There are several items in existence that are universally used and carried, the wallet and mobile telephone being two obvious examples. Having such items on your person will allow you deal with any communications and financial needs that may arrive, but they cannot do very much else.

It is wise for a gent to consider carrying with him certain items that will form part of a ‘Gentleman’s Toolkit’. Such a tool kit comprises of  a selection of useful items that will help you deal with unexpected situations or emergencies.

Pen Knife - A pen knife can be used for all sorts of things, from cutting and peeling fruit through to trimming loose threads from clothing. My own preference is to carry a Swiss Army type knife with not only a blade, but also a pair of screwdriver heads (oddly, I fix a lot of door handles with mine) and maybe a corkscrew, but a regular single bladed pen knife is just as handy. See my post about pen knives for further detail.

Handkerchief – Not be confused with the pocket square which is for decorative purposes only. Paper handkerchiefs just don’t cut it. They look cheap and get fluff all over your clothing. A proper cotton or linen handkerchief is much more practical. You probably know the reasons why you might use it (gooey ones, mainly), but you can (and should) offer to others if need they need to make use of it too – only so long as it is clean and unused! Offering your handkerchief to someone who needs it will be a highly appreciated gesture. Remember, a gentleman will never ask for his handkerchief to be returned after he has loaned it to someone.

Change - Specifically the cost of one bus/train journey home. This will allow you to get home should you lose your wallet.

Stamps - It’s always useful to have a book of stamps in your wallet, particularly if you are the type (like me) who writes a letter and never gets round to posting it. Having a supply of stamps on hand solves this problem.

Notebook - A small pocket sized notebook to take down notes, addresses and phone numbers is always useful. I have a preference for Moleskine notebooks. They come in a variety of sizes and are incredibly hard wearing. They may be more expensive than supermarket notebooks, but they are worth it and are quite stylish (as notebooks go).

Pen - A good pen, like a good watch can do wonders for your image and will make writing more pleasurable. A decent pen is not that expensive. For example, you can buy a quality Parker or Shaefer pen for as little as €20. You could spend more and get a fountain pen, but they require more maintenance and you run the risk of the ink leaking and damaging your clothing. A decent refillable roller ball pen is all you need.

Breath Fresheners – A small pocket sized pack of breath mints should be an essential part of every gents pocket tool kit. A hearty lunch could impart a nasty aroma to your breath, particularly if you’ve been eating garlic or onions. Having breath fresheners to hand will help alleviate such oral assaults.

Optional

Torch – You can buy tiny L.E.D. torches that fit on your key ring for a few Euros (see image above). Despite their small size they are surprisingly powerful. These torches are amazingly useful, they can be used to locate things in dark corners or provide illumination during an unexpected power cut.

Visiting Cards - Not to be confused with its more modern cousin the business card, the visiting card (a.k.a. the calling card) is simply a card with your name on it. In times gone by the visiting card would be used a tool of etiquette, something used by a servant to announce their masters arrival. As time progressed they became a way for gentlemen to exchange details. If you were to pass one to someone, at the very least they would like to know your name, it is up to you to volunteer further details. You could provide such details such as your address or phone number by writing on the reverse of the card. There is something so very old fashioned yet undeniable appealing about visiting cards. if you pass out visiting cards to new acquaintances you will certainly be remembered.

Visiting cards are surprisingly cheap to produce, most on-line printing services can produce a few hundred for around €20. To order some just ask for a business card, that has only your name on it. Harder to find are cases for you r visiting cards, business card cases are the same and will work, but they are hard to get. The best place to look for such and item is your local jeweller or maybe on eBay.

Of course, when choosing what to carry you can pick and choose those items which suit your circumstances the best. To carry all these items may upset the line of your suit, so try to anticipate that what you feel you may need and prepare accordingly.

Do you carry any items with you on a regular basis that help you solve unexpected problems? If so please leave a comment and share your experiences.

Cars are a lot more reliable than they used to be, but they can and do still break down. Of course, Murphy’s Law being what it is, your car will mostly likely break down at the worst possible moment or in the worst possible location.

Calling a mechanic out to fix your car isn’t cheap and the costs of roadside recovery can also quickly mount up. The well prepared gentleman is one who knows how deal with most common motoring emergencies and can get a car going again when something fairly simple goes wrong.

In this article I will write about five common motoring problems that can stop a car and how you can solve them by the side of the road.

First Things First

You should never assume a car is never going to break down, cars are complex pieces of machinery with lots of parts to go wrong. They will break down.

When you take delivery of a new car you really should read the owners manual cover to cover. It is a treasure trove of useful advice that when put in to practice will make your car more reliable and help you know what to do when it breaks down. Wouldn’t it be better to just know to extract the spare wheel on a dark night, rather than having to fumble through the manual when the time comes?

Next make sure your car is always fully kitted out for emergencies. At the very least you need the following:

• Spare tyre
• Lifting jack (scissors type)
• Tool kit with a decent tyre iron that fits your wheel nuts
• Warning triangle
• First aid kit
• Torch
• Protective gloves
• Hand cleaning rag/wipes
• Jump leads
• Tow rope
• Optionally: Can of tyre inflation foam
• Optionally: Key to unlock locking wheel nuts, if fitted
• Optionally: Jerry/petrol can.
• Optioanlly: Windscreen washer fluid, especially during insect season!

Although you can build your own tool kit from scratch most car manufacturers will supply one specifically for your model of car. It may be more expensive, but it will be guaranteed to have all the tools you need.

It is always a good idea to have your spre tyre checked when you have your car serviced, there is nothing so depressing as finding out your spare is flat when you are in the middle of nowhere.

Daily Check

Every day you should give your car a visual check. This will help you identify and prevent problems that may cause a breakdown.

Most of these checks are obvious such as petrol (gas) or oil levels. But you should also check tyres for wear and tear and make sure all your lights are working. It’s also another good idea to check the water level in your radiator and that your windscreen washer fluid reservoirs are topped up.

You should also get to know what your car should sound and feel like. Unusual sounds or vibrations can indicate an upcoming problem, so be on the lookout for such signs.

Now let’s look at how to deal with two of the most common problems you might encounter when driving.

Problem 1 – A flat tire

There are two ways to resolve this problem. One is to replace the flat tyre with the spare, the other is fill the flat tyre with emergency repair foam.

Replacing the tyre

Replacing a flat tyre at the side of a road is not as difficult as it looks. It is awkward and you will get messy, but it should not take longer than 15-30 mins to complete.

Firstly park up somewhere safe and flat where you can work at the tyre away from passing traffic. If you feel exposed to passing traffic use your hazards lights and position the warning triangle a good 30 yards behind the car to warn oncoming traffic to your presence. Whatever you do, don’t take risks.

Now get your jack, tyre iron, spare wheel and car owners manual. Note from the manual where to jack up the car, you have to do it in a specific place or you will damage the bodywork. Also check the wording on the tyre, it may be a compact spare tyre which has a lower speed limit than a regular tyre. Lift up the car using the jack and once the bottom of the wheel is an inch or two clear of the road start to remove the bolts slowly. When the bolts are off remove the flat wheel and place the spare on. The bolts should be tightened in a circular sequence, eg, tighten bolt one a little, then bolt two, then bolt three, then bolt four and then back to bolt one. Do not tighten one whole nut in one go, this will make the wheel go out of alignment slightly and may damage the hub.

The wheel nuts only need to be hand tight, if you can not tighten them any more with your hands they are tight enough. Attempting to tighten the nuts further, using a hammer for example, may only damage the nuts.

Once the wheel is on and the nuts are tightened you can go on your way again, but drive carefully! Drive at lower speed than you normally would and get the wheel checked out by a tyre specialist as soon as you can.

Using Emergency Foam

This method is a bit of a cheat, but it works and I can vouch for it. Instead of replacing a flat tyre, you fill it with expanding foam which not only seals the puncture but inflates it as well. It’s easy to do, just attach an aerosol to the tyre valve and press the button. Much better than replacing a tyre in the wind and rain. The downside is that you will be limited to 30MPH and you may also be limited in how far you can travel using this temporary fix.

Each brand of foam has slightly different instructions, so remember to read the can. You will also need to see a specialist as soon as you can to get your tyre fixed properly.

Patching a puncture by the side of the road?

Don’t even think about it. It’s too much trouble. You’ll probably break your fingers as pulling a car typre off a hub is not easy and you needs specialist equipment. Should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having more than one flat, just call out a recovery van as there’s not much else you can do.

Problem 2 – A Flat Battery

Depending on the type of transmission your car has there are one of two possible ways to get a car going when it’s battery goes flap, jump start it or push start it.

Jump Start

This is where you use jumper cables to borrow power from another car.

First position the cars so that the batteries are close together and open the bonnets of both. Check the dead battery for damage, such as cracks, leaks or excessive corrosion. If the battery is cracked or is leaking, give up and replace it, otherwise carry on. Make sure the dead car is in neutral or park (depending on transmission type) and it’s handbrake is off. All electrical systems such as radios, lights, GPSs, heaters etc, should be switched off both to make sure the dead battery gets as much power as it can and also to prevent such devices from getting damaged when the power shoots through the jump leads.

You need to attach the jump leads in a specific sequence in order to prevent loose leads causing damage to you or the car.

1. Connect the positive (+  red) grip to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
2. Connect the positive (+  red) grip to the positive terminal of the good battery.
3. Connect the negative (- black) grip to the negative terminal of the dead battery.
4. Connect the negative (- black) grip to the negative terminal of the good battery.

If there terminals are corroded you can rub them shiny using a file of some sandpaper, this will aid the electrical flow.

Start to the donor car and let it run for a minute or two. Then attempt to start the dead car (remember to check the gearbox is in neutral or park). It should start, but if not let the donor car run for a few more minutes and repeat. If you find yourself constantly repeating this process you might need to give up and get a mechanic, but that will be rare.

When the car does start remove the jump leads in the reverse sequence to which you applied them and let the dead car run for a few minutes before driving off to ensure the battery gets some charge.

Push Start

This will only work with a manual gearbox.

This involves getting someone to give the car a good push or rolling it down a hill to get it going. Care should always be taken to ensure the car cannot veer off and hit someone or something and someone should always be ready to cover the brakes if need be.

To do a push start place the car in to second gear and remove the handbrake, either get someone to push the car or let it roll downhill. Once the car’s speed reaches 10MPH turn the key and attempt to start the engine. It should work as it is a very reliable method, if not repeat.

Be ready to take control of the vehicle once it starts at it may lurch forward.

I hope this article has proven useful, if you have any suggestions of you own to add please feel free to leave them in the comments.

I sometimes think that we were dealt a rather cruel evolutionary blow.

Yes, we are the dominant species on the planet, but our appendages are pretty limited in what they can do. We are pretty much limited to holding, poking and prodding. Anything else requires the use of a tool of some sort.

Of all the tools we have at our disposal I think the good old pen knife is one of the most useful. There are so many tasks we encounter on a daily basis that can be made so much easier and enjoyable by using a pen knife.

• Opening Boxes and Letters.
• Cutting food such as an apple or an orange.
• Making a sandwich.
• Cutting rope and cord.
• Using the blade (carefully!) as rudimentary screwdriver.
• Stripping wire (again, carefully!)
• And lots of other uses that may not be immediately apparent.

The man who carries a knife is a man who is better preapred to deal with whatever life throws at him.

What Kind of Knife to Get?

If you love simplicity the bog standard pen knife may suit you best. It’s simple and does a great job of dividing chunks of matter in to smaller chunks.

Swiss Army knifes are my personal favourite. Made by two different companies (that have the same owner) Victorinox and Wenger. There is lttle difference between the two brands, both have similar ranges and the quality of each companies products are top knotch. Swiss Army kives can be simple affairs with just a sigle blade throught to huge lumps of monstrous complexity with over 100 blades and tools. If you want to carry a screwdriver, bottle opener or some other type of tool with you as well as a knife, then a Swiss Army knife is the perfect choice.

The Victorinox Cybertool – My Knife of Choice

Leatherman tools are an interesting variation on the Swiss Army kife concept. They are actually pliers with what looks like a Swiss Army knife hidden in the handle. If you need to carry a set of pliers with you then they may be the thing you need. The downside is that they are quite bulky and aren’t really suited to being carried in your trouser pocket. Instead they are usually carried in a pouch that you would attach to your belt.

A Leatherman Tool

One thing to remember when buying a knife is that cheap knives are rubbish. The steel will distort and be difficult to keep sharp. Plus they could disintegrate when you use them, possibly causing serious injury. The price difference between low and good quality knives isn’t much, so don’t waste your money on something cheap – you will regret it.

Also worth bearing in mind is that knifes with bigger blades or auto-opening mechanisms may be illegal in some jurisdictions so please make sure you are within the law if you do carry such a knife!

Knife Care

You should keep you knife sharp at all times. A blunt blade can be dangerous as you will end up struggling to cut things. If you slip the blunt blade will still cut through you, seeing as your outsides are rather soft.

If you get your knife wet, dry it immediately to prevent rusting. Even the best quality knifes will rust if not cared for.

When you purchase your knife you should also buy a sharpening stone and follow the instructions carefully. This will help ensure you knife reamains in tip-top condition.