10 essentials...for the city?

What are the 10 essentials for the city?
How do they differ from the wilderness 10?

Haven’t we discussed this... maybe not.

Off the top of my head:
1. appropriate outerwear for the conditions,
2. Shoes which are good for walking distance and protecting your feet (not beach flops/shower shoes)
3. an umbrella
4. Cash - Minimum would be enough for a few meals and a taxi/Uber ride home — in my case >$100.
5. In the great desert Southwest, a car/truck with a multi-day survival kit in the trunk. (Back east I’d have gone with my bicycle but the commute here is 10x what it was there.)
6. A sharp instrument for cutting, quality knife/serious scissors (non-locking folder in NYC and other urban areas). Urban - think SAK or LM. I EDC an SAK, a locking folder and folding scissors - different tools for different needs.
7. Flashlight, AA or AAA, LED,various outputs for different situations. I EDC a 1xAAA.
8. Cellphone (smartphone or otherwise). I’m transitioning back to a basic flip-phone, it’s all I need and I can have a spare battery. People these days are so proud they can buy coffee with their smartphone

I’ll reserve 9 & 10

My list (ordered randomly):

1. Sidearm
2. Spare magazine
3. Flashlight (generally I tote a Malkoff MDC)
4. Cell phone
5. Cash (my habit is to keep a couple hundred bucks)
6. Keys
7. Vehicle (so keys)
8. Spare battery
9. Extra clothing layer (in car)
10. Map of the area

I'll note that never before has my smartphone been as essential to my daily life as it is now. Recently I moved 1,200 miles to a city I'm not at all familiar with so Google Maps has been a godsend. Obviously I don't have to explain the limitations of technology but 99.5% of the time it's useful.

The following is not intended to be an essentials list. Rather, this is based on my experiences of living in Dallas.

Whistle
First aid kit - even something as simple as an AMK Ultralight .3 and a pair of scissors is helpful.
Medications - Rx and OTC beyond what you have in your FAK.
Water - have at least a bottle on your person. If you drive, keep a case of bottled water in your trunk.
Keep some food items on your person.
Kleenex pocket pack
Hand wipes or hand sanitizer - even in the city there are places where there is no running water such as at the porta potty or at the house of a friend who forgot to pay the water bill again.
Lip balm and sunscreen
Flashlight
Your tool of choice - if you're driving, have every tool in your car that it needs.
Wallet and cell phone
Bus schedules

Jeanette Isabelle

There are things I carry that don’t even cross my mind for a list like this but there they are; my 9 & 10 are keys and sunglasses.

Back east my list would be different. For one I’d have a Metro-card or two and my briefcase carried a lot of stuff. I could date myself by saying I had a Gerber Guardian clipped inside my briefcase and none of the security guards gave it a second glance; they didn’t care about something so benign. I don’t carry that briefcase any more, but the Gerber Guardian is inside.

A lot depends on whether you are at home, or at least in familiar territory, or in a totally unfamiliar setting. Always a good idea to have cash/credit cards and good ID, especially when away....

Interesting... I carry a small zipper pouch when out on my neighborhood walks. Besides the folder and flip-phone I carry when out walking, the pouch gives me cash and ID. I don’t carry credit/debit cards.

Oops, forgot to mention the sunglasses! I'm never without mine (a necessity for us blue-eyed types).

It depends somewhat on where you live, but in the desert Southwest, carrying water might be in order. Just back from my morning walk; if I’d walked any further, or if the temps had been higher (ie, in a couple hours), I’d have needed water during the walk rather than now, after the walk.

If necessary I could have fixed this by using another of my essentials and just bought a couple quarts at the supermarket I passed, fortunately, that wasn’t needed.

11. Water.

Below is listed my actual NY-NJ Metro EDC pocket/ person carry:

Clothing & shoes appropriate to the weather, inc. spare light polypropylene liner socks if I carry/ wear a jacket. Jacket for warmth has gloves, hat & scarf. It’s usually a Gortex shell and varied fleece liners , as appropriate. Umbrella as needed. I like The Unbreakable Umbrella because it’s big & tough and I’m less likely to forget it when moving from place to place.

LM XE-6 ( except where prohibited);

Occasionally, when & where lawful, pepper spray;

Keychain with keys, car fob , Utilikey, P-38, Bison med. cyclinder whistle, Fenix EO5.( lithium battery), Photon hooded Freedom button light (yellow bulb) mounted backwards in its holder ( prevents accidental on), Bison med. pill cyclinder wrapped in 24” of Gorilla Tape ( 4 ibuprophen,4 decongestants[ephedrine], 2 caffeine tablets & 4 81mg. chewable aspirin );

Browning pen with carbide tip (car side window breaker) ink pen & flashlight;

Mini Bic lighter (yellow, so I can see contents and find it when if I drop it) , taped under lever to prevent leak;

27”x27” yellow bandana;

IPhone with 150% Mophie battery/case [ downloaded SAS survival mannual, first-aid mannual, useful urban app.s ]

Front pocket wallet (contents: 2 credit cards, license, other ID, medical insurance cards, Medic Alert ID; flat magnifier, Fingertip bandaids, alcohol prep pad, dental floss, & 4, cut down yellow sticky sheets, minimum $500 in $1,$20 & $100 bills [ cash saves ur life in a mugging, buys the unavailable ride, gas or hotel room in a storm, etc.]

HOT, dry ironed ( asceptic) 27”x27” yellow bandana sealed in Sterile Gerber Breastmilk Gag, edges reinforced with Gorilla Tape [ This “kit” gives me a trauma bandage, duct mask, signal flag, sling, hobo carrier, chest- seal bandage, etc. carried against my wallet makes me highly pickpocket resistant. ]; and most but not all the time a ;

Backpack briefcase or Urban GHB, the contents of which I’ve posted before on this forum.

Lately its been an water bottle and either a rain jacket or umbrella