Every Day Carry: Key Chain Edition

You don’t need a “go bag” to lug around useful EDC items. In fact, there are some great items out there that fit securely on a key chain.

Let’s cover some.

ProMediaGear A13 5/32 Hex/Flat Head Tool

The intent of this tool is to be used with photography equipment. However, as we know, there are more ways than one to use an item as intended and that is a facet incorporated in EDC preparation. So what else can we use this for?

Dogging doors.

What does that mean? Have you ever seen these crash bar exit devices on a door?

I suspect we all have, maybe without knowing it. This is a Von Duprin EL series fire exit device. Or “crash bar” as we call it in the industry. Dogging is the act of locking back a cylinder so one can open the door freely. In the US, these devices are always located on the “secure” side of the door and there must always be a mechanical lock on the “un-secure” side. If you gain access to the secure side of the door, you can depress the lock, insert the tool in the little hole to the right of the push bar, and lock the latch back to permit free ingress. I’ll link a video which better explains this process.

Take a second and think of why this may be useful. I’ve never seen this covered in an EDC preparation guide so I’m bumping this up to the top of my list as it’s a novel EDC idea. Moving on!

Whistle

A whistle is a great device for emergency usage and takes up little space. I’ve tried two and while both are solid devices, one of them is definitely louder and take less effort. Both brag of a 100 plus decibel sound and just for reference that is LOUD! The Nitecore is smaller and I really wanted to like it, but the Vargo is clearly the better whistle. I’ll list both, but I’m going to suggest you go with the Vargo unless the size and form factor is of interest to you.

• Vargo Titanium Emergency whistle:

• Nitecore NWS10 TC4 Titanium Outdoor Emergency Whistle

Flash drive

I’ll save you the “why it’s important to have a spare flash drive” speech. We all know what they are and what they do. There are cheap and rugged models that can handle getting beat up everyday from you throwing your keys around. I have owned dozens of flash drives, including tiny versions, however I suggest getting a regular sized metal one like the one listed below. This particular one has worked great for me and there are no signs of wear and tear considering I make no attempt to protect my keys. They are so slim, I keep two on my keys; one for storage and the other a live Linux distro for troubleshooting other systems:

Lanyard

This is actually the most important thing you can have on your keys. For clarity, I don’t recommend you using a lanyard around your neck nor do I recommend you get one with a quick release clip.

Having a lanyard gives you quick access to your keys so you don’t have to fumble around in your pocket/purse to retrieve them. With a lanyard attached, you simply place your keys in your pocket while leaving the lanyard hanging out, then grab the lanyard to pull the keys out of your pocket. Since I drive a motorcycle and wear gloves etc, this is by far the most used thingamajig on my keys. Quick and easy access to your keys at all times!

Make sure to get a rugged one since your keys have some heft to them and you don’t want a plastic or cheap pot metal to break on you. I’ve linked a couple below.

That’s all I carry on my keys. I’ve carried all kind of other gizmos over the decades, but these are the most useful and most practical for me. Now, please go get yourself a lanyard!