Gear is useless unless it's at hand when you need it, and so I always like to carry a few items with me in a haversack. Unfortunately, I haven't been paying attention for about a month, so the contents have self-evolved. So let's do a bag dump - for me, this is an audit. Remember to think through your situation and carry gear that works for your situation.
The bag of choice is a USGI Molle Sustainment Pouch with a random crossbody strap held on by two carabineers. However, the strap is too narrow and short, and the Molle attachments can sometimes abraid my clothing. The bag's drawstring adjusts to carry more or fewer items. I have added other clips to attach things to the bag.
The contents of the bag from top-to-bottom left to right. A spiral-bound A5 notebook and pen, drawstring bag of "powerup" items, a 160gsm merino shemagh from North x North, keys, sunglasses in a case, Victorinox woodsman pocketknife, a torch, reusable shopping bag, card wallet, a reusable shopping bag of miscellaneous items and a rain hat. That all looks good so far.
A padded mesh drawstring bag contains the powerup items; a power bank, USB wall charger, mint oil, micro-USB charge cable, earbuds, 2x sweets to powerup me, and a USB-C charging cable.
The miscellaneous items are a spare mask, a tube of hand sanitiser, two hanks of 550 paracord, a mini roll dog poop bags, a thin plastic bag, a multitool, a mini first aid kit, a tube of lip-gloss, soft joint support for my knee, a biro pen and a mini-sharpie permanent market.
So what's missing? I usually carry about 200ml of water in a soft bottle, but my previous soft bottle sprang a leak when I used it as a hot water bottle to warm up an old lady. Also missing is a rain poncho, my NxN hooded neck gaiter, duct tape and more food! I must have gotten hangry someplace because I usually carry an OSM One Square Meal (333kcal) bar.
The first aid kit is missing paracetamol (acetaminophen) and a sizeable waterproof band-aid. I need a better way to organise the miscellaneous items, so I'll find a zippered pouch for those.
There might be too many items, but I generally get good use of everything in this bag. For example, just today, I used the sewing kit (in the first aid kit), the multitool and the SAK to repair the zipper on my mother-in-law's handbag. The things come really in handy when I end up being out and about for a few hours longer than expected.
What are your favourite EDC items? Until next time.
