A great sounding kit, I'll admit. And BIG.

I would nix the hammer right away.

Binocs are something I carry in my car, and in my BOB, but I'm rural; I'd never carry them EDC. If you really want something like that, look at the mini monocular that the soviets designed and the germans perfected.

What you are listing won't fit in a pack-rat. Most of it will, but it will be packed so tight you can't get to anything in an ermergency without having everything blow out all over. I've seen that problem in a lot of EDC'ed PSKs that are considered the holy-of-holies and never used.

My EDC:
-Leatherman Supertool, Pocketwrench II, cut down pencil, Streamlight TwinTack 1L, in a HSGI double pistol mag carrier (Fastex + Velcro = there when you need it)
-Micra, MagLight Solitaire, roll of electrican's tape, keys, on a biner
-DocAllen Versatool, box cutter, pens, pencils, black Sharpie in pockets
-Wallet w/ 2 photo ids, medical card, p-38, tinder, a few bandaids, frensel lens

In what ever pack I'm carrying, I put a water bottle (at least 20oz) and my pack-rat, with:
-a bunch of 4" and a few 6" zip ties
-precission screwdriver and drill sets in pin vises (drill set has a pair of sewing needles and a very heavy sewing machine needle to use as an awl), Squirt EL, spare bits for the Versatool (sometimes the Versatool is in here if it is humid), 6" diag wire cutters, 4" fisherman's type needle nose
-SAK (don't know the model- large and small blades, saw, bottle and can openers, awl, phillips driver)
-black and silver sharpies, red, green, blue and black ball points, pencils, red dry erase marker, pencil sharpener
-lighter
-bandaids, 2x2, 4x4, tylenol, alch pads
-ruber bands, comb (long hair and goatee, need these when the soldiering irons come out)
-spare box cutter
-wire (insulated, usually 24ga or so, several pieces)
-two thumbdrives
-notebook
-calculator
-4 AAAs, 4 AAs, 2 CR123s
-minimag, fiber optic adaptor, 4-legged holder (can't remember what they are called, but handy as it gets)
-phone card, different photo id, duplicate medical data card
-p-38
-filter mask, 2 pairs of earplugs
-8 feet of 550 cord, small roll of red electicians tape, twine, 1 ounce fishing weight (for tossing the line or paracord)
-about 15 feet of ductape, wrapped on a small plastic rod
-1 gallon zip lock, 2 quart, several smaller (4x6, 3x5, 2x3) bags
- change, some ones, check book, address book

And this poor packrat is full!

That is my EDC, along with my steel toed walmart sneakers. My day can have me anywhere from a small urban area (~250K people, nothing more than 10 stories, but plenty of chemical works on higher ground than downtown), to suburban development-type land, to farmland, to being on a large lake, to the truely remote parts of my state. I've been in all of those but the lake today, actually. Long day, taht's why I'm rambling.

Good night, everybody, you've been a swell audience.

Two things I didn't see in your list that come to mind for your area:

Respiratory protection - the bandana is okay, an APR would be better, but is bulky, surgical mask or disposable 3M type masks might be the best compromise.

Eye protection - Safety glasses would be okay, goggles would be better.

After watching the aftermath of TTT falling down, and the resultant clouds of concrete dust overtaking everyone and everything, I would think that hazard would be an imperative to plan for in such an area. If you can't evacuate or shelter in place, you will be immobilized by the dust cloud if you can't see or breath.

Just a thought.

Wow... even with only 32oz of water and no real stocks of food, this look like about 50lbs of gear. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I would be interested to see what it all weighs and how it is carried once it is fully essembled. Be careful not to get more than you can carry for long periods of time while moving at a decent pace on less than desirable terrain (through debris, narrow doorways, etc).

Dan,

I used to carry about as much as you, and the Blackout of 2003 taught me a thing or two about a realistic kit for NYC. I'm in NYC all the time I used to live there as well.

First of all, water. Water, water, water. Did I mention water? In an urban environment, your opportunties to scrounge, steal and buy stuff are far greater than in a rural or suburban area, but water is a must.
After that, light. LED lights are the way to go for battery life. The new Pelican recoil LED lights kick butt, are light and have huge battery life.
Next is communications. A cell phone, tiny radio and spare batteries are a must. After that, a leatherman tool. Get a Wave or something decent like that. Put a Fox 40 on your key chain, put a tiny LED keychain light on a necklass.

With just that kit, you're well on your way in NYC. If you have an NBC attack, you're going to be stripped naked, thrown into what amounts to a carwash for humans, and everything you were carrying will be carted off as hazardous waste and destroyed. And if you're in a car bomb situation, if you survive the inital blast, you're going to either be entrapped, wounded, helping or unaffected. None of these situations calls for heavy equipment. NYC has - without question - the finest emergency services in the nation. You're no more than 3 minutes from a full response from a massive team of well-trained people. Of all the cities I go to in the USA, while I feel that NYC has the biggest "bulls-eye" on it, it's also the city where I feel most confident in the ability of the government agencies to respond and act appropriately to a major incident, so I pack MUCH lighter than I would in a place like LA or DC, or Chicago.

Recon, I understand what yu are saying about the utiloity of two multitools re. bound nuts & such. I got tired of bulk, and picked up for a whopping $6.00 a pair of Craftsman ignition point pliers [really little channel locks - but with great range]. Of course, nobody but gear heads know what ignitiion points are anymore, and I could never find any use for them when workingupon my ignition points, but there you are.

I originally saw this page when somebody posted it here, and I thought this thread would be a good place to pass it along. The joys of being homeless.


Robert

I just picked up a Leatherman Juice Xe6 for my kit and really like it. It is very compact and has a saw, file, diamond file, serrated blade in addition to the usual suspects. Great selection of stuff for a compact solution. The only downside is it's a little heavy at 6.8 oz.

What I really wish is someone would make this type of multitool, but use titanium for the pliers and the other structual items in the tool to cut weight. Blades and such should remain stainless.

-john

I carry a small Sebenza, but I just bought a Mini-RSK Mk1 for my wife and it's a DARN nice. I think you'd be HARD pressed to find a better folder for 100ish bucks.



Not sure the purpose of any of these items. I carry some spectra cord in my kit. It is strong and light weigh and you should be able to improvise various things with it. I don't know what you'd use the wire for, but brass isn't very strong. You could tie something more securely with the spectra cord than the cable ties. Of course you can tie stuff with the cord instead of bungies.



Agree with this one - more bulk and weight than needed. Personally I keep a razor blade in my FAK, but that is it. Of course I also have a folder in my EDC. BTW, these are the style blade I use - it has a little cardboard wrapper around the business end. I picked up a box of them at a local hardware store.



I agree about dropping the hammer. Seems like a lot of weight and if you were trapped you could always hammer with a brick or whatever is lying around.

I think the prybar is a good idea. I carry a 15" titanium pry bar in my kit. The idea here is if you are trapped (in my case the primary issue is earthquake) you can use it to help free yourself. The version I have doesn't seem to be available anymore, but there is this one: titanium prybar.

I don't really see the need for the punch tho. I can use the prybar.

-john

At the risk of repeating myself, I would recommend Dacron over Spectra cord for tying things. Spectra cord tends to break easier when tied in knots.

Just a suggestion.

Ok, thanks. I'll have to check it out.

-john