No matter where you are, no matter what happens, you should be able to get home with what you have on you or immediately around you.

This is broken into two elements: everyday carry — the stuff you have on your person at all times — and a get-home or “go-bag.”

Everyday carry (EDC) is the stuff you have on you all the time. This can range from being as simple as the clothes you’re wearing and what’s in your wallet, to more extravagant scenarios with people wearing cargo pants every day and stocking their pockets with first aid kits, flashlights, guns, spare magazines, cash, multi-tools, and any number of other tools they may see a need for. Living like 007 means dressing well; by necessity, that means being limited to what you carry on your person all day.

A good starting point is:

• Clothing
• Wallet (including at least $100 cash)
• Keys
• Phone
• Watch
• Sunglasses
• Pistol
• Knife

Above are the bare necessities that you should never leave home without.

Without adding much bulk at all, you can easily add:

• Small multi-tool attached to key ring
• Lock picks
• Handcuff key
• Razor blade
  • lock picks, handcuff key, and blade can all be kept in your wallet
• Small first aid kit or pocket trauma kit (back pocket opposite your wallet)
• Spare magazine for pistol
• Lighter (pro tip: Bic lighters are smaller, cheaper, and more reliable than Zippo or other lighters that you need to keep filled)
• Multi-tool titanium collar stays when wearing a dress shirt

Depending on how you dress, especially if wearing a jacket, you can add:

• Pen
• Notebook
• Flashlight (penlight)

You can carry all of this, all day every day, while maintaining the fashionable streamlined look that 007 is famous for.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: laws vary greatly between states and countries. Make your everyday carry choices responsibly. In many areas it is very easy to purchase a pistol and obtain a concealed weapons license or permit. In other areas it is difficult to even purchase a firearm and next to impossible to get a permit to carry it. Pocket knives, lock picks, and more fall into similar categories. Throughout much of the world, carrying lock picks with you is entirely legal, but in more restrictive jurisdictions these may be categorized as "burglary tools" and illegal to own or carry unless you're a licensed locksmith. Carrying a small Swiss army knife is legal almost everywhere but carrying a "tactical" folding knife with a 3.5" blade is a felony in many states. Do your research and choose what you carry accordingly.

NOTE: There is a difference between legality and corporate policy. It may be against policy to carry firearms or knives, even if it is technically legal to do so. Your safety is your responsibility. Weigh your options and decide what works for you.

In the survival and preparedness communities, you'll hear lots of talk about different types of bags: the 3-day pack, BOBs (Bug Out Bags), INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) packs, and more variations on a theme. But for almost everybody, in almost every situation, these are not ideal; but overkill to the point that:

1. Most people don't end up assembling the bags properly in the first place, and
2. For those that do, these packs are too heavy and cumbersome to use in almost any real-world scenario.

Enter: the Go-Bag.

Every real-world spy has a go-bag in their vehicle, their office, or both. The contents of the go-bag vary by location and mission type, but the function is always the same: to get you home regardless of what happens.

This isn't about "bugging out" or planning for every possible crazy contingency but are designed to have the basic tools and supplies necessary to get you to safety from wherever you happen to be.

Power outage while riding the subway? No problem, you have a flashlight and first aid kit in your briefcase.
Tornado rips through town and totals your car? No problem, it's insured, and the go-bag you keep in the office makes the ten-mile walk home easy.
Medical emergency and you have to rush your kid to the hospital? No problem, your go-bags are in the car with supplies you need to tide you over.

Rather than a bug out bag — that you won't carry regularly and probably won't have with you when you need it most — the go-bag is designed to enhance your life and lifestyle.

The items below are designed as a supplement to your everyday carry — tools and supplies that are used and replenished regularly. And while you may not think many of these are things that you use regularly, when you always have them with you, you'll be amazed at how useful they are. From an encrypted flash drive with all your important documents backed up to a first aid kit, flashlight, multi-tool, or tourniquet, having any of the tools below — when you need it unexpectedly — is the "everyday hero" move that sets the Gentleman Spy apart.

The basic go-bag setup should include some variation of the following:

• The bag: a briefcase, shoulder/messenger type bag, or small backpack like the Arc'teryx Blade 20, GoRuck Bullet Ruck or GR1, or Minaal Daily Bag are good choices.
• Hydration: a water bottle like Hydro Flask or Nalgene, or possibly a hydration bladder if using a backpack.
  • If you expect that water contamination will be an issue or you expect to travel for more than a day to get home, add a water filter and/or water purification tablets to your bag.
  • A 4-way sillcock key will allow you to access "restricted water" in an urban environment like faucets that are often in/around/outside commercial buildings but are inaccessible without a tool.
• Food: While you can go for weeks without food, some kind of pick-me-up is nice. Focus on non-perishable foods to eat on the go like jerky, trail mix, energy bars, peanut M&M's, etc.
  • Meals that require preparation or freeze-dried meals are not ideal unless you anticipate needing to travel or shelter in place for days before being able to move. These are better kept in a vehicle or office, rather than your go-bag.
  • If you do carry freeze-dried meals, you need a way to prepare them: a Jetboil, MSR, or similar stove.
• First Aid kit, trauma kit, and tourniquet if it's not already included in the trauma kit. When bad things happen, people get hurt. You need to be prepared for this.
• Prescription medications, especially those necessary to treat life threatening conditions like an EpiPen, asthma inhaler, diabetes supplies, etc.
  • If possible, stock more medication than you think you need. After 9/11, the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, and other smaller events, air travel in certain areas was suspended for 3–10 days or more. Be ready for this.
  • If you wear contact lenses, include spare lenses, solution, eye drops and a pair of backup eye glasses.
• Multi-tool.
• Flashlight or headlamp, preferably both.
• Map and Compass. These are more important than you might imagine. If you're used to driving and find yourself having to walk, you will almost certainly find yourself in unfamiliar parts of town or on roads you don’t recognize.
• Small Survival kit
• Duct tape. Purchase a small roll designed for survival/outdoor use, or make your own by wrapping as much tape as you want around a small piece of plastic, small PVC pipe, etc.
• N95 masks. There are countless scenarios — dust, bio-hazards, terrorist attacks, wildfires, volcanoes — where you could be in an environment that you don’t want to inhale unfiltered air. Don't waste time with cheap dust or surgical masks; the N95 masks linked to are a good (easy to pack) starting point.
  • If you anticipate high levels of airborne toxins, dust, ash, or smoke (e.g. you live near chemical plants or refineries, near a volcano, or areas with a high risk of wildfires), P100 masks or respirators are a better choice.
• Mechanix and/or leather work gloves.
• Sunglasses, dust goggles, or both.
• Comms: A [charged] cell phone should be part of your EDC, but in any large-scale emergency phone service will be intermittent at best. You will have to use text messaging or alternate forms of communication to keep in touch.
  • Phone charger(s) including a vehicle adapter, wall adapter, and charging cable(s). Lightning, micro-USB, and USB-C cover almost all current phones, but make sure to add necessary cable(s) for any device not already covered.
  • If you use radio, keep one in your go-bag along with spare batteries.
• Spare batteries. It's a good idea to standardize on battery selection: all AA, AAA, CR123, etc.
• Cash. $100 minimum, $500 is better, but could be $1,000 or more if you regularly travel internationally. Small bills are preferable to large.
• Documents on a USB flash drive, physical copies, or both, depending on your situation:
  • Insurance policies
  • Emergency contact list
  • List of medications for every member of your family, dosages, and why they take them
  • Medical info
  • Bank information
  • Passport numbers
  • Property deeds
• Backup set of car and house keys.
• Super-spy bonus idea: gold bullion. While a substantial investment up front, having a few Gold Eagles, Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, Philharmonics, or Brittanias will buy your way out of almost any jam, anywhere in the world, as fast as possible.

The go-bag is designed to be fast and light. You don't want the survivalist's "3-day pack" that includes dozens of items you'll never use and weighs 50 pounds.

You can carry a go-bag all day every day, but most won't and don't need to. Your best bet is to keep one in your vehicle, at your office, or anywhere it will be accessible when you need it.

Think about what can happen, and plan accordingly.

If you commonly work out of your vehicle or your job has you on the road a lot, then keeping the go-bag in your car might make more sense. But a bag in your car wouldn’t help you if you commute via public transportation to and from work or school.

Think about your life and plan your go-bag setup from there.

Keep a change of clothes handy. Nothing extravagant, but an old pair of hiking or work boots, some jeans or cargo pants, a shirt, and a jacket could be worth their weight in gold if you’re stuck miles from home wearing a suit and expensive (but uncomfortable) shoes. Clothes can be kept in your office, your vehicle, your go-bag, or a long-term locker at the train or bus stations you always use.

If you work a critical job, you may be required to spend days at the office in the event of an emergency. It might make sense to keep some basic toiletries, a change of clothes, a lightweight blanket, and maybe even a few days' worth of food and water in your office.

This isn't as uncommon as you might think. Military, firefighters, cops, and EMS are often aware of and prepared for these eventualities, but it's relevant for other organizations. Infrastructure management and support, grocery and energy logistics, public service, religious organizations, and more are routinely called upon to work and live at the office 24/7 when disaster strikes.

Think about exotic environmental concerns. Insane worst-case scenarios can and do happen. Take some time to think about the worst possible scenario and whether or not it makes sense to prepare for it.

• Learning to BASE jump and keeping a parachute at the office seems crazy. Until September 11, 2001. Besides, BASE jumping fits in the Gentleman Spy lifestyle anyway.
• Hurricanes or torrential rains could put your town under water. Are you equipped with a boat, kayak, canoe, SUP board, etc. to get around if that happens? Do you know what electronics, keepsakes, and supplies you need to pack to evacuate, bring upstairs, or protect in watertight containers if your home does flood?
• If you live near a volcano, are you prepared for an eruption? Do you have goggles, dust masks, flashlights, and long clothing in your go-bags? Have you planned evacuation routes that keep you away from low-lying areas where ash and dust will collect?
• Nuclear power plants, tsunami zones, earthquake zones, and more offer distinct challenges that you must investigate and prepare for BEFORE anything happens.

Think of your EDC and Go-Bags as enhancements that allow you to live your life more comfortably, rather than going crazy with worst case scenarios that will almost certainly never materialize.

You're not a soldier in a war zone.
Not a spy operating behind enemy lines.
Not a scout who must live off the land for weeks at a time.

When gearing up, think about what you really need to make it home in an emergency and the tools that make life more comfortable when things don't go as planned.

Whether you're grabbing your bag to get home or leave home, it is probably more useful to think about what you need to spend a few days at a friend's house or hotel, rather than what you need to survive in the wild. A change of clothes, some toiletries, a few hundred dollars in cash, and basic supplies in your go-bag or vehicle will almost certainly be more useful than a gas mask, plate carrier, tent, and rifle.

Could a gas mask save your life in some crazy apocalypse scenario? Maybe...
— But it's far more likely that you'll use some toiletries and a change of clothes if you have to spend the night at a hospital when a loved one gets sick or injured.
— You're much more likely to use a multi-tool to fix something or a band-aid when your kid gets hurt than you are to use a tent, stove, and week's supply of food stored in a pack so large you'll never actually have it when you need it.
— And $500 in cash will probably come in much handier in an emergency than a rifle and plate carrier.

If you want the exotic toys — and you have the disposable income to justify those expenses — by all means, go for it. But don't get caught up with thinking about the cool-guy survival gear until you have the real basics taken care of that are less expensive and more useful in daily life and for 99.99% of the situations you will actually find yourself in.