Almost Lost My EDC

Doing our big "United Way" kickoff at work, and I was chosen to be in our skit. The executive group at our company does a show with some skits. The time comes and we assemble out in our warehouse. I'm an IT guy in a cube back in our office area. The other side of the building is a giant warehouse with a few hundred people in it. To get to the warehouse, you have to go through a security checkpoint and metal detector. Well, I take all my stuff out of my pockets (Wearing 5.11 Stryke pants today) at my desk in preparation to go out there. I put BACK in my pocket my Surefire L1. Never leave home without it. All I have is my phone, my Surefire, my watch, and a pen (Parker IM rollerball). We go out to the warehouse and go back to put on costumes. We're laughing and carrying on and they're getting ready to start announcing our acts. I'm going to be sitting on the drums when we do the "Saturday Night Live Cowbell" skit with our company President filling in the Christopher Walken part. This is going to be funny, this is going to.... I pat my pockets. No light. I'm wearing a wig and a shirt and I need to find my Surefire NOW. I pull off the wig and shirt and people are like, "Hey! We're going out there in a few minutes!" All the people in the warehouse are assembled. Multiple scenarios of me dropping it or leaving it out somewhere in the warehouse and someone grabbing it are racing through my head. I run back through the warehouse and fortunately bump into our head of security... "HEY! DID YOU GUYS FIND..." and he says, "A flashlight?" *WHEW!* As luck would have it, he's a retired State Trooper and I think he recognized a decent piece of gear. My light and pen were stashed under the security desk, I left them behind with all the back and forth while we were going through security. Stuff back in my pockets, I got back to the event, put the stuff back on and was good to go.

In recent years, I've tried to keep my gear-loss-phobia under control, but it was definitely a shocker and reminder to keep my stuff with me.

Made me laugh. We all know "that" feeling. I have had a few come off in my vehicle.

I also had 2 close calls with lights, one I like, and one I love. The one I love is my Copper Prometheus Beta QR. It has the quarky quick release clip. I usually have a McGizmo SS pico on the ring to take it on and off my bag. Well one day I go to grab it and it was missing. The factory Prometheus quick release, released! I had no clue where my light was. I had been to 3 or 4 different places that day. But, the following morning I found it on my lawn by my truck! How lucky!

Ahh, the Pocket Patdown to check for gear-loss. I think we all do it compulsively! Glad your light wasn't truly lost! Hope you have backups of the light you love.

twice I found mine in the washing machine. still works fine. maratec aaa