A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting fellow Backwoods Home writer Jeff Yago and found him to be a very smart guy. Here’s one of his articles on handy things for your keychain.
It’s a subject near and dear to my own heart. I like to be prepared for emergencies and the decades have taught me that when the crap hits the fan, anything you need that isn’t on your person or at least within immediate reach probably won’t be available in time. Keychains, with the sort of accessories Jeff recommends, are a great way to keep that stuff readily at hand.
All I could add would be the D-Jammer keychain I came up with for Monadnock Lifetime Products, the leading manufacturer of police batons, back in the early ‘80s. Picture a Kubotan mini-baton narrow enough to run down a .38 or 9mm handgun barrel to punch out a stuck bullet, casing, or cartridge. Mine carries keys for house and outbuildings and doubles as a self-defense tool.
I long ago found a P38 GI can opener to be a necessary item. Besides the original use, it can be a good screwdriver. The picture above prompted me to order a new handcuff key, mines worn after longer than I want to recall.
Separate keys for house and outbuildings?
Call a locksmith for one key simplicity.
There are some very good reasons to not have anything else keyed the same as your house.
Semi-related: There are also some very good reasons to keep your car keys and house keys on separate rings/fobs/lanyards.
This is one of my favorite articles of his. The only thing I could think would make it worse than crawling along the floor in the inky blackness would be if I had to use the men’s room…
I stopped carrying a multitool after a few times needing the pliers and a knife at the same time. So I carry my Victorinox Centurion and a Knipex Cobra XS Water Pump pliers. They both fit in the watch pocket of my chinos. A Husky penlight next to my pen and notebook is de rigueur, but perhaps not for my wife. An extra handkerchief (an old one) is also useful.
Another item that should be kept within reach in a vehicle is a ResQme tool for cutting seatbelts and breaking glass. Be aware many newer vehicles especially trucks have laminated front side windows that don’t break easily so you may need to escape out a back seat windows
I’ve carried my Gerber Dime for so long it looks like it was dragged behind my pickup. I couldn’t count the number of times it’s come in handy, Gerber should count me as a non-paid ambassador for the people I’ve convinced to buy one.
I carry a small pocket knife in both of my front pockets, a larger quick opening blade in my right front along with a flashlight in both pockets. I also have a small light on my key ring. Always prepared and my Scouts love it.
Those combination spoon/can opener/bottle opener that are a couple of dollars work great.
The extra length gives one more leverage if the years are catching up with you.
And though the tiny spoon may seem too small, it isn’t. If you actually look at a spoon when you are using it, most of the food is on top of the bowl, not in it.
Sad commentary on those of us totally sensibly equipped, for the savage land that is north east london:
“can I borrow one of your bottle openers Nicholas?”
“what makes you think I have a bottle opener on me?”
“well how many have you got?”
“err….. four”.
njk
The above posts bring up a related issue: that the front pockets of the majority of men’s pants aren’t durable anymore. I’ve noticed that cell phone pockets have replaced tool/utility pockets in some “work” or “cargo” pants.
Appears to be discontinued, at most online retailers. I was able to to get one, at a market up price at Bezos site 15 left. As I post.
Bezos-Mart’s pricing structure drives me nuts. It adjusts according to supply-and-demand, in real time, based on the inventory they have available. I’ve tried to order things and found prices 4x or 5x what I would pay if I ordered directly from the manufacturer. (Yes, the Bezos-Mart site showed that “Only 5 available – Order now!” flag.)
It’s worse for discontinued items that they can’t re-stock. My daughter lost her favorite lip gloss, and the color has been discontinued, so the Bezos-Mart price was >$60 for a tube that originally cost about $5.
IOW, that marked-up price you paid is likely the lowest any of us will pay; it will go up as they sell, especially if the warehouse can’t get more.
I still carry my D-jammer. The other day I looked down and wondered how that D ring got bent down like that, somehow forgetting until I saw your photo, that it had always been that way in contrast to the kubotan it long ago replaced!