After reviewing this forum and all the great information contained therein, I revised to a small degree my typical 'pocket gear' -<br><br>Much like the 'Don't leave home without it' gear that Doug has listed here, this stuff is in my pocket at all times, other than the necessity of leaving sharps behind if the destination is a commercial aircraft or courthouse...<br><br>Here's what I've decided on:<br><br>Sharps:<br><br>Master Knives 'Negotiator': a production knife made in Tiawan, I've had it for well over a year, and it's given very good service so far; 3.5" blade, thumb stud, aluminum handles with liner lock, a drop-point blade of 3/32" AUS-8 (so marked on the blade). It has a lanyard hole, textured grip, stainless liners and a teflon bearing. It can be disassembled with a allen wrench for cleaning/lubricating. The blade is a bit soft, but no worse than some buck knives I've owned in the past. The cost was about $20 IIRC. It will be replaced one day with a Sebenza, say when my stock options are cashed in. :)<br><br>Schrade Lightweight: This little gem is not really necessary, as I already carry the bigger one-handed knife, but I like it so dang much that it's always with me. The blade is drop-point configuration, thin and approximately 2" long, of 'Schrade +' steel (whatever that is) and has a zytel handle with lanyard hole. It is of the lockback style, with the lock release in the spine of the handle. This little blade came from the blister pack sharp as a scalpel and weighs next to nothing. I think it could be worn on a neck cord and you could forget it was even there. Cost: about $10 at Wally-world.<br><br>Firestarting:<br><br>In the absence of a good, small sparking stick, I have decided on a clear-sided Bic style lighter. It's not ideal, but has worked well in my tests even after being soaked in water and shaken and blown off; so I'm reasonably confident that it will work when needed.<br><br>I'll add a sparking rod when I get around to ordering one, as a backup.<br><br>Light:<br><br>I was lucky and found a Photon-II on sale - it's now on the keychain. I got the red version, as it's estimated life is so much longer, and it should help save my night vision when called into use.<br><br>Signaling, Compass, backup firestarting:<br><br>I have a combo whistle, compass, magnifying glass and Thermometer from Coghlan's - all in all a nice little package, if it initially seems a bit gimmicky. The whistle is sharp and pretty loud (about the same pitch and loudness as a Fox-40 I have), the Compass calibrates well against a good Silva I have, and the magnifying glass, while small, is quite clear, though I have yet to test it's firestarting capability. The Thermometer is probably useless, unless knowing how hot it is in your pocket is important I like the little gadget, and further testing will prove it's worth or prove it needs to be replaced.<br><br>Other:<br><br>The classic P-38 rounds out my kit. I have seen so many uses described for this little hunk of steel it's amazing. It'll open cans, and many other tricks. I wrap a piece of duct tape around mine to protect my skin and pockets. I have considered sharpening one of the edges to act as a reserve sharp, but haven't gotten around to that, yet.<br><br>So, there you have it - enough tools to hopefully be able to assemble shelter, start fires, signal for help should I ever need it, all of which disappear into my pockets and hopefully are fully 'urban camoflaged'... <br><br>Anything I've missed?<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tristan