h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Trouser, right hip - keys.
Trouser, left hip - wallet.
Trouser, left cargo - phone.
Trouser, right cargo - OS map.
Jacket, left sleeve - satellite locator distress beacon (PLB).
Jacket, left hip - hat, left glove.
Jacket, right hip - buff, right glove.
Jacket, inside chest - compass, first aid kit.

This is obviously only the basic setup before it's been customised for a specific day.

What have I got in my pocketses?

Trouser, right hip – handkerchief (for nose).
Trouser, left hip – glasses-wiping handkerchief.
Trouser, left cargo – keys, penknife, pucnture repair kit.
Trouser, right cargo – Extra strong mints.
Jacket, left chest – mobile phone, 2 USB sticks.
Jacket, left hip – glasses/sunglasses (depending on whether I'm indoors or outdoors).
Jacket, right hip - wallet.
Shirt – fountain pen & 2H pencil.

My daughter usually keeps daisies she picks in her pockets, while my son usually has at least a few stones...

Are you going to Portchester Castle?

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As a keen cyclist I carry lots of stuff in my pocketses now as you get a very large pocket collection on your back and you don't want anything in front pockets as things in them hang down and bash your knees as you pedal.

So when I'm cycling I have in there (sometimes less -depends on the distance) - a multitool, small pump and tyre levers for on the go repairs, some flap-jack or similar for on the go energy plus electrolyte tablets for the drinks bidons, spare gloves, possibly a rain proof top folded up very small, a back with pens, routesheet and spare batteries for the lights, protectors for my cycling shoe cleats. Wallet with small change inside.

Rear pockets are awesome but don't look very cool when you're not cycling - also a VERY bad place to keep your wallet when no on the bike

That reminds me, I've carried my cycle clips in my pocket today (but they're not in there now, they're in my helmet instead).

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A back with pens?

A (plastic) bag with pens...

I wear the lycra when I cycle, no need for clips.

I just have lycra pants – not brave enough to wear lycra where it's visible yet...

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Oh if we're talking cycling bits and bobs

My pockets carry energy gels and flapjacks. Nothing hard in case I land on them. The bike carries a GPS Sat Nav, get-me-home lights and a couple of water bottles - one with water and one with electrolytes. My saddle bag carries two tubes, scabs, nitrile gloves, pump, spare front light, wallet (with cash), chocolate, multitool and house keys. A wee bag on the cross tube carries two phones on different networks.( I live in mortal terror of being left dying by the side of the road and my wife selling my bikes for what I said I paid for them)

oh yeah, house (and car) keys - they are right handy them

Bravery has nowt to do with it Bluebottle, I don't want my work clothes getting muddy from crap off the road or chain oil on it so I wear cycling gear and change into proper clothes at work.
On a more leisure ride, I'm way gone past anyone who feels the need to comment long before it's out of their mouth. I'm sure I'm no oil painting in my full kit

I almost always have the following in my pockets.

Trousers:
Right front - Keys (often two sets, some general keys hanging from a carabiner and either my car or motorcycle keys) and my Leatherman multitool.
"Watch" pocket - loose coins.
Right rear - wallet.


Left rear - comb and Japanese carpenters knife (most hazardous thing in my pockets, see example here http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=51165&cat=1,51222&ap=1 )
Left front - small Victorinox Swiss army knife.

Shirt, Left breast pocket - mobile, pen (made by my father).


I do currently have two #16 rubber bands in my right breast pocket. Some time ago I put them there after performing my best magic tricks and they've since gone through the wash a few times.


I noticed a few of you mentioned carrying your keys in your rear pockets. That sounds potentially painful.

No BB comparing Portchester with another Roman fort.

This one BB

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/105199466

I go for the 'wear old clothes when cycling to work' approach (usually the large clothes that are too big for me since I took up cycling), and then change, rather than wearing specific cycling clothes. That way if they get covered in oil etc, I don't mind too much.

Just to clarify - I carry keys in my cargo pockets, not back pockets. Things in my cargo pocket don't interfere with my cycling there and are sealed so nothing falls out.

So how do the two compare?

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If I have trouser pockets and am being optimistically minimal, I have my phone, my keys, my oyster card, my bank card, whatever other cards I need that day such as a library card, some money and whatever the kids have given me, stones, dandelions, empty food packets or daisies usually. I spent all winter with my daughter's sunglasses in my coat pocket because I kept forgetting to take them out and not much else.

I rarely get out of the house without a bag though, because often I don't have trouser pockets and I also have two children. The child friendly pocket extension pack typically has the above plus wet wipes, nappies, a camera, drinks, rice cakes, string cheese (don't judge me, my daughter has tantrums), dried fruit, whatever horse toy daughter can't live without that day and whatever animal toy son can't live without that day, plus more food if we are out for lunch. In summer I will add sun cream, hats (which will certainly spend more time in the bag than on), the kids' sunglasses (ditto) and my glasses in my sunglasses case (the sunglasses will be on my face).

The work pocket extension pack aka my handbag currently has a proper purse with the full card set of bank cards, library cards (three for me and two more for the kids), NT membership card, WWT membership card, various coffee house membership cards, a shell garage card, my AA card, a boots card, a defunct photocopying card that hasn't been in use for at least two years. There is also a comb, some board pens, some other pens, a notebook, a flyer for a Russian language kids' cinema experience, a horse toy, my work pass, a usb stick, a don't panic badge, an h2g2 badge and a couple of ladies' feminine hygiene products.

At lunchtime I went swimming, and put my prescription goggles and shampoo in my trunks' pocket (but not when I was swimming, naturally).

Are we having the 'what cards have you got in your walletses/handbagses' discussion now?

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Oh, and my kids don't have things in their pockets. Well, my son sometimes has some pocket money in there but that's about it. This is because a) little girl's clothes don't really have useful pockets and b) it would be one more thing for me to keep track of.

I didn;t know you can get prescription swimming goggles. Coo. Ain't modern life wonderful.

Yes - the number of times I've swum into the ends of the pool and other people has drastically reduced since I've been able to see while swimming - I still swim into the side ropes, though. (Most pools put floats around the ropes, but ours thinks that a plain rope is far more aesthetically pleasing...)

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What's wrong with string cheese? I packed some in my lunch today. I eat it while I wait for the microwave.

As to cards, all those are in my wallet. Along with my drivers license and spending cash, of course, I have a couple of $2 bills just in case I find myself on the set of Let's Make A Deal and Monty Hall (now Wayne Brady) offers me $1000 if I have one in my wallet. I also have10 Honduran Lempira for no good reason. I have one special $1 bill that I've prepared for a rather impressive magic trick. I also have two eyeglass cleaning cloths. (One of these is rather special. It came with a scanner I used to use at work that cost over $300,000. The cloth only cost 0.01% of that, or $30. It is a woven microfibre with a 220,000 thread count. The best pilfering I've ever done.) I also have a credit card sized fresnel lens and a credit card sized bottle opener. I used to carry a P-38 that I found. I hope I haven't lost it. I probably left it in my last wallet. And I also have a special coin from my club. If anyone in the club pulls this coin out at the bar, "the game" starts. If someone else in the club happens to have lost or forgotten their coin, they buy a round for everyone else. If EVERYONE else has their coin, the original person to pull their coin buys the round. This can get very expensive when 50-100 club members are at the same bar.


Speaking of games, I just lost The Game, (and so did you.)
A22766402

In my wallet I have:
NUS/ISIC card
Tesco clubcard
Subway card
Nectar card
CEX card
Waterstones stamp-collecting card
Waterstones card
HMV card
Boots Advantage card
Gambado (Soft play centre) card
Island Club (Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferry) Travel Card
Old Southampton Solent Uni Staff Card
New Southampton Solent Uni Staff/Library Card
Disney photopass card
O2 Top-Up Card
Provisional Driving Licence
Cotswold Outdoor shop card
Gifted student discount card
Southampton City Council library card
European Health Insurance Card
ToysRUs Star Wars Gold Card
CTC Membership card
Hampshire County Council library card
National Insurance numbercard
Swim card
ParkRun Barcode
Rail Card
Bank Cards (3)
Return ticket from Southampton Central to Eastleigh dated yesterday
Bike shop receipt
2 adult and 2 child tickets (clipped) for the Bookside Miniature Railway in Cheshire
2 adult and 2 child tickets (clipped) for Scarborough's North Bay railway, North Yorkshire
4 x 1p coins (2 Royal Shield, 2 crowned portcullis with chains)
1 x 2p coin (Royal Shield)
3 x 5p (2 Royal Shield, 1 thistle crowned)
4 x 20p (1 Royal Shield, 3 crowned rose)
2 x 50p (1 Olympics basketball, 1 with 'Fifty Pence' written all over it)
6 x £1 (1 leek in a coronel, 3 Royal Shields, 2 Ornamental royal arms)
1 x £10 note.

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