The wilderness 10 essentials are well known; but what are your 10 for city and suburban living?

1. Cash,
2. Identification (drivers license, et al)
3. Appropriate attire (which won’t attract undue attention),
4. Comfortable footwear,
5. N95 mask,
6. Small FAK,
7. Water as needed depending on climate,
8. A full tank of gas,
9. Local map (paper/hardcopy, not your cell phone),
10. More cash.

I really suppose it comes down to what problems you expect to encounter in daily urban life. A lot (okay, all) of the above plus tools and all the gear in my truck go with me every time I go for a drive. Gas tank gets to about a half tank and then it’s made full again. Footwear for me is running shoes with socks that depend on weather (sometimes wool, other times CoolMax).

The classic Ten Essentials were:

• Map
• Compass
• Sunglasses and sunscreen
• Extra clothing
• Headlamp or flashlight
• First-aid supplies
• Firestarter
• Matches
• Knife
• Extra food

My urban Ten Essentials are:

• Smartphone and means to charge same
• Cash and credit cards
• ID
• Appropriate outerwear and footwear for long walks
• Pistol and reload (where legal to carry)
• Flashlight
• First aid supplies (OTC meds, boo-boos and trauma)
• Knife
• Small multi tool
• Pen

I tend to carry around $200-300 in cash, sometimes more and never less. Cash is the great problem solver.

Most of the urban areas I frequent I know well enough to not want to carry a paper map. If cellphone networks go down and I don’t have a vehicle, I hope to be able to get a taxi. When all else fails I should be able to get a hotel room.

I was on the road for 26 years in mostly rural Northern MN, MI, and WI. I pretty much agree with your list, even in rural areas. In that time, I got stuck in deep snow at night out of cell phone range and had to walk 7 miles on a deserted road to a backwoods truck stop to summon a tow truck. It was -1F and snowing. I was dressed in business clothing, but also had my deer hunting clothes and boots which I put on for the long walk.

Another time I was traveling and had only a $50 bill. It was late evening and I was very hungry. No open diner or fast food along the way would accept the bill. I got home about 1:00AM quite hungry with a crumpled 50 in my pocket. .

I have seen cash machines out of service, gas pumps in remote area where they required cash. I got stuck in flash blizzards in Northern MI and had to shelter in my car until the log trucks came by to break a trail on the road.

I was checking into a hotel late in the evening (snowing of course) and found out my corporate card had been deactivated by mistake. Took several hours and a call to the company VP to get me into a room.

I got stuck on a dead end forest road when a 200 car train stopped on the track, blocking my exit to the highway. There was no way back or around, and I was there all morning waiting for the train to move (no cell service). I was lucky because sometimes those trains sit there for several days. I had water and food with me.

You never know what is going to happen.

Think in terms of priorities rather than items. In urban areas you are more likely to be able to find shelter, but may need money to obtain it. Signal is very important and likely to be able to solve many problems, if the cell phone system is working. My urban carry looks a little different from my wilderness carry, but accomplishes mostly the same things. Your physical needs remain the same, what is available, and how you obtain them, may be different.

Is a smartphone an urban essential? Is it a necessary item or merely a convenience? I’d be interested in hearing opinions.

I’ve started carrying a ruggedized flip-phone (Kyocera DuraXV) so I can make necessary phone calls, but being continually connected (internet, cellular/wifi) seems to be more of a crutch than a requirement.

In a lot of situations, you may not be sure where you will end up - so, it's cash plus camping gear

I can do a whole heck of a lot to improve my situation with a smartphone. Some examples: navigation, gathering information, making/changing airline reservations, buying train tickets without a physical credit card, renting hotel rooms (reservation, check in, and in many cases “digital key” capability) without a physical credit card or indeed without interacting with a human, find and unlock the doors on my car, in some places pay for parking, and I’m sure I’m missing a lot.

The camping gear is hard to carry in some situations. I try to carry the things that have the best utility to size/weight ratio, while leaving major shelter items in my car or at home.

As Chaos said, communications can do a lot for you in any situation or environment.