I am envious and curious. Where do you work that you gotta carry a pistol?

Programming has pretty much collapsed everywhere... ever since the "dot-com" bubble bursted. Lots of experienced programmers out there, but not so many jobs. <img src="images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Technical editing, eh? Is there good money in that?

If I were just starting over again, I think civil engineering might be a good field at this time. I think Iraq is gonna need a lot of new roads and bridges in the next few years. <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Divide your pocket into 2 vertical compartments using a safety pin or needle & thread. Size the outside compartment (near the pant's seam) such that the tool stands on end. Makes it nearly invisible.

Someone else on this board recommended this in the past. I'm simply parroting a good idea that works well. (It was CastAway2 in this thread.)

~Wesley

"Can't justify a Leatherman if I'm doing that. "

IMHO, ANY job can justify a Leatherman ..... <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

If I should keep only one "harware" item on me, it would be a Leatherman. And if need be, use a spectacle-case, riding on my belt, to make it less obvious.
(someone on this forum suggested to use such a case as a PSK container ... very good idea !! I will have to look into it ...).

Alain

I also have to wear a tie to work. I like to keep my pocket knife with a clip in my front pocket, but not have the clip showing. To do this you can use a small safety pin pinned horizontally inside the pocket close to the outter seem. Then slide you knife clip through the pin and it will stand vertically in you pocket and be invisible. I have also sewn a small piece of cloth into some pockets (works great and you don't have to worry about washing it).

Josh-184

Craig,
I was trying so hard to give up this place - raises my blood pressure sometimes. Anyway, without being too specific - my work often involves site visits to commercial rental properties, sometimes in inner-city neighborhoods. Some of these areas in the past have erupted in street violence after unpopular court decisions, police shootings, and such. I feel more secure if having to wait for the motor club this way. Kel-Tec P-11 is a great inexpensive lightweight 9mm. From my experience it needs a little polishing out of the box with 600 grit sandpaper on the feed ramp and slide grooves plus a good breaking in of about 200 rounds. Has flawlessly fired 700 rounds since breaking in. Not a Glock, but half the price, and lighter than the compact Glock 26 which is 19.75 ounces compared to 14 ounces for the Kel-Tec. As for the Leatherman wave in my pocket - I'm just used to the weight. Wear a suit once a week, but mostly Dockers (deep pockets) and sports jackets. Regards, Keys

Is it truly always necessary to carry a personal survival kit? I work in DC. I'm in and out of government buildings, assuming I leave my building, which I rarely do. I go through security in all of these buildings. As it is, I'm having to remove ID, pager, and phone, before I go through security. I'm not carrying a Leatherman or an edged tool. I'm not carrying an Altoids can. I've got a BOB in the office, a mini kit in my truck at the office, and another BOB at home, under 15 miles by foot from the office.

I do carry cash, a pager, a cell phone, several calling cards (of various types for different purposes), and a handful of credit cards. I'm in an urban area and close to my residence. I ask in all sincerity, why do I need to carry more than that?

No ill will or negativity intended. I ask only to learn and be enlightened. . . . <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi atty_guy,

Is it always necessary to carry a survival kit? No, of course not. It's only necessary when you find yourself in a survival situation. Of course, we never know when that is, but we can make realistic decisions based on realistic expectations.

I lived most of my life carrying only the "survival equipment" dictated by peaceful modern life ... money, ID, keys, etc. And I did quite well. I've had a nice life, primarily free from disaster or emergency. This is good, because I had no gear most of the time (and no training all of the time) and wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. I gambled with my safety, as the majority of people do, mostly because it never occurred to me to do otherwise. And I was fine. (I got mugged once, but got through it well (though, at the time, I didn't feel that way).) This is how most people live, and most people live through each day pretty well.

Those of us who frequent this forum usually want more. We want to know we've done all we reasonably can ... at least for the time being ... to prepare for the various emergencies which we can see likely coming up in our diverse lives. We plan for what we may be able to do later, and for how our lives may change later. Many of us have aspirations for doing more as time goes by. What that means is, of course, different for each of us, because we are all so different from each other. What I need for my daily life may be quite different from what you or anyone else need(s) for your or their daily life. You, like each of us, have to decide what you want or may need to carry. (Your involvment here indicates you've spent a good investment of time and energy doing just that, and good for you.)

You probably don't need arial signal flares or smoke. You may not feel the need for a Leatherman. You may never be in any sort of breakdown of civil services. You may never be the victim of violence. You may never get caught in a burning building. You may not work in a high rise or may not feel the need to keep rapelling gear or a parachute under your desk. Perhaps you've never needed and never will need a SAM splint.

I don't carry a fire extinguisher in my day planner, nor a field surgery kit in my glasses case. I don't carry iodine tablets in my pocket all the time. I don't make sure I have a signal mirror on a lanyard around my neck when I drive down to the mall to go shopping. I don't sit with a shotgun in my lap when I watch TV. I don't make sure I have a dental hygiene kit secreted away somewhere in my suit when I go to work nor a wire saw carefully woven into my belt. Heck, I don't even carry a backpack.

I do carry more than you say you do, and I've had occasion to be quite thankful I did. I've also read others' lists of their EDC gear and wondered why they thought it was worth the hassle and if they ever really used any of that stuff. Some carry more, some carry less; it's all up to the individual. Thankfully, I haven't seen it much here at ETS, but I've seen two types of competitions at other sites. The first is "I carry more than you" and the second is "I carry less than you". They're both pretty counterproductive contests, IMO. We each decide for ourselves which kind and how much of what items we will pack or carry for each different environment we go out into each day. Hopefully, it is a conscious decision and not merely laziness making a default decision for us.

I'm comfortable with what I carrry, and I'm always reconsidering adding and subtracting items. It's an ongoing process. Reading back over your previous posts, you seem quite well prepared. You've placed useful gear in a number of logical locations, and continue to consider and reconsider your preparations. If you're comfortable with your work thus far, then you're set for now. You don't need to carry an Altoids Tin to the office and you're not any less cool than anyone else on the forum if you don't always have your Wave or Super Tool 200 on your belt. (FWIW, I don't.)

Just keep an open mind and pay attention to the environment around you. Neighborhoods change. So do lifestyles, personal attitudes and the world situation. Next year, you may encounter a situation where you will reallly wish you had a Photon II on your keychain, or a couple of extra checks kept somewhere other than your checkbook. Next month, a friend may successfully defend himself from a hostile dog with a pepper spray, and you may decide that it's worth keeping one on yourself whenever you can. You don't know now what you may feel later, so always keep reevaluating what you carry. See if you can find ever more convenient ways to carry it. The process never ends, so just enjoy it.

Stay safe,
J.T.

I would still carry a small (ARC-AAA/Photon) flashlight and a whistle on my person. They are unobtrusive and come in handy, especially the flashlight. If the lights go out for any reason, at least you have something immediately available or can use it to search the copier for that elusive sheet of jammed paper. The whistle in addition to alert someone you need assistance, can sometimes also chase away those who might mean you harm. Pete

Well, I work in an office as a computer programmer. I also live in a town with a relatively low crime rate.

After 9/11, I got my pistol permit thinking I would only carry "now and then" only when the danger level seem high. Now I just carry all the time. Since then, the cell phone store next door has been robbed twice and we've had an attempted shooting at the fast food place 4 doors down. We also had a murder (shooting) last halloween in the neighborhood behind us.

Semper Paratus, right?