MilesBuzz! - Road Warriors Survival Kit

What's in yours?

I'm one of those guys with just one carry on, a backpacker style laptop case with umpteen zippered compartments. I have to keep the laptop with me at all times. Anywhoo, over time as I've started travelling I've developed my own lil Road Warrior kit, and I was wondering what other things folks have...

For the laptop, I have an assortment of console cables that relate to what I do, plus both a straight through and crossover network cable and a telephone handset line. Why that? Because it's got the built in curls, stows easily and I can stretch it twice normal length.

For power: In the laptop case I have in a small bag A voltage converter with replaceable fuse (Spare fuse taped to the side). I also have a series of country plugs and a three prong to two prong converter. I also have a three outlet extender, which rounds out my power needs. I can recharge my cell and recharge/use my laptop at the same time.

For my personal needs, I also have a "converted" business class amenities kit (Which fits nicely into one of the laptop case pockets). In that I have the lil socks (which I use gratefully on quite a few longhaul flights), a sleepmask, good earplugs, a mini toothbrush/toothpaste kit, a couple of handiwipes, a small Braun electric shaver (best 15 dollars I ever spent), and a small self-contained medical kit I made with a few various asprin/meds, chewable pepto tablets, small bandaids and a couple of Q-tips to round it out. Oh, and I also keep one plastic mini-bottle of Jack Daniels... for medicinal use only of course... and two AM in Rome and no mini-bar after 23hrs of travel IS a medical emergency IMHO. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

To keep in touch I use my Motorola i2000plus. I can surf the web (in a limited way) on it in the US, but I can also use it as a modem in the US to connect my laptop at 19.2kbps and do real surfing/email/work. Overseas, to make a call I simply have to hit the 0 key until the little + sign appears and I'm ready to call back to the States or another country. In the country I register on one of their services, and from ANYWHERE to reach me you simply dial my US number. It is remarkably convenient to have one number for people to reach you at. You end up being a point of contact for everyone on your team. It easily tosses anywhere in the laptop bag.

I also have a travellers wallet that I use for keeping the passport and all those FF club cards. I also have my international drivers license, tickets, a copy of my itinerary etc. It fits into an interior zippered pocket of the laptop case.

BTW, Dunno if most people know this but I reccomend the following very seriously:

I keep a *photocopy* of my Passport elsewhere. I actually have three..one in my wallet, one in my travel wallet, and one someplace else in my luggage.

If you travel internationally the fastest, easiest way to replace a lost or stolen passport is to bring a photcopy to the US Embassy. If you do NOT have this you can be in a world of hurt.

As a pure precaution it's the best form of protection you have.

Hmm.. I guess that's about it really. So how about you?

...What's in your "Must Have" kit?

Regards,
-Bouncer-

[This message has been edited by Bouncer (edited 11-11-2001).]

Wow ... they should call you Bouncer MacGuyver!

I never travel without my:

Laptop with US/UK/European power adapters
Ericsson T39 GSM phone
"Adapted amenity kit" includes pain killers, eyeshades, earplugs, moisturiser
Toiletries kit
Alarm clock
Litre of water
Noise reduction headphones
Collection of FF cards
Psion Revo (Palm Pilot-ish thing)
Sam's Club phone card



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Please visit The Mileage Runner's Toolkit (http://www.mileagerunner.com) and Unofficial United Airlines Guide (http://www.mileagerunner.com/content/flying/airlines/united/index.htm)

I also include phone charger and palmpilot charger that plug into your USB port. Its a great space saver. I also include my targus plane adapter and bose noise redux phones.

Extra ziplock bags. I pack anything with the potential of leaking in Ziplocs already - have been for about three years now - but now I bring a few extras for dirty underware and socks, and for the hotel amenities and whatever foodstuffs I might want to bring back.

Ever had a jar of jam break in your handluggage? I have. It wasn't pretty.

[This message has been edited by essxjay (edited 11-12-2001).]

On me, all the time, whenever, wherever..

Ericsson T39m+HBM10 bluetooth headset
Nokia 9210
Swiss Cybertool

+For long trips in my trolley

Toshiba Satellite Pro4600
Sharp portable DVD
Collections of DVD films and software
Sony NC headphones+extension cord

In my Tumi trolley I have a Tumi toiletries bag that carries:

Ethernet cable + crossover block
Pocket RJ11+line tester
Firewire cable
Leatherman Wave
Targus Powersupply/Empower
Pocket optical USB mouse
Panasonic USB Laptop light (way cool!)
IBM Microdrive (with ALL my important stuff)
Extra Toshiba Battery
Electric Fuel emergency charger + Ericsson/Nokia cords
Collection of CD's and Bootable restore (ghost) cd's
Portable USB and Parallel cables (roll-ups)

For trips longer than 2 weeks I also bring my Iridium phone, now that it's reconnected I suddenly found out I really never ever use it http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif Although in the light of the recent events I think I will keep carrying it with me, as long as I don't go near Afghanistan with it...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ScottC:
On me, all the time, whenever, wherever..

Ericsson T39m+HBM10 bluetooth headset
Nokia 9210
Swiss Cybertool

+For long trips in my trolley

Toshiba Satellite Pro4600
Sharp portable DVD
Collections of DVD films and software
Sony NC headphones+extension cord

In my Tumi trolley I have a Tumi toiletries bag that carries:

Ethernet cable + crossover block
Pocket RJ11+line tester
Firewire cable
Leatherman Wave
Targus Powersupply/Empower
Pocket optical USB mouse
Panasonic USB Laptop light (way cool!)
IBM Microdrive (with ALL my important stuff)
Extra Toshiba Battery
Electric Fuel emergency charger + Ericsson/Nokia cords
Collection of CD's and Bootable restore (ghost) cd's
Portable USB and Parallel cables (roll-ups)

For trips longer than 2 weeks I also bring my Iridium phone, now that it's reconnected I suddenly found out I really never ever use it http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif Although in the light of the recent events I think I will keep carrying it with me, as long as I don't go near Afghanistan with it...

</font>

You may want to rethink taking the Leatherman on trips. A co-worker had his supertool "liberated" from checked baggage last week. He's hopping mad and is taking it up with AC for reimbursement.

[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 11-12-2001).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Bouncer:
What's in yours?</font>

If you don't have it already, think about adding this to your kit:

http://www.electric-fuel.com/InstantPowerCharger/index.shtml

It'll save your bacon if you run out of "gas" on your phone or palm/ipaq and there's no plug around. Very light and very cool http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 11-12-2001).]

Bose Quiet Comfort [ANR] headset.

DVD/CD drive in laptop and an eclectic
collection of of each.

-doug

As an aside:

I have a friend who is here in the US who is NOT travelling when I am keep a copy of my passport, front and back of my credit/debit cards and driver's license. That way I can have the docs faxed to me if I lose my copies or have them stolen.

Since my international trips are strictly for pleasure, I also take a couple postcards of the city where I live and some of the state "commemorative" quarters. It makes for a nice souvenir for folks who don't travel to the US.

Also, Crabtree and Evelyn citrus travel towelettes - lifesavers! And. . .cotton seat covers for when I'm in a place where the bathroom is less than desirable. Finally, Tylenol PM!

Thanks for all the great ideas, folks!

My spouse and I emailed scans of our passport page to our Hotmail accounts, where they sit in folders named "KEEP" (You have to check the email occasionally to keep Hotmail accounts active.). Our assumption is that any US Embassy could access the images and print if necessary.

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Middle_Seat

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ldsant:
Finally, Tylenol PM! </font>Tylenol PM and RedBull did a wonderful job of self acclimitization on my SIN Run this weekend!

I alternate between schlepping a leather softside briefcase (for business) and a Mossino backpack (for pleasure trips). Regardless, here's what goes in, roughly in order of importance, for domestic trips:

- Sony VAIO superslim w/USB light & earphones (loads of CDs loaded on the hard drive)
- Palm VII
- Motorola Timeport
- deck of cards (love solitaire; Rummy's even better, on the off chance my seatmate's interested)
- Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot (for relaxing in the evening, so I'm not tempted to pay outrageous minibar or room service liquor charges)
- Corkscrew (until recently, obviously)
- Some pleasure reading
- Gobs of frequent flyer/stay cards
- Mini-tin of Altoids
- small notepad and mini-pen (from one of Virgin's amenity kits)
- sunglasses

Whenever possible.. my golf clubs!

Common sense and a little courtesy.

It's amazing how many people leave these at home.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Middle_Seat:
My spouse and I emailed scans of our passport page to our Hotmail accounts, where they sit in folders named "KEEP" (You have to check the email occasionally to keep Hotmail accounts active.). Our assumption is that any US Embassy could access the images and print if necessary.
</font>

I was just going to mention that suggestion myself. But mine's on Yahoo Mail. :-)

Before a trip I end up loading everything short of credit cards in an email and sending it to myself. That way I have my itinerary, any confirmation numbers, phone numbers, addresses, etc. somewhere I know I can get to, even if I lose things.

What a clever idea about scanning and saving the information. Thanks for a good one.

A long time ago when I was a mystery shopper, the indispensable items in my emerg. kit was a razor blade scraper (Gillette's Widget worked best) and nail polish remover pads....to take off Rental Car stickers!

Here are some of my less obvious essentials:

Saline nasal spray (to avoid bloody noses on long flights), Evian in the spray can, a small sewing kit, a black magic marker (handles heel scuffs in a jiff), Ziploc bags (in a variety of sizes), a small travel candle tin, hair elastics, and clear nail polish.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by techgirl:
...a small sewing kit,....</font>

ORD Security just took mine, "no sharp objects mind you"

Neat thread idea, and some great suggestions! Part of the many reasons I love this community.

I travel almost exclusively domestically.

On these trips, I take:

Cell Phone and charger.
Laptop and charger, and two extra batteries. (If needed, I also take an LCD projector).
Some DVD's.
Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones.
Conctact lens drops.
Asprin and Ibuprofen.
A book
A sewing kit ( I now check it). http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
Toiletries, incluidng my Mach 3. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ( I now check the razor as well) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
Expired driver's license in my checked luggage.

Dudster,

I agree with you.


I carry:

Gum
Antihistimes
Palm pilot
Toys (that I give to flight att) Helps pass the time.

Dan

loaded iPod and headphones http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

oh, and it's got a fully bootable MacOS on it.

one thing to check is whether there is compatibility between your computer charger/cord and your phone charger/cord. Had a ThinkPad and an Ericsson phone, and I could shuffle the wall-cord sections (only taking one) to reduce weight a bit.

JL

I'm surprised I'm the first to mention these:

An extra undershirt
An extra pair of underpants

Hey, you never know!

Thanks for all the great tips everyone.

I bought plastic file folders for my travel bag - they don't get dog-eared like the manilla kind, are more sturdy, and hold up better under routine use on the road. I keep them in my bag and just transfer papers to them, relabel if needed.

Plus I bring a Powerbar, or small pack of peanuts. Never know!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Middle_Seat:
My spouse and I emailed scans of our passport page to our Hotmail accounts, where they sit in folders named "KEEP" (You have to check the email occasionally to keep Hotmail accounts active.). Our assumption is that any US Embassy could access the images and print if necessary.

</font>

I do the same thing. It really is a good idea.

* Laptop, always by my side
* CD's with movies downloaded from the internet, that I can watch on RealPlayer (since I don't have a DVD and NW flights, even over 3 hrs, aren't showing movies these days http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif )
* Palm Pilot (w/CO and UA schedules downloaded for last minute standby options)
* Cell phone
* Xenadrine (lovely little energy/weight loss pill to give me that extra boost after a long haul and/or help avoid the "snack" onboard option which is normally undesireable)
* Candy/gum
* AMEX (because I'm forgetful)

Gauze mask to keep my throat and nose from drying inflight and in some hotel rooms. Wet it with hot water, ring it, and in a few hours it's crisp dry.

I just bring my Leatherman,Cellphone,Palm Pilot and of course all the credit cards http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

A pair of pliers (for removing that pesky flow restrictor in hotel shower heads) and a 4in1 screwdriver (for various maintenance and repair needs in hotel rooms - e.g., removing the stop-blocks from sliding windows).

Cheers,

'toad

Something I add for the winter time. My portable room humidifier. Its small somewhat heavy, and runs off a liter water bottle.

After too many trips of waking up like a 1000 year old mummy, due to the electric heat, I have found this to be a real life-saver.

Great suggestions.

I never leave without my CanonS100 digital camera. Great not only for pics, but as a quick recorder for meeting notes, maps, for anything I want a quick reference a few minutes or a few hours later.

So the download cable, charger, and extra battery go into my cables-bag, which includes among other things:
- the AC + extra battery for my G4powerbook,
- firewire cable for turning the G4 into a firewire drive
- security cable
- usb charger for Nokia8890
- cable for samsung MP3 player (the super tiny one, but that IPod looks great)
- aspirin

this bag goes into a roller with a slim notebook bag, which i can pull out just before settling into my airplane seat

that has the essentials, among which are:
- handspring visor with dental floss module (i kid you not)
- G4 and air-power adapter
- small slip over neck headphones (so you can fall asleep with then on)
- wet tissues (neutrogena clean pore type? i forget), small bottle of water, pens
- travel wallet with FF cards, about a dozen copies of my passport photo, the yellow immunization record card
- nyquil

of course, on the last flight i only tapped into the nyquil and then the rest didn't matter...

stuffing the laptop bag back into the roller 20 minutes before landing is great: one bag to pull and no shoulder problems for a while now.

happy (and light!) travels

All of these ideas are great, I loved two in particular. The one about an expired license in my carry one which I will actually use my state ID card which has the same number as my license and the scanning docs Idea and sending to my hotmail and yahoo accounts. However I want to ad that I have a file currently that lists all my credit card numbers, important other numbers and serial numbers of all "equipment" that I have and will email that as well just in case anything I'm traveling with ever gets stolen.

What a great topic!!!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TrojanHorse:
...However I want to ad that I have a file currently that lists all my credit card numbers, important other numbers and serial numbers of all "equipment" that I have and will email that as well just in case anything I'm traveling with ever gets stolen.</font>

I would add serial numbers but NOT credit card numbers unless they were encrypted. I would NOT want to leave those on a publically-accesible server like Hotmail or Yahoo.

Many of the above plus:

- Melatonin
- Water bottle
- Granola bars -- for flight and hungry moments in hotel rooms (to avoid outrageous minibar charges)
- I bring one of those plastic grocery coupon sorters to sort and store my receipts if the trip is more than a few days -- easy to keep them in chronological order when doing the expense report.
- Printout of my itinerary with hotels and phone numbers in each piece of luggage. (Nametags do get trashed.)
- Small color printer + extra ink cartridge.

HA! I love this thread...

I'm curious, however, to ask what everyone uses to put all these items in?

I was thinking about designing some sort of backpack for laptop and other essentials because I really don't like trolleys that much (I'm sure that will change as I get older, or when my shoulder starts hurting all the more).

Currently I use an old gym bag that has simply seen too many continents...Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Flake

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Travel light, travel cheap, travel often

My noise reduction head phones was one of the best investments and my laptop power adapter http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Here's a good thing to add...

"Shout wipes" - they are in little packets like the "hand wipes" except you use them to immediately treat stains or coffee spills, etc. Keep a couple of them handy!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by flake:
HA! I love this thread...

I'm curious, however, to ask what everyone uses to put all these items in?

I was thinking about designing some sort of backpack for laptop and other essentials because I really don't like trolleys that much (I'm sure that will change as I get older, or when my shoulder starts hurting all the more).

Currently I use an old gym bag that has simply seen too many continents...Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Flake
</font>

There's been some discussion of the perfect traveling bag over in the Ladies' Room:
http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum1/HTML/000014.html

Are those Bose Noise reduction headphones really worth the money? My travels are beginning to accelerate and I am assembling my travel kit.

Great Thread!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cool.gif

on shopping trips, i now take two of those tube-cardboard-enclosed-wire-handles that attach to string that one wraps around parcels. makes lugging those rugs, clocks, etc. back a whole lot easier.

also, a plastic shoehorn.

i have a duplicate set of all of my toiletries in travel sizes that i never unpack from my toiletry bag. my fav is the compact, collapsible hairbrush with build-in mirror that came from a CO Businesss-1st amenity pack, that i just saw for sale for the first time at the 90th Street pharmacy on madison avenue in manhattan.

Agreed - great topic.

My bag: an amazing one from McKlein (found it in Toronto and it breezes through ANZ, AC, QF, and UA).

Inside:

1. If on business, Thinkpad 770ED
2. Business cards
3. Extra luggage locks
4. Panadol (headache tablets)
5. Earplugs
6. Eyeshade
7. NoJetLag - I live in NZ and fly to NA regularly - these are AMAZING
8. Handiwipes
9. small toiletries pack - bandaids, hair gel (for "seathead" after 13 hours in Economy), brush/paste)
13. Eagle Creek ticket hold with: tickets, luggage tags, itinerary, FF cards, credit cards
14. A few magazines
15. usually a students' thesis or dissertation that I'm reading

Also travel with my Palm m105, which has:

a. all my intineraries
b. complete list of credit cards, passport info, bank accounts, etc.
c. the ENTIRE star alliance schedule, accurate to within the last week - great for juggling flights if you miss one
d. a chess game
e. seat layouts (as .jpg images) for every aircraft I would possibly fly
f. airport layouts (as .jpg images) for various airports.


Cheers

DavidNZ

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RAD:
I would add serial numbers but NOT credit card numbers unless they were encrypted. I would NOT want to leave those on a publically-accesible server like Hotmail or Yahoo.
</font>

I was a bit concerned with this. Though not foolproof, I did zip them with a password. Anything to slow someone down if they got to them.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by DavidNZ:
e. seat layouts (as .jpg images) for every aircraft I would possibly fly
f. airport layouts (as .jpg images) for various airports.</font>

Superlative idea! I use a Palm Vx and I love it, but haven't even begun to use it to its full potential. Where/How did you get the above mentioned jpgs?

Please advise. Thank you.
-levi aka eastwest

Seat charts and airport maps available online at respective sites.

I'm thinking, though, that rather than have seat charts on my Palm, I might go back to having paper copies in my organiser. Much easier. That way, while a gate agent is running though seat options, you have your Palm up and running, with paper copies of seat charts next to you.

This is good reading.. it should be back on top.

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TANSTAAFL - but if you work it right, FF miles comes pretty close.