A Students’ Perspective: It’s the Little Things
So, one of my best friends is always trying to get me into playing Golf. Most of my friends play, some more seriously than others, but I often decline these group outings because frankly, I’m just not really enticed by golf. I like my projectile sports to move a little faster but that’s just me. Anyway, his latest attempt to bait me into Golf was to appeal to my compulsion to acquire peripheral gear, which is honestly one of the most fun parts of any hobby. Like so many shooting enthusiasts, I have a bag of stuff to help me enjoy…wait, I need to be honest. It’s not a bag of gear, it’s a closet, and a dresser, and a cabinet, and some drawers in the other room, and some stuff under the bed, and most of the trunk of my car. But to this end, I’ve been thinking about something recently, and thought it might be nice to share. As I peruse the Internet gun culture, I keep seeing a topic that has greatly intrigued me. EDC threads are a where online users basically dump out their pockets and share with each other the equipment that has become their Every Day Carry (hence, EDC). This is a neat little metric, and I am constantly fascinated by what people choose to carry, and not just their gun/holster, but also the other odds and ends that go with them daily. It has occurred to me, as I unload my pockets when I get home at night, that I too have a certain regularity to what I have stuffed, clipped, and attached to me when I leave my house. In full disclosure, many of the choices I’ve made have been inspired from the folks that I’ve spent time with at Shoot Logic. While many in the staff there have Law Enforcement and Military backgrounds, it really stems more from their belief in self reliance, and thoughtful discussions about what small things can make a big difference when life throws you an unexpected and generally unwelcome emergency. So, to that end, I took a an inventory of all the knick knacks that I keep with me, and there are so many, I’m only going to talk about what’s on my keychain. Yeah, a post about my keychain…I really need to get back on the range. I never leave the house without my keys. Bluntly, I’m pretty proud of my key chain, and adding a few small trinkets, and a choice selection of actual keys will allow me to manage a wide assortment of inconveniences, and should I ever really be in a bad situation, I have a few tools at hand that might make life easier. Flashlight – there is no excuse not to have a small LED flashlight on your keychain. I like the Streamlight Nano ($10), and I have given them as Christmas gifts regularly over the years. It’s tiny, tough, bright and cheap. It is far and away the most used item, and if you don’t have a light on your keychain, fix that right now. Knife – A Spyderco Ladybug has been on my keychain for about 15 years. I used to have a nice leather trimmed SOG Attaché , but it sadly wore out. Don’t worry; I still have it, as it was a gift from my Dad, who has carried a pocketknife for the 41 years I’ve known him. I don’t think I need to convince people reading a newsletter from a gun school the virtues of a small quality knife, but from opening mail to scraping inside an AR bolt, that little Spyderco has always had my back. It has never needed to cut me out of a seatbelt post car wreck, but it could. It’s mans oldest tool, and for good reason. Whistle – Ok, go ahead, make your rape whistle jokes now. I’ll wait. Done? Ok, I keep a Fox 40 bright yellow plastic whistle on my keychain. It is dirt cheap, tough, and loud as hell. Anyway, a few years back, a friend had taken a bunch of us out on his boat. Everything was going smoothly, but the Department of Natural Resources boat showed up and spot checked us for safety (there were a lot of people on the boat). The inspection was going well, right up until they asked where the emergency sound device was. My buddy feverishly searched for anything, and was about to get a ticket, when all of a sudden, one of the girls on the boat piped up and said “Does this count?”. She produced her keychain whistle, gave it a blow, and the DNR folks went back about their day. So, Whistles:1, Boating Violation:0. If nothing else, I think it’s worth mentioning that your voice is weaker than you think, and shouting for help will blow out your throat out quicker than you realize. Need another example? I think we’ve probably all seen Titanic, and while I hate to point to fiction, the fact that a whistle saved the day makes my point. Jump Drive – There is no doubt we live in a computerized world. There is also no doubt that jump drives vanish faster than pens and cheap sunglasses, so when I saw a tiny one in the checkout lane from Staples for a key ring, I jumped on it. Now, while it mostly serves for moving files around the office, it also can serve as insurance. At the end of the week, I back up my most important work files to it. If, God forbid, the office burn down, I have what I really need to get up and running in my pocket. I could keep all sorts of things on that drive. Honestly, one of these days, I’m going to scan my will, titles, deeds, etc and keep them handy, just in case I come home to a smoking pile of rubble where my home once was. Now, we have to be careful with this kind of personal info, but easy to use encryption software will cost you about $30, and turn that keychain jump drive into a vault. I’m no data expert, but I know having a jump drive on my keys is effortless, handy, and has gotten me out of some jams. Your mileage will vary. Handcuff Key – Ok, this has not been terribly useful, I admit. It was a gift from a coworker who spent his 20’s as an EMT, and keeps a handcuff key on his keys to this day. It had something to do with giving aid to suspects in custody, but he had a stash of them, and since it takes up such little real estate on my ring, I figured it couldn’t hurt. One day someone might get stuck in some handcuffs, and on that day, I will be the greatest person they ever met…maybe. A Bluetooth Tracker – So, they make the gadgets that connects to a Bluetooth network made up of people’s telephones, and in theory, you can use your smart phone to track the location of the device. These devices are great in theory, but sadly, not very reliable in real life. Mine is about a year old, and I’ve had to switch the battery out. I still think the idea has merit, and maybe it will help out should I ever lose my keys. I suppose there are arguments about willfully allowing your location to be found by some tech corporation, but I more worried about lost keys than my presence on “the grid”. While not very reliable, they are cheap, and I think it’s an idea that will grow in time. Pill Stash – Now, I don’t actually use one of these gizmos, but I have put them on my wife and nephew’s key chains. There are many varieties, but the general idea is a little waterproof capsule that I roll up a large cash bill and insert inside. I keep cash on me all the time, but my wife and nephew don’t. So, to alleviate this problem, they now have an emergency $50 handy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the teenage nephew has already spent it, but I like the idea that if the card reader ever breaks or the wallet goes missing, there is a tank of gas and a meal for a loved one quietly dangling on the key ring. On a final note, as I finished writing this post, Christmas was nearing, and a nephew in my life was about to be gifted his first car. I’m a big fan of this kid, and I remember the freedom having a car created. I loved the ability to get across the Cooper River, race around the John’s Island tomato fields with my pals, or maybe actually pick up a young lady and go on a date. With this era of his life about to start, the best gift I could think to give him was a keychain with the same assortment of tools I carry, so that he wasn’t totally unprepared as he explored the world around him. That freedom comes with responsibility, and as he ventures away from his parents, he will be on his own to deal with the curveballs of life. I’m not sure if it’s as fun as a video game, but I sleep a little better because of it. |
Mike HoganMike Hogan is a forever student of shooting and is an avid shooter and collector. A self avowed mall-ninja...he does that to hide the fact that he can write. Archives
June 2017
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