and basically "invisible" under a long-sleeve shirt with shirt-tail out.  I wear those to keep mosquito's off, to avoid skin-scratches from twigs, thorns (like in my raspberry patch), etc.  I also call all my Bug-Out Bags "Pockets"--but  pockets for different seasons (1) Summer, (2) Winter, (3) Spring+Fall.  Why do I do that?  Because every season I would change gear when using only one  bag, and then I'd misplace something that I removed.  It was a pain in the a - -!     The whole idea of a "pocket" is to have one's daily use gear on your person (always in one place).  So now I have separate Seasonal bags (pockets); besides belts of belt pouches (and not just one pouch, with a few things in it.

Plus 1 on the maxpedition, mine looks new still also!
Pockets- knife, wallet, lighter, pipe tool, tobacco pouch, pipe, phone keys, 40 cal, spare mag

The truck has :
Way to many tools, fixed blade knife
Axe ( I live in a wooded area and there’s always trees and limbs in the road after a storm)
Water
3 days food
Socks
Rain gear
FAK
Tarp
Fire kit
Pruning saw
Local maps (Topo)
Boots
Water filter and containers
Car kit
Cordage
Large trash bags



I have thought about getting a ham license and radio but will probably go with a CB this year as I don’t travel far from home
The truck stuff is for 2 people on consumable items for both wife and I , her car is similar in kit load out.