BACK

("Eric Le Fou" means "Crazy Eric")

why this name MY OUTFIT !

("the most practical clothing in the world")



the Schott jacket, with 7 kg inside

A very big " Thank you ! " to Schott France for finding me a new jacket in 2003 !

and now, with some items out :

click on the picture to see details :



(picture made with the small Casio Exilim)

other pics here

Hello !

You are here probably because you've read or heard something about the man who carries 1300 items in his clothes (me !), also known as "the human penknife" or "the human swiss army knife".

I'm sorry but I do not have the time to translate my site, which is only personal "homepages", nothing commercial. HERE I'VE PUT A QUICK ITEMS LIST IN ENGLISH FOR YOU

Now, after the Guinness Book release in France, and then the press release from the A.F.P. (Agence France Presse), many people throughout the world are talking and wondering about this story, and therefore I would like to give some explanations, in order to avoid stupid rumors to spread :

Some explanations (excuse me about my bad english) :

At the beginning I simply saw that there are many problematic situations that could be avoided if you had some usual objects (scissors, light, pencil, and so on...).

This equipment has been built little by little, naturally (10 years ago it began with a backpack), it's a personal and "genuine" thing ; it has never been intended for others or for any record. I simply realized two years ago that probably I was the man with the most items on himself, and then I logically decided to validate it by Guinness.

The weight is 15 kg of clothes, including 12 kg of objects : it seems heavy but actually I do not feel it when walking (I walk a lot) because it is placed all around the body and there are not many "forces" (physics law...) (except if I must climb many stairs), and also I'm used to this (maybe a little muscled now...).

Apart from friends, family, colleagues (and now TV viewers...), nobody knows that I carry all this, I mean that in the street or in public transportation, nobody notices me, hopefully ! (I'm not a clown and I have no time to waste on explanations for people in the street, I prefer to do this once for all : websites are made for this !).

The count of 1300 items can be verified on my site since I provide Excel (.xls) lists. My aim is not to tell all the world about my life, but if I tell some things, at least I don't want to be considered as a liar... The average weight is very small (about 10 grams), simply because there are many small things that weight nearly nothing (like paperclips, pins, cards, sheets of paper, wires, elastic bands, handkerchiefs and so on) but such items are not here only to increase the count, there is only what's necessary.

I even removed one item, the pedometer (it calculates the distance when you walk), because with the time I realized that the informations it gave were absolutely not interesting for me (even if I walk quite a lot).

To answer to some stupid jokes, yes I carry condoms, and in various parts of my suit, and yes I use them ! (I even carry a "luminous condom" (glows in the dark) but it is only a joke, it is washable and reusable and I "played" with it only once - Now I hope it's ok for inquisitive people...).

I don't know if I have an "obsessive compulsive disorder", as I've read somewhere, but I know that when I do something, I try to do it as best as possible (I don't like to make things "half").

I wear all this each time I go outside my home (unless I go to the swimming pool or to the beach of course, or unless I go out only 3 mn to drop a letter in the post box down the street (boring ancient times snail mail !)).

There are many things useful for travelling, I use to travel a lot, sometimes I leave for 3 or 4 days, without knowing where I will go ; I like adventure (but with prepareness it's more fun ! I like adventure and discovery, not struggling all day against problems (I've seen too many tourists with painful stories, nothing in head)).

I live in a big city in France and my job has nothing to do with my special clothing, although I use quite often my things at my job (instead of wasting "hours" searching for things there, never placed where they should be) ; I learnt electricity at school, which explains that it is natural for me to use some tools like a digital multimeter, soldering iron, and so on...

My job allows me 4 days of weekend, which explains why I can easily make some small adventure escapades.

At work, on travel, at friends or family, on strolling, in the city or in the country, everywhere, everyday it happens that some things must be repaired, fixed, cleaned, cut, glued, written, soothed, recorded, eaten, enlightened, and so on... And I really do not have the time to search or shop each time I need such small and usual things.

There are things that I use everyday, things that I use occasionnally, and things that I use rarely, or that I've not yet used, but which might be useful one day... You never know ! There have already been cases of such items, "probably not really useful", that have been finally very useful in some unexpected situations.

When I built this clothing, each time I added an item, I "asked me" two questions : "can it fit somewhere ? yes there is a little place between these two pencils" (for example) and "can it be useful one day ? yes probably" ; then, "why not ?"

In conclusion this story is a simple "logical" story.

I've never thought about what people could think about it, simply because it was intended only for my own use and pleasure, and all this incredible stuff is not noticeable from the outside of the clothes, and I'm very discreet when I use it. I say "for my pleasure" because of course I could live without all that stuff on me, and many things are rarely useful, but I do it for my own fun : it's the same thing like when people make a trip around the world on bicycle : they could do it in car or train, but they prefer bike, just because they like it so !

The americans say I'm "a perfect geek"... maybe. I have only one life to live, I find it too short because I have many passions and projects, and I want to do what pleases me, without caring about what unknown people can think, if I don't hurt anybody of course, which is obviously the case.

This "perfect clothing" is only a means for me, not an aim, not a passion nor an obsession, it is only a small part of this website, and I run other websites about other "facets" of myself, which have no link with this one.

I built all this without really thinking over it ; I only cared a lot 2 years ago, when I made lists and videos for Guinness, and at this time I added many things, not for the count, but for getting something nearly perfect, going "to the end" of my logic. Now I consider it's been done, more or less, and since two years I only replace or repair what needs to, and I update my lists. I only use my stuff : that's the aim.

You may browse the main pages about my stuff, and the "TOP objects", which, even in french, might give you an small idea about the subject. Here is something in english (press release), but probably you already know it, and this is the slot in the french Guinness book. Lists and amounts in french are here.

If you are a TV producer, then ask me the username and password necessary to see the video recording of Richard and Judy show live on Channel 4 (400kbps)

Do not hesitate to email me your requests, and I will do my best to answer you in english ;-)

Thanks for your interest !

Eric

Why the name "Crazy Eric" ?

There are several reasons :

"Crazy" can be understood as "eccentric"

"Crazy" can be understood as "mad" : Nearly all the people who discover me judge after 30 seconds (or less !) that I am mad. They cannot imagine that, if they don't understand something, it can be because they do not have the necessary skills or knowledge, no, the adult think they can understand everything, and if they don't understand someone, the best and immediate solution for them is to think that the guy is "not understandable", which is the case with madmen... AND we live in a society where the opinions shared by the majority are supposed to be the truth, or the best (like for the elections for example), THEN I'm supposed to think that I'm mad, because PEOPLE say it, so many people, so it must be true ! I've always heard that a madman does not know that he is mad : since I think I go perfectly well, then I'm probably mad ! If I say nothing at first, people explain me why and how I'm mad ; but if I introduce myself as "crazy", they often make everything possible to prove me that I'm not so crazy, sometimes they even try to convince me that I'm completely "average" : it's funny ! Most people believe they can judge or understand someone in less than 30 seconds. It's not always the case and if you have read all this page you know what I mean. Personnally I don't care about knowing if I'm crazy or not, I enjoy my life ; this question seems to be important mostly for "the people"... (they need to stick "labels"...)



QUICK LIST

** ONLY THE MAIN ITEMS (sorry about my translations) :

* IN THE JACKET (Schott summer jacket) :

- teaspoon, fork

- small mirror

- paper handkerchiefs

- spare lamp bulb

- mint tablets

- light head lamp

- small electrical fan

- jokes

- flat bathplug (for washing underwear in youth hostels)

- "triple plug" (for plugging 3 devices on a 220V mains socket)

- tube (you place it on the tap (water) for filling the water pouch)

- pollumeter

- inflatable pillows, mask for eyes (for sleeping in plane)

- sponge

- plastic bags, doggy bags

- small blow up mattress (self inflatable), sufficient for sleeping on the floor with two another small pillows placed at the right locations of the body

- very light rain jacket

- very light viscose american towel (PackTowl)

- very light plastic poncho

- water pouch with tube

- swim brief

- big travel bags (one can contain all the suit)

- home made "tent" (like a big sleeping bag, for sleeping outside in the rain, cold, or sand - possible to walk inside it for avoiding any grain of sand inside, or emergency cases)

- light trousers

- spare polo, briefs, socks

- sunglasses

- Casio Exilim EX-M2 (photo 2 Mpixels / video / voice recorder / MP3 player)

- medicines, vitamin C

- elastic bands and many small things like that

- glues

- spare DV cassette, cleaning DV cassette

- small monocular (for looking far)

- spare handycam battery

- meal bars

- spare paper handkerchiefs packet

- spare batteries (not rechargeable)

- all purpose concentrated cleaning liquid ("Camp Suds")

- small travel charger for the mobile phone

- A4 plastic folders (pouchs) with paper sheets, envelopes, documents, newspapers cuts, the items list, CDroms...

- coat hanger (slightly modified)

- aluminium film, plastic film for food

- 100 liter garbage bag

- home made powerful alarm device

- many pencils of all kinds

- cyanoacrilate powerful glue

- cutters

- telescopic magnet pen

- small microscope pen (50x)

- marker pen

- white corrector pen

- toothbrush pen with tooth paste going out of the fibers when you turn the bottom

- digital thermometer pen

- brush pen for optics

- electrical tester screwdriver with battery and red LED

- plastic to be melted to make any item

- epoxy metallic paste

- electrical dominos (for linking to wires together)

- city public transports map

- many cards (like business cards)

- many small towels for cleaning optics and so on

- cottonbuds

- cards "Non désolé" ("No, sorry") for people asking things in the street

- cards "FROID" ("COLD") to throw at people : in France we call "to throw a cold" when you say something or some joke that nobody understands and when people then don't know what to say or what to do... but it is only an expression, an image, of course nobody (but me) really "drops" anything.

* ON ME :

- basic mobile phone (Ericsson T18s) with free hands earphone/mike

- Psion 3mx organizer (small computer) with two many things inside - it's an old model (no color display) but I did not find better for my use

- Casio "Thermoscanner" wristwatch (measures the temperature remotely with infrared rays) and shows the moon phases (and the time too...)

- compass

( the 4 following things are "regular", not "spare" or "extra") :

- white polo (various brands)

- briefs

- very good socks

- Nike shoes

* IN THE TROUSERS :

- very good belt (Boss)

- many hooks on the belt with many things : many sorts of keys, small Leatherman Micra tool (with scissors), small diving flashlights, laser pointer, swiss army knife (not the biggest), small tools, battery checker, measuring tape (1 m)...

- gaz torch lighter

- earphones set

- money, credit card

- pocket wallet with many personal documents and things

- small diving light

- digital multimeter (volt, ampere, ohm...) with spare batteries

- surgical gloves (for dirty works)

- emergency blanket

- various documents

- small perfume atomiser

- small soap flask

- earplugs for sleeping or noisy places

- ultraflat lighter

- adhesive tapes

- adhesive papers (Post It)

- many small towels with cleaning fluids and so on

- very powerful small flashlight (SureFire Z3 combat light), 200 lumens, uses 3 CR123A lithium batteries

- butane torch

- small screwdrivers of all kinds

- small tweezers

- spare batteries

- very good multitool pliers (like Leatherman) : Gerber Legend 800 Multipliers, with very good removable parts in tungsten carbide, cobalt and zirconium, like a saw or cutting pliers

- various kinds of cleaning small towels

- small magnet

- passport, pens

- paper handkerchiefs, WC paper

* UNDER THE TROUSERS ("ANKLE POCKETS") :

- too many things !

- pharmacy kit (too long too describe the inside, many things)

- rain umbrella (small when folded but normal size open)

- butane soldering iron for electricity

- big adhesive tapes

- small cutting pliers for fine works

- multipurpose key (with "squares" for opening doors)

- silver thin bar and special paste for soldering with the butane torch

- metallic wire

- "Aquastraw" (big straw with filters inside for drinking water in the nature when doubts)

- paintbrush (for "sweeping" if I must sleep on a dusty ground (for avoiding putting dust in my suit))

- paperclips and pins

- all kinds of glues, remover fluids, oil, grease

- many small parts like elastic bands, small cell batteries (button batteries), spare lamps for lights

- wrench

- padlock

- small razor on 2 AA batteries

- small hand razor with foam spray in the handle

- spare toothbrush pen and spare toothpaste

- many things for washing (toiletries) (shampoo, hair gel, perfumes, alcohol and so on

- there are condoms at various locations of the suit, and even a luminous condom (glows in the dark) (for joking or "playing")

- various audio plugs and adapters

- meal bars (paste that also serves as "cushions" in order that the ankle pockets do not hurt the top of the foot when walking (no shocks))

I made this list "from memory", maybe I forgot some things, but there are probably quite a lot here !