Great topic!

On me or within reach at practially all times:
- Fire + smokes, yes the addict puts this first
- Knife
- Cord
- Whistle
- Compass
- Some first aid, band-aids & meds & such
- Spectacles + shades
- Tissues
- Bug dope
- Preacher dope 
- A song in my heart
- A twinkle in my eye

Quote:


Without your keys, how do you start your canoe in the morning?

I keep keys/permits/wallet in day pack in waterproof first aid kit. Pack holds my rain suit as well.
Pack will float (I checked) and I keep it a long way from food pack.
Ran into a couple at the start of a trip into Beaverhouse. They were frantically tearing thru their gear looking for car keys

At the point it was getting nasty until the man remembered he had put them from pack into pocket before leaving camp that morning.

You don't want to be looking for car keys at end of trip. I also keep spare set in magnetic case hidden on vehicle. Not a bad idea just in case.

Nothing goes into pockets except a handkerchief, or maybe a compass for very short term storage. Things fall out of pockets, even buttoned/zippered/velcroed ones.

My wallet, car keys, and passport (if needed) go into a dedicated dry sac (sealed & waterproof) which is not opened from the time the car is locked until the end of the trip. The dry sac goes into a day pack which is treated as if it contained the crown jewels. (I also keep my camera equipment in that pack, in another, larger dry sac).

What's in my pockets? 

A famous question, for Lord of the Ring geeks.

Gollum hated this question!   

"Not fair! not fair!" he hissed. "It isn't fair, my precious, is it, not fair, is it? to ask us what it's got in its nassty little pocketses?"

"He thought of all the things he kept in his own pockets: fishbones, goblins' teeth, wet shells, a bit of bat-wing, a sharp stone to sharpen his fangs on, and other nasty things. He tried to think what other people kept in their pockets."

As for me, I keep my trusty pocket knife, and my ring is kept on my finger.   

prouboy