Always prepared. Expect the unexpected. Ready for anything. These are little sayings people like to throw around, but I take them to heart. When in volatile places such as Afghanistan it’s the difference between life and death. While in the office or out in the city preparedness can mean the difference between a great day and an utterly disastrous one. I take it to heart to always prepare myself for anything and everything. Over the next few posts, I will cover what precautions I take when preparing for the unexpected.

Everyday Carry:

100’ 550 Cord
10 Tablets 500mg Motrin
20’ Duct Tape
32gb Flash Drive
Lock picks
3.5 Benchmade Knife
Pathfinder Watch
.40 Springfield XDm (where legal)

There are the primary items that I keep on myself at all times to handle situations that may arise, and I refer to these as my everyday carry. This is my method of keeping everything compact and together so that it is there and ready to go.

550 cord, as it is often called in the military for its 550 pound test strength, is also called para-cord, or type 3 nylon. It is a braided nylon rope sheathed in a nylon casing. To make it manageable I do a quick deploy lanyard (seen here). This allows me to keep it around and ready to use.

I have a small pill container that attaches to my key chain that is water proof for holding the Motrin for aches and pains.

The duct tape is wrapped around an old pen, with the ends cut off for easy portability. To attach it to my key chain I ran a piece of 550 cord through it and tied a knot to keep it from sliding off. Duct tape has so many uses that people have devoted entire websites and books to cover how useful it is, so having it around can’t hurt.

I have a level 2 encrypted flash drive and store many important documents on such as all my military records, financial records, maps of areas that I am in (past, present and future), backed up phone data,  my various licenses (pilots, concealed handgun, military, drivers, scuba diving and parachutist) and various other things that I deem important.

I keep a small set of lock picks on my person should I forget the key to my office, a lock box  or a friend is locked out of their place. It is important to know the laws of your area on carrying lock picks, in Texas it is a crime if you have are caught either doing something illegal with them or they can prove you had intentions to. Either way, keep your nose clean and only pick locks that belong to you or that the owner of has given explicit permission.

I keep a Benchmade brand pocket knife (I prefer the brand for their customer programs such as LifeSharp and quality of products) that is very handy for cutting the 550 cord, cutting things open (stupid packing) or a number of other things.

My watch (Casio Pathfinder) does more than tell me the time, it also has sensors to display current altitude, a compass that can be adjusted for the declination in the region, and a barometric pressure over the last 24 hours to help predict upcoming weather conditions.

My last piece of everyday carry is a compact pistol. I prefer the .40 caliber for the large magazine capacity but significant stopping power over the 9mm. The Springfield XDm is a very accurate and durable firearm that I trust to perform should the situation arise. Of course you should always know all of the carry laws in your area and keep a copy nearby (on your flash drive perhaps?) and abide by them at all times.

Next week I will cover what items are good to keep in a vehicle to be better prepared.