Just to be clear I wasn't saying or implying that the Hi-Lift's aren't useful tools, just that in the hands of the uninformed or numbed-brain that they are dangerous and are not my first recommendation for a jack.
A trick that I learned or the avatar dune buggy taught me was to always work from the vehicle's own tool kit. If you start with nothing in the kit and add to it as you need things then you won't be carrying stuff that you'll never use. There are, of course, some exceptions. What those are I think are vehicle and owner specific.
Two tools that I always carry that are not common or commonly known about are a pair of Safety Wire pliers and a "Clamp-it" tool.
These HF pliers (link above) aren't the best set of safety wire pliers and I wouldn't use them daily, but the set that I have are functional:
Ironically I mostly use the clamp-it tool for fixing garden hoses, makes a nice low profile clamp on the hose that doesn't snag skin or anything else. It is small enough that it is part of the travel tool kit. It has saved the day in the field once and I don't expect that to be the last time.
These will work with any wire, but since 1 lbs spools of safety wire come in such easy to store & transport packaging that is what I also carry. I regularly use the .032" size.
Edited by ntsqd, 15 March 2014 - 08:35 PM.