Hey Alex! First off, I want to say that I’ve been a big fan
of your blog for a while. It’s given me a lot to think about—keep up the good
work!
The Bag: I got the bag on sale at K-Mart for about $30, so
I’m not entirely sure what the make and model is. The best I can figure is a
Victorinox Teardrop Monosling, but the pictures on their web site don’t quite
match what I have, so take that for what it’s worth. I carried a messenger bag
for a while, and I grew to hate the way it thumped against my legs—this bag is
big enough to hold everything I need and small enough to be carried wherever I
go.
The Gear (going in a sort of left-to-right, top-to-bottom
fashion):
-“IFAK” Bag: Not a professional or comprehensive kit by any
means, the black bag pictured here is the carrying case for a set of clippers I
bought a while bag. It contains the only real “emergency/tactical” gear in this
setup, including some other essential elements. Contents are:
-QuikClot: Bought on the
recommendation on this blog. We all know what this is, what it’s for, and what
it can do.
-Altoid Tin: This is my snivel kit.
It contains individually-wrapped OTC medications (antacids, aspirin, Imodium,
and Pepto), a couple of wet-wipes, some Neosporin packs, and a Colgate Wisp
disposable toothbrush.
-A full-sized Neosporin tube
-A roll of waterproof medical tape.
Allegedly waterproof, it never seems to stand up to a session washing dishes.
-An old credit card wrapped in duct
tape, as well as some far-more-waterproof medical tape
-Potable Aqua (and Plus!) tablets:
In the vastly unlikely event I survive whatever disaster renders local water
sources undrinkable, I’ll be prepared!
-Dramamine capsules: I rarely get
carsick, but when I do, it isn’t pretty
-My toothbrush: Sometimes, the Wisp just doesn’t cut it.
-Lip balm: My favorite brand is called, funnily enough, Cat
Crap. This isn’t Cat Crap, but it’s not bad.
-Bug spray: I live in the South, where the summers are hot
and the mosquitoes are bigger than the birds. This makes life more bearable.
-A WD-40 pen: Because I can’t carry a whole can of the
stuff.
-My Platypus water bladder: This thing is the boss. I can’t
fit a Nalgene bottle in this bag, but I can either keep this empty and take up
no space, or fill it almost fill and bend it until it fits. I love this thing.
-Altoid Smalls tin: This thing is a little more accessible
than the full-size tin in the black bag. I keep a couple extra meds in here, as
well as a pair of earplugs and a single-use tube of Krazy Glue.
-A cheap keychain light that serves as a backup to my
identical keychain light.
-A Smith’s sharpener: Barely visible right under the Small
tin. I prefer sharpening stones, but this is good for quick touch ups.
-5 Hour Energy: I work at a coffee shop, so caffeine isn’t
usually too hard to come by. But I got in the habit of always having one of
these nearby back when I was waiting tables.
-This is a FourSevens flashlight in a homemade leather
sheath. I used to belt carry this, but then I got the keychain light, and this
shifted into the bag. I loaded it up with rechargeable batteries that I keep
topped up.
-A cheap beater blade my friends got for me at a flea
market. I’d hate to have to depend on it, but it’s sharp enough to serve as a
backup in case I lose my other blades.
-Cash: About $40 and some quarters.
-Leatherman Sidekick: For a while, this was my EDC blade.
It’s been replaced by box cutters (more on that in a second), but having this
thing nearby is better than a security blanket.
-A Torx screwdriver: Mostly for tightening/loosening knife
pocket clips and the Leatherman’s screws.
-Snacks: Snacks! I’ve got peanut butter crackers, raisins,
and a single-serve peanut butter container (I like peanut butter).
-Two lighters: I don’t smoke, but I work with enough people
that do that I know the importance of having these around. The black lighter is
wrapped in Gorilla tape.
-Backup cellphone battery: This thing is cheap as dirt, and
it won’t give me much of a charge. But in an emergency, when you need to make
that ONE LAST CALL, it works great.
-Two sets of earbuds: A good set of earbuds is almost more
important to me than shoes, so I try to always have a backup. That’s right: no
extra batteries, but two sets of earbuds.
-A deck of cards and a harmonica: I play the harmonica
(poorly) and do card tricks (even more poorly). These are for those rare times
when there’s no internet, no 4G, and nobody interesting enough to talk to.
-The black thing under all the pens is a Google Nexus 7. I
can’t exaggerate how much I love this thing. It’s replaced my laptop for all
but the most elaborate tasks (I use a portable Bluetooth keyboard for my
typing). I resisted e-books for a long time, but I am head over heels for this
thing. Always in my bag.
-A collection of pens, pencils, markers, at least one box
cutter (and some spare blades), and a sommelier’s corkscrew (the other remnant
of my table-waiting days). I use cheap razor blades as my EDC knife these
days—they don’t scare people, they go through cardboard like butter, and if it
gets dull? Pop the blade off and replace it. I keep a bigger knife close to
hand, usually, but it never gets used.
-Finally, a USB charger for my phone and Nexus.
That’s it! I’m very excited to hear what everyone has to
say!
Comments from Alex:
I'd recommend investing in some organization for inside your bag - some cheap-o zip pouches to help keep the little bits and pieces contained. I'm seeing a lot of loose stuff - writing tools, first aid, snacks - and unless I'm missing something, it looks like its all mixed in together. That can make finding what you want a challenge. Subloads help win that fight.
A couple spare batteries for that flashlight would make a lot of sense.
A better backup battery would allow you to recharge your phone and/or the tablet. They're not that much money.
I bet some variety of cotton - bandana or shemagh - would end up getting used fairly regularly.
A travel toothbrush would probably work better than that loose full-sizer. I like the folding ones you can get from Target, or in bulk on Amazon.
That's it from me - what does the tribe say?
