Sometimes even a tin is too much. So I have put a survivial mirror, firestriker, matches, asprin, whistle and a button compass in the zip pocket of my wallet. Gives me the absolute minimum amount of kit. Can anyone do any better?

Thats basically what I have, didn't like the hard tins in my pockets. I'm using a kaybchain wallet. It keeps my keys from ratteling, has a reguler money pocket and a couple smaller pockets. I carry an emergency stash in the wallet part and a small knife (gerber ridge knife with the money clip removed), P38, tiny compass, and some bandages in it.

How about a SUUNTO Comet in place of a button compass? A couple Coghlan's Emergency Tinder in an Altoids strips tin is good! A few sheets of Rite-in-the-Rain paper is good. One sheet with useful phone number and account numbers can be good. A small flashlight. How about a couple band-aids in your wallet?

You have got to have some kind of pocket knife! How about a SAK VIC Farmer? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have sparklite tinder in the sub-kit & a single edged razor blade. Also, I am probably being thick here but what is a P38?

Thats the little military can opener.

Right, thank you. Good idea.

I do something similar, although it's not really a "survival" kit. I have a large wallet that has a pocket in the middle for a pen. There are two pockets that are roughly 3x5". I got the idea to put in a OMNISEAL bag from reading another thread here. Inside the bag, I have:

* 6 small bandages
* 2 round wooden toothpicks for htose annoying times when I get some steak or chicken stuck between teeth
* 5 matches in heat-shrinkable tubing (I've been looking for some small strike-anywheres... any ideas?)
* Spare truck key (most of the handle has been cut off to get it to fit widthwise) for when I lock myself out of my truck
* 1 safety pin

The big challenge is finding items that are thin enough to not make the wallet too thick. I think I've done a pretty good job. I also carry a Leatherman Juice Pro, an ARC-P flashlight, a USB thumb drive, and a cell phone. In the wallet there are 3x5 notecards for taking notes and the pen in the center pocket. Also the area for holding dollar bills is rather large, so I fit half of a folded-up paper towel in there.

http://www.riverjunction.com/catalog/saloon/matches.html

I've done business with them in the past. Pretty good matches, a little thin (I broke one trying to strike on my zipper), but worked nicely with some nail polish for waterproofing (be sure and coat the stick too).

Thank you very much. I see two different sizes of boxes, 250 and 32. Do you know if each have the same size matches?

The 32s are tiny not much pigger than toothpicks.

Diamond makes nearly identical ones. try youe Ace hadware store.

Cash. Lots.

True, if you're in the woods, Smokey won't make change. But if you're anywhere near people, you can buy everything else you need. Obviously, it's easy to be in situations where you'd want something else, but then you should carry a larger kit anyway. In an urban scenario, if I could only have one thing it'd be cash. Lots. :-)

Agree with many of the other suggestions.

My carry:

Keychain with flashlight (soon to be ARC AAA), P38, Leatherman Squirt S4, and BSA Hotspark.

BiC Lighter in pocket. Barely even gets a second glance in public, and I haven't smoked in 15 years.

Around my neck are my dog tags from my Reserves days (including my medical allergy tag) a blank dog tag that has been polished mirror smooth to be used as a.... mirror, a whistle, and $20.00 sandwiched between my dog tag and the polished dog tag (held together with a rubber dog tag silencer).

In my wallet are another $20.00, my Amex Card (an urban survival necessity if there ever was one), and a flattened cotton ball. Plus, a bunch of business cards (kindling!).

All my other EDC stuff is in my briefcase, which I posted on some time ago (And am right now too darn tired to find the link. Apoligies.)

I have fiddled with this arrangement for years, but I keep coming back to what I mentioned above. I have changed the knife/multitool several times, and the flashlight, too. But it pretty much stays the same. I will sometimes try some a new item for a while, but unless it proves handy or really necessary, I usually ditch it or move it to the briefcase.

Hope this helps,

.....CLIFF

How about a thin ferro rod, a broken off piece of hacksaw blade and a small piece of fatwood or some smashed Coglan's Emergency Tinder. This will give you more and better chances to start a fire than a few matches.

Pretend the wind is blowing, it is cold, your hands are stiff and you are stressed out! You really want matches? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

If that happens, put your hands into your armpits to warm them, take a deep breath and centre youself. Panic will kill you. Matches (long burn ones) are sometimes better & faster than a firestriker. If you have damaged hands you can pin the strikerboard with your foot, grip the match with the heel of both hands ( or your teeth) and make fire. Its been done at least once to my certain knowledge by a chap who had bad frostbite to both hands.

I have a Brunton micro-traveller keychain compass that's similar to the Suunto Comet you suggested. I bought it from TAD Gear, but it's no longer on Brunton's website (I assume it's been discontinued). I don't normally carry it, but I can attach it to my chain easily when I want to. But I've always wondered if a compass on a keychain will stop working correctly after time. Sure, the included keyring is non-magnetic, but what about all of the other metal we carry on our keychain? Will this cause problems with the operation of the compass over time? And will the plastic around the lquid eventually break from all the beating it will take? What do you all think?

So long as the compass is 1" or so away from any metal on the keyring you should not have any problems. A quick way to check is to take a north bearing with the compass on its own and a second one with it attached to the keyring. Just make sure that you gather everything else on the ring together on the opposite side of the ring. Anything in your pockets will get damaged sooner or later. I tend to be pathalogical about making damed certain that I keep anything carrying a magnetic field strong enough to magnatise my gear a safe distance away. That means a quick spot check against a known bearing before I go out. Takes a grand total of about 15sec's.

I have been using a zippered wallet (in addition to my regular wallet) from Eagle Creek. I keep an assortment of items in it.

Looks cool, what all is in there?

And I can see by the tape on the lighter that you are wanting to protect it from something, namely the flint wheel from moving. See another post "Protect a Lighter" about preventing butane discharge, which I think would be a more probable and more troublesome issue.

If you find the link, give us a head's up on where the thread is. I'd like to take a gander at your EDC briefcase. My stuff is in transition. Again. Sigh.

-- Craig

The BRUNTON 28NL MICRO TRAVELER COMPASS is available from TADGear in San Francisco for $4.89.

-- Craig

Heeeeere you go: click here

Hope this helps,

....CLIFF

Oh, nice bag of tricks.

Thank you. I think.

.....CLIFF
(like, who else?)

Cool. Thank you.

-- Craig

It is.

I tried putting some stuff (mirror, fresnel lens) in my wallet, but I found it got too bulky. I now just keep some tinder, writing paper, Fisher pen refill, and plastic bag there.

I currently have two keyrings. One has keys, Photon Freedom, whistle and parachord lanyard. That's what I consider the minimum of kit for an urban setting. It's what would have been useful during the Twin Towers event, for example.

The other keyring has a load of stuff which I am meaning to write up properly some time, and I have a few items loose (small SAK, lighter).

I have something I've put together that's maybe a bit more specific than this rig and I plan on posting the kit and pics as soon as I can complete the first revision. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Yes, it's "bulky" but no more so than one of Doug's PSK's. It is really intended for those times when I don't have enough pockets to go around. Mind you, it was amazing the amount of crap I had accumulated in my wallet. Once that had been sorted out the amount of space I had available was enlightening.

now that's just teasing *pout*

GAH! I know... I have it all mapped out, but I'm missing a couple of critical pieces and need to just work them into the budget to complete the kits.

Cool. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> I'm looking forward to seeing what you've put together.

-- Craig

I hear you --I have stuff in my wallet I haven't used in a year. Time for Spring Cleaning

Teacher

Would you mind elaborating now? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

-- Craig

Briefly, it has a small M4 multitool, a prybaby, a coin-cell light, a ferrorod with striker and tinder, some duct tape, paper clip, safety pins and rubber bands, and a pill-fob with spare money, a writing kit and a sewing kit. There was Inka pen, but that moved to the other keyring.

I'd add a small folder with a locking blade -- otherwise a good kit.

tro

I carry a small fresnel lens, hair comb, a very small F/A kit with a few bandaids/meds in a tiny zip-loc bag. This weighs next to nothing and gets stored in the pocket of my Tilley hat. In my pocket is my EDC Spyderco Salt 1 and on my key chain is a Leatherman Squirt S4 with a Photon 3 LED. Add wallet and cell-phone -- This is my minimum.

I also have a Leatherman Wave 2, a modified AMK Survival Pak, Petzl Tikka Plus headlamp, cell-phone charger, maps and reading glasses in my briefcase. If I wear a jacket, it may also contain a wind-proof lighter and another set of reading glasses.

1 Rescue Flash mirror
1 Fox 40 Micro
1 Spark-lite
6 Spark-lite tinder
1 Photon Freedom (night vision green)
10 ft yellow braided mason line
1 ft yellow duck tape on peelable backing
1 big piece HD foil
All this in a zip lock fishing permit holder
Measures about 3.5X3.5
And has 2 holes above zip seal for a safety pin or lanyard.
Looks like a small Ritter PSP

How did you attach the duct tape to the keyring? I keep mine in my wallet.

Same with the writing and sewing kits. How did you attach them to the keyring? Mine are in my shoulder bag.

-- Craig

No sharps?

My first two items are light and sharps. After that, a charged phone.

TRO

I've always got a SAK/Leatherman or what ever stashed some where about my person. Even if it's only a little swiss classic. And a photon light.

I found a light alloy tube - originally part of a cigarette lighter that was the size and shape of a cigarette. Made holes in it to take a split ring, then wrapped the duct tape around it.

I am leary of putting stuff in my wallet. I find it quickly gets too thick. For a while I carried a fresnel lens in it, but it was too thick, and duct tape tends to be thicker. A bunch of stuff loose or on a keyring seems to take less room.

Damn. You smart. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />