Pump vs cartridges (tools, tools, oh my)

[owlice]

I carry CO2. Because I ride where lots of other cyclists are riding, I'm pretty sure that if I really needed a pump, someone cycling along would let me use his/hers.

I did buy a Road Morph for my C&O ride, but usually don't carry that with me.

I have NO idea how good it is, but Nashbar sells a very small pump that is also a CO2 dispenser. It's small enough to fit into their (very generously sized) seat bags.

What a biking buddy recommended I put in a seat bag when I got my bike was:

a spare tube (the most important item IMHO)
tire levers
multitool
patch kit
something to use as a boot (a piece of old innertube, a dollar bill, SOMEthing! I know one person who keeps a $20 in the seat bag; it's a boot or a cab ride home)

I also have my CO2 cartridges, etc. in my seat bag, and one or two latex gloves.

I use a handlebar bag, too, and in that, I have a little boo-boo kit: antiseptic wipes and band-aids and the like.

Have fun!