The things they carried

[BlackBat242]

Douglas Adams was wrong.

The most important item to carry is an umbrella. Make it a high tech one that can double as a dish antenna. Make if of some material that is ultra durable. Great for protection against sun, radiation (make it an absorber or shield of sorts), poor weather, and if made durable enough it's a club as a weapon (assuming a compact sort rather than the long version with a sword in it).

If brightly colored it is a signaling device. With the right high tech material it could be reasonably bullet / puncture resistant too. The uses are nearly endless.

Always know where your umbrella is. Your towel is worthless...

And it is made of reflec material - good for diverting one laser shot.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[whartung]

And it is made of reflec material - good for diverting one laser shot.

No, you spin it -- that way it can take several.

If you haven't looked, "Tactical" umbrellas are a thing. There was a nice video of one with the operator beating the heck out of a watermelon, and standing on it between two chairs.

They're very strong.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[coliver988]

No, you spin it -- that way it can take several.

If you haven't looked, "Tactical" umbrellas are a thing. There was a nice video of one with the operator beating the heck out of a watermelon, and standing on it between two chairs.

They're very strong.

And there's always the Penguin's trick umbrellas from various Batman comics (some of which could have real Traveller game play: perhaps a grav-umbrella, and the handle is the foot-hold. Hey, you never know!)

 

[Enoki]

And it is made of reflec material - good for diverting one laser shot.

Made of reflec material on a graphene and spider silk (equivalent) underlayment, it would be bullet proof too.
And, with graphene and high tech with a processor in it, it could be used as a camouflage device that when stationary makes it invisible.

Trapped in space, it might be--depending on distance from the star--a small version of a solar sail in an emergency while acting as a shield against the solar wind...

The uses are truly mind boggling...

 

[whartung]

perhaps a grav-umbrella, and the handle is the foot-hold. Hey, you never know!)

Visions of jump troops "umbrella-ing in" from orbit...

Big, multicolored beach umbrellas.

 

[RandyB]

Visions of jump troops "umbrella-ing in" from orbit...

Big, multicolored beach umbrellas.

Landing in the Astroburger parking lot...

 

[Condottiere]

We all float down here.

 

[BRover]

The Sun rises in the east, and moss grows on the north side of a tree.

"East" is defined by where the sun rises--well, as long as the planet's not in a tidal lock. North and south are defined as 90 degrees left and right of east, respectively. And yes, northern hemisphere Earth moss needs the damp on a tree's north side, so it grows there. South hemisphere moss is south side of the tree.

OTOH, on Planet X, the moss grows wherever it pleases!

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Straybow]

"East" is defined by where the sun rises--well, as long as the planet's not in a tidal lock. North and south are defined as 90 degrees left and right of east, respectively. And yes, northern hemisphere Earth moss needs the damp on a tree's north side, so it grows there. South hemisphere moss is south side of the tree.

OTOH, on Planet X, the moss grows wherever it pleases!

In coastal forests the moss grows on all sides. In many forests, it isn't wet enough for any significant moss growth. It's a very bad idea to try to navigate by moss.