Okay, I finally cracked this photo-posting nut. Here's my EDC "Tier One" kit that I listed a week or so ago. I forgot to mention a couple of these items because I use them so frequently that I sometimes forget to consider them "survival"-type items.



From top to bottom, left to right:
1. Rite-in-the-Rain Tablet with mechanical pencil
2. Wallet
3. Emerson CQC-7
4. 4 Gb Pen Drive
5. Cell phone
6. Watch (Luminox) with Waterborne watch strap and Suunto M9 wrist compass
7. Chapstick
8. My "lucky charm", a coin from my last military unit
9. My key chain, holding my keys (note the duct-tape mod on my failing key fob), a ferro rod, Bison tube with $100 and a little tinder, Photon Micro, and a 16" 550 cord lanyard.

The second picture is my "Tier Two" car kit.



As mentioned in the last post it contains

1. an the upgraded factory first aid kit, that also contains,
2. 2x - AMK Heatsheets (not picture, didn't feel like digging through the "first aid" portion of the kit)
3. CRKT Stiff KISS Knife
4. 50' 550# cord
5. Magnesium Block
6. REI Stormproof Matches (I listed these the other day as "Hurricane matches"
7. Mini-maglite with extra lamp and batteries.

Contained in the glove box are:
1. Nomex gloves
2. Surefire G2
3. Spares carrier with extra Surefire lamp and batteries
4. Gerber 600 Needlenose multi-tool

As per the advice of the good people here at ETS, two MREs and a gallon of water (not pictured) are currently in the back of my car as well, until I come up with a more substantial, permanent solution.

Pictures of my "Tier Three" kit will be forthcoming as I implement upgrades based on your advice. Thanks!

Hi Justin,

Quick comment: Not that I'd expect it to become an issue, but the Emerson CQC-7 might get you in trouble in the Boston area, where the blade limit is (an incredibly useful) 2.5".

Same goes for the CRKT in your car.

If you ever go to the Charlestown Navy Yard, they actually have big warning signs up about this at the main entrance.

(Note, I don't necessarily agree with laws like these, but I think it's worth pointing them out.)

Good call on the CRKT...

I thought I was good with the Emerson - my "at home" knife is a CQC Mini which has a 2.8" blade. I was pretty sure the law was 3".

Thanks for the info - I'll definitely look into that.

I tried a similar watch/compass combo, but I found it to be uncomfortable.

I now use a smaller button compass from the same company. About half the size. I also have the larger version, like you, but it stays in my BOB for redundancy.

Nice post, thanks for the info!

I love that Luminx watch. Wish I had one. But, I guess my Coleman watch tells time good enough for now.

Why do you have nomex gloves? Are you a racer?

Have you ever tried to skin something with those tonto style blades? How'd it work out? Maybe you never do any skinning, though.

Thanks - I love the watch. About seven years ago I decided I could keep spending $30 per year on a Timex (I'm either really hard on watches, or I keep getting lemons), or make a one-time investment in something that would last, and I'm glad I did. Highly recommended.

Nomex because I have a surplus of them, and they really aren't bad GP gloves for changing tires, etc.

And yes, I've done some light skinning/fish-cleaning with the tanto blade - no issues, but it's not as easy as a clip point. I'll live with it, though.

When I was looking at tritium watches I balked at the $200+ cost of most of them. I settled on a less expensive tritium watch that I've been extremely happy with. I did lots of research and left a BIG hint on the model I wanted, and got it for a Christmas gift. The bezel and case are a hard polymer rather than metal, and the tritium is only on the 12,3,6,9 hour positions (and of course the hour and minute hands). This helps keep the cost down.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/uzih3prwarus.html

I go through even expensive watches about one a year.

I'm on an Invicta 'Lefty' right now and despite the enormous crystal it's only taken it's first scratch in the crystal just last week after daily wear and tear since October...and that took getting up close and personal with some concrete. The dial shaft is bent and the case is pretty dinged up but that's normal by my standards.

Most of the features quit working on the Highgear watch I was wearing last year. I haven't been able to get warranty on it even though it has a 2 year warranty. The manufacturer keeps sending me to the seller...only I didn't buy it from a retailer.

The Guess watch I was wearing for the year before that looks like it went through a blender. Much cheaper than it's price tag indicated but it wasn't really expensive anyhow.

The Victorinox pocket watch I had the year before that broke with nothing more than an accidental collision with a mirror (though the mirror got the worst of it). The dial pulled competely out of the body and bent. I've yet to find a local shop that can repair it for less than it was bought for.

I've yet to find a watch in my price range tough enough to stand up to what I put a watch through.

Hey Hacksaw,

Your wrist watch history is exactly why after I retired from Active Duty, I started using a Pocket Watch. I've had 3 pocket watches now during the last 8 1/2 years and I've only broken 1 of those.

When I was Active Duty, I started using a military style wrist band. It was nylon with Velcro fasteners AND had a piece that covered the watch face. The watches that I had on that band would usually last about 2 years before I could destroy them.

Some of us maybe just weren't meant for wrist watches!!