There are definitely some items that you should never be without in your everyday carry (EDC), but here are a few others that could come in handy. Most people don’t carry them every day, but when you need them you’ll really wish you had them.
Dental Floss
Dental floss isn’t just for getting food out from between your teeth. You can use it to tie things together, cut soft foods, use it as a makeshift shoelace, or use it as fishing line. In a pinch you could use several lengths of dental floss to make temporary restraints for an unruly or violent passenger on a plane. Its uses are nearly endless and, because it’s so innocuous, no one will think that you’re using it for anything other than its intended purpose.
Plastic Bags
It’s always helpful to have plastic bags around. You can use them to keep things protected from rain, or to segregate or store rags or bloody or soiled clothing. Plastic shopping bags can be rolled up into a tiny ball that can fit easily in a pants or coat pocket.
Ear Plugs
You never know where you’ll end up in a crisis situation, and you may want to protect your hearing. Fire alarms can be loud enough to temporarily deafen you when you’re evacuating through a hallway, so ear plugs would come in handy. Police and fire sirens can also be loud, as can airport tarmac if you find yourself having to evacuate a plane. And of course in an active shooter situation, indoor gunshots will be extremely loud.
Paper Clips
A few paper clips won’t take up much space, but they can come in incredibly handy. You can straighten them or bend them into various shapes to turn them into all sorts of useful tools.
Magnet
A magnet can be useful to pick up or hold metal pieces that you have lost or that you don’t want to lose. A telescoping magnetic pointer could be particularly handy, as you can sweep it easily over a floor or rug to find that eyeglass screw you just dropped but can’t see. Drop your keys down a sewer grate? Just extend the pointer, stick it through the grate and pick up your keys.