50 Items to Always Have Within Reach

No matter where you are--home, office, vehicle, friend's house, on vacation, etc.--you need to be prepared for anything that could happen.  One way to do this it to always ensure that you have these useful items within reach (meaning in your home, in your travel bag, in your office storage cabinet, etc).

1. Water (a case of water, a bottle of water, a canteen, etc)
2. Food (stockpiled food, granola bars, a packed lunch, etc)
3. Cash (coins and bills)
4. ATM card/bank card/credit card (for access to greater amounts of money)
5. ID (passport, driver's license, etc)
6. First aid kit (tiny with band aids and aspirin up to a mega kit)
7. Flashlight (again it can be tiny or a huge Maglight)
8. A knife (pocket knife, fixed blade knife, utility knife, etc)
9. A cell phone and charger (all around useful)
10. A bandanna (many, many uses)
11. A backpack (small, medium, or large for grab and go situations)
12. Pen/pencil and paper (old reliable and still very useful even in the digital age)
13. USB drive with all of your files backed up (no explanation needed)
14. Prescription medications (if they are necessary they should always be with you)
15. Paracord (also many, many uses)
16. Small AM/FM radio (for entertainment and emergency use)
17. Safety pins 
18. Rubber bands 
19. Zip ties 
20. Emergency "space" blanket (many uses)
21. Whistle (tiny but useful in an emergency)
22. Spare batteries (for anything you carry that uses them)
23. Wet wipes (always useful)
24. Packet of tissue (for obvious uses)
25. Condom (ditto. Also good for carrying water)
26. Water purification tabs (super tiny and useful in an emergency)
27. Matches or a lighter 
28. Titanium cup (for your daily coffee and can be used for cooking in an emergency)
29. Multi-purpose tool (like a Leatherman, a whole tool kit in your hand)
30. Duct tape 
31. Zip lock bags 
32. Set of keys (spares for home and car)
33. Needle and thread (for quick fixes)
34. Tampon (for obvious uses also for stopping bleeding in an emergency)
35. Compass (for obvious uses)
36. Candy (comfort food and useful for diabetic emergencies)
37. Sunglasses (for obvious uses)
38. Sterile gloves
39. Mirror (for obvious uses and for emergencies)
40. Large garbage bag (lots of uses)
41. Personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, comb, etc)
42. Good walking shoes
43. Complete change of clothes
44. Weapon of choice
45. Light sticks
46. Work gloves
47. Rain poncho
48. Local map
49. Hand sanitizer
50. Items specific to your situation (baby supplies, car emergency kit, pet supplies, etc)