Urban Commute Kit

Originally written on Nov 2018, updated Dec 2021.

A couple of weekends ago, a good friend (a former JSOC operator, now turned techie for the win) asked me what I carry on my backpack during my commute. Since this is a question I get asked very often, I thought it would be a good thing to write the kit here.

All The Carry

The kit, in addition to the laptop, is simple and has:

Glasses: I can’t see, I’m too old
A pouch with cables and a battery charger: to charge my phone, my earphones, and to move information between devices I might carry
Apple AirPods: for comms, music, podcasts, and everything in between
A pouch with the E&E/Entry kit, digital tools, a small pen, and emergency light
A SureFire Backup flashlight: for light and also as a last resort weapon
Tourniquet: because you need to stop the bleeding

Generally, when you are going light and rely partially on your kit, and partially on your knowledge and experience, you need to train and see what works and what doesn’t. Like I mentioned before, practice, and then practice some more.

Once you have an idea of what your commute is like, try to think ahead about the things that can go wrong, and select the most minimal kit you can that can help you in those worst case scenarios. Try it for some time. Loop and select what worked and what didn’t, and adapt accordingly.

The Entry Kit

Why an entry kit and digital tools? Because you should be able to get into things or escape from things. In case of an emergency it may be the difference between safe and not safe, besides, it enables you to acquire things you might need, allowing you to go lighter.

The same with the digital tools, it lets you get into “places” and maybe send out a distress call, call a ride, etc.

It all lives in small pouches that I can just grab, discard the rest, and go. The kit contains:

The basic E&E/Entry kit
Digital tools with two thumb drives
A red photon light as last resort light
A small pen

The basic E&E/Entry kit is:

A Tracer Tactical pouch
Quick Stick
EZ Decoder
Mini Combs
Bogota Picks
Jigglers (in the bigger pouch)

And The Laptop

Currently using:

MacBook Air 13 with the M1 chip
Charger for the MacBook

That’s it. It’s light, it’s fast, and it’s safe. It’s about mindset.