We start this off with the fact that you, and everyone else you know, carries a keychain. Despite their usefulness, they raise a question – what should you keep on your keychain, aside from your keys?
We live in a world where you need to be prepared at all times, because you never know what will happen when you leave your house. That makes key chains a useful way to keep all these items in order. However, it may become a confusing process when you are trying to decide what to keep and what to eliminate, especially when you have never done it before.
The essentials
A knife
Knives are essentials when it comes it EDC, as the history of the Swiss Army knife set will tell you. You might not need something complicated though, so you can settle for a small set that features some additional useful tools like screwdrivers.
The knife will add extra versatility in its functionality, and has various functions such as self-defense, opening packages, food preparation, and as an emergency tool.
Flashlight
When you are in an emergency situation in the middle of the night, the last thing you want is remaining in darkness – anything can happen to you. Flashlights will come in very handy for situations such as these, but they are also highly useful in your everyday life. You just need to find something that uses common batteries, then attach it to your EDC package and make your life easier.
Power bank
Smartphones are an essential tool to have in our lives, but what happens when the battery runs out and you are in the midst of an emergency situation?
That is where a power bank comes in. You may not have the space to carry an ordinary charger, but the power bank comes in handy as an alternative source of energy. In addition, its compact size means you can carry it with you anywhere without investing too much in extra space allocation.
However, you do need to be careful – many power banks have a substandard design, and they can damage your phone’s battery by delivering very high voltages than it can handle. If you buy the high quality ones though, you will not have anything to worry about.
USB Drive
Storage these days is no longer about paper – everything is going digital. That means that adding this tool on your keychain removes the struggle of forgetting important information or documents at home, or carrying your laptop with you everywhere (which is tiring and sometimes a security risk). You will always have access to the information you require, yet it remains comfortable to carry.
most of drives coming have storage capacities of up to 32GB of data, although you can also get those containing four to eight gigabytes. Always search for one that is resistant to scratches and water, so that data constantly remains safe regardless of external conditions.
Headphones or earphones
Whether you enjoy listening to music on your commutes to work, or love listening to audio books, you will enjoy having these. They allow you to sit back and listen, all while picking new information without much strain. An example would be listening to an audio book instead of having to carry the physical copy around, which takes up plenty of space.
A pen
You do not need a fancy one for this – even a simple one is enough to sort you out. There are even some pens that allow you to attach them to a key organizer through a unique design.
Conclusion
Having a set of items on your keychain is a good idea when you are building its utility. After all, the keychain is no longer just a tool for keeping your keys, it is now used for so much more than that.
FAQs
Why should you have a keychain multi tool?
If you are not a fan of heavy or bulky tools within your pockets (which you likely aren’t), then having a keychain multi tool is a good idea. It will also allow you to retain high quality and functionality of all the tools at your disposal. Because of its light weight as well, it is easy to carry around.
Is there specific criteria to use when looking for a keychain multi-tool?
Yes, since not every keychain will work well when you add other items on it. A keychain multi-tool will tend to have a length of three inches or less, and has the most expansive range of form factors. Look for those made of metal (preferably stainless steel). They should also be easy to use and lightweight so that you do not feel weighed down.
Are all the extra tools important?
To answer this, you need to know what kind of tools you require, then this will guide you on the specifications to look for. The denominations of the functions will also determine its user-friendliness – whether you use metric or imperial measurement systems.
