probably the best way to keep from losing that little brass thingy is to put a little drop of JB Weld or some other epoxy resin on the end of the cable so when it comes loose it cannot slip off the end of the cable.

I do carry a little tool set. One of those multi-use pliers with the knife, screwdriver, etc. comes in real handy.

P.S. I started doing the JB Weld thing to all my cable ends because the little metal caps that were crimped on kept falling off. The cable ends frayed badly and started poking me through my clothes. The JB Weld worked great for that.

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