Pocket Carry Revisited

A couple of years ago I did a post about my daily pocket carry. Then Ferfal made me start to think about it again in his most recent post. I went back to my original post on the topic and noticed that he just commented on it a month ago. My pocket carry has changed a bit in two years so it's time to revisit the topic.

First of all I upgraded my flashlight. I went from a single AAA Rayovac pen light to a 2x AAA Streamlight Stylus Pro. The Streamlight is much brighter and more durable. The Rayovac is smaller and lighter. It's durable enough for light duty use and after several months in my pocket I still have it and it still works just as reliably as the Streamlight. The light isn't very bright, though. In a truly dark room it's completely worthless. It took getting stuck in a pitch black warehouse to make me realize how bad it really was. The Streamlight doesn't exactly light up a room but it's bright enough to light a clear path no matter how dark it gets. I bought it and first reviewed it back in November.

I also upgraded my mini Gerber Paraframe to a CRKT Urban Shark. The CRKT is bigger and fatter but it's not a big enough difference for me to notice. It feels more durable and it holds a better edge. More importantly it fits much more comfortably in my hand. Most importantly, it's just a higher quality knife. The size of the Gerber was very convenient but it was a little awkward when I needed to apply more than a little leverage.

I added a multitool. I started carrying a Gerber Clutch off and on at least a year ago. After finding myself using it more and more often I've begun carrying it all the time. It's a handy little tool but, like the paraframe, I can see myself upgrading to something a little bit bigger and more practical. Whatever I replace it with just needs to disappear in my pocket as easily as the Clutch does. I'd rather not pay a lot of money for an upgrade, either. I've got a few full sized multitools (from high quality Leathermen to cheapo Winchesters) so when the time comes that I need a bigger multitool on a regular basis I'll have something to fall back on.

Not much else has changed. The cell phone is a no brainer. I hate carrying anything but keys on my keychain. Keychains are bulky enough without a bunch of crap hanging off of them. I always like to have a pen on me. I've sworn by Bic lighters for years and that's what I'll continue to carry. Besides the normal cards, pictures and emergency contact card in my wallet I also carry a small firesteel (broken off of one of those cheapo magnesium bars) and about 10 or 20 feet of duct tape wrapped around an old expired credit card. If you're one of those people who can't keep a credit card in your wallet without maxing it out then that might be one way to have one handy in case of emergencies.

I've been thinking about other ways to turn my wallet into a mini survival kit but I really don't want to go nuts. I need my EDC to disappear into my pockets. I can't carry backups of backups of everything. I can't carry anything on my belt. If I can't find a use for something day to day then I don't put it in my pocket. I prefer to carry quality items that I can rely on to work rather than carry three flashlights, four lighters, two multi-tools, five knives and two or three guns "just in case". If it can easily disappear into my wallet and there's the chance that I may someday be able to use it, though, then I may be able to justify it. In a worst case scenario what I always have on me just needs to get me to my car where I keep my GHB. That's where I keep my backups to backups and things that will help insure my chances of making it home during a disaster. My car is never more than a few blocks away so it will take one hell of a problem for me not to make it at least that far. More on that later.