When have you used...

[Salamander42]

My kit tends to be more of a regular use thing rather than a for survival/emergencies only though I guess having the kit may sometimes be what keeps a situation from becoming an emergency. My mag-light and Swiss Tool get used at least several times a week at work. Band aids and neosporin get get used fairly regularly, as does the advil. One time last winter I was taking the bus around town while my car was in the shop and I used my Fox 40 whistle to get the attention of a bus driver who was pulling away from the stop a few minutes early. My girlfriend and I were shopping at Hobby Lobby one time when there was a power outage. . . I gave her the mag light and took a little keychain light I have for myself and we kept right on shopping. I've often had smokers at work start to ask if I have a light then stop as they remember that I don't smoke, then as they start to turn away I say "well actually. . . " and hand them a mini bic. I use my DMT diamond sharpening card to touch up my blades fairly regularly. I've gotten to work a couple of times to find that I've somehow managed to forget to clip my Delica or Native on my pocket, so the Dragonfly comes out of the kit to get me through the day. That's about all I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Frostyfingers]

The poncho in my daily carry bag came in handy 2 weeks ago when we had a HUGE storm and lots of flooding here in Louisville. Of course, the wind was blowing so hard my pants and shoes were soaked by all the near-horizontal rain, but most of me was dry.

I live about an hour south of Louisville and was up there on the first day of that storm with my girlfriend, picking up her mom from the airport...we couldn't park in the temporary parking because it was flooded. The whole town was a mess. Glad to hear your kit came in handy!


Good stories, everyone!

 

[beckerhead]

As I sit here typing with a bandaged up thumb, I can say THANK GOODNESS I had my kit. Just last night about 12:45am bleary eyed and drowsy I decided that after cutting a bit of green wood with my CV Soddie earlier in the day I should clean and oil my blade. Good idea, BAD timing.
While wiping the pivot area clean of crud and lube I slid my thumb straight onto the edge. I instantly squeezed my thumb into my wiping cloth and headed to the bathroom for a bandage.
What did I find? Nothing, not a single band-aid in the entire heap of medicinal flotsam we keep for a family of 5!
So much for general preparedness right!
Anyway, without a hitch I hit the closet, grabbed my house kit and got wrapped up nice and neat.

As an aside, it isn't a bad idea to practice accessing your gear, and its sub-contents one handed. A zipper, a ziploc bag, and the bandage wrapper itself was kinda hard one handed, even in a calm, well lit, controlled situation. A major cut, at night, or after notable blood loss could be your undoing without familiarity and easy access.

Beckerhead

 

[PayetteRucker]

My PSK is what is in my pack, and if I'm doing a hike longer than a few miles, say an hour, it's on my back. I use it on a daily basis. Specific example though, this weekend I was in Seven Devils, climbed up She Devil and down into Sheep Lake to camp. Never seen clearer water in my life, but I used my aquamira water filter anyway because I figured the goats/sheep, deer and everything else alive up there would have been drinking out of it too. Now that I'm back I am showing no signs of any sickness that may have come from the water, that filter is inexpensive and works well. Much better than any tabs I have ever used and it doubles as a water bottle while moving!