Photo by joelogon.

We've previously covered the gear our editors and readers find handy to carry in their "Go bags" and laptop bags, and some of those tools (like a certain USB key) cross into the pocket-worthy realm. Otherwise, we tried to stick to very small tools and printables that do a really good job for this roundup.

10. Foldable Organizer

The PocketMod webapp is more than a simple printout maker. It's an expandable, customizable system for creating an 8-page, super-slim booklet with anything you want on any side. You can track your business mileage on one side while keeping your calendar and important contacts on another, or print out an entirely new pocket stuffed with travel maps and local attractions. Cool stuff, and definitely worth the wallet space. (Original post).

9. Compact keychain

If you've only got a few keys, and an eye for something different, you don't have to go with the typical ring-shaped chain. You really only need washers and a rivet to create a minimalist, quiet keychain. You can take it further by shaping those keys into a mini-Leatherman with a few tools kept in, attaching the rivets onto a money clip, or crafting your own compact key device. (Original posts: compact keychain, mini-Leatherman)

8. Universal club card

Some stores require them, some stores provide discounts with them, and others offer passive rewards and points for using club/membership cards and bar codes. Combine all of your codes onto a single card with Just One Club Card, or choose between a card and keyring tab at KeyRingThing. Actually, the two sites seem to have gotten together, and now offer combination cards with a nice laminate finish and firm back, so you won't have to worry about wear, tear, and faint barcodes. We love it when great webapps find each other. (Original post: Just One Club Card, KeyRingThing)

7. Indestructible, keychain-friendly USB drive

Maybe you don't need this exact model, but having a nearly-indestructible USB drive that fits on your keychain is convenient in ways you can't quite fathom until you've added it. You're almost never without a bit of storage for transferring or grabbing files. If you're the PortableApps type, you've always got a working Firefox/Pidgin/Thunderbird setup handy for being productive on someone else's system. At the moment, the 4 GB IamaKey sells for $22 directly, so it—or something like it—might make a great recommendation as a last-minute stocking stuffer. (Original post)

6. Compact calendar

Designer David Seah has been making "candy bar calendars" for some time now, and his 2010 compact calendar is just as beautifully efficient as ever. His are monthly calendars you line up and customize in Excel. If you're looking for more of an all-in-one solution, try The Small Calendar 2010 from Grafish Designs, or the Thumb Calendar 2010 design, both of which offer clever ways of peeking at today, tomorrow, and the future from a wallet-sized slip of paper. (Original posts: The Small Calendar, Thumb Calendar).

5. A baby (or really cute pet) photo

Wallets get lost, left behind, and lifted more often than you'd like to think. If your wallet is more misplaced than stolen, having a very cute baby photo in your wallet, even if it's not necessarily yours, seems to seriously boost your chances of getting it back. A not-too-close backup is having a cute pet picture. As they say in journalism school, every story (and wallet, maybe) needs a dog—or at least a really interesting human. Photo by °Eli. (Original post).

4. Earbud de-tangler

Ever pull out your tangled, knotted headphones and wonder if they're secretly holding gymnastics practice when they're tucked away? Keep your earbuds, cords, and plugs in place with a de-tangling tool. Our inner stylist loves this laser-cut earbud owl and its old-time-y wooden look, but you can also cut something similar from plastic. In fact, you can fashion an earbud holder out of a junk or expired credit card. If you've got no room for a single-purpose flat piece, at least train yourself in manual de-tangling methods like the devil horn wrap, the around-the-player wrap, or get fancy with a daisy chain or chain sinnet style. (Original earbud owl post)

3. A darned good pen

Yeah, you still need to write now and again. Whether it's a credit card receipt scrawl or a note you really want to be able to read later, having a pen that actually makes you want to write is always worth the price. We asked our script-friendly readers what pens they liked, and they came back with impressive results. In describing his trusted PenAgain, for example, Cowboy Bill wrote: "Helps my horrible handwriting. Busted knuckles from nuns' rulers." That's an endorsement from the heart, or at least the memory of hands.

2. Multi-tool, credit-card or standard

We agree with Steve Sussex's assessment of the Leatherman Micra—it's just as useful to computer geeks as to outdoor types. If carrying an actual knife on your keychain won't fly with security at work, or you don't want to clutter it, consider the 11-function, credit-card-sized survival tool, also recommended by Cool Tools. You get a ruler, a knife and screwdriver plane that can work in a pinch, and, perhaps most helpfully, a bottle opener you never forget at home. Even if you forget to pull it from your wallet before a flight, it's only around $5, and a fairly clever conversation starter. (Original posts: Leatherman Micra, credit card tool).

1. A backup system

The wallet is where you should keep all your essential IDs and cards, but it's good to have a fallback plan for when you leave it at home, or in the cab. Inspired by a Real Simple article (now dead-linked) on using clear pockets and cords to separate ID badges, Gina wrote up a diet plan and backup system for your wallet, based on her own use of a Slimmy minimalist wallet and just the bare essentials. If you find yourself holding up the line to dig through a virtual filing cabinet of receipts and cards, consider putting your own money holder through boot camp.

Keep in mind that the Ecco does not work like a traditional GPS—instead of finding new locations, it is designed to lead you back to one of three stored locations. So, if you are a Disney World and you want to keep tabs on where you parked, your location can be stored onto the device and used later to lead you back.

The Ecco only has an effective range of 9999 miles and an accuracy of 32 feet, but it could come in handy to fill in the gaps for people who have no plans to buy a GPS-enabled phone. [CuteBitz]

Hopefully the keyport people don't take a page from the Optimus' book and gimp the lower-end version so hard that it's essentially worthless. Adding on keys to a keyboard is pretty lame, but adding on keys to a keychain is, well, just as lame. Most of you wouldn't pay $300 for something that consolidates six of your keys into one gadget, but would you pay $50? We would. We'd probably pay even more if they could make one of the keys a knife. Stabby stabby. [Key-Port]

Product Page [Via technabob]

Then there's the noise issue, which means the jingling of your keys will alert everyone that you're checking the time for the fourth time in ten minutes, which we're sure the judge won't appreciate.

– Jason Chen

Designer Site [via Yanko Design]

The thing's still in its design phase now, but you can sign up on their site to get notified when they ship. Personally, we're pretty stoked at being able to ditch the unwieldy keyring for something more compact. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Key-port via Crunchgear]

Product Page [Topplebush via Nerd Approved]

This "keychain" has a rape whistle, an LED light, a compass, and a thermometer, for the times where you're being sexually attacked by a bear in the woods and you need to find your way back to civilization in the dark. Oh, and you'd like to know how cold it is. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Amazon via Uber Gizmo]

Before the NES, the best you could get from Nintendo was a little clamshell porta-system that allowed you to beat up Donkey Kong, among others. Though this is no Twilight Princess, you'll still be able to collect Triforce pieces and free Zelda or beat the living crap out of a gigantic monkey. – Jason Chen

Product Page [ThinkGeek via Geeksugar via uber gizmo]

We honestly had no idea there even was a Pocky theme song, but listening to it now makes us kinda glad we didn't. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Rakuten via Tokyo Mango]

Shine its strobe light on a guitar string, crank around the tuning pegs, and when that string appears to stop vibrating, it's in tune. If you have a great ear and can tune the guitar yourself, use the thing as a flashlight, or give it to one of your bandmates as a subtle hint alluding to his questionable intonation. It's 10 bucks. – Charlie White

Fender Keychain Tuner [Crunchgear]

Product Page [Via Redferret]

If you want a little twist to your portable lighting, here's the eGear LED Lantern keychain. It's got a battery life of 25 hours and can be set to constant or blinking mode. It's around 2" tall and runs you $9.99 plus shipping. – Jason Chen

Tiny itty bitty powerful lantern [Think Geek via Shiny Shiny]

LifeStat is an emergency airway device for use in respiratory obstruction or failure. This innovative device facilitates a lifesaving method (cricothyroid notch) in emergencies when other efforts have failed.

And yes, Mr. EMT Man, we really expect you to try other efforts first. We know how tempting the "hey, I want to try out this new gadget I got" feeling is. – Jason Chen

Lifestat Emergency Airway Device [Shippert via Medgadget]

We can see how cops and bouncers could use a breath alcohol screener this tiny to carry around, but if you're at the point where you want something like the Alcohawk on your keychain for self-testing, perhaps you'd be better off having someone drive to you rehab instead?

Alcohawk Micro [Q3 Alcohol Testing Specialists, via Techie Diva]