The Bag of Useful Stuff

[blimix]

Click here for an updated version of this post.

It includes many essential items that had been in a different post.

I have a backpack called the Bag of Useful Stuff. It is the closest thing to a D&D style magic item that I own. Often, when someone says, "I could really use [X]," I can pull [X] out of the bag for them. I've heard it compared to a "mommy bag" and a "bug out bag," but those are different (and quite worthy) concepts that are already explored elsewhere.

The idea of the Bag of Useful Stuff is to include items of maximal utility, where utility is roughly proportional to the product of "How likely am I to need this?" and "How bad would it be to need this and be without it?" and the inverse of "How much space does this take up?" (the opportunity cost of not being able to fit other useful things).

I intend to ramble and reminisce about the utility of some of these items, but you can skip all that and just skim the list for suggestions of things to keep close at hand.

The backpack

The backpack itself requires many pockets and compartments, so that items can be found without too much digging. I remember where things are the same way squirrels do. You know the "mystery" of how squirrels memorize the locations of all their winter caches of nuts? They don't. They just look in the sorts of places where they would store nuts, and they find nuts there. (They thus miss a few, and also find other squirrels' caches that way.) That's how, despite my forgetfulness and my pack rat tendencies, I can quickly find any item I own: I just look where I would have put it. The same system applies to the many pockets of the Bag of Useful Stuff, although it can take a bit of time to get so used to a new bag that this works consistently.

Digital camera

Small and not too expensive, because the bag gets knocked about a bit.

Medical tape and gauze (optionally adhesive)

My first inkling that my backpack could become a Bag of Useful Stuff was when a friend scraped her knee badly on a hike, and by pure luck I had napkins and masking tape with me. I merely upgraded to supplies more suited to first aid.

Toilet paper

Take some off of the tube, and roll it tightly into a small cylinder.

Granola bars (at least two) and (optionally) candy

Because someone in your group is starving, and it's still two hours before you even get back to the car.

Ear plugs

Sleep better while away from home. Enjoy that too-loud concert without destroying your hearing.

Triple antibiotic ointment

Any personal disinfectant will do; a tube of cream is neat and compact.

Lanacane (benzocaine topical anesthetic anti-itch cream)

Nothing else works on mosquito bites, for me. But then, I'm weirdly sensitive to them.

Analgesics: Aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen sodium.

In high school, it pissed me off that students with headaches couldn't even get Tylenol from teachers. (The bottles were right there!) So I started carrying it with me. Now I keep labeled, sealed sandwich bags, tightly rolled up around a small number of pills, including aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and naproxen sodium (Aleve). Naproxen sodium is my anti-inflammatory drug of choice, because it works at regular doses. Ibuprofen only has anti-inflammatory effects at twice the regular dose, which is the most you can take without courting kidney damage. But if someone is already taking Ibuprofen, then that's what they get from me, because you can't mix the two. For regular analgesic use, it's just whichever the sufferer prefers. (Acetaminophen if they need to avoid the blood-thinning effects of NSAIDs.) Aspirin, of course, is also useful during heart attacks.

Band-aids (various sizes, some latex free)

Antihistamine tablets

Pseudoephedrine

I don't usually need it, but those who do tell me that it works better than other decongestants.

Tampon, pad, and cup

For anyone who needs them. (Also, apparently tampons are good for plugging bullet wounds.)

Epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen)

A friend once gave me his old one, which I kept for a while. Note that this is illegal without a prescription, but it might save a life. Even an expired one should work, as long as the liquid is still clear and free of precipitate. (That's according to what I read on the Internet. I'm not a doctor!) (Topical note: A prescription marked "EpiPen" cannot yet legally be filled with a generic, even if the "generic" box is ticked. Ask your doctor to instead write a prescription for an "epinephrine auto-injector" so that you can afford it.)

Waterproof matches

LED flashlight(s)

On the same hike with the skinned knee, the sun set while we were still on our way down the mountain. Not through any intentional preparedness, I just happened to have three flashlights with me. My backpack and my luck impressed me that day, and I resolved to be less dependent on luck (i.e., be prepared) in the future. Flashlight switches and batteries crap out all the time, so check them regularly.

Thumb drive

Sometimes, I'm over at a friend's house, and they want to give me a file to check out. Having a thumb drive right there makes it way faster, easier, and more secure. Also, I can keep a few truly awesome Jonathan Coulton songs on it, in case said friend turns out to be one of today's lucky 10,000.

Quarters

For metered parking. Possibly redundant with the car's change holder, but then, you might be out in someone else's car.

AA batteries

For the camera. You did get a camera that doesn't require proprietary batteries, right?

Writing implements: Ballpoint pens, mechanical pencil, Hi-Liter, Sharpie

Moustache scissors

It's among the least used items in the bag, but that's mostly because I go for the (less useful but more conveniently located) nail clipper on my key ring when I need to cut something.

Monocular (tiny novelty telescope)

I wouldn't even know where to get this, but my workplace gave them out once. It's very small and light, and offers 5x magnification with adjustable focus. You can get a higher quality one by searching for a "mini" or "compact" monocular, but I don't know that the increased weight is worth it. If you expect to need it, you probably want to bring real binoculars, so I'm talking about something so light that you can forget you have it until someone says, "Is that driftwood or a turtle?"

Resealable zipper storage bags

You never know when you'll come across some wild garlic, wintergreen, sorrel, or even pretty (but dirty) rocks that you want to take home. A few cheap sandwich sized bags can come in handy.

Hemostat

You might also know this as a "fishhook disgorger". It's surprisingly useful for grabbing and extracting all sorts of tiny objects from hard to reach places. If you have a small enough hemostat, you can sometimes even get the fortunes out of fortune cookies without breaking them, leaving both on the table to mystify your server. The straight ones are more useful than the curved ones, in my experience.

Lens cleaner

For glasses.

List of nice places to walk/hike

If you're into walking/hiking, that is. When the question of "Where do we want to go?" comes up, you don't have to search your memory for the perfect spot. (If you have a smart phone or PDA, you may of course keep the list accessible there instead.) Anyone in the New York capital region is welcome to ask me for my list. All the best spots are in bold face.

Whistle

I've never had to use it; I can only hope to remember it's there if I need it.

Pocket sized insect repellant

An atomizer/pump bottle, not an aerosol can. You can fit more repellant in less space, and (to my nose) it smells less offensive.

Insect repellant (large aerosol can)

This is the conveniently fast one that you use on your clothing, especially pants and shoes, to keep the ticks off. (I use the small bottle for my exposed skin.)

Leatherman tool

Whichever one you like. I'm a fan of the oversized Leatherman Core tool. I've used the (fantastically sharp) saw on it to make sturdy walking sticks in a matter of minutes, the awl to punch new holes in a leather belt, and the knife to cut cheese at a picnic. (I was emphatic about not closing it again, and about washing it as soon as possible.)

Magnetic compass

Honestly, I rarely take this out, because I navigate by the sun, moon, and stars, and by trail topology. Also, I've been mislead by bad compasses. But in extreme (and overcast) situations, I've been known to break out the compass once or twice. (Carry one or three compasses, but never two: If they disagree, you'll be stuck.) Auto engines create magnetic fields, so don't trust a magnetic compass in a running car (except for the dashboard kind, which can be calibrated to compensate for the car's field). [Insert nerd joke about the strength of the magnetic field of a Tesla here.]

Emergency poncho (compact)

Local street map

I'm rather a fan of Jimapco maps, and they don't pay me to say that.

Collapsible umbrella

My one trip to England netted me an umbrella that folds up quite small. They know how to make 'em.

Magnifying glass (large, plastic)

Good for starting fires.

Wet napkins

These can be commercial baby wipes, commercial wet wipes, or just a resealable plastic bag with napkins, water, and a bit of soap or detergent. Avoid antibacterial products (which is good advice in general, to avoid dooming the human race). (ETA: It looks like antibacterial soaps just got the kibosh from the FDA, for not showing any evidence of working better than regular soap.)

Masking tape

Maybe I have a fondness for it after the skinned knee incident, but it has proven useful on further occasions, especially for taping improvized signs to doors.

Wool cap (hunter's orange)

A seasonal item; it comes out of the bag in warm weather, and goes in at the start of deer hunting season.

Bathing suit

Another seasonal item, for warm weather.

Windbreaker

Thick socks

These can be used as spares, for when you soak your socks, or as oversocks when it's cold.

Bucket hat

This gets lots of use, both for weather (sun and rain) and bugs. I sometimes wet it with insect repellant (when I don't feel like putting it all over my face), and so I leave it in a plastic grocery bag to keep it from contaminating and/or stinking up the rest of the backpack. (My Panama hat is even better for sun and insects (deer flies land on top instead of bothering me), but I don't always have it with me.)

Plastic grocery bag

For collecting litter during a hike.

Belt pouch

Often, I don't want to walk around with a whole backpack of stuff. The belt pouch then holds the camera, spare batteries, small insect repellant bottle, Lanacane, antibiotic ointment, plastic grocery bag, and toilet paper. Even then, the Bag of Useful Stuff is waiting in the car, in case of emergency.

Belt

This is to make sure I have a way to wear my belt pouch, in case I haven't put on a belt that day.

Not included:

Chemical ice pack

I used to carry this (inside a plastic zipper bag). The first two proved useful during my martial arts class. I didn't notice when the third one broke; its containing bag leaked (as they all eventually do). It made an awful mess inside the backpack that took quite a while to clean up, and required me to just throw out some stuff. The chemicals corroded the zippers, all of which eventually stuck or broke. I replaced the backpack, and left a box of chemical ice packs at the martial arts class. (The ruined bag had been a favorite of someone else's cat, to whom I donated it. She loves it.)

While I'm on the subject of useful stuff, let's look at a few uncommon items in other contexts. (If I ruffle feathers by discounting the utility of items you hold dear, please keep it civil.)

Pocket notebook

I take notes (with very tiny handwriting) in this, and keep a printout of useful phone numbers taped inside. No, I don't use a smart phone. I even resisted getting a cheap flip phone until late 2015. I know that certain personal or professional responsibilities require them, and I'm not judging you, but I get a feeling of having made the right decision every time: Someone walks into a table corner and cracks the screen on their cell phone or PDA; someone loses their $500 phone; someone sends out the "My phone glitched and I lost all my contacts, so please send me your info" cry; unexpected multi-thousand dollar charges for bandwidth abroad make the news; Americans being surprised when every single one of their phones gets hacked as soon as they disembark in Russia make the news; NSA agents stealing and disseminating nude photos get revealed; intercepting data turns out to be as easy as impersonating someone at the phone store; et alia, ad nauseam. Oh, and this.

Trail maps

This collection lives in a bag in my car, and is very useful! Once I arrive at a trailhead, I can dig out the relevant map (assuming I haven't already memorized the whole trail system).

Rattan stick

This is the bedside "just in case of home invasion" weapon. The use of a stick, rather than a knife, sword, or gun, is involved enough to warrant its own post.

Comments

[beth_leonard]

:-) I think we are kindred spirits in this regard. I keep very many of the exact same things. At the last camping trip, I got to be the person with bandaids in my pocket when someone cut themselves. They had some in their tent, but mine were closer. Later, someone had a tick, and I had my tweezers within arms reach.

I don't tend to keep weapons, unless you count the pocket knife, which I wouldn't use as a weapon anyway, and I do still have that chemical icepack in my backpack, ready if it's ever needed. Exact contents change with the seasons; I've become fond of chemical hand warmers for mittens while skiing, and I usually only have only Tylenol and Ibprofin. I also have dental floss, which comes in handy more often than it would if I didn't regularly carry it. My dentist offers it free in credit-card sized packs.

I didn't carry a cell phone until I got pregnant 12 years ago, and didn't upgrade to a smart phone until just this February.

People I care about communicate frequently with text messages, and if I refuse to use their preferred communication medium, I get cut out of conversations with people I care about. The other reason I finally started carrying one is that Apple unlocked their plans, so I could get on my parents' family plan for $10/month over what they were already paying instead of $70/month that the phones have been in the past. It's slightly more than the $6 I used to pay, but not so much that it makes a difference greater than a rounding error in the bottom line.

--Beth