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What should I put in my "man-purse" daily survival kit?

mrgreen4242

mrgreen4242

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 10, 2004
4,377
9
Ok, I have a very nice messenger bag (or a man purse as my wife calls it) - like this. I don't like the feel of it when it's empty, so I'm packing it up with an "every day (nerd) survival kit". This is something that I'll be carrying with me all the time so I don't find my self unprepared for any situation (so I guess that makes it a man purse).

Here's what I've come up with so far:

  • multitool (of course). Swiss Army knife or Leatherman style. Or both. Probably both.
  • duct tape (small sized roll)
  • small roll of electrical tape, too
  • zip ties
  • travel sewing kit
  • dental floss (not for my teeth, but it's an amazingly handy way to pack pretty strong string - I've sawed through 1/4 plastic with floss before. Don't ask.)
  • Small flashlight
  • AA and AAA batteries
  • USB Dock cable
  • standard mini-USB cable
  • USB to AC charger
  • Spare cellphone charger (I can save space here using the USB cable for my Palm and the above USB to AC adaptor)
  • blank DVD/CDs
  • USB flash drive (actually I'll be super efficient here and pack a 2gb microSD card in a tiny USB adaptor, and my microSD to SD adaptor... I'll be able to plug the card into any PC, my/most digital cameras, and my/most cellphones, too)
  • Digital camera (about to get a Nikon D40, but it's pretty small, so it'll should still fit even with a smallish case/wrap around it)
  • Cellphone/iPod (though those are usually in my pockets)
  • ziplock bag with: travel toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, "wet wipes", and some extra, empty, ziplocks
  • .5L bottle of water (if it gets too full this will be the first to go. Water is heavy/dense, but I'll keep an empty bottle for refilling when thirsty)
  • couple of energy/granola/candy bars
  • gum/mints

So, what am I missing? What's the one thing you couldn't get through the day without that's not on the list? I'm considering putting a spare ATM card (not debit, since ATM cards NEED a PIN to work so if it gets lost it is less of a risk), a $20 bill, and some secondary form of ID (it's illegal to have two copies of your drivers license, so I'm not sure what else might do me some good).
 
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tringo said:
Sunglasses
Map
Pen
Paper
Pencil
Click to expand...

Paper/pen/pencil/sharpie marker... duh! Thanks for the obvious additions! Map is also a good one, and I have a nice laminated one that will go perfectly.
 
Good grief man, throw your "man purse" into the bin! If it doesn't fit into your pockets, then you probably don't need to carry it. :p


mrgreen4242 said:
  • multitool (of course). Swiss Army knife or Leatherman style. Or both. Probably both.
  • duct tape (small sized roll)
  • small roll of electrical tape, too
  • zip ties
Click to expand...

Good luck in explaining those away to a policeman. :eek: ;)
 
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You call that a man bag?

Hmmm, well this is what I carry.

-Leatherman
-Knife (Emerson or Gerber)
-SureFire Flashlight
-Oakley Sunglasses
-Hand Sanitizer
-Face Cleanser
-Clone
-Bleach Pen
-Blackberry 8830
-Laptop Asus EEE PC (Soon to be replaced with an MBA or MBP)
-USB Flash Drive (4 GB)
-Canon G9
-8GB SD Card
-Canon 430 EX
-Spare Battery for Blackberry and Canon G9
-Charger for EEE PC
-Gum
-Two Condoms & Lube (Just in case, still a virgin :) )

There's probably some more, just to lazy to look. My current bag is from American Eagle, but I am keeping an eye out for a nicer one. But keeping under $150...
 
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Looks like everything is covered.

Only thing missing that's in my man purse is:

Small container of sunblock
Roll of quarters
 
Your going to carry that with you everywhere, all day?

...I'll stick with my wallet and keys; if I need anything while I'm out and about, I'll just buy it. :D

If I was traveling, that would be a difference story entirely, and then (and only then) would some of your items make sense. :p
 
EricNau said:
Your going to carry that with you everywhere, all day?

...I'll stick with my wallet and keys; if I need anything while I'm out and about, I'll just buy it. :D

If I was traveling, that would be a difference story entirely, and then (and only then) would some of your items make sense. :p
Click to expand...

I do school online from home and I don't like to be caked up in the house all day. Hence I take my office with me... It's much more enjoyable.
 
Good suggestions!
Let's see, the condoms are out (married, have a 6 month old... let's just say they're not needed). But, the ear plugs, asprin (well, Aleve is my drug of choice), sunblock (I'm very pasty :p) are good ones. Tide/bleach pen is a good idea, too. I'd like an eeePC (or a MSI Wind, or one of the new Dell mini's... any subnote would be good, specs not important, but needs BT for tethering to my Centro) but I can't justify one at this point, especially since I'm about to drop $500 on a new camera... my touch and my Centro get my by for mobile hardware, for now.

Also, to the "explain that to the police" comment. Well, I'll explain it to them as soon as they present a warrant. Fah.
 
If they ask to search you, just tell them you have a knife and where it is located. There is no crime in caring a knife, it's a tool. That is if I let them search me, they better have a very good damn reason.
 
with all the items listed and the suggested items you're going to add, you might have to go with a roomier bag. :eek:
 
for me I have :

For secondary ID I carry a certified photocopy of my passport.

A pair of latex gloves is good too ( though combined with the duct tape etc -hmm)

a package of QuikStop for bleeding cuts

small padlock

postage stamps

hair elastics ( when you have thigh length hair they critical )

in my bag I have pretty extensive First Aid kit.
 
Your survival kit seems to be missing anything for self-defense. Get a conceal carry permit and start packin'. :cool:
 
mrgreen4242 said:
Ok, I have a very nice messenger bag (or a man purse as my wife calls it) - like this. I don't like the feel of it when it's empty, so I'm packing it up with an "every day (nerd) survival kit". This is something that I'll be carrying with me all the time so I don't find my self unprepared for any situation (so I guess that makes it a man purse).

Here's what I've come up with so far:

duct tape (small sized roll)

small roll of electrical tape, too
Click to expand...

ah dude, don't call it a man purse. please. it's a messenger bag. a jack bauer bag if you will. :cool:

anyway, to save space for tampons and what not, hopefully you have a nalgene bottle, and you can wrap the duct tape maybe 10 times around the base of the bottle (a friend did this in madagascar). i thought it was pretty genius. he also cut old newspaper into squares to use as toilet paper, that's another story.
 
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