I just bought one from Levenger for myself. I intend to attach it to my car keys. It measures 3.75 x 1.75 x 3 inches.

I was wondering if anyone else carries small gear (Photon II, mini Fox 40, Windmill lighter, compass, whistle, for instance) in a keychain sort of pouch.

IMHO don't hang anything extra on your car key. It is the main reason for the ingnition key switches to go bad.

Burak
Istanbul

I should clarify. The pouch I bought has a clip from which I would detach my car keys before starting the car. Fear not. I won't hang a wad of stuff from my car's ignition. That would be bad.

I can concur from personal experience that you should not hang heavy weights from your car's ignition. I have been doing this for a few years now and, surprise, I can now easily start and stop the car still but I have the dangest time getting the ignition to let go of the key after I have turned off the car.

Minime,
I carry my keys on one keychain, and all of my other "stuff" on a mega-keychain-type setup. Each rides in a separate pocket. This saves the ignition from wear and tear.

Hi Craig,

Yes, I'm a big fan of this approach - of having some of the stuff that makes up your total survival gear, but also functions as EDC, reside in an easily-accessible pocket pouch. I put into the pouch those items that I either use all the time, like the Micra, or stuff that might get pilfered from my Altoids tin, like bandages. I found a neat little zippered pouch at Galyan's called a "Marsupial Pouch," into which I insert the following:

+2.5"x4" Nylon Utility Pouch Contents:
CUTS, SCRAPES, N' ACHES
-1 medium rectangular adhesive bandage
-1 small rectangular adhesive bandage
-2 mini rectangular adhesive bandages
-1 round adhesive bandage
-1 antiseptic wipe
-1 "Neo to Go!" Neosporin packet
-4 Motrin IB caplets (200 mg. Ibuprofen) in aluminum capsule (blue)
SEWING/REPAIR (sewing kit in tiny plastic zip-close bag)
-1 large, 1 small sewing needle
-2 yds. ea. dark gray thread, tan thread
-1 threader
-1 medium, 1 small safety pin
-1 medium brown, 1 small clear button
-1 large, 1 small paper clip
-1 yd. thin twine
-small stick of hot melt glue
-1 small roll duct tape
ESSENTIALS
-1 Bic butane mini lighter
-Suunto Clipper compass w/luminous ratcheting bezel
MISC
-Fisher Bullet Space Pen (matte black)
-2 business cards
-1 Listerine PocketPak
-credit card-sized fresnel lens
-"baby" fingernail clippers




The rest of my EDC (not in the pouch) is as follows:

+ON KEYCHAIN:
-house key, car keys
-Princeton Tec Pulsar II LED micro light (blue)
-aluminum whistle

+IN POCKETS:
-wallet (ID, cash, credit cards, insurance cards, emergency info)
-coin purse (coins=$.25x4, $.10x2, $.05x1, $.01x4)
-comb, bandana, lip balm
-Leatherman Micra multi-tool

+JEWELRY:
-wedding band
-Citizen Eco-Drive solar-powered, waterproof watch

+ELECTRONICS:
-Samsung i300 wireless phone/PDA combo

This is just the stuff I usually go down the street or around the neighborhood with. For longer excursions, I of course add my trusty Altoids survival kit, and a real first aid kit with large gauze dressings, roller bandages, etc.

Yeah, after my "learning experience" I have taken to wearing a leather belt loop with split ring and attaching three sets of things to that that hang discreetly into my front pocket.
1) I have a wallet a little larger than the pouch gear-freek carries that hangs there.
2) I have a tool ring containing a swiss-tech utilikey, asp saphire lite, swiss-tech micro-tek plus
3) house and car keys

Nice Kit! I must do something like that also!

A quick question: If you carry this gear around with you, presumably to and from work, in a city you know, why carry the compass?
Excuse my ignorance if I have missed something blindingly obvious.
joblot

JOEGREEN,

What kind of "stuff" do you have on your mega-keychain? Names, brands, and versions would be appreciated (yeah, I'm a gear nut).

Craig

Having a compass even in a city you are familiar with, can allow you in times of emergency to quickly orient yourself. This can be important when visibility is minimal i.e. at night during a power outage, underground in a subway or in parts of the city with which you not familiar. Pete

Brad, you might want to try using a spare key to see if it comes out of the lock any easier. Sometimes the key wears from the load not the lock cylinder. If your spare works well have it duplicated for daily use. If the spare hangs up too then it's in the lock mechanism.

I usually have a god sense of direction. We went on a trip to TX once and the rental car place only had a minivan left, it had an overhead console with compass. My wife had fun covering the compass and having me guess which way we were heading and I was always right. We went to DC andother year and rode the subway. After getting off the subway in the middle of downtown DC and coming back up to the street I had to walk to a corner and locate the street signs and locate it on the map and even then it took me a while to figure out which way was which. So even with a good sense of direction there are times you can get turned around to where you loose your way. I want to pick up a small one myself soon.

Good point! I'll try that tonight. I wonder that I hadn't thought of that. I guess it's been too long since my days in Quality Control. I'll get back to you.

Seems easy to find you way in open terrain or in a city where the sites are familiar. In open terrain there are all the natural direction indicators that we have instinctually used for aeons. In a city where sites are familiar there are the patterns that we have come to recognize. Some of these are recognizeable even from unknown neighborhoods such as the skyline.

In a city in panic with the skyline damaged or obscured by - pick your event ( Storm: Quake: Terrorism) and people behaving - pick your modifier (panic: riot: dazed and confused:) most of the landmarks that you subconsciously recognize and navigate by can't be counted on and the paths you are used to using may not be passable / safe. Similar problems arise in more rural areas though the natural direction indicators are less vulnerable to some of these events. The sun still rises in the east and if that stops happening then we won't be here to witness it.

Situation that happened for real during a diff breather job on the train:

Me: Yeah I have a compass
Transit worker: Compasses don't work underground, you need an open sky.
Me: For real?
Transit worker: Yes I was Special Forces
Me: Wow.

Matt

In NYC fpr example when you get off the train and come up to the street level many times you don't know what east west uptown downtown is... I mean if you are standing on Brodaway and 42nd street and look up the block and see 43rd street as the next block than pretty much you know what your body position is. But chances are that you won't be able to see it (rain, obstruction, snow, stolen sign), or numeric streets change into names which in this case can confuse you. You can't do similar check up with the avenues becasue they are spaced to far appart. If you have a compass it's pretty much clear where you are all the time.

Matt

Was he in the SPECIAL FORCES that ride the short bus to school?

If you see him again, ask him how it is then possible to map out caves with a compass. Or, he saying because of the steel reinforcement of a subway/basement, a compass cannot be use in a manmade underground setting? Pete

No it was just plain ignorance. It had nothing to do with steel or metal in the tunels. Maybe his knowledge was based on fake assumptions or maybe he was thinking of GPS systems but in general he stated that compasses don't work underground (period). Reason compass came up in the conversation was because I had to specify location of the patient on the report so I needed to write "south/north/east/west corner of the platform".

Matt

Good grief … but reminds me of the time I was checking out our new Dick’s Sporting Goods, and the guy next to me in the camping section was fiddling around with the little Brunton wristwatch band compasses. He said they all seemed to be pointing in different directions, until I observed that maybe his big chunky metal watchband was the culprit. “Oh, does that make a difference?”

Craig,
I have a Leatherman P4 Squirt, a mini Fox 40 whistle with the extra nubs removed, a Princeton Tec Pulsar II, a Stanley 3' locking tape measure, and about 12 feet of paracord braided in a square sinnet-type fob which is about 8 inches long. Sorry, I don't have any pictures. I try to keep my car and house keys in the other pocket so that I don't list to port. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Post deleted by Chris Kavanaugh

I am all too familiar with listing. If I should ever fall into a lake or something, I'm gonna sink like a rock.

While I am sure no disrespect was intended, never-the-less; I am not sure I appreciate the humor of the link in this post, while I know it is important to be able to laugh at ourselves and trust me I laugh at myself and actions all the time. Laughing at the expense of someone’s disability is not humorous in my opinion. I work with Special Olympians during swimming season and find these athletes to be some of the most compassionate, friendly and “abled“ individuals I know. Just my 2 cents. Pete

I keep trying to convince my wife that my "spare tire" provides buoyancy in case I ever fall into the ocean. She's not buying.

ParamedicPete, I deeply apologize.

Was talking with one of my vets at work about SF and Group the other day and that story came up.

No disrepect was intended, but if someone takes offense, then it might as well have been done with ill intent.

Once again, I deeply apologize.

Unfortunately, I am not able to edit/delete the post as the time to edit has expired according to the board.

I have sent an email to the administrator and hopefully they will edit/delete the post.

No need to apologize, the linked web site was not yours. Believe me, I am not normally politically correct, nor particularly sensitive, but I do have a deep respect and admiration for Special Olympic Athletes. They have taught me a lot about what is important in life, how to survive every day and have given me the gift of their friendship. There is no need to edit your post, people should be free to read and set their own level of comfort. Pete

So to put a band aid on it I will tell another story:

My corp was volunteering an ambulance and the crew last May at the Special Olympics event. It was basicly running, sand box jump and throw events. Everything was going great, maybe few bandaid here and there. Oh and btw these guys can compete. I wish I was as hardcore when it comes to competition as they are. So at the end of the day one of the athletes falls down. Nothing really serious but he was wearing leg braces and one of those heavy shoes. After eliminating posible spine injury, we seat his in the stair chair and tend to the scratches. The kid is the nicest person out there. He asks questions, tries to learn names of the instruments , etc, etc. You would never tell that he is any different from other kids. Everyone is happy, smiling and ready for more action. Than my partner, takes some cold sterile water and pours it on his hand to clean up the abrassion. Kid was so involved and focused on others that he jerked his body and straighten out his legs in a fast kick/jerk movement. Everything would be fine except that I was crouched right in front of him and his heavy boot cought my manhood. Let's say that I couldn't walk upright for few hours and I spend a drive back to the base in the back cab with an ice pack.

Matt

With the exception of your foot encounter, I am glad to hear of your experiences with Special Olympic Athletes. Your prospective of what is important in life can really change through these enlightening encounters. I have three daughters, the youngest 10, can sometimes drive us to the edge with non-stop talking, then you stop, reflect and thank God that you have a child who can even talk. I know that many of the parents of these wonderful athletes would give anything, just to hear their child say one word. Pete

Thanks Chris. <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Rob, that is a nice, well thought out kit! My parents sell those pouches, and am going to visit them soon. Will have to pick one up and model a kit on your fine example.

Thanks, JoeBob. My efforts are the result of "standing on the shoulders of giants," meaning I've learned a lot from this forum's contributors. I'm actually considering putting together a few of these pouches for gifts for some of my buddies this Christmas. I'll also give them the Equipped.org link! <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here is a container I ran across that could be interesting size for a minimalist keychain kit.

http://www.911medalert.com/catalog.asp?action=showitem&id=1146&cat=54

#1146
THIS CAPSULE IS WATERPROOF & AIRTIGHT. IT IS O.D. CAMOUFLAGE IN COLOR, MADE OF SOLID ALUMINUM ALLOY. COMPLETE WITH A KEY RING & BELT LOOP CLIP. INSIDE MEASURMENTS ARE 2 1/2" x 1 1/4".

Very cool. Thank you.