2 is 1... 1 is none

Charlie Mike

Charlie Mike

Sober since 1-7-14 (still a Paranoid Nutjob)
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Nov 1, 2000
Messages
28,365
How far do you take it? Should I carry a second Iphone? A second Rolex? We all carry an extra knife. I carry 2-3 lighters and 3 credit cards. Silver rings for emergency currency. If I could carry a gun, I'd carry 2-3. Body armor is one of those things where you can't carry more than 1 practically.

What do you carry with redundancy?
 
I don't carry a lot of redundancy. Out in the woods, more than one knife, more than one way to start a fire, more than one water container, that's a bout it.

The redundancy in my life is stored at home.
 
Charlie Mike said:
How far do you take it? Should I carry a second Iphone? A second Rolex? We all carry an extra knife. I carry 2-3 lighters and 3 credit cards. Silver rings for emergency currency. If I could carry a gun, I'd carry 2-3. Body armor is one of those things where you can't carry more than 1 practically.

What do you carry with redundancy?
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No offense, but this is... odd. Why would you carry more than one watch? Why would you carry more than one Iphone? 2-3 guns? I guess I dont get what you're driving at. Why are you wearing body armor?
 
I guess I'm still stuck in combat mode.
 
LOL... if I was, I'd be posting about all my "other" gear.
 
Redundancy in things that your life depends on. Mine doesn't depend on a watch or ring, but might not say the same about a knife or gun.

Doc
 
Lee,

That was one of the nicest ways of calling someone an attention whore I have ever read...except that probably wasn't very nice either. :D

I think he was being facetious about the Rolex, Iphone and body armor.

CM, I have to give you a call later today when I UF myself. Midnight shift makes you sleepy. :)

I carry several different kinds of tinder and several different methods to start a fire as well as direction finding. When I can combine fire and direction finding - like utilizing the excellent K & M Matchsafe that has a Suunto compass in the top, that's a great way to handle redundancy in your gear.

There are people that think carrying a lensatic or baseplate compass as a primary and then a Suunto Clipper Model as a secondary and a K & M Matchsafe with a Suunto in that as a tertiary is "too much stuff" or "too heavy" or "takes up too much space." No sense in fighting that wave of feeling!

I am a big believer in that axiom: "Two is one, one is none." when it comes to vital gear.
 
Only what I would need to survive. Redundant knife and fire, everything else is just extra weight.
 
I carry an extra small super light weight skelotinized knife that I have never needed.

A LOT of redundant fire - and a LOT of redundant signaling.

TF
 
Redundancy is for important gear, not frivolous luxury items. You can make it home if your watch gets busted or your iPhone breaks.
 
Snow said:
Redundancy is for important gear, not frivolous luxury items. You can make it home if your watch gets busted or your iPhone breaks.
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What about other things? Of course my Iphone and credit cards will probably go in the fire. What about body armor and guns/ammo?
 
Redundancy is good, but you've got to balance it with what's practical as well. I try to prioritize, think about which my most important tools are, and carry duplicates of those if its possible.

For instance, it's really easy to carry two or three lighters or fire steels. Some pieces of gear function as back-ups but also offer other functions, like SAKs and multitools (they can be a back up knife, plus they pack a bunch of other features).
 
Charlie Mike said:
What about other things? Of course my Iphone and credit cards will probably go in the fire. What about body armor and guns/ammo?
Click to expand...

Extra body armor? Do you live in binladen cave or something? Why on earth would you wear body armor on a regular basis. No offense bro, but I think your being paranoid and not in a good way.

I think an extra knife is good when out in the woods and such. But on a day to day basis I just carry one of everything I need. Life is too short to always carry around a 100 lbs of gear. If this happens to make my life a little shorter due to really bad luck, so be it. Im sure id have a better chance of getting cancer from the 3 iphones i would be carrying otherwise. Or overheating from my 3 layers of body armour. You get my point
 
Charlie Mike said:
How far do you take it? Should I carry a second Iphone? A second Rolex? We all carry an extra knife. I carry 2-3 lighters and 3 credit cards. Silver rings for emergency currency. If I could carry a gun, I'd carry 2-3. Body armor is one of those things where you can't carry more than 1 practically.

What do you carry with redundancy?
Click to expand...

I like redundancy - 2 is 1, 1 is none is very true if something breaks.

I always carry more than 1 flashlight - I EDC 3. None of them weigh a lot, but they all work well. I like to be able to see, even if it is dark - vision is important to me.

I always carry more than 1 knife - I EDC a knife + LM + SAK. They have different functions, but they can back each other up to some extent.

I EDC one lighter, but if I am going camping I take multiple fire starting tools - several lighters & a firesteel.

I have a watch and as a backup the cellphone can tell me the time - so I guess I have redundancy on time telling gadgets. Since its function is not critical I have never considered carrying more than one watch.

I always keep 2 hankies on me - if I have a cold and blow my nose on one then I still have a clean one in case I cut myself or whatever.

I work as a computer tech and frequently use USB flash drives, I carry 3 x 8GB drives just in case one fails or gets lost.


Here we can't carry firearms. If I lived in the US and had a CCW permit then I might consider carrying a small backup. If I was going hunting with a rifle then I wouldn't bother with a spare firearm - if my rifle failed that wouldn't be critical as it isn't an essential survival item. Obviously a rifle failure would mean an end to hunting though.

Body Armour - I am not overly familiar with it, I don't really know why you might need a spare. I presume this is more useful in dangerous urban or combat situations (not so much for camping or hunting) - if you were working as law enforcement in a very dangerous city then you could carry spare body armour in the vehicle I suppose.
 
If I am going out in Fall, Spring or Winter, I have three pr four ways to start a fire. I always carry 3-4 knives. My folder, EDC, A box cutter, a Sak and a key chain knife. I sometimes carry two folders. I had to empty my pockets a few days ago when I went to the court house for tags, I had five knives on me at the time. That day, I happened to have two SAK's

Other than that Water is about the only thing that I am always sure to have close by.

I carry a fixed blade when headed fr the woods but not around town. However tere are always a couple in the Jeep.
 
Redundancy can be important, but it sounds like you may need to focus on what gear is essential, first. Once you have that sorted out, then you will have which areas deserve redundancy. Next, it is important to realize that the key isn't simply duplicating gear but layering or distributing that gear is just as critical.

An example: Who cares if you have five knives, but they are all in your pack. Lose the pack and you're knifeless. In this case, the redundancy served no survival purpose.

Figure out what is essential, meaning you're screwed without it, and try to think of alternatives. For instance, you may have a small backpacking tent in your pack to serve as shelter. You don't need to hump a second tent. An AMK Heat Sheet in a pocket, along with some cordage and knowledge provides a shelter backup without weighing you down.

Similarly, you may have your favorite, big ole chopper of a knife on your belt. If you somehow lost it, having a backup in your pack makes sense because of how essential a knife can be when things go sideways. That doesn't mean you have to lug around another big chopper. If you're going to take a hit in the weight/bulk department, choose gear that is versatile and compliments your primary kit, rather than identically duplicates it.
 
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