Country Lore: Traveler’s Tool Kit

Many of us, while traveling, encounter minor mishaps that require repairs to our clothes or gear. For example, you may lose a button, or perhaps one of the screws on the frame of your glasses loosens.

For such emergencies, you need a tool kit. The kit should be compact and contain useful items. My own kit includes the following items that all fit into a zippered pencil case:

Swiss Army knife or Leatherman tool
Baggie ties
Tube of contact cement
Hank of string
Mini roll of duct tape, wrapped around a permanent marker
Jeweler’s screwdriver
4 spring clothespins
Needle and thread
Assorted rubber bands
Tweezers
Small LED flashlight

You may want to add or subtract items according to your personal needs. If you are traveling by air, it is important not to place this kit in your carry-on bag.

Robert McCauley
Kitchener, Ontario