Basic Urban Pocket Kit - Light, Sewing

Light

Another area when you should spend your money wisely.

I've got cheap micro lights working beautifully for years. And some, apparently identical, that failed in a day. If you plan for a light that could save your life or getting you out of trouble, it's wise to buy serious stuff.

I got a Photon X-Light Micro LED Keychain flashlight on eBay for less than 5$ (other reliable brand alternatives exist).

The Photon has several modes, including the possibility of choosing the brightness level, so you can seriously extend the battery life when in need. Apart from that, I do not believe in complicated survival / strobe / SOS light modes.

Photon is a serous company that makes good product and this is the cheapest they make (I believe), so I bought it. If it has fancy modes... fine, but I didn't buy it for them.

In addition to the X micro in my kit, I also have a cheap small similar one attached to my house keys and another one that I got as a promotional item attached to my car keys (we use the car very, very little, btw but have some form of kit in the trunk as well).

Two or three lights might seem to be a lot but when you really, really need light you will certainly find out that batteries love to run out and torches love to break down.

As one of the possible worst-case scenarios I could find myself in, in my real daily life, involves a broken subway train, in a dark gallery, I tend to err on the safe side, when it comes to lights...

Sewing Kit
Spend a night in an half-decent hotel and they'll supply you with one of the most useful BUPK components. Learn to sew, at least to replace a shirt button (the smart way is to do it with two needles). Be prepared, train for emergencies. Learn to do it in the dark, with one hand tied behind your back. You never know what might happen on your way to that critical business interview.... (I also glued an extra, large, button alongside to coins.)

Basic Urban Pocket Kit - a few extra things

Complaints department
Yes I am a smoker and I know this is bound to attract a lot of nasty comments.

As far as I am not smoking near you, let me be (we're probably some thousands mile away, so...).

Having found a small, clear, tough plastic tube in a drawer, I included it in the kit as cigarette holder. You know... the last smoke, should you unexpectedly find yourself in front of a fire squad... or in front of a closed tobacconist...

Alongside the lonely emergency cigarette you will notice:

- a micro ballpoint pen (salvaged from who knows what)
- a larger needle for sewing or stiching larger wounds (;-)
- some metal wire, useful to keep stuff together or to improvise something I cannot imagine at the moment.

Please note that Ikea pencils are a convenient (and free) replacement for the ballpoint pen.

Self-defense
The best thing you can include in a cigarette-pack sized kit, for self-devence purpose - is the absence of any weapon.

If you know of any self defence item small enough to fit in my kit but still effective, let me know. On the other hand, either you have had a specific training using weapons - regular or improvised - AND keep training regularly... or you are probably exposing yourself to danger if you try to use one.

Run away if you can. Better still, keep your eyes peeled and try to anticipate and avoid finding yourself in a tight spot.

And/or learn martial arts - that might help you but don't think you can do the things they do on TV. Just forget about it. Bad guys tend to be a lot tougher than the average amateur martial art practitioner...