What do you carry in your backpack?

not in a backpack... A Leatherman Squirt ES4 is my keychain, laser engraved with my phone number in case my keys get lost, but now that this model is discontinued, the tool is far more valuable than the keys.

To save you a few clicks: It's a miniature hobbyist/electronics multitool built around foldable pliers, where the inner part that usually grips different bolt heads is replaced with wire strippers 12 to 20 AWG. With a bit of angle and speed you can cleanly strip to 24 AWG stranded or 28/30 solid (although I'd just use teeth for the latter). You can still grab reasonably small & loose bolts with the end. It also has a knife, one-handed scissors, file, bottle opener, and flat as well as flat-sized-for-Phillips screwdrivers. I probably use this every single day at work and at home: opening packages or beers, making XLR cables, prototyping with microcontroller EVBs, trimming loose threads/tangled hair ends/a rough nail/tag wire, tightening drum heads when the keys are all missing, scraping/filing dirt from suede, slicing food, turning screws.

When I carry a bag it's a giant diaper bag with all that this entails or---more rarely---my camera bag which has a laptop pocket and a drink pocket for an insulated metal flask. Otherwise, a slim wallet and phone completes the ensemble.

My backpack is perpetually 2/3 full before involving whatever I'd actually like to carry at my destination (e.g. groceries). Much of that is typical EDC goodies like a raincoat or change of clothes (which is actually really pleasant when you have it around).

The hack there is to have a spare bag or two folded in your bag. :P

However, since I don't really use a smartphone for much, I do use up some space with esoteric devices, which is my answer to your "unique items" question. Here are a few that one might find in the mix depending on where I'm going:

* Spare PDA w/ foldable keyboard

* Alphasmart

* Wonderswan

I also know of at least one or two folks who EDC a typewriter. I'll occasionally bring one along, but nowhere near every day. :)

Don't use a backpack for every day carry, but a heavy cloth shoulder bag containing;

* folding umbrella

* mosquito repellant

* baseball cap

* string bag for shopping

* blue pen

* small plastic pack of dry wipes

Some of this may seem odd to many, but I live in Thailand and all items are handy, though some rarely. Clothes pockets contain the usual phone, money, keys, documents.

Personal laptop, school-issued laptop, water bottle, and lunch.

Some unique things I’ve added to my kit over the years:

* blister packs of certain medications, loperamide and ibuprofen being particularly useful

* Narcan, unfortunately

* small gifts (stickers/morale patches/enamel pins) to hand out as thank yous

Not contents, but I recommend an internal frame daypack. I got one made by Osprey. I find that it greatly reduces discomfort caused by oddly shaped items or heavier loads.

In order of surprise

* Towel small (no kidding; but have only used it a couple of times in ten years)

* Harmonica

* Kindle

* Fountain pen and notebook

* Water bottle

* Regular electronics/chargers

The backpack I keep in my car boot (“trunk” for the Americans here ;) ) has: a set of ”work” clothes (rugged trousers, breathable shirt, high vis rain jacket, also boots but not in the backpack), USB battery pack, old AirPods, a few handkerchiefs, a mini first aid kit (also a bigger first aid kit but not in the backpack), an assortment of useful pills, individually packaged gum, compact umbrella, hybrid gym/bathers clothes, gym towel (and beach towel but not in backpack), a very very bright keyring flashlight, multitool.

Recently removed: plastic water bottle (the plastic leached into the water too quickly)

I'm full-remote, so this is my general "I'm going somewhere and want to be lightly prepared" bag, rather than something I actually carry everyday. I'd take this to the coffeeshop if I actually needed something in it, etc. I'd also take this with me if I traveled, but with a packing cube or two of clothes also slipped in.

* My laptop (MacBook Pro 16")

* A pack of charging supplies (this is my covers-everything pack for extended travel, so it's a charging brick and enough cables to charge my laptop, phone, and watch, and a battery for emergencies)

* My kindle

* (Situationally) my Steam Deck (in a JSAUX ModCase, which greatly slims down its space needs compared to the bundled case)

* A bunch of OTC medications -- painkillers, mostly -- all jumbled as bare pills into a single small pill case

* Emergency snacks, generally RxBar protein bars

* Some pens and pencils, which honestly I almost never use but feel I should have

* Water bottle

* Umbrella

* A grid fleece layer, in case I'm in a very aggressively cooled coffee shop

* A jumble of miscellaneous small supplies: glasses cleaning cloth, toothpicks, etc

Currently all in a Mystery Ranch Catalyst 26 <https://www.mysteryranch.com/catalyst-26-pack> (it could all fit much smaller, but that's the size with a separate laptop pocket). I've been thrown off by my work standardizing on the MacBook Pro 16", when I'd far rather have the 14" for easier carry.

On carabiner :

* backup / secondary wedding ring (different style than primary):)

* usb stick

* flashlight

Right small pocket: deodorant, mints, toothpick/floss/toothbrush

Left mesh pocket : change, 5cm charging cable

Left small pocket : wired headset that came with phone, packet of Kleenex / tissues

Outside compartment

* lip balm, allergy pills, ricola/halls, tums, cialis, ibuprofen, tylenol, Gravol (small cutouts of blister packs or portable versions), Band-Aid

* pen, pencil, highlighter

* this is where small chargers, charging cables, good headset with boom or good headphones go

* Samsung note 8 (my entertainment phone, no sim, WiFi only)

Medium sized compartment

* one or two of : dslr, steam deck, Nintendo 3dsXL, drone, etc

* large charger brick with 1*pd for laptop, 2x USB A charging slots

Top small compartment

* puffer (salbumitamol / bronchiodilator), nasal spray, spare wallet and travel id's, usually another wired headset lol

Largest compartment

Typically clothes

Laptop compartment

Laptop and tablet or kindle

This all packs a lot smaller than it sounds :).

A few things I haven't seen others mention:

- tiny travel umbrella (6-8 inches in length when compacted)

- Colgate Wisps (when you need to fresh up your teeth/breath on the go)

- Airtag

- eyeglasses cleaning cloth

- PNY Pro Elite external SSD (barely bigger than a dongle, super portable; I'd probably opt for the similar Samsung T7 instead if I was buying one right now)

Nothing too interesting, Steam Deck, s8 ultra tab + keyboard cover, wacom pen and glove, usb hub, charger, old 2fa phone, water bottle, spare tote bag and umbrella.

Of course the expensive electronics only go out if I expect to have time for them.

Chapstick

Floss - you never know when you'll get something between your teeth

Band-aids - getting one through official sources due to a papercut is way too much peperwork

Hearos earplugs.

Silk eye shade.

Tiny metal bottles of Tylenol, Claritin, Ibuprofen.

Mouse pad.

USB-C to micro-USB adapter (for charging headphones using a USB-C cable).

Whistle.

2.4Ghz presentation clicker.

MBP

Keydous mech keyboard with yellow switches (maybe I should just buy a separate one for the office?)

Puffer vest in case it gets cold

USB Charger

Moleskine

Pen

heavy exercise band

PX-7 headphones

Portable charger for cellphone

Prybar/screwdriver

Water bottle, iPad, flashlight, sunglasses, AirPods, light jacket, a black pen, lip balm, floss/Y-picks, hair comb, folded tote bag, and snacks for my kids.

I don't carry much of interest but I feel compelled to share this one I ran across a while back that I still think of and chuckle from time to time.

Pretty sure you could take over a small nation state with this backpack. If you don't want to watch the whole thing skip to the last 5 or 10 minutes.

https://youtu.be/PvVg4RYaSuU?si=ZWOZFh9UUHUjyRFY

Keys, wallet, phone, pen, sunglasses. No pack needed. If it's night I probably won't have the sunglasses and might have a separate flashlight instead.

Lets see, unique things * Oxygen bottle (It's come up twice, never me fortunately) * Epipen (I have serious allergies) * Mask rated to filter pollen (I have serious allergies)

In terms of actual "EDC" I don't carry a backpack. I mean, yeah, I have a backpack I sometimes carry, but I think of it mainly as my "laptop bag" and I don't always go out carrying it.

EDC stuff I carry in my pockets or on my belt or whatever. Briefly, the list is:

1. Keychain with my car / home keys

2. Wallet

3. A small LED flashlight

4. A carbide tipped glass breaker

5. a Leatherman tool

6. A folding pocket knife

7. A USB thumb drive

8. My phone (Moto G7)

On a selective basis, add:

9. A Keltec PF-9 9mm pistol

10. A Gerber fixed blade knife

On a seasonal basis I also add

11. A ferro rod

12. A small block of magnesium

When it's cold enough to wear my heavy winter coat (which it rarely is) I have a few things tucked in my inside pockets:

- an Altoids tin filled with cotton balls dipped in Vaseline

- a box of waterproof matches

- a couple of "space blankets"

- an Altoids tin filled with small chunks of fatwood

- probably a couple of other things I don't remember offhand

As far as my backpack: there's so much random shit in there I couldn't even begin to list it all. Besides the actual laptop and charger, there's a USB hard drive, a yellow rubber duck, a pencil roll, a plush stuffed white rabbit, all sorts of USB cables, an extension cord, an RTL-SDR dongle and accessories, a couple of notebooks, a TI-89 calculator, a Bluetooth trackball, reading glasses, headphones, a couple of bottles of Coke Zero (usually), etc., etc., etc.

Chapstick, ibuprofen, allergy pills, lighter, retractable USB-C charger, Airpods. This covers most minor annoyances I encounter in the city.

I almost always carry my iPad Mini. It replaces a book/notebook. Unlike my phone it's a quiet, distraction-free device.

If I intend to work, I bring my MacBook Air. It replaces a much lighter Macbook 12" which I loved to bits. It's heavier, but it's much faster and has insane battery life.

I usually travel by bicycle. I usually pack a water bottle. If it's nice outside, I'll pack a picnic blanket. I hope from place to place, doing a bit of work here and there.

I have an Ortlieb Vario bag that is both a backpack and a bicycle bag. It's waterproof and big enough to fit groceries. It's great for quickly getting on/off the bike.

Wallet, laptop w/ hdmi dongle, notebook, pen, keys, water bottle, earbuds, power cable, random receipts that I stuff in there and forget about, and the occasional business card from an Uber black driver that would prefer I ring direct.

I've always worked properly remote (since pre school of the air in the early 1970s) and of all the things I always travel with the one I like the most and have relied on more than once is my signalling mirror (proper thick near unbreakable glass with sighting hole in centre).

Still works in the absence of digital comms.

I'm a minimalist so I don't have an EDC backpack, but when I travel I have a small manbag (tagged with an AirTag).

1. Umbrella

2. Sunglasses

3. Wipes

4. Anker battery

5. USB cables with different connectors (Micro-USB, Lightning)

6. Pen and notebook

Nothing too unusual. I stash my AirPods Pro, passport and other bulk items in it when I'm traveling, but otherwise it's very light (under 2 lbs). This makes it possible to move cover lots of ground in big cities easily without getting tired. Anything more than 3 lbs is a pain if you're walking all day (I average 23,000 steps/day when I'm out and about).

Another, smaller backpack

Most of the time, although most days I don't carry my backpack at all:

Water Bottle(ClearCut UVC self cleaning, with a Tile tracker on it)

Generic cheap multitool

Claritin, asprin, band aids, flossers, emergency blanket, BleedStop powder, an Israeli bandage(I randomly do projects with people who seem like they might one day need both of those...)

iPhone cord(In case I'm working with someone who's holding up the whole project by running out of power and nobody else has one)

Power bank and C cable, USB C to A adapter, car and wall C chargers

Uni-ball Powertank pen(It's a disposable version of the space pen)

Random cheap plasma lighter

Pepper spray

Whatever gear I forgot to take out from the last project I did

Sanitizer

Flashlight(USB-C rechargeable, of course_

SHIELD and Hylian crest patches.

More interestingly, the pack itself is a SOG ninja, which is the only cheap MOLLE bag I could find suitable for everyday use and it's been great.

Most of the time, although most days I don't carry my backpack at all:

Water Bottle(ClearCut UVC self cleaning, with a Tile tracker on it)

Generic cheap multitool

Claritin, asprin, band aids, flossers, emergency blanket, an Israeli bandage(I randomly do projects with people who seem like they might need one)

iPhone cord(In case I'm working with someone who's holding up the whole project by running out of power and nobody else has one)

Power bank and C cable, USB C to A adapter, car and wall C chargers

Uni-ball Powertank pen(It's a disposable version of the space pen)

Random cheap plasma lighter

Pepper spray

Whatever gear I forgot to take out from the last project I did

Sanitizer

Flashlight(USB-C rechargeable, of course_

SHIELD and Hylian crest patches.

More interestingly, the pack itself is a SOG ninja, which is the only cheap MOLLE bag I could find suitable for everyday use and it's been great.

* M1 Air

* Anker 737 Battery

* Anker 736 Charger

* 2 6ft USB-C cables

* 1 lightning cable

* Sony WH-1000XM3 (if not wearing)

* Screen cleaning cloth

* Gum

Tryone gooseneck tablet arm. Samsung Book 12 x86 tablet running Debian. (Or Obvus laptop stand (which can fit a keyboard under!) and work MacBook but usually I just ssh in to that.) Amazing ergonomics having screen suspended wherever I please. Lenovo TrackPoint Bluetooth Keyboard II. A ZMI PowerPack 20k Pro battery. Phone.

A Foxl v2 candy-bar sized Bluetooth speaker. Bt earbuds or a headset. Kobo e-reader.

A folding titanium spork. A plastic scraper for cleaning dishes. Some small s-biners for clipping stuff down. 8 ft of titan survivalcord xt, great versatility. 30 ft of thin uhmwpe cord, impossibly strong & light. Clipper lighter. Crkt jackknife.

A keychain with various usb-c to HDMI, DisplayPort, USB mini/micro/a, DC barrel jack adapters. Also a usb-c coupler. A 2 ft usb-c cable with built-in watt meter. A 1m USB4 cable. Micro-sd card in small USB reader. Aputure AL-m9 videography light or Molus X100. Bike light. 65w ugreen charger.

Pack of deep cleaning argan oil wipes. Material sunblock. Lip moisturizer & sunblock. Moisturizer & concentrated beard oil. Floss picks. Lens cloths. Disinfectant. Systane Ultra eyedrops.

Internal frame Dakine adventure pack with insulated water bladder. With tea in it. Extra looseleaf oolong and/or green tea, cotton tea sacks. Atkins bar or other protien.

A roll-up-able Crazy Creek style camping chair for working anywhere with no seat-backs. Or a Nemo moonlite chair for parks. Sometimes an umbrella or sun umbrella. A panama hat. Fingerless biking or knit gloves. Bicycle helmet.

A couple things I haven’t seen mentioned:

- a keychain sized measuring tape I got as conference swag years ago

- a geologists’ hand lens. I’m not a geologist but it is useful on rare occasions when you need to see really small things. Though to be honest the phone camera magnification mode probably obsoletes it.

I nowadays only carry my phone and my AirPods. That’s it. No wallet, no keys. I don’t need it.

You made me look!

Plackers, little cloth case with small tools and nail/tooth items, usb cables of all kinds, ipod nano, tylenol, decongestant, antacid, hydrocortisone, n95 masks, microfiber cloth, lots of spare glasses, little multimeter, lumix 8X zoom camera (smaller than a phone!) and a small jar of oregano, because Whole Foods doesn’t put any out with the pizzas. Lightning and audio jack earphones and all sorts of adapters (plus lightning and usb-c SD card readers). Pepper spray when I feel paranoid. The bear spray is at home (in the woods). Ipad Pro for music scores and my best photos. Moleskine clone notebook. Hair brush. When I expect some interesting weather to happen, venerable Nikon Coolpix P510 (24-1000mm compact camera).

Shoulder bag has cards and phone. Three sets of keys plus one spare home key. One set has a Radio Shack (RIP) leatherman multi-tool with 12-20 wire stripper.

I’m currently travelling for months months internationally - so my bag has everything I need on the road:

Laptop, iPad, notebook & pens, headphones & AirPods, usb-c charger & cables, usb-c battery pack. External keyboard & apple trackpad (so I don’t get a sore neck while working). Gaff tape, tissues, hand san & face masks, travel sunscreen, zip lock bags, ear plugs, eye mask, travel pillow. Small Bluetooth speaker (insanely useful while travelling).

More unusual items:

- A white contact juggling ball (my hands need something while I think).

- A small tin of lego, again for thinking with.

- A portable, foldable piano. (Carry-on 88 key touch) and a couple books of sheet music.

decoy wallet full of expired cards; decoy phone that I put in a pocket while travelling; book, often a bible; dry socks, fresh underwear, condoms; nail clippers; moleskeine notepad and mechanical pencil; guitar picks, capo, sometimes strings; ballcap with clip on LED headlamp; emergency cash bills, precious metal coin/ingot; riding spurs; opinel corkscrew knife; hand/pocket chain saw; tire pressure gauge; sealed tube w/ emergency cigar + cutter ; forensic faraday bags; RTL-SDR dongle kit, likely upgrading to hackrf; hak5 rubber duck kit; kali linux usb drive; multitool

My motorcycle saddle bags have a tent and other stuff in them, but the logic is small stuff I rarely use except it's like magic when you have them handy.

I rarely carry a backpack unless I am going to or from an airport.

Most of the time I only leave home with clothes, shoes, wallet, and sometimes a watch.

If I am at a conference or on a business trip I sometimes carry a small leg bag with a 10" laptop and charger, and a handheld radio to coordinate with a group.

I can trust myself to always improvise when required, so I rarely have much with me.

One I haven't seen mentioned - this little plastic box I got from Daiso which contains chop sticks, collapsible spoon and fork very useful when out and about and want a snack, also snacks. Daiso has lots of useful things for back packs (not affiliated in any way), have an iPad cover from them, various little hard cases for batteries and earphones etc.

I have a small transparent mesh bag 7x15cm which is mandatory for every trip, work or pleasure. It goes to tote bag or backpack along with specific items needed for the trip:

- airtag - medicines i.e. ibuprofen, plaster - glue for small wounds - nail file and cutter - small plastic spoon - lenses in case my glasses are broken - short charger cables - USB-C USB-C adapter - hair comb

Additionally, if I go by bike I have a bike bag with multitool, repair kit, cleaner brush

A phone, a wallet, a knife, a pod vape, keys and a handgun. No backpack.

Here we go again: I wouldn't go into full details. I'm mentioning only some and omitting a major portion.

Small hardcover notebook, pen, smartphone;

---

Scotchtape, lockpicks, screwdriver w/ common bits, utility knife, Nd magnet, insulated wires, jumpers, torch, extra li battery, butane lighter, tissues, superglue, zipties...

---

Extra usb adapter, several cables, pendrives, sd cards, sims etc etc...

---

Antihistamines, nsaids/painkillers, sedatives, topical lidocaine, ors, several syringes, tape bandages, iodine, IPA, toothbrush, condoms, energy-dense foods, instant coffee (for withdrawls), mosquito rep etc

---

Nitrile gloves, ep tubes, falcons, some filters, a good amount of parafilm, swabs, ziplock bags

---

Don't know what EDC means. But my backpack for commuting has almost always: - bike lights (it gets dark early in winters) - rain pants than can we wore over normal pants (in case it rains) - some coins - some Bonbons that are good for the throat - still a COVID mask (too lazy to throw it away) - a roller pen - strangely I found a patch fo a fever blisters and a anti head ache pill - a adapter from micro USB to USB so I can connect my yubikey to my phone. Turns out the microusb is so mangled already that it is only good for charging and not for data transfer so the yubikey does not work with the phone. Also ok. - a small plastic bag (in case I come somewhere nice where garbage is lying around or where wild berries are found (or people selling berries or mushrooms on the side of the road) - on weekdays a work notebook and headphones

[delayed]

If I'm not going somewhere longer than overnight, just these in my pockets:

    - Key chain with capsule containing earplugs
    - Wallet
    - Phone

If I need to bring my laptop for some weird reason, laptop bag containing:

    - laptop
    - charger
    - a few USB cables and adapters
    - cheapie pen
    - a few sheets of paper

If I need to go somewhere for multiple days, backpack containing above plus:

    - 3-4 days of clothing
    - small battery pack
    - mini toiletries bag
    - electric shaver
    - umbrella
    - raincoat
    - hat
    - sweater
    - light or heavy jacket depending on time of year

That's been good enough for 25 years of on-and-off travel up to 3 weeks, and is also good enough for delivering a truck to the front near Bakhmut. I'd only pack more if I were camping.