Mine goes everywhere except elementary/secondary schools and bars. Read the laws on the books in your state, some are more lenient than others. Haven't got in trouble yet, but I keep it well hidden and I have a permit which is super easy to get here in Washington State.

I like to keep a tongue depresser with braided HD fishing line, electrical tape, and duct tape spooled on it. It is a handy way to carry all three.

Meds, like ibuprofren, benadryl, pepto bismol tablets, and immodium are pretty handy as well.

In California, New York, Chicago ... probably. In other places, not so much. Of course I am talking about legally being armed (permits, training) and using discretion (pretty much means "concealed carry").

My Office EDC consists of:

- Keys
- DR photon flashlight
- Swiss-Tech UtiliKey
- Wallet
- Cell phone (mine)
- Blackberry (work's)
- Bic lighter
- Victorinox Classic SAK
- Gerber EZ-OUT Jr.
- Cash (in a money clip)

This is about as much as I can carry around the office in slacks without having a Batbelt.

I then have a bunch of other stuff in my laptop bag (backpack-style) including my PSK and some other knives and tools.

I have my BOB downstairs in the building garage, if I can get to it. It would suck to have to walk home (40 miles; ~ 3 days) but I have enough gear in the BOB to handle that.

In terms of the bic lighter, how do you carry it? Mine keeps getting lint in the striker if I just carry it in my pocket (I'm a non-smoker, so it sits for long periods of time). I wrapped mine in plastic for a while, but my keys wore through that in a few weeks. No big deal, but I'm always looking for that elegant, "now why didn't I think of that" solution.

Jim,

I keep one in a plastic prescription bottle. Works in a pack or bag or loose fitting pants, not so stylish with dress slacks.

I probably overpack but I would suggest adding a beefier FAK. I carry regular stuff like aspirin, Band-Aids, Purel, Tums, etc. in a small pouch on the outside of my workbags so I can get to them easily (and don't have to put the contents of my bag on display). I add a quart-sized baggy (the new ones that you vacumn seal are very nice) that contains some 4x4's, nitrile gloves, a foldable N-95 mask, and some 4" rolled bandages among other stuff. Squeeze or suck the air out and it really doesn't take up much room.

I also stick in a DR PSK, a "space" blanket of some sort, a cheap plastic poncho, couple of food bars and a couple of water purification tabs.

Since I'm a ham I also carry a small handie talkie with wideband receive so I can also listen to AM/FM radio stations and local PD/Fire channels.

I can put all of this plus my laptop/electronics gear in a Maxpedition Typhoon bag (on which I hang a LED flashlight, a Petzel e-lite and some other stuff) and have a very manageable package from a weight and size pov. This bag will also carry a 45 oz hydration bag. I carry this bag into limited access govt. buildings without problems.

Dunno; I haven't had a problem with lint in the striker. I don't smoke anymore (or else I'd still EDC a Zippo), but I do take it out and light it every couple weeks as a test. Perhaps that is enough to keep it clear. I also have matches in my desk drawer, a Sparklite in my PSK and another (zip-tied) Bic down in my BOB, so I'm not too worried about being able to make fire when needed.

I used to carry one, but I don't anymore. When I did, it was a mini-Bic. I took a very small piece of duct tape and rolled it onto itself, making a tight roll about the thickness of a pencil lead. I then cut this down to a small length so that I could bend it into a "U" shape and put it under the gas switch (or whatever you call that part you depress to release the gas). Then I took another small piece of duct tape and put that over the side of the gas switch, holding that "U" in place so the switch wouldn't be accidentally depressed in my pocket. Next, I took two large rubber bands (cut from bicycle inner tube) and attached the mini-Bic to a P-51 can opener (or was it the P-38? ... whichever is the larger of the two). Then the P-51 was attached to my keyring with a small split ring. Kind of a hokey setup, but it worked. And I had the can opener and ranger bands as bonus pieces of equipment.

I'm still quite concerned about these electromagnetic door locks of yours. Have you asked anyone in charge about this situation? The locks may actually disengage when the fire alarm goes off. Another thing I would personally want to know is whether the doors unlock when the power goes out. Some don't, that is, they "fail secure".

This situation bothers me because I remember feeling really sorry for some folks when I read a news article a few years back about some office fire. For security reasons, the doors in the stairwell can't be opened from inside the stairwell once they close behind you. A number of office workers were going down the stairs to escape but ran into thick smoke so they had to retreat back upstairs. Unfortunately, they couldn't gain access to any of the floors and they died in the stairwell from the smoke. I understand the security concerns for setting things up that way, but that's tragic.