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I think the idea of an E&E kit sounds great. When I forced myself to audit my go bags I determined I was relying on too many sub-kits. Those sub-kits add weight to something that needs to be manageable. My Auxiliary Fire Department kit has those kinds of tools in it, and without all the immediate survival equipment in it, it is heavy. These are bolt cutters, pry bars, PPE, knife, wrench, other heavy metal tools. I think you create a small mondule. A good multi tool, a small pry bar, the silcock. It needs to be something that sits in your regular old go bag, and you grab and go and that is what you have. You should have the other tools, like a Halligan or larger pry bar, axe, large bolt cutters - in your tool collection and you can determine what your needs and abilities at the time of the need.
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This is kind of what I’ve done. I do have a minimalist kit, but when traveling, I have a more robust kit. It’s not something I would throw in my pack, but I can transport it to safety if necessary and then decide what is needed or not (I need to add a heavy duty garbage bag to cache what I don’t take if moving on foot). The only time I pack a Sillcock key is when in larger urban or metropolitan areas. I do keep larger tools in the truck, but I don’t expect to bugging home with 20” bolt cutters…those items are more niche and mission-specific.
I have a shit ton of such tools, but the challenge is to really assess the most versatile and frequently used, while avoiding the niche, “what if” tools that just add weight if you’re on foot. From an E&E perspective, it’s simply moving away from a ground-zero incident, getting home, or evading a potential threat (be it weather-related or man-made)…E&E tools just help you improvise and adapt and solving problems.
I remember an episode of Survivorman where the scenario (more survival than E&E) involved an old dirt bike that was provide for scavenging anything that might be helpful. Les Stroud only had a multitool, but he did an admiral job of dismantling it, collecting wiring, cables, mirror (for signaling), improvised container etc. While we often think of getting into structures with mini-crowbars, wire/bolt cutters, lock picks, breaching tools, etc., but in a minimalist mindset, there are plenty of resources you can collect or access with a few basic tools. Problem solving. A few tools can make finding solutions much easier.
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