One essential piece of gear

A can of cashews is handy to keep in the pack or car as emergency food. There have been times that I’ve stood around in the snow for hours wearing all my layers, down jacket etc but still got cold from inactivity. Whenever that happened, I would eat a few cashews and warm back up.
 
barleywino said:
A can of cashews is handy to keep in the pack or car as emergency food. There have been times that I’ve stood around in the snow for hours wearing all my layers, down jacket etc but still got cold from inactivity. Whenever that happened, I would eat a few cashews and warm back up.
Click to expand...

I love cashews!
 
barleywino said:
A can of cashews is handy to keep in the pack or car as emergency food. .....
Click to expand...

Its hard to beat the caloric value of nuts. Also check out Macadamia and brazil nuts. They pack a ton of healthy fats and calories for energy.

I also keep a "package" of MAINSTAY EMERGENCY FOOD RATION - 3600 CALORIE in each car and (3) in each BOB. They have a long shelf life, pre-portioned into cubes and should work if it ever gets to the point of needing it.

My EDC pack has a few protein bars, a few pre-packaged mixed nuts etc. I've dug into it more then not when either I or my wife gets HANGRY and needs a snack....HAH
 
I like the protein bar idea... I always have a few in the vehicles, just in case. Same with a large water bottle. Also always have a lighter available, even though I no longer smoke.

Bit the one essential piece of gear I EDC on my person.... a bottle opener! One on every keychain, and one in my wallet. Good beer rarely comes in a twist-off, and cans are still not as popular as bottles for craft beers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a party, get together, or just a friends house, to find out that they don’t own a bottle opener... so I make sure I always have one.

It calls itself a 12-in-1 wallet multitool, but really, it’s just a bottle opener to me :D
LpVwdFM.jpg
 
Velitrius said:
Well, I suppose I should qualify what makes this relevant to me, at any rate.

I'm up in the very rural Pacific Northwest. There's not a street light on every corner here. In my neighborhood of 9 city blocks, there are two.

For some reason up here in the higher latitudes, it gets dark real early and stays dark until late morning in the winter. This means when I go out to the car to go to work, it's dark. When I pull into work, it's dark. When I get home from work... you see where I'm going with this.

Had a buddy one time who accompanied a fish biologist on a hike up to count salmon in one of our rivers. They followed the fishing trail up to the spawning grounds, counted what they needed to count, and started back. Before too long the sun went down and that was that. They couldn't see 3 feet and had to stop. Neither had so much as a wooden match to see around them. (Before y'all say "light on the cell phone", this area is rural enough you don't have cell signal out in the sticks... neither had a phone either).

The guy's wife calls us up in a panic so we assemble our crew and blast into the woods to find our wayward friend. We found his truck and headed down the trail and shortly found him and his biologist charge standing patiently in the trail awaiting sun-up so they could head back to the car. A good laugh was had by all, and a good lesson learned as well. It is from that day forward that I started carrying a light on me.

I don't know how many times I've fired up whatever light I had on me to help someone find something they dropped in the (yes, unlighted) parking lot, or up in the attic of the shop or under the hood of the car or...

So I carry one. And with the lumen to size ratio of some of these little wonders, there is little wonder why everyone should be able to as well. :)
Click to expand...
Agreed, one can be 100 yards from the parking lot but if you're in the woods without a light and it's dark out, you might as well be miles away (has happened to me and I quickly learned my lesson)
 
barleywino said:
Agreed, one can be 100 yards from the parking lot but if you're in the woods without a light and it's dark out, you might as well be miles away (has happened to me and I quickly learned my lesson)
Click to expand...

LOL! You learn to check your batteries regularly also.
 
FSCJedi said:
I would like to carry some hats/beanies as I’m rarely outdoors without one. I’ll have to look for some makers.
Click to expand...

For beanies it is hard to beat a Harbor Watch Cap or a Heist Beanie from Brixton. Brixton makes some cool stuff.

Want the beanie that none of your friends have? Then get a Watchman Beanie from Lock & Co Hatters in London.

It's $300, but hey... it's made of the world's finest cashmere from a company that's been around since 1676.

And I would be remiss to not mention my hometown boys at Filson.
 
Last edited:
I keep tubes of mentos in the car as emergency calories as well as plenty water and some soup packets. I keep my camping bag in the car, it doubles up as emergency kit. I also have a spare phone battery in the car and my bag as well as a usb charger.
 
FSCJedi said:
I’m curious: what is one essential piece of gear (that is not a knife) you carry as part of your EDC? Who makes it?
Click to expand...

000Robert said:
LOL! You learn to check your batteries regularly also.
Click to expand...

As far as EDC, stuff I carry every day, I use a light that takes a 14500 rechargeable battery, but will also take an AA.
I charge it the first weekend of every month. Hasn't failed to last a month yet.
Typical battery is good for ~300 charges, so at my recharge rate, 25 years. By the time the thing won't take a charge, I'll likely be pushing up daisies. Or at least have a newer flashlight. :D

Howsoever, in my hiking kit I keep a spare non-rechargeable lithium AA battery for emergency use. Not as bright, but has longer run time. There is a separate flashlight in the glove compartment of each of our cars, also loaded with non-rechargeable lithium AA batteries.
 
People also need to learn to check their batteries properly: that is under a load. Most battery testers just test the voltage of a battery. You will think that your batteries are good. Then when you are in the dark the battery, or a battery, will fail on you under the load.
I use an analog VOM (Volt/Ohm Meter)to test alkaline batteries that has it's own special selector spots for 1.5V, and a spot for 9V batteries. The VOM puts the batteries under a load while testing the voltage. And even my 4-cell Mag-lite will go dark even if just one of the batteries fail under load. Two of my D-cell batteries failed on me at different times during the winter storm and blackout we had this week in Texas. Good thing that I have plenty of batteries though.:)
And be careful when checking them in warm weather. Sometimes they seem to be fine even checking them under a load for a few minutes when they are warm, especially the larger batteries like D-cell. Put them in the flashlight and turn it on for five minutes or so and make sure that none of them are failing under the load. Or put them in the freezer for an hour, then check them. Edit: Well, a half hour should work.
For rechargeable lithium batteries, like my 18650's, I use my USB YYZ power monitors to test them under a load. I have a YYZ electronic load that can test them up to 3 amps. I like the USB power monitors because I can power them with my USB battery power pack if I am away from home or if I don't have AC to use, like during the recent blackout.
So, before you are in a situation where your life could possibly depend on your batteries or you could suffer some unnecessarily, check your batteries properly and frequently to make sure that they will not let you down when you really need them.
 
Last edited:
knarfeng said:
Howsoever, in my hiking kit I keep a spare non-rechargeable lithium AA battery for emergency use. Not as bright, but has longer run time. There is a separate flashlight in the glove compartment of each of our cars, also loaded with non-rechargeable lithium AA batteries.
Click to expand...

I like the lithium AAs and I use them for some applications -- they are lighter, have greater capacity, slightly higher voltage, and perform better in temperature extremes (both high and low) than alkaline AAs. However, I haven't been able to decide if they are a good choice for flashlight applications or not. Where the alkalines gradually decrease in voltage near the end of their discharge curve, the lithiums hold up very well until almost the end, and then "fall off the cliff." My concern is that they'll work fine for a long time and then suddenly die with little warning. That's OK if you are in a situation where you have access to spares, but not so great if you are out and about. Just wondering what your experience has been with them.
 
Ace Rimmer said:
I like the lithium AAs and I use them for some applications -- they are lighter, have greater capacity, slightly higher voltage, and perform better in temperature extremes (both high and low) than alkaline AAs. However, I haven't been able to decide if they are a good choice for flashlight applications or not. Where the alkalines gradually decrease in voltage near the end of their discharge curve, the lithiums hold up very well until almost the end, and then "fall off the cliff." My concern is that they'll work fine for a long time and then suddenly die with little warning. That's OK if you are in a situation where you have access to spares, but not so great if you are out and about. Just wondering what your experience has been with them.
Click to expand...

I use them when hiking and camping and have not had a problem. They get the most use in my black diamond headlamps. That being said i always have a spare set in my bag. When traveling I always have a headlamp and at least another light with me.
 
Ace Rimmer said:
I like the lithium AAs and I use them for some applications -- they are lighter, have greater capacity, slightly higher voltage, and perform better in temperature extremes (both high and low) than alkaline AAs. However, I haven't been able to decide if they are a good choice for flashlight applications or not. Where the alkalines gradually decrease in voltage near the end of their discharge curve, the lithiums hold up very well until almost the end, and then "fall off the cliff." My concern is that they'll work fine for a long time and then suddenly die with little warning. That's OK if you are in a situation where you have access to spares, but not so great if you are out and about. Just wondering what your experience has been with them.
Click to expand...

Never had any problems.
For my "out and about" batteries I use Lithium ion rechargeable. (Needs a flashlight which can handle the higher voltage.) I recharge them on a set schedule so I don't forget. I've never had a problem running out of juice between charges.

I use non-rechargeable lithium batteries (lithium-iron) for flashlights that don't get used much and for backup batteries. I use these for backup in my flashlights because they don't leak and they have a long shelf life. I cannot even count the many flashlights I have lost over the decades due to leaking alkaline batteries. The other good reason to have them for backup is that the runtime is 2-3 times longer than that of lithium ion, even though the amount of light is less. For an emergency, some light is better than no light.
 
Drop bear said:
I eventually want to get a canvas poncho to basically fill that just in case role.

But the one I want is expensive. So no time soon.
Click to expand...

Got myself natural wool ruana (poncho) from Colombia that reaches over knees. I wouldn't use it as every day garment but it is comfy as heck! Kind of like blanket that goes around with you. Perfect for napping too! It costed 30e IIRC + of course the 1000e plane and hotel tickets. :D
 
the bear minimal I carry is normal when me and the dog go to the woods not to far from my house we usually go at night because the dogs not the friendliest German shepherd
a coast AAA torch not sure of the model got it off a snap on van
zippo lighter brass
folder knife
bandanna
dog bags
dog treats
dog muzzle
short dog chain spare lead
water bottle
I don't take my phone keys or wallet because we like to run round when no one is there and I'm not smashing a phone or losing my wallet or keys only really use the torch to spot his mess when he dose it knife comes in handy for all sorts I only carry light as posside because we're running round and exersizeing and not to far from home I think most people here have a bear minimal EDC and that's normal mine
add on I don't carry a back pack apart from in summer when the dog needs more water the EDC fits in combat pants
 
Tjstampa said:
I once got a favorable ruling because I was the only one in the courtroom that had a working flashlight. When the power went out the court deputy realized his batteries were dead in his light and the emergency light also was not working.
Click to expand...

That’s a good case for carrying a backup light, which I started doing last year. It really sucks when need your light and it’s dead or dying and you don’t have anything else.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top