It’s been a number of years since I’ve updated what I carry when I travel to support my tech habits (partly because I’ve done little traveling), and I realized that since the last time I wrote about this, literally everything has changed. So here is a look at what I carry when I am out and on the road.
When I travel these days, it’s typically with a suitcase, my camera bag (of which an update will happen in a few weeks — stay tuned) and a tech bag, which holds my iPad (5th Gen) and Laptop (an M4 MacBook Air) and the things needed to support it. The bag itself is a typical backpack from Timbuktu.
I probably worry about the details too much, but I’ve put time and thought into what I carry, because I want to make sure I have what I need, and I hate carrying extra stuff that adds bulk and weight by not value. So this is what I consider my minimum acceptable carry set for a couple of days or a couple of weeks on the road. One thing I’ve tried to do is kill off any gear that does NOT have USB C, so I no longer feel the need to carry Lightning cables or those funky micro-usb A ones, either. I also no longer carry Watch cables, because this charging puck from Elebase connects to USB C and is about the size of a couple of stacked quarters. I keep one in my truck for those odd times where I want to charge the watch a bit while on the road.
I’ve tried carrying one charger, and I’ve tried carrying one charger and a power brick, and I’ve finally decided what I want is two chargers, one to handle the phone/watch/earpod charging and one to take care of the Mac, with the iPad being plugged into whatever’s most convenient to where I’m sitting in the room.
The first charger in my kit is the Anker Nano Charging Station (the white square on the right). It’s no longer available, but an updated version is for about $80. Mine generates up to 130 watts of power, while the updated one is 150. Both have 4 USB C ports and 2 USB A ports, and one port supports 100W fast charging for a Mac.
The other charger is the Anker Prime Charger ($115), which supplies 160W across 3 USB C ports with one port capable of 140W charging.
I also carry an extension cord on steroids, the Anker Travel Power Strip ($40). It’s a six foot extension cord with two plugs, and it also supplies 67W of power across one USB C and three USB A ports. This is quite handy when the nearest outlet isn’t near where you want the charging gear to sit.
When it comes to charging my phone and watch, I’ve tried a number of things over the years, but my favorite is the Anker MagGo 3-in-1 ($80). And, yes, I am generally biased towards Anker products because I’ve come to trust them as generally good quality at a decent price. This will charge your phone, your watch and your EarPods on one cable in a very compact form — and supports Standby mode on the phone.
I’ve learned — the hard way — to be aware of the quality and type of cable I carry. There’s nothing quite so frustrating as having a 100W charger and plugging in a Mac via a cable that’s limited to 18 watts. The joy of USB C is that it has created a single standard with a single port style so that everything is compatible with everything (sort of). The pain of USB C, though, is that not all cables are the same, and the differences are for the most part hidden from the user. Glenn Fleishman has written a really nice piece on this for your enjoyment.
Because of this, these days, I try to make sure all my cables are from a high quality, known vendor, and support the higher throughput standards I’m likely going to way. So my go to USB C cables now are the Anker USB C to USB C Cable, 100W Fast Charging Cable ($9 for 2). I’ve found them rugged and reliable and a good value.
Other stuff
There are a couple of non-charging bits of gear I carry as well. To offload images from my cameras, I use the Anker USB-C and USB 3.0 SD Card Reader ($17) which has both USB A and USB C connectors, and supports both SD and Micro SD cards. It’s fast, it’s reliable, and be careful, it’s easy to misplace (I have half a dozen of them in different places by now)
I’m also the last person in the universe to figure this out, but on this last vacation we carried a 4K Roku streaming stick, and it ended the pain of trying to make hotel TV systems work forever. It’s now a permanent addition to my tech bag, although next trip I’ll also add a basic 6’ extension cord, since there’s not always a convenient open outlet within reach — but fortunately, I had one I could use on this trip.
This setup fit nicely in the bottom of my backpack without taking up much room or adding a lot of weights but takes care of all of my needs for trips, both short or longer.
