If you don’t want to carry mace or pepper spray and don’t feel comfortable in direct hand-to-hand fighting, an expandable baton like this is a good weapon that is legal most everywhere in the US and fairly easy to conceal.

Batons are extremely effective (there’s a good reason police use them) and often just the sight of it will dissuade attackers.* We got some training in similar batons to this in the army, but if you’re a civilian with no training I’d recommend kendo classes. The techniques learned there will apply to the use of the baton.

Like any weapon, though, you should never pull it out unless you intend to use it right then.

A weapon == huge escalation. That’s the most important lesson to learn about any weapon, really.

*Please see my caveat, though, about how a weapon in sight is an escalation and you shouldn’t pull it out unless you intend to use it. Ideally your attackers will then decamp. If not, it’s time to start thwacking.