I have a Campbell Hausfeld 12-volt tire inflator that has kicked around in the back of my car for years. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve re-inflated a tire with a slow leak, and then gone on my way. The brand isn’t nearly as important as the fact that it runs off your car battery; it has a tire pressure gauge built in, and it has a work light.

Small 12-volt compressors like this run from between 15 to 30 bucks new, and will do a fine job of re-inflating tires or rubber rafts or volleyballs.  Most compressors come with attachments that will do all of these things.  In my case, we often travel on industrial roads that lead to the local dump, so we tend to pick up more than our share of nails and screws. My little compressor has lasted through several cars and many tires.

These days, wrist watches are hard to justify wearing; digital clocks are everywhere, and they’re generally always correct.

But a Mil-Spec watch, made specifically for our military personnel, that’s got clean looks and pure function as its purpose, along with Tritium gas-lit phosphor tubes marking the time in complete darkness (for years!) is very hard to beat. Light-weight and comfortable, I use mine in place of much more expensive world-nameplate Swiss watches that sit unused (a special kind of tragedy).

These watches are tools and, I think, very cool, and I believe they fit under the Cool Tool umbrella with their own unique panache. The dial has “US Government” and a radiation symbol, too. Hard to beat.

Some of the best art is a destination; you must travel to it. This lavish guide book is chock full of art that can only be experienced in place, beyond four walls. Some of this destination art is monumental, some architectural, some is art rooted in the physical landscape, some is found in open air art parks. There is a refreshing mix of choices from around the world, each of which is worth making a trip to see. Like the previously reviewed Geek Atlas, having a specific unusual destination can enhance ordinary travel.

As solid goes, 5.11 Tactical is about as good as it gets. Tested by Viking Tactics for the manifold stresses of modern warfare (no, not the video game), the RUSH 72 will hold up to just about anything you can throw at it, water included. I wouldn’t submerge it, of course, there are drain points in bottom of the hydration compartment as well as the main compartment, but in rain, there’s very little risk of damage if you’ve closed the zippers fully.

The reason I recommend the 72 variant instead of the 24 is simple: there’s more space if you need it, and if you don’t need it, then you don’t have to use it. The compression straps pull tourniquet-tight in a few seconds, and you can loop them into the attached MOLLE webbing to keep them that way. Though the 72 is a bit wider than its smaller cousin, it’s not nearly as noticeable as it seems in the pictures, even when packed. I use my 72 as a Bug-Out-Bag, with the two side pockets functioning as compartments for items that might draw a few questions if packed in more accessible areas. And despite the considerable amount of gear I’ve managed to fit, it’s still about the same as my old SwissGear pack. That is to say, fairly mid-sized, as backpacks go.

The 72 is also perfect because it’s multipurpose, and fulfills various roles without needing any pouches tacked on (although I did find a MOLLE-compatible organizer for pens, an external hard drive, and other such tools; see the previously reviewed Pocket Field Organizer). It has sternum straps and hip pads that take the load significantly off your shoulders, and also features an aluminum hard-plate in the back both for support and so any pointy items in the pack won’t dig into your spine. A recent design update now features underside attachment points, so a rolled sleeping bag or tent can be carried under the pack with the aid of a bit of twine or paracord. Of course, you could also just stuff it into the compression pocket.

Oh. And did I mention pockets? Because there are a lot of those. It doesn’t look like it from the picture above, but there are tons of pockets: a sunglasses pocket, an organizer pocket, a main compartment, a water bladder compartment, two side compartments, and additional mesh and closed-nylon pockets within nearly every one of those. If you’re not the kind of person to use a hydration bladder, you can consider using the hydration pocket as laptop storage. It fits my 15″ Macbook Pro just fine with space to spare, so if you’ve got something like a gaming computer, then it will probably fit. The aluminum hard-plate doubles as extra protection.

I won’t lie, it’s pretty expensive as everyday packs go, especially if you aren’t used to paying for them. I was lucky enough to receive mine as a gift from those who knew which pack I wanted, so I was ecstatic. But every other pack I’ve owned (a lot of SwissGear, some generic brands) has suffered from ripped handles, zippers that catch and come apart, torn outer shells, and other flaws which significantly reduced the quality of the product. The 72 has every indication of being as battle-ready as Viking Tactics claims, and even with the heavy loads I’ve carried on and off for about three months, it has held up superbly and shows no sign of wear.

The ResQMe tool is something that I believe everyone should own, but I pray that no one will ever need to use.

I have been fortunate enough to have never needed to use this tool myself, but through my work as an EMT I have come across more than one situation where my patients may have benifited from this tool, and one situation where I honestly believe that this tool could have been lifesaving.

When you have been involved in a serious motor vehicle collision your adrenaline starts flowing and, if you are like the large majority of people, your fight or flight instincts kick in and thinking rationally can become a challenge.

If it is safe to remain in your vehicle, that is certainly your best course of action. But in some situations this is simply not an option. If for example the vehicle has entered water, if chemicals or fire are involved, or if you are in an isolated area and assistance is simply not going to find you in your current location it may be necessary to vacate your vehicle. Seatbelt mechanisms may become jammed and pushing the release button may no longer work. Electric windows may no longer work if the electronics were damaged by the collision.

In order to get out of the vehicle you need to find not only an alternate way to undo your seatbelt, but a means of breaking a window specifically designed not to be easily broken, and you must do both these things while in a near panicked state. With other tool combinations that I’ve used the seatbelt cutter and the window punch have been separate and have had no means of attaching to a keychain.

As a rescuer, these independent devices work well. However, if you are the person trapped inside the vehicle you don’t have time to be reaching around looking for one tool, let-a-lone two. Having the ResQMe attached you key chain means that you will almost always be able to escape from your vehicle.