Friday, June 5, 2020

GUEST ARTICLE post 1 of 2 today

GUEST ARTICLE
post 1 of 2 today
***

I always have fun doing mental exercising of “What If?”
Combine that with everyone’s favorite subject, EDC, and you can have some real discussions on what a person should be carrying.   Of course, the real answer is, “what works for you”.
I have always preferred to split up my EDC into several categories. Cat 1 is the things in my pockets that allow me to get by if I get stuck for a couple days and not able to get home. Since 99% of my time is urban-ish, I am not worried about carrying tents or camp stoves or axes or what not. If I am going to be in the woods or anticipate having to travel a distance, I have a Get Home Bag for those things.   But what I carry should help me if I do not have my bag with me. In the city you can always find a doorway, parking garage or empty building to avoid the weather.
The idea here is, “What if I get stuck for a day or two with just with what is in my pockets?” When I travel for work, I am more likely to get stuck in an airport than in the woods. So, what I carry must be able to go thru TSA as well.
I like to think I have thought this thru fairly carefully.   But of course I expect others to have different thoughts.   So:
Front Left Pocket:
---A watertight tube with a key ring (with keys of course) - on the key ring is a small flashlight (Olight 3E EOS good for about 40 min of decent light) and nail clippers (always good for trimming strings too)
Inside the tube I carry 5 days of medications (diabetes, sadly) and some over the counter meds
*2 aspirin - pain relief and heart attacks. If you don't know about this, read up on it.
*3 Imodium - diarrhea is never fun
*2 Pepto Bismal tablets - actually helps fight food poisoning along with its other uses
*3 Benadryl - obvious allergic reaction use, light sleep aid
--- Lever Gear multi tool - no sharp edges, so TSA compliant (I travel for work sometimes) which is also a money clip
---Inexpensive Cree AA flashlight - (day to day use to save the Olight battery)
Rear Left Pocket:
--- Wallet (Pelican watertight just for some cards) and 20x20 bandanna - too many uses to list! water strainer, mask, towel, Furoshiki cloth, etc.
Rear Right Pocket:
--- Pocket knife (if I am flying, it goes in my checked bag)
--- Regular handkerchief (obvious uses)
Front Right Pocket:
--- Maxpedition MX3526KF-BRK zippered pouch. (This pouch setup lets me toss it into the tray when going thru TSA without having to pull it all out.)
Inside is:
*2 USB sticks (1 with bootable Linux & other with personal stuff)
*Lighter/ 1 Tinderquick in small Ziplock (quit smoking years ago, but still useful)
*Burt's Bee Chapstick (obvious use and with a piece of paper or cotton is also a good burning fire starter)
*2 Glucose tabs (in small Ziplock) (that diabetes thing again)
*p38 can opener (if you don't know what it is, you need to get out more)
*4 Aqua Tabs in sealed package (enough to clean 2 quarts of water - I can always find a container on the ground somewhere in the city)
*2 Homey compressed towels (in small Ziplock)(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RPZCP1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
You really need to check these out... basically a wet wipe without the water until you add it. Only takes about a bottle cap of water
*5 feet of 550 paracord (again, too many uses to list) with split key ring on end (finger grip)
*1 oz silver bullion coin (good luck piece and possible trade/barter/bribe)
*Some cash
*2 flat tooth wipes (mini brushes that fit on your finger) and a little floss.
 
*2 Band-Aids.
 

---Around my neck on chain.
*Allergy identification tag (in case I am unable to tell medical personnel myself)
*1/10 ounce gold Maple Leaf coin (I figure if I am stranded I can always pawn it for at least $100, maybe more)
*Another small flashlight (can never have too many - I think I might have a problem)

I know it sounds like a lot, but most of the small things fit into the pouch and none of it is really very large. Of course, I have not included my cell phone, and I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of any type of self-defense.
 
Let the discussion begin.


30 comments:

  1. Not bad, just a personal opinion, don't bother with the cheap lighters. Get a Bic. All the rest fall apart after a couple of uses.

    A case for it probably isn't a bad idea if you don't use it much, prevents accidentally discharging it because something pressed the thumb button while in storage.

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    1. Yeah, a 25cents lighter used a dozen times verses a $2 lighter you use hundreds of times

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    2. Electronic rechargeable lighters are the way to go now.

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    3. For a Leave It And Forget It item? Granted, everything should be rotated, but for safety sake, just in case it isn't, I think a Bic is much better. And the E's weigh much more, so there is that. Now, around the homestead, another stored tool, sure

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    4. Rechargeable lighters are silly toys for people that should know better. I've carried and used extensively every sort of flame producing device on the market and the only thing that is 100% reliable is a full size Bic lighter. This is not arguable or debatable and serious people know it. Every time I go outside the wire there is a Bic in my right front pocket. I've never drained a Bic by accidentally pushing the button while it was in my pocket.

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  2. I made a go bag years back, using a river 'wet bag' as the container. About a gallon pail size, home is about a seven mile walk so I wanted only the minimal load to get me there. It is hidden in the office where I work in case things go sideway when I am at work. I don't recall exact contents off hand, but a collapsible drinking bag (.5 gallon) poncho (cover from rain and camoflauge when resting) and broke in walking boots are the bulk of it. A Cold Steel Spetnatz shovel as a weapon / tool as well as a multi-tool. A long sleeved T-shirt (three sizes too large for insulation) as a spare shirt - no spare pants, probably should at least add some sweats just in case.

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    1. I don't understand the need for all that stuff for a 7 mile walk. I walk all the time at just over 4 miles a hour. I would be home in less than 2 hours. Maybe your weighing yourself down to much.

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    2. I don't think it is all pure functionality. Some is just Peace Of Mind

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    3. Jeez, some people go out of their way to be dysfunctional. For a 7 mile walk? A poncho? Resting? lol You're not going to make it....

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  3. Thanks for the article.
    One oz. silver and .10 oz gold on your person, interesting.
    I've carried gold when traveling far from home and sold some to get back one time. Had also been thinking of way to have hidden on me when relatively local. Like sewn into my leather light/multi tool pouch or my belt. Always read stories of Jews fleeing with small gold coins sewn into clothing hems and used as cloth covered buttons.

    I also carry the p38. Same one for over 25 years. Dont know how its still with me. I like the bigger version (p51?) also, but hard to beat the 38 for size.
    It rides in the zippered coin compartment of my nerdy nylon wallet. A pair of those US made stainless tweezers in there too.

    I have honestly considered some type of small optic like a monocular. Somethimg to save me steps and verify details and signage at a distance. I like the size of German company Docter's folding one copying a 1930s Carl Zeiss design. Pricey but cool.
    Carrying tools/stuff everyday is a discipline that pays off time after time.

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    1. Yeah, just make sure to have the coins well hidden. I've had bags pilfered at work, even small stores with few employees on shift

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    2. I used a dime as a template and drew 6 circles on one of my business cards then cut the circles out with an xacto knife. I sprayed the holed card with adhesive and glued it to another intact business card. I put 6 Roosevelt dimes in the holes then glued another business card over top. A casual glance and it appears to be a regular business card and the sliver inside is concealed.

      I'm from Florida and I'm a shorts and t-shirt kinda person 99% of the time. Yet, when I leave the compound my immediate person is ready and equipped to do most anything anywhere. It's a constantly evolving system and always being improved as I find out other or better ways to do things. If you seen me you'd not be aware of what I carry, and that includes a firearm.

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  4. Some good advice. Thanks for sharing. I would add that any Get Home Bag should be in the form of a backpack in case you have to hump it on foot for a mile or twenty 😥.

    Also, I'm thinking a few cans of the 2,000 calorie 'shakes' that they feed to nursing home patients who can no longer eat might be a good investment to throw in the bag for a 'get home' or 'bug-out' scenario. It would be cheap insurance against starvation if another chimp-out occurs in the city you are fleeing from.

    There's much to consider these days.

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    Replies
    1. You mean a "joggers demonstration"? LOL

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    2. If you can't walk 20 miles without eating you've already got problems. The media has done an excellent job programming people to imitate beluga whales.

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  5. Good list. Gotta love the USB bootable Linux (Or TAILs). Got a 10 pack of the larger P-51 can openers a short while back. Handy item. Lighters are a must have, but I’m also big on the ferrocerium rods. No moving parts to fail, and it would be tough to break the larger diameter versions. I’ve had Bics fail on me before, so that’s why I mention this. I have one of the single AAA Maglite Solitaire flashlights. Very compact, and can easily be held in the mouth for hands free operation.

    I was going to mention this in a different post, but this is probably a good time to bring this up. I’m one of these people that dresses for comfort, and only wears sweats/lounge pants. Such pants do not have belt loops, and the pockets aren’t very secure for holding items, so this limits carry options. Just learned about the Flip Belts the other day, and will be ordering one. Perfect for folks such as myself that don’t wear regular pants. For those that need to carry more items than the flip belt will hold, consider a fanny pack.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRIDZ9C/?coliid=I3SNATIOBYWN31&colid=2P9H5MHEI5D99&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1&psc=1

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    1. Would I feel LESS gay in a fanny pack, or a Flip Belt? Hmmm.

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    2. Flip belts don’t look gay at all Jim. But I once saw Richard Simmons wearing a fanny pack, with some odd shaped phallic objects printing through the material. So, yeah :D

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    3. Go pro, carry a "murse", a man-purse shoulder bag with the strap crossed over your shoulder tactically and chutching it firmly like a grandma in an urban Osco market. Heavy embossed leather styles are my favorite while out on forays.

      On the gold and silver coinage put them in a sealed balloon (like a drug mule smuggling) this way if captured you can squirrel them away in your bum in the cattle cars enroute to the camps. This will be your fema currency to get better accomodations. You buy your way into a trustee guard work detail to get better fed, and wood chippered as lastest as possible. Stay frosty.

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    4. The key to the fanny pack is to wear it facing front. That way it looks like you added a zipper to your giant scrotum so it can carry more than just your balls.

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    5. Flip belts make you look gay, because you're trying to not look gay :)
      *
      If a "murse" is in tactical colors with Mollie attachments, it can't be gay, right?
      *
      Sadly, I recall the discussions of how to wear a fanny pack, and recall there being no correct answer.

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    6. "I’ve had Bics fail on me before,"
      ========
      Nope. Didn't happen. Unless you use it all the time by smoking. In that case, carry 2. When it's wet and windy it is almost impossible to start a fire with a ferro rod, but with a Bic you'll have one roaring in a matter of minutes, assuming you know what you're doing. A 4" x 1/2" ferro rod weighs as much as 3 Bics.

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  6. Nice description. I like the can opener. I would add a watch. I have a solar powered Seiko analog watch. It has a circular slide rule you can use to do fuel calculations and conversions , along with a stop watch and alarm. I made the band out of 14' of paracord. The band was made with a quick release method- just untie one or two knots, and the whole thing comes apart. An analog watch can be used as a compass as well. Picture of watch, and my knife (i don't do tsa, luckily ) https://diasp.org/camo/a6a78c89f699cbf3743adb79d4dd6038d5b06d97/68747470733a2f2f692e706f7374696d672e63632f443031347762314d2f32303230303630312d3231343533362e6a7067

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    1. NNNNEEEERRRRRRDDDDDD!!!!! The link doesn't work. And don't worry, I'm still a nerd too. I just like to pretend I'm not.

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    2. Alright, try again:
      https://i.postimg.cc/dDPpPs7G/68747470733a2f2f692e706f7374696d672e63632f443031347762314d2f32303230303630312d3231343533362e6a7067.jpg

      About as nerdy as they come.

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    3. Okay, got the picture. Tacti-Nerd

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    4. My lifestyle is such that it doesn't matter what time it is. And if the sun or moon is visible an approximation is easy. Regarding pre-used paracord. forget about it. That knotted up mess will do you no good. And you're timekeeper becomes a pocket watch, which it probably should have been in the first place, and your knife is uncomfortable to use. While paracord is good to have it's best to get one of the flat plastic winders for $2 at the dollar store that can hold 20-50 feet so that it's easy to get to and use when you kneed it. The loaded winder slides right in your back pocket beside your wallet or bandanna. I remember seeing 10 yo girlscouts at the front of the store selling those paracord keychains. lol

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  7. I actually wrote that list.. and I do have a watch on me. A Citizen Nighthawk. Solar powered with slide rule bezel. - yeah a real slide rule, not those "aviator conversion rules".... okay.. a little nerdy.

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    1. A "little" nerdy like Trumps hair is a "little" bit alien life form. :)

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    2. Though I don't wear watches I'd like to take a look at that particular one, can you provide a link or a model number? Thanks. (solar+slide rule)

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