When I unloaded my bag my first thought was “holy s***!” but then as I placed all the things on the blanket I started to think about all the times I did use this or that. It was never a life or death situation, but it sure was VERY convenient at that time to have all that ”stuff” with me.
From top left to bottom right:
- 32 oz. Nalgene
- trash bag with handles (perfect raincover for the Maxpedition Noatak)
- Paper tissues
- stomach medication (had some trouble in the past few months with gastritis)
- carb and protein bars (need to restock, usually have 4/2 bars in there) and a guarana shot for those extra hours at the office
- silicone earplugs (3M something)
- Altoids tin; used to live in my Jacket pocket but has move to my pack for the past year (content: surface disinfectant wipe, mini bic, 2 bandaids, KFC refresh wipe, 15€, titanium lock picks, Tampon, 2 Paracetamol, TP)
- Umbrella…even in summer we have so much rain where I live in Germany, that carrying an umbrella is a no brainer
(Continued after the jump)
- 25 Micropur forte water treatment tabs plus two 1quart ziplock bags (1 tablet to one quart of water), as back up for the water bottle)
- “instant” toothbrush (from our last vacation in the US, I love those things and should have bought way more)
- CRKT Folts minimalist
- Fenix LD 10
- 2 meters of 5mm nylon cord
- first aid (boo boo) kit: razor sharp Opinel No.8, Splinter tweezers, skin disinfectant wipe, 50€ in small bills, Gauzepad, gauze, first aid dressing (gauze with integrated pad), gloves, a lot of band aids..I hate paper cuts)
- ball point pen, red felt pen (ultra thin tip)
- more TP
- 50 € in small bills (you never know when u need a taxi and their debit card thingy is broken; besides over here in Germany paying cash is still a LOT more common than in the US and paying with debit let alone credit cards is sometimes not possible at all)
- book of matches (from an old German Army ration)
- more surface and hand disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer gel
- charger for iPhone
- Goal Zero Switch 8 (iPhone charging on the go, even though they have power outlets in some of the newer commuter trains over here)
- iPhone hands-free headset
I also often carry my iPad with me (which fits perfectly in the rear waterbladder pocket of the Noatak), but not really on an everyday basis, so I left it out.
The cool thing is, there is still a lot of room left in that little pack to fit in a small lunch box AND another small water bottle. Though this pack kind of stands out in my work environment (law firm) I just love it and no one has given any strange looks yet.
Commentary from Alex:
Stomach medication and extra TP...that sucks, man. Must be a rough month! :-P
For general body cleansing purposes, I prefer wet wipes - baby wipes or similar. They serve the same purpose as TP (and more effectively, too!), but they can also clean you up pretty well if you can't get to a shower.
I know a lot of people dig the Maxpedition Gearslinger type packs, but they've never really appealed to me. For starters, in the U.S. at least they suggest 'gun bag', and generally look out of place in most environments. Plus, like all shoulder bags, they tend to suck it up when you put more than a little weight in 'em. If you like it though, that's cool.
I have a Switch 8 charger, and it has actually failed me a couple times. Says it's fully charged, yet won't charge my phone when plugged in. Hasn't been more than an inconvenience, but I've removed it from rotation until I figure out what the deal is. It is also overpriced and underpowered relative to other offerings available these days (see the $20 Anker Astro Mini for a similar form factor).
A multitool is one of the most used items in my EDC bag - Leatherman tools are hard to beat and available in whatever price range you can get in at.
Though I'm admittedly unfamiliar with that CRKT or German knife laws, if you are going to carry a fixed blade in your EDC, you may want to carry something a little bit bigger and more functional. Cold Steel makes several good knives, and the ESEE Izula is very functional for being a small knife.
Looks like you have lots of loose packets and little packs of sanitizers, etc. For organizing small bits like that, I like to use little plastic zip baggies that can be found at craft stores and on the interwebs. Here's way more than you'd ever need for $5. 2x3 inch and 3x4 inch are the sizes I use most often
Some basics like spare batteries for your light, duct tape, safety pins and/or a needle and thread would likely come in handy, too.
A few things to think about - thanks for sending in!
