Your EDC kit

[pangolin]

What are you expecting to happen?

What are you relying on not happening?

By on the tube I mean, when not cycling. Obviously my cycling kit doesn't have all of that stuff, but has some other  stuff like tubes, pump, multitool.

Most of that stuff is tiny. The lighter is a peanut lighter, it's smaller than a bic. I don't smoke. I've used it a few times to seal frayed bits on clothes, or lend to people. The nanostriker is just cool.

The wire I have used to repair a mudguard that broke. In fact the only things I haven't used on that list are the dustmask and the nanostriker. If I ever needed one of those I would really need them. In the meantime they are really light and I don't notice them.

Most of the stuff though is just really handy. Never has anyone not died because I had a small pair of pliers on me, but plenty of times I have used them or someone has borrowed them. You know all those times someone says, oh does anyone have some scissors? And noone does. It's not a big deal but it's useful.

I would add that you could have asked these questions in a less mocking way.

Please tell us more! What experiences have you lot had on the Tube that a lighter, a wire, some string and a whistle could have sorted out in seconds?

Again, none. I mean on a day I am commuting by tube (+ train and walk) rather than cycling. Those 4 things are very unlikely to be af any use on a tube! As you know.

The dustmask and torch might be life savingly helpful if something terrible happened on a tube though. Actually, the whistle might as well.

[mattc]

If I'm not wearing a jersey with back pockets, then this is essential:

[Kim]

Not paranoia but experience.  It's a bit annoying getting stuck when one tool weighing a few grammes could sort you out in seconds.

This sort of thing.  Not so much on the tube, but at the eventual destination.

Things like when the software problem you've gone to investigate turns out to be a connectivity issue and you need to re-wire some of our-favourite-telco's handiwork without proper tools.  Or when, in the manner of "does anyone know how to fly a plane?" someone asks if anyone knows about stage lighting.  Or dealing with wardrobe malfunctions.  Or when the keyboard that sounded just fine on its own speakers in all the rehearsals turns out to go nowhere near the 11 required in a crowded room, so you have to improvise an XLR gender-bender out of some dead phone wire you found in the corridor and a bit of gaffer tape.  Or when your glasses shed a lens.  Or when you're approached by some random Germans whose camcorder has a jammed eject mechanism.  Or when Clarion trips over a heater.  Or when your dad's car suffers an electrical failure on a Sunday afternoon, and you're able to hotwire it with a random length of earth wire that was in your pocket, a swiss army knife and a some insulating tape.

Some people do seem to like being prepared for the zombie apocalypse.  Fair enough.  It means there's someone to borrow tools from.  Personally, if I were going prepared for random shit-hitting-fan emergencies, my number 1 item would be a sturdy pair of walking boots.

[matthew]

Remember Jacomus is a trained Red Cross responder, for him going out without the tools to assist / lead after an accident is like a doctor not having an augmented first aid kit in the car.

[Kim]

like a doctor not having an augmented first aid kit in the car.

Hmm.  I suppose my dad's car did have a box of latex gloves and a bulk bag of throat swabs in the boot.  The gloves came in handy for jibbling the distributor on winter mornings...

[Fab Foodie]

  Personally, if I were going prepared for random shit-hitting-fan emergencies, my number 1 item would be a sturdy pair of walking boots.

I'm thinking more along the lines of running shoes .....

[Fab Foodie]

Remember Jacomus is a trained Red Cross responder, for him going out without the tools to assist / lead after an accident is like a doctor not having an augmented first aid kit in the car.

But do Doctors going out of an evening or with the family carry mini Triage kits just in case, or Nurses, Surgeons?  Firemen carry small axes? Police officers have handy hand-cuffs and pocket truncheons just in case?
I'm off for a curry later on, as a qualified Food Scientist, should I take mini microbiology and food analysis kit (or a sick bag for a sample) just in case with me?

I don't mean to be flippant, I just don't get the mindset that requires and EDC kit for every-day stuff, though I think it commendable to be prepared in other circumstances like cycling to be able to fix the bike and get home, or walking in the mountains or travelling to far-away exotic locations, but every-day it seems a bit like overkill. 



PS - I may regret this later .....

[Feline]

I don't carry any emergency medical kit for animals with me when I am out and about. I only keep sufficient stuff at home to euthanase a half-dead rodent my cats have caught. In a genuine life and death situation you would need way more stuff including controlled drugs than it would be sensible/legal to have lying around in the car or your bag.

When I was training I was out in Warwickshire with a mixed practice vet when we were first on the scene of a very nasty high speed crash at a cross roads. There was a lad of about 10 years old in a bad way and not breathing at the scene, and after having phoned for an ambulance the vet I was with tried the usual first aid CPR and found he had a pulse but couldn't get him breathing again by mouth-to-mouth. He then announced he kept a sterile new 7mm endo-tracheal tube in his glove box for just such an occasion and intubated him (us vets are used to doing this blind with considerably longer necks involved so for us this is pretty easy even with no laryngoscope).

He was breathing through the tube although not conscious when the ambulance arrived. The vet explained the situation and that the lad now had an airway but hadn't before to them. The paramedic then decided to remove the tube (presumably because he had no faith that it was in the right place, or just sheer bloody minded stupidity). They then couldn't ventilate the lad with the mask and bag, and he died in the back of the ambulance about 2 minutes later. We were understandably very upset with what we had seen. The boy's mother wouldn't have been able to make a complaint to the NHS because she was dead at the scene before we got there. That episode (although now over 20 years ago) has put me off wanting to carry equipment to do roadside interventions like this.

[1gear]

Not paranoia but experience.  It's a bit annoying getting stuck when one tool weighing a few grammes could sort you out in seconds.

This sort of thing.  Not so much on the tube, but at the eventual destination.

Things like when the software problem you've gone to investigate turns out to be a connectivity issue and you need to re-wire some of our-favourite-telco's handiwork without proper tools.  Or when, in the manner of "does anyone know how to fly a plane?" someone asks if anyone knows about stage lighting.  Or dealing with wardrobe malfunctions.  Or when the keyboard that sounded just fine on its own speakers in all the rehearsals turns out to go nowhere near the 11 required in a crowded room, so you have to improvise an XLR gender-bender out of some dead phone wire you found in the corridor and a bit of gaffer tape.  Or when your glasses shed a lens.  Or when you're approached by some random Germans whose camcorder has a jammed eject mechanism.  Or when Clarion trips over a heater.  Or when your dad's car suffers an electrical failure on a Sunday afternoon, and you're able to hotwire it with a random length of earth wire that was in your pocket, a swiss army knife and a some insulating tape.

Some people do seem to like being prepared for the zombie apocalypse.  Fair enough.  It means there's someone to borrow tools from.  Personally, if I were going prepared for random shit-hitting-fan emergencies, my number 1 item would be a sturdy pair of walking boots.

To be honest, I think you need to just be able to say 'I'm sorry but you have fucked it' then leave them to it.

[Kim]

To be honest, I think you need to just be able to say 'I'm sorry but you have fucked it' then leave them to it.

It's a character flaw.  I'm compelled to fix things.  It's in my nature to sympathise with inanimate objects.

[1gear]

I don't carry any emergency medical kit for animals with me when I am out and about. I only keep sufficient stuff at home to euthanase a half-dead rodent my cats have caught. In a genuine life and death situation you would need way more stuff including controlled drugs than it would be sensible/legal to have lying around in the car or your bag.

When I was training I was out in Warwickshire with a mixed practice vet when we were first on the scene of a very nasty high speed crash at a cross roads. There was a lad of about 10 years old in a bad way and not breathing at the scene, and after having phoned for an ambulance the vet I was with tried the usual first aid CPR and found he had a pulse but couldn't get him breathing again by mouth-to-mouth. He then announced he kept a sterile new 7mm endo-tracheal tube in his glove box for just such an occasion and intubated him (us vets are used to doing this blind with considerably longer necks involved so for us this is pretty easy even with no laryngoscope).

He was breathing through the tube although not conscious when the ambulance arrived. The vet explained the situation and that the lad now had an airway but hadn't before to them. The paramedic then decided to remove the tube (presumably because he had no faith that it was in the right place, or just sheer bloody minded stupidity). They then couldn't ventilate the lad with the mask and bag, and he died in the back of the ambulance about 2 minutes later. We were understandably very upset with what we had seen. The boy's mother wouldn't have been able to make a complaint to the NHS because she was dead at the scene before we got there. That episode (although now over 20 years ago) has put me off wanting to carry equipment to do roadside interventions like this.

Now that last bit about the car crash is very sad

I don't carry any first aid kit I don't think, I don't even have any parecetemol in the truck. Even if I did I wouldn't know what to do with it so why carry it? Gaffa tape and electrical tape, that's my first aid kit. My tool box on the other hand......

[1gear]

Remember Jacomus is a trained Red Cross responder, for him going out without the tools to assist / lead after an accident is like a doctor not having an augmented first aid kit in the car.

But do Doctors going out of an evening or with the family carry mini Triage kits just in case, or Nurses, Surgeons?  Firemen carry small axes? Police officers have handy hand-cuffs and pocket truncheons just in case?
I'm off for a curry later on, as a qualified Food Scientist, should I take mini microbiology and food analysis kit (or a sick bag for a sample) just in case with me?

I don't mean to be flippant, I just don't get the mindset that requires and EDC kit for every-day stuff, though I think it commendable to be prepared in other circumstances like cycling to be able to fix the bike and get home, or walking in the mountains or travelling to far-away exotic locations, but every-day it seems a bit like overkill. 



PS - I may regret this later .....

I used to know someone who was a paramedic and used to carry his full kit around with him. I think he wanted or had one of those heart jumplead things in his car. Not sure if he just wanted one though or if he had one.
He just wanted some self importance IMO. It made him feel sort of special I think. Almost official like people who wear hi via vests. One of the drivers who works for the same company as me wore his hi via at a truck show. Put it on as soon as he got out his truck. People kept asking him for directions which he loved. He felt important.

[Cudzoziemiec]

My aunt was a GP. Still is, I suppose, but retired! I don't remember her ever having anything more than a basic first aid kit in her always crowded car, the kind you'd get from any service station or the AA. She was once first on the scene of a car crash when I happened to be in the car with her - we were on our way to Portsmouth to catch a ferry. We actually saw the crash happen ahead of us. It wasn't as bad as the one Feline found, no one died, but there were serious injuries. She was reluctant to do anything more than first aid because of AIUI (but it was a long time ago) liability issues particular to docs.

[Jaded]

EDC Kits aren't only carried to be useful. After musing over the postings on the thread I just wanted to add that my EDC kit, which almost always has a torch and a phone, is carried by me for comfort. For many years after my incident I couldn't leave the house with a phone, and if I did, had to return, shaking, to get it.

[Biggsy]

I do have an ultra wide angle lens, but but I don't have an empty space large enough to spread out my kit on to photograph.

[Bledlow]

Remember Jacomus is a trained Red Cross responder, for him going out without the tools to assist / lead after an accident is like a doctor not having an augmented first aid kit in the car.

All the years my first aid training was up to date, I never felt the need to carry all that kit with me.

It is not the kit recommended for trained responders.

[Charlotte]

On the TUBE?  You mean the tube that runs underneath London or some other tube, a tube that runs beneath the Kalahri or the Amazon Rain forest?

Yeah the tube.

99.99% of the time, the London Underground network is a safe as houses.  There are all sorts of backups, emergency response plans and failsafe systems.  But in the unlikely event of something bad happening and none of them working, you're sure as hell going to be glad you're able to see your hand in front of your face when the lights go off.  Call me paranoid if you like, but going down a tunnel several hundred feet under the ground with a bunch of people you've never seen before, who are highly likely to freak the fuck out if it goes dark sounds like my idea of a bad day on the farm.  There's no way in Hades that I'm getting onto any underground section of the tube without a torch in my pocket.  Also, if I'm wearing less than sensible shoes, I'll be carrying ones I can walk and climb in.  It's just plain good sense.

If you're in the habit of carrying a torch and a knife (if you ever meet me, you're unlikely to find me without at least one pointy thing on my person) you may as well carry them all the time because the day you forget will probably be the day you could really have done with them.  I add in another few useful bits and pieces because I'm a capable type and I don't like being unable to fix stuff or molish an improvised doodad for want of a bit of string or whatever.

My attitude to all of this is not to make like some gung-ho zombie hunter who routinely carries MOLLE pouches stuffed with airways, Kerlix and Asherman chest seals.  I don't make a habit of leaving the house packing my machete and bugout bag.  But if you've been trained how to use a resuss mask, why not go the whole hog and actually have one in your bag?  It's not heavy and combined with a pair of gloves, it allows you to do an awful lot of good at much less personal risk. 

What I carry depends on where I'm going.  Life is a dangerous place and I like knowing that I'm as prepared as I need to be.

[rogerzilla]

I have a tube, CO2 thingy, a Topeak multitool, a DK Random Wrench (will get the wheel nuts off a car, let alone a fixie), phone which I need at work anyway, work pass and wallet. Add a shirt, shreddies and socks to change into (trousers, shoes, towel and wash kit thankfully stay at work). Sometimes there is half a pound (weight) of copper coins kicking around the bottom of the courier bag when it gets its Christmas deep clean.

If there is rain forecast for the way home, I'll throw in a waterproof.

[Jacomus]

Wow, I never imagined that this could be so contentious! I never wrote my post with any kind of 'I can't believe you don't carry this' attitude in mind, as I don't have that attitude, so I offer my apologies to anyone who has picked up that kind of vibe.

[LEE]

I thought this was a thread about things you take out every time you leave the house, not optional things or things you take if you are cylcling.

If we don't include clothes then the ONLY common things I take everywhere, whether I'm going to the shops, work, cycling, walking...are

- Phone
- Wallet
- Keys

If I am going on a longer walk then I may take a Swiss Army knife, Camera, GPS (but that's not every day).

If I'm going on the Tube then I may consider taking a Keyring LED torch, for reasons suggested by Charlotte (but that's not every day).

If I'm cycling then I certainly do have a Every Cycling Day Carry kit.  It's in my Barley and therefore is the same for a 1km ride and a 200km ride. 

- 2 Tubes
- Repair kit(various bits & bobs incl multitool)
- tiny lock
- Waterproof Jacket
- Gilet
- Armwarmers
- Pump

I rely heavily on a phone and a credit card as a replacement Swiss Army Knife.

[Jacomus]

Aye, cycling kit too - but I didn't have the means to photograph it.

[Kim]

Keyring torches are utterly brilliantly useful things, and at 10 for a couple of quid from Dealextreme, I have them liberally distributed around my stuff/environment in a similar manner to salbutamol inhalers.  Not only are they great for finding a proper torch in the dark (keep one in your tent), but I use them as a way of visually pinging barakta when she's facing the other way.

Much has been said about my Lightweight Racing Multimeter.  I don't actually carry it with me that often, on the basis that most of the time when you're dealing with electrical stuff, you can either make do with a Mk1 tongue, or you need a more substantial tool kit.  It is good when road-testing experimental bike electronics, though.

[Valiant]

Here's mine



But we do have:

0. iPod
1. Baby Wipes
2. Sunglasses + Spare Lenses
3. Gloves
4. First Aid Kit + £30 cash
5. Long life Mobile Phone (If I get my iPhone's battery replaced I'll drop this out)
6. Leatherman Wave
7. Earplugs
8. Assortment of pens (Sharpies, rollerball and permanent marker)
9. Leccy tape
10. Torch
11. 100% DEET Insect repeller. (Yes I know I live in London but I do have a compromised immune system)
12. Bite zapper thing (stops bites from itching)
13. Lighter
14. Magic Pills (Garanteed to stop any muscle pain (for me anyway)).
15. Thinsulate Beanie Hat. For the rare occasion when I get cold. Or rather my girlfriend does.
16. Mac Adapters
17. Audio Adapters
18. Mains tester
19. Speakon Coupler

Usually have but not in photo:

20. Whistle (Stolen by rollergirls I bet)
21. Keyring Victorinox (Has a few bits that the Leathermans don't ie tweezers and tiny philips head)
22. Gaffa Tape
23. 2x Bungees.
24. Large paperclip

Including the bike kit is:

25. Spare Tube
26. Repair Kit
27. O rings
28. Tyre levers
29. Various nuts and bolts
30. Pump
31. Spare batteries (AAA/AA or Dinotte)
32. Lights (Dinottes or Knogs)
33. Bar of chocolate or cereal bar.

Other stuff I forgot to add to the main list:
Various 13a Fuses
Cable Ties

[Valiant]

I've decided with my new smaller rucksack I'm going to get rid of most of that.

[Arch]

You know all those times someone says, oh does anyone have some scissors? And noone does. It's not a big deal but it's useful.

I'm the person who does, courtesy of my little keyring Swiss Army Knife. I also have tweezers, and I think the scissors and tweezers have been the two most massively useful things on it, more so than the blade even, although that's seen a lot of use, mainly cutting food on picnics (although only slowly, as it's a small blade) and using the tip to release non-releaseable zip ties.

Out and about on foot without a bag, I'll be carrying that knife, a lot of keys, phone and wallet, which contains credit and debit card, various types of ID, cash, and probably a host of un-needed reciepts unless I've just had a clear out. Also, a single small steel jubilee clip, unrolled, but that's only so I can show it to any artisan jewellers I might meet and ask them if they could make a pair in precious metal for our wedding rings.

If I'm carrying a bag, there may well be a pen and small notebook in it, and an assortment of possibly useful junk which ebbs and flows over time. Stuff like plastic forks, a buff.

Reading this thread, I think I need a teeny torch. MFWHTBAB had one built into his last phone, which was very useful.