Whatever your gear-toting vessel of choice--messenger bag, backback, purse--there's a few things that every techie should have on hand. There's your phone, of course, plus maybe a laptop, or a tablet or eReader for some people. But that's not the stuff anyone has to remind you to bring along on your daily adventures. You can be ready for anything, no matter what happens along the way, if you keep these 3 items handy.
At Least One Pair of Earbuds
Even if your listening gear of choice is a sweet pair of Sennheiser cans, you might not carry them everywhere with you. Be ready for YouTube tutorial vids at the library, or an impromptu jam session on the train, by keeping an old and compact pair of earbuds handy.
Try this: iHip's retractable earbuds are compact and inexpensive at around $12.
A Backup Phone Battery
A long day out of the house takes as much energy out of you as it does out of your smartphone. Make sure you stay connect late into the night with a backup battery.
Try this: Mophie makes great backup gear. Try the Juice Pack case for iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy S III. Or the keychain-sized portable battery Juice Pack Reserve for iPhone or other Micro USB smartphones.
An Empty Flash Drive You Can Afford to Lose
You might keep a personal drive to travel with important docs, but you might also want to keep a cheap spare on you. If you ever need to give it away or leave it with someone, you won't panic thinking about losing your gear or your data.
Try this: A 1GB drive will cover you in a jam for less than $1.
(Images: iHip, Amazon.com, Mophie)
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Commercial Flour Sa...
What Drink Do You Order at a Bad Bar? 25 Food Writers Share Their Safety Drinks
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
The Samsung Galaxy SIII has a removable battery - you can just buy a spare. Very small profile and perfect fit for your phone.
Another avenue to consider for saving documents would be using an online system like Google Drive. Of course this only works if you have an internet connection.
Those retractable earbuds look great. I get so tired of dealing with the tangled cords of my iPod.
I had a flash drive on my key chain for about 2 years and never used it, but the day I did need it I was completely happy I had carried it around for 2 years. It saved the day!
If you have a phone with a microSD card like a Galaxy S3, a microSD reader is a pretty useful thing to have. Once you remove the card from your phone and insert it in the reader it's (almost) the same as a usb drive: it can be smaller than a usb drive, you can get the data to your phone easily, and you can leave it empty.
I keep a headphone splitter so my husband and I can watch TV or listen to music together without bothering everybody else.
You would need to considering the battery life on that thing.