City EDC Supplementary Tin

[ChefSimon]

We all have EDC stuff, such as our wallets/purses, mobile, multitool, torch, keyring etc and some of us carry additional kit every day in our work bags like a small first aid kit etc.

Why do this?
I've always carried an additional "survival" style pack with me which has proven to be a little bulky sometimes, and after living in the suburbs of a city for the past 6 years now I realised there is a lot of stuff in it that I am never likely to need compared to when I lived in the middle of nowhere in the past. (Like a wire saw, Survival blanket, compass etc)

Comparison (old tin on the left)

Over the past couple of weeks I have thought about what I actually would use living where I do and have created a tailored tin to suit my needs. Over this coming post with lots of pictures as it's easier than trying to explain things, I've written about what I now carry in a small 11x8x3cm "baccy tin" At the end of the post I've included a summary of all the stuff in my tin in case you don't fancy reading it all.

The tin is either in my cargo trouser pocket, or jacket pocket. The first picture shows the size difference between the old and new EDC tins.

The Tin

What is in it?
Upon opening the tin you will see that inside the lid there is a laminated list of emergency numbers and helpful information. On my list is the mobile number of my wife, my doctors and work phone numbers. Also included are the British Gas Emergency line and NHS Direct numbers (mainly to help me) Below that I've decided to list my blood group and known allergies, although all that information is also on the Medical Emergency button on my phone.

Top of the inside

Next up is a non-slip matt and also a microfibre glasses cloth. Both come in handy as I always lose the glasses cleaning cloth that is in my Glasses case. The non-slip matt comes in handy when on trains etc for holding my phone without it sliding about & holding screws etc when I am working on equipment.

Working into the guts of the tin you can see 6 smaller slide top tins with equipment in each one (and labels on the top), a small pocket tool with corkscrew, nail clippers and items not on my main multitool. Down the front are loose items. Everything in this tin is in some way connected to the tin or another item in the tin by very small 2mm x 1mm rare earth magnets.

looking in

Laying out all the items you can see it contains: 2 rectangular & 1 square plaster, 3m of gaffatape, Bit extender, small wrench, ScanDisk micro to SD adaptor card, Micro USB to Lightning adaptor, USB to Micro USB charge cable, Silicon packet (used to bulk out the tin and also contain moisture) 6 smaller tins each labelled with contents.

Tin Contents (large items)

Mini Tins
The 6 tins, these contain small items which would otherwise rattle around and easily be lost. The contain; Needles & black cotton (I wear a black uniform 5 days a week) safety pins and pins. Windproof military matches and strike card, 6 bits for the socket wrench, 5m of high tensile Micro Paracord (rated for 20kn, and also handy as a quick temporary shoelace), Tablets (2x Paracetamol & 2x Imodium) these are in the wrappers to keep them 'fresh' without the wrappers I could fit 5 of each in the tin, Tech bits (phone Sim card removal tool, Sim card adjustors (micro to standard adaptors) 2gb Micro SD card.

Small Tins

The next picture shows the inside of the main tin and the small magnets glued in place around the outside of the tin to secure the items inside. As you could see from the earlier pictures some of the items have small magnets attached to them. This secures the contents to the tin and stops rattling and moving about. (being ex-military there is nothing worse than battle rattle!)

Magnets

The Ratchet Wrench
The small socket wrench is actually from my cycle kit but has come in so handy with other things including fixing a seat on the train the other week that I've taken to including it in my EDC for sheer ease of use compared to size and weight. I've included the 6 main bits (note, I've not included a flat head tool as these are rare now and I also have this tool on my main multitool.

Wrench

Finally, as you can see from the last two pictures, the magnets may be small but they do their job in holding things in place and securing stuff from moving about. I've included a magnet for each bit to ensure they are secure and don't rattle and fall out when using on the go. The magnets are easily found and rather inexpensive on ebay. They come in various sizes to suit what you are needing to do.

bits upside down.

bit tin

Why Carry it?
These are all items that I would and do use on a daily basis all reduced in size to fit in the tin. Being in the city phone running out of juice and needing a charge is a normal thing or someone asking to borrow a charger. Medication for headaches and a dodgy stomach, needle and thread to repair clothes, tape to repair a tear in my bag. Plasters for a finger cut... All regular things to get me through a day.

Summary of contents:
1x 8x11x3cm tin with hinged lid
1x list of emergency contacts
1x Microfibre cloth
1x slip matt
1x small blameless multitool
1x 3m Gaffatape
2x rectangular plasters
1x square plaster
1x silicon pouch
1x USB to Micro USB charger
1x Micro USB to Lighting adapter
1x Micro SD to SD adaptor
1x Ratchet Wrench
1x Bit Extender
6x Small slide top tins
2x Sewing Needles
3x small safety pins
2x securing pins
1x 5m black cotton
6x various bit heads for wrench
1x 2GB micro SD card
1x Nano-micro sim adapter
1x micro-mini sim adapter
1x mini-standard sim adapter
1x sim removal tool
2x paracetamol (in wrapper)
2x Imodium (in wrapper)
1x 5m micro paracord
5x windproof matches
1x strike card for matches
1x mini waterproof sealed bag (for matches)

Thanks for reading and as always if you have any questions please ask or message me. I always appreciate feedback.

[Deeps]

I'm digging the wee tins mate, where did you get them ? I carry most of my stuff in my wallet (Mary Poppins handbag scenario) but I've eventually come to the conclusion that I could do with an extension. Thanks for the 'show and tell' mate.

[pseudonym]

Nice set up.

[Briggs 2.0]

Very neat. I do something similar with the little magnets, I'm pretty sure there's a post on the forum with my altoid tin set up. My kit list has probably changed since that post as I find I don't need something, take it out, which then frees up some space for something else.

Have you considered the leatherman bit driver and bits, they are double ended and may take up less space and weigh less. They can be a bit pricey though.

Have you got room for a pack of steri-strips in there, they are nice and slim.

Because I'm old and decrepit now, or at least my eyes are, I have a fresnel lens in the lid of my tin just in case I lose my glasses and need to see things up close. I guess that lens would be handy for fire lighting too, although I've never tried it. Oh, and I have a tenner folded up, just in case, you know, for emergencies such as beer.

Thanks for the post, it's prompted me to have a review of mine.

[ChefSimon]

I'm digging the wee tins mate, where did you get them ? I carry most of my stuff in my wallet (Mary Poppins handbag scenario) but I've eventually come to the conclusion that I could do with an extension. Thanks for the 'show and tell' mate.

eBay Deeps. I got mine from a slow boat from China so were dirt cheap, just took 5 weeks to arrive lol. There is a company called www.mdflashlightsetc.co.uk which also do all the tins. I find that some of the things they sell a bit expensive but service is quick. I've picked up a few bits from them in the past.

[Deeps]

Very neat. I do something similar with the little magnets, I'm pretty sure there's a post on the forum with my altoid tin set up. My kit list has probably changed since that post as I find I don't need something, take it out, which then frees up some space for something else.

Have you considered the leatherman bit driver and bits, they are double ended and may take up less space and weigh less. They can be a bit pricey though.

Have you got room for a pack of steri-strips in there, they are nice and slim.

Because I'm old and decrepit now, or at least my eyes are, I have a fresnel lens in the lid of my tin just in case I lose my glasses and need to see things up close. I guess that lens would be handy for fire lighting too, although I've never tried it. Oh, and I have a tenner folded up, just in case, you know, for emergencies such as beer.

Thanks for the post, it's prompted me to have a review of mine.

I carry a Fresnel (wallet) for the same reasons, I can get by but its certainly not getting better with age. Saying that, I've never had to use it in anger..... yet.

I'm digging the wee tins mate, where did you get them ? I carry most of my stuff in my wallet (Mary Poppins handbag scenario) but I've eventually come to the conclusion that I could do with an extension. Thanks for the 'show and tell' mate.

eBay Deeps. I got mine from a slow boat from China so were dirt cheap, just took 5 weeks to arrive lol. There is a company called http://www.mdflashlightsetc.co.uk which also do all the tins. I find that some of the things they sell a bit expensive but service is quick. I've picked up a few bits from them in the past.

Cheers amigo, I'll have a look.

[Drcamburn]

...

[sniper 55]

I'm not a fan of those fresnel lens things, I had one ages ago but it was hopeless. I now carry a nice 2 inch magnifing glass in it's slip pouch. Miles better IMHO.

[ChefSimon]

I've not heard of the fresnel lens to be honest, so, thanks to google I know

Almost a little gutted as the hospital I work at has recently thrown out 20+ OHP projectors, I could have popped the lens out of each one and made a few quid on eBay...

To be honest, if I need to look at detail that would require one on a daily basis I use the camera on my phone. Although it is something I may consider for the future. (my glasses prescription has just recently gone up a couple of levels.

[Arzosah]

I kept a small fresnel in my purse, but I didn't protect it properly, and it got so badly scratched, it wasn't useful any more

However, I just had an EDC win during a trip to see an ill rellie. Satnav in the hired car didn't like the rural roads of Norfolk, so as I had the front passenger seat, I needed to use the atlas - fast mapreading skills, check, still good Also good was the tiny little EDC torch - one of those thats barely thicker than an AA battery. It got to be dusk, and we were still driving about, and I could use that to see the final few junctions in the atlas. Without those two things, the journey would have been lengthened by maybe another 30 minutes, and it would have been even *more* stressful.

Win-win