Interesting questions.<br><br>What materials to help me survive a natural or manmade emergency do I have "on [my] person right now"? Lessee, there's what I always wear or carry ... waxed heavy cord necklace, velcro strap watchband, woven tough elastic cord belt, sturdy hiking boots, smartwool socks, sturdy denim jeans, cel phone, comb, cash (both bills & coin), credit cards, checkbook, medical insurance card, drivers' license, laminated note in wallet (with my blood type, medical and other allergies, status as a non-drug user, non-smoker, non-drinker and request to to whoever finds me unconscious to please call the listed family and emergency contact telephone numbers), picture of me and my Girlfriend, Chris Reeve Sebenza with lanyard attached, spiral tablet of "Rite In The Rain" lined waterproof paper, Fisher "Bullet" space pen, "Kubotan" keychain (holding keys to my own home as well as other "backup" abodes, such as my Girlfriend's and Mother's homes) with Acme "Tornado" whistle, B.C.B. Int'l flint rod and Photon "Micro Light II" flashlight attached, one condom ... er ... spermicidally lubricated w/ reservoir tip ... NOT for water purification ... and kept secure NOT in my wallet where it would be constantly subjected to destructive crushing pressure and torque to weaken it every time I sat down, but rather in a small metal white-painted Extra Strength Excedrin tin (12 tablet capacity) for travel or pocket carry (larger than the similar normal strength tins ... er, no joke intended ... really), a mini sized disposable Bic butane lighter, a Leatherman "Micra" mini multitool, two bright 1"x3' ribbons (one yellow, one orange) for flagging down emergency vehicles or other for signalling purposes, two large safety pins, a Brunton "Emergency Pocket Survival Kit" (which is really a set of three waterproof plastic cards with survival instructions, a "floating" compass and a flexible plastic fresnel maginfying lens), two "Tender Quik" waterproof tinders and a small pocket First Aid Kit (with standard small injury items and foil packed two-tablet sets of a few drugs, as well as a CPR "Microshield" one-way valve face shield and a pair of nitrile surgical gloves).<br><br>Today is a little bit odd, because I happen to also have in my pockets a Kriana 180-degree green "Extreme" Krill lamp (with lithium batteries, of course ;-)) and a Shomer-Tec "Blackie Collins" CIA Letter Opener (which I shouldn't have on me, and which I only leave in my desk drawer and actually use -- honest to God -- as a letter opener).<br><br>Then you said "within reach". That would be my polarized lens REI Glacier Sunglasses, Evac-U8 smoke hood, personal inspirational/spiritual material, desk phone, computer (with Internet connection), a veritable library of books and an assortment of large cardboard boxes (which could be used as tinder, kindling and even fuel), spare batteries (not lithium , unfortunately), some mixed nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds & baked cheese snacks, multivitamins, chocolate bars, coffee packets and breath mints. No water. My bad. :-(<br><br>If I extended "within reach" to include my Jeep Wrangler down in the garage (I'm at work as I write this), I've got a full tank of gas, five slightly-larger-than-normal-stock tires, heavy duty suspension, High Lift jack, tow strap, misc. auto gear (such as flares, Cyalumes, heavy gauge tangle-free jumper cables, tire plug kit, electrical tape, duct tape, hose tape, hose clamps, basic hand tools, yadda yadda ...) 4D Mag Light w/ traffic cone attachment, automobile safe (meaning heat-safe) container of pepper spray, Potable Aqua, baseball cap, hairbrush, toilet paper, disposable toilet seat covers, two disposable plastic ponchos, a compact umbrella, sunscreen, *scalp* sunscreen (for that increasingly thin area up there), two pair of heavy duty pigskin gloves, a disposable camera and a large medical bag styled after the one I carried as a Texas state certified Emergency Care Attendant for a number of years on a Medical Response Team at work (which has too much stuff to list here, but which I've altered to be less geared toward industrial settings and more toward traffic accident scenes). I also have a cigarette lighter adaptor for my cel phone. What I need is another tow strap (& someday a winch) & some more and better recovery tools.<br><br>I have not yet pulled my winter kit out of the Jeep. I need to go ahead and do that, and replace it with my summer kit.<br><br>The winter kit has Nuwick candles, BCB lifeboat matches, emergency water packets, rock salt, Reynolds extra heavy duty aluminum foil, Pelican "MityLite Magnum" flashlight w/ spare bulb packed in cotton inside a 35mm film canister, a 180 and a 360 "Extreme" green Krill lamp, spare lithium AA batteries for the Pelican & Krills, Grabber warm packs, reflective "Space" blankets, a nice warm wool blanket and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. What I need to find is a wind up travel alarm clock.<br><br>The summer kit will have LOTS of water, fanny packs, more sunscreen, another folding umbrella, two lightweight "boonie" hats, insect repellent, chemical cold packs, hiking foods & snacks, extra sunglasses ... er ... and anything else I think of when I'm packing it.<br><br>Geez ... it's already May. I *really* need to get those kits switched out! So much for preparedness...<br><br>At home, I have more emergency water & rations, several survival & combat knives, no guns (although I have just completed my CHL course and will likely be buying a couple before the end of the year), escrima sticks, manriki-gusara, firewood, lots and various candles and, of course, all my survival kits that I only access when appropriate, such as my ditch bag for overwater travel, my offroad bag for four-wheelin', my hiking kits and my bugout bag (kept ready in the closet by my front door).<br><br>Whew!<br><br>I didn't realize I had so much darned *stuff*!<br><br>Personal and professional skills include a lifelong on-and-off-again interest in martial arts (which I keep intending to get more serious about), nine years in the Industrial Security business, four years on an industrial Fire Brigade, two years on a Haz-Mat team, four years on a Medical Response Team (as already mentioned) and (again, as already mentioned) a recently completed CHL class. I have not yet submitted my final paperwork to the state for my license, so no gun on me yet.<br><br>And then, there's my library of books, which contains more than a few on various survival oriented topics such as medicine, outdoor survival, crime safety, natural disasters, social unrest, legal matters, off-roading, sailing, hiking, etc.<br><br>Wow. That was a lot of fun. Thanks for the questiong. I didn't think it would take so long to write this, though, and I didn't expect it to turn into a dissertation. Sorry.<br><br>Stay safe.<br><br><br>
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