I may have missed this in some of the posts so far, but it seems to me that one thing missing in many lists is a pair of leather gloves. Even a pair of leather dress gloves can be invaluable (a bit spendy if one tears them up, as I have), but a pair of all-leather work gloves is best. In temperate climates the heavier cowhide gloves, perhaps with a bit of thin insulation, are very useful. In hot climates a pair of thin pigskin gloves will still afford a lot of protection for innumerable situations (need augmentation, such as a cotton bandana or some other natural material if they will be used to grasp or manipulate something hot). Lightly insulated cowhide gloves will protect long enough from even mild red heat to do something useful without injury - still, use caution.<br><br>The pigskin gloves are so compact and lightweight that I tote both types (pigskin and lightly insulated cowhide). The pigskin gloves can even easily be folded and placed in the handkerchief/bandanna pocket without discomfort.<br><br>IMHO, the cowhide gloves should be fairly flexible, so I avoid the stiff smooth types and go with split leather instead (plus they are less expensive). None of these gloves are very expensive. Hand protection is well worth any minor cost.