@Lanny brought up some great points in the Found A Jam Band! about being prepared for a gig.
Even if I’m just going down to my neighbor’s house for garage band night, I always have:
This is what I just pulled out of the pocket of my gig bag.
My strap usually stays on my bass (probably bad for the finish, but I’m lazy)
I also keep a spare power strip in the back of my car
I would add a set of in ear monitors if you’re going to be playing through the house sound system. Some sound guys don’t want you to use stage monitors, especially in smaller venues.
Funny story about the Leatherman muti-tool. I was doing a cooking class in Colorado. One of their blenders decided to spectacularly self destruct in the middle of a demo on raspberry coulis (sauce). Yeah, try getting that out of your ear canal, that’s fun.
Out comes the multi-tool. Screwdrivers, wire cutters and pliers to the rescue!
Then the main gas knob on their grill shattered. Again, pliers to the rescue.
At the end of the afternoon, one of the instructors asked why in the world I would have something like that in my knife kit
Seriously, did you not just watch me salvage your class?
So I have three of them. A big one in my car, a smaller one in my knife roll, and it’s twin in my gig bag. And they have corkscrews , you know, just in case.
I also carry a (fully charged) power bank and a couple mini-usb/usb-c cables and my box of picks - just in case - and mostly to let the guitarist try my odd picks
I buy these sacks of emery boards from Amazon and always keep a few handy wherever I go: in my purse, glove compartment, desk, bass case, etc. They are the best, neatest, and easiest way to maintain your nails. I keep the index and middle finger on my right hand filed down to the fingertips; and if I ever hear my nail catching on a string, I immediately pull out an emery board and give the nails a couple swipes.