arjunrc

Hey folks, so here is my 2014 gizpack - my essentials that stay inside my laptop bag that powers my life on the road. I'm looking at optimizing it further - maybe better products, smaller in size? I used to use the excellent 8x10 grid it, but since Gate8 v2 has a larger laptop bag that can add an accessory pouch next to the laptop, I've gone back to the pouch.

If anyone is using a cooler product, smaller product or better product, let me know - I'm always looking to optimize and yet not inconvenience myself.



A - the stretchable netted gizmo pack that came along with my Tumi expandable roller. I don't use the bag anymore, but do use this pouch. Its made of very tough nylon, great zippers and doesn't seem to show any signs of potential thread or fabric rips - and I stuff it quite a bit.

B - flash drive - has a virtual machine copy, some travel related important documents (encrypted with true crypt) and some other essential stuff

C - an extra adapter for Asia in addition to the Kikkerland (O). There are these odd sockets I encounter once in a while where the kikkerland shape is not ideal.

D - My super trusty Edimax nano router/wifi point. I've ditched its power adaptor as the Skiva or the iPhone USB adaptor works just fine (and the latter is much smaller than the one provided with the edimax). For those who wonder what I do with it, irrespective of whether the hotel only allows one device wifi connection or not, my workflow is to get to the hotel, whip out the edimax, stick it to my skiva, connect from one of my idevices, latch it to the hotel wifi and forget about it. From then on, the edimax sits there till I check out. All my devices connect to the edimax over wifi - its just easier. There are times I've kept the edimax close to a window just to catch a better signal and given that all my devices use edimax's wifi, I never need to worry about per device range, or per device portal logins etc.

E - the iBrick (if only I could get a smaller alternative, maybe when finsix gets into production)

F - the Skiva 4 port charger. Critical to charge my ipad Mini, iphone, edimax.

G - you know, incase stuff needs to be powered up (huh, just realized I don't use anything that needs a battery like this - it used to be my audio-technica earphones, but I've since replaced it with the Bose QC20i. So I guess I can throw this out

H - Frankly, the Apple suppled USB adaptor is the smallest I found in the market. Useful when I need to keep my phone next to my hotel bed while the Skiva charges everything else on the desk

I - iPhone or iPad mini charger. I only have one cable. Given the long battery life of the iPad I've not found it to be an issue to alternate charge them, but frankly, I'd love to have a 'two head' lightning charger, if there is such a thing

J - retractable ethernet cable (I've used it only 2 times out of 70+ trips, I wonder if its really worth it)

K - VGA adapter for my MBP to make presentations

L - micro USB charger for my logitech keyboard folio (for iPad mini)

M - a spare earphone with mic (air-whatever is that company name). I use this when there is a high chance I can lose the Bose (Example, in rental cars). I actually use this for regular phone calls etc - Bose is only for music+NC (or the call that interrupts that experience).

N - lightning-VGA adapter for making presentations with my mini retina. I'm slowly moving to the mini for presentations as opposed to my MBP. Problem is several presentations get messed up when moved to keynote so I switch back to MBP in those cases, or if I have time, I pre-edit these presentations so they work well on the ipad

O - the trusty kikkerland world adapter

P - retractable micro USB cable to power the edimax.

And finally, outside of the pouch (A), I have my 3 essential devices (well 4 including my iPhone):



a) My iPad mini retina paired with the brilliant Logitech keyboard folio cover - soon becoming my defacto presentation/email/note taking device. I often leave my MBP in hotel rooms while I visit customers. This has also replaced my Kindle 3G - I don't know if its just the fact that its new, or that I've waited so long for a retina mini version, but I find reading books very easy on the eyes and therefore don't see the need to carry the kindle anymore. Time will tell, however, if this is real, or just me gloating over new toys.

b) My MBP for power usage

c) The incredible Bose QC20i - simply the best NC and the most comfortable in-ear experience I've had so far

So.... what's in your wallet? Or gizmo pouch...

boltjames

Fantastic setup. I'm quite the gear head and I can't compete with this.

You've inspired me to purchase retractable Ethernet and retractable HDMI cables tonight, perhaps I can come a bit closer to narrowing the gap between us.

BJ

ck777

I was about halfway through the post and thought to myself, "Did Arjunrc write this?" It's always a pleasure to read your posts.

I'm able to get all my cords and plugs into 2 small clear pouches from Tom Bihn:
http://www.tombihn.com/accessories/TB0319.html

I organize 1 with cords and the other with plugs. My list isn't as long has yours but I travel with a hp computer (14"), ipad, iphone, ipod (sometimes) and nook.

Why do I travel with the nook when i have an ipad? I'm used to reading on it and it was a really nice gift from my parents. I feel guilty not using it

1. Travel Adapter (same as Arjunrc)
2. Flash drive
3. Skiva like device, can't remember the name (Schoche?) but it only has 2 ports
4. Earphones. I used to have Airbuds but completely fed up with their quality. I had 2 pairs break and now I use a cheap pair of Panasonics.
5. Laptop power adapter. This does not go in my Tom Bihn pouches. I hate that it is so big and heavy. Any ideas on how to cut weight here?
6. Misc cords for charging. I really try to take as few cords as I can but always end up needing one for iphone, nook, and ipad. I can charge everything through my skiva like device.

I was looking at this sea to summit bag (small) for electronics but I think its too big. I love how light it is.
http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/97

I use my ipad 90% to watch movies. I really need to use it more after reading your comments about presentations.

That's it for me. I'm sure I'll be spending more money because of this thread.

dalylink

Very impressive and very helpful. Like others it's time to reconsider what I carry.

arjunrc

Thanks and hope the retractable cables work well for you. Some people do seem to warn that retractable cables don't perform as well (fast) as non retractable ones, but I've never experienced a problem, especially since the weakest link is always the hotel internet.

Thanks! Do post here and let us know what you land up with

Hey thats awfully nice of you. Thank you!

I hear you. I used a kindle 3G for the longest time. I've only recently let go off it - was on a 16 hour flight trying to finish off Einstein's biography by Walter Isaacson - the book was mostly boring but the reading experience was pleasant.


I hear you, again. Airbuds are pretty low quality - especially the earpieces. I got them really cheap at $10 so I almost use it as a disposable (Except that they haven't yet been disposed off with). But they are comfortable so I keep them around.

Which laptop do you use?
On the cords, after a lot of optimization attempts, I figured I need at least 2 charging plugs because my phone needs to be next to me at night (you know, the "you wake up to drink water and land up checking emails instead" syndrome) while the rest can be away.


Yup, the logitech keyboard folio was a total game changer for me. I'd hate creating content earlier on the ipad (and the mini is smaller). Now with a little practice, I'm loving it - this response is from my ipad mini with the keyboard.
Being able to use shift+cursor keys to select/paste is a huge time saver compared to touch and drag. Presentations are really a breeze (after you make sure all slides format well on keynote - something you need to do if importing from powerpoint) . I set up my ipad as the presenter and have apple remote installed on my iphone - it connects to the ipad either over bluetooth or wifi - whatever is available - and it works as a great remote control, plus note preview tool. I used this setup to present at our recently concluded sales meet and I can tell you most of the folks there were more interested in my setup than my presentation. That speaks volumes about my content, but that's another story

I also use the ipad all the time for my music needs - I use garage band, guitar pro and tabs pro all the time to entertain myself as well - not the same as playing a travel guitar, but its fun. And when I'm home, I connect my acoustic electric to my ipad mini via apogee jam and then to the amp and voila - I turn into a one man band - its a great way to jam with friends

AATrout

You might consider adding a Ziotek power bandit. Very useful particularly in UK hotels if there is one US outlet and you don’t have an adapter for the UK outlets. Or in a crowded airport lounge when you can score only one outlet plug and need to charge a laptop and a USB device like an iPad or iPhone also.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

arjunrc

What an innovative approach! I'd love to buy it just because its uber cool but I'm wondering if it would be particularly useful for me. Let me think about the usecases - bottom line, it lets you put one regular plug and an additional USB cable into one socket, right? The laptop+usb charge is not directly useful because I'd be using my usb port of the laptop to charge the additional device.

What I imagine would be useful is say charging my iPhone and iPad together without a mac/laptop. Hmmm, given that I'm trying to optimize I need to think hard how many situations this will help me in. A great idea, nonetheless. Thanks!

Baghoarder

I love these threads - always so useful and enabling!

Here's my standard list. I use Tom Bihn 3D mesh cubes - one for laptop cables etc and one for everything else.

Devices: iPhone 5S, iPad mini retina 128Gb, MBA11", Bose QC20i noise cancelling earbuds, Mini Jambox, mifi (for Australian travel only). If I am travelling without the MBA I also throw in a Logitech keyboard cover for the iPad mini - I agree it makes a huge difference!

Accessories:
1. Apple charger
2. USB-lightning cable
3. USB-mini USB cable
4. 64GB flash drive
5. Audio splitter
6. Backup charger
7. Power adaptor for destination country/ies
8. Belkin retractable ethernet cable (which I have never used)
9. Cables and power brick for MBA, plus an extra USB-lightning cable ("just in case")
10. External back-up drive (My Passport)
11. Optional - depending on facilities at destination - Airport Express

ck777

Arjunrc - My laptop is a no frills HP G42...nothing special. I've started using it on work trips because the work laptop is enormous and clunky. Honestly, I haven't researched power cords that much but it would be great to cut some of the weight.

arjunrc

Hi Baghoarder, good to see a fellow logitech keyboard user - indeed, before I bought it, I wondered if it would be too bulky but it wasn't (and the productivity boost was immense)

Questions:

1. What do you use the Mini Jambox for? Are they mostly for pleasure travel? When I'm traveling for work, I am never in a situation that makes me comfortable to use speakers - especially in the hotel room.
2. What do you need the Audio splitter for? I have one too, but its only for when my 2 kids travel and there is only one iPad to fight over.
3. With respect to your extra lightning cable, I agree. I am seriously looking at buying one of these products - the HelloNomad iPhone charger - keychain or card version.

Hi Ck777, I am pretty sure you could find a flatter one. I've owned the targus travel charges in the past during the dark days of owning a windows laptop. They were quite good and smaller than the OEM ones. BTW, the finsix charger I linked to in my original post should be a great help to you too, once (and if) released.

Baghoarder

Hi Arjunrc! The mini Jambox is for personal use mostly for both work and leisure travel - I like to listen to music in the hotel room. It is about the size of a sunglasses case (it's half as thick as the small Jambox) which is small enough to justify carrying it. It does have a speaker phone facility, which I have only used once, but I tell myself it might come in handy!

The splitter lurks at the bottom of the pouch just in case, but like yours it really only comes out as a peace-keeping device between my sons.

That charger looks interesting - if you pick one up it would be interesting to read a review. When I am not on the road I carry a very small pouch (a Tom Bihn mini dyneema organiser pouch) in my handbag, containing a flash drive, a lightning-USB cable, a mini USB-USB cable and the small charger that comes with the iPhone 5S. For EDC that works for me.

ck777

Whoa...the finsix looks like a game changer. I really want one! This thread will eventually cost me money.

mapu

How does the Jambox Mini compare to the Bose Soundlink Mini in terms of sound quality? Did anyone try both?

MrOCTeckels

Nice post. Thanks!

I found that a number of the retractable ethernet cables were only 4 conductor. After having a few retractables fail, I've been carrying a one meter cat5 flat ethernet cable for the last few years and find it significantly more reliable, not to mention lighter than retractables for the same length.

Letitride3c

I have two gizmo or gadget setup, the loaded convertible backpack/messenger bag (with items coming out and/or added as necessary for the upcoming trip - via a checklist, varied if it's all business or personal/vacation & leisure)

Let's start off with the Timbuk2 (S) Messenger Bag (it's the old "Metro" discontinued model) but small & easy to store, emptied & I keep it with the TLS Mother Lode 22" as my casual day pack, used on short hauls in-flight so I have the basic items easily accessible - with room for a 12/16 oz water bottle or sports drink, or insulated tall mug. A ziplock sandwich pouch and/or trail mixes/energy bar can be dropped in.



Starting from the upper left: pair of in-line mic/headset, digital camera, backup smartphone/mp3/mp4 player, Nexus 7 tablet & BT Mini-Keyboard, ziplocked First Aid items w. LED light & hand sanitizer, bottled water, Coleman multi-tool, smartphone/tablet charger w. mini/micro-usb cable, Jabre headset (handsfree driving,) 16GB USB Jump Drive & USB adapter, OTC Medication pouch w. 3 days Rx supply and I.C.E./MedAlert Contacts, pen & spare eyeglasses for driving.



The full "package" base - all fit in the LL Bean Vertical Messenger/Laptop expandable Bag (padded compartment for 14") compliant with latest UA personal bag (15" by 10" by 8" with additional 2" unzipped) w. one eBags (S) Packing Cube for all the loose items. Starting from upper left corner:
Sennheiser NC Headphones + 3.5mm headset adapter, and, spare Eyeglasses
Sony Viao 11.6" Netbook (reverted from Win8.1 to Win7 Ultimate SP1) & charger (or, Dell 14" Latitude Laptop w. DVD - Win7 & charger)
Coach pouch - 5 days medications and I.C.E. contact info/Med-Alert
Audio Extension cords + 2x AA batteries + mini-screwdriver set. (Not shown: **Multi-tools)
** Wireless N Router w. 4 ethernet ports
** Belkin Power Cube w. 2x 500 MA USB charging ports & Flat 3-prong Wall outlet Extension (optional, not shown: 220-240 adapter plug)
** Big Blue BT 2.0/wire/less Speaker (4W & 6 hrs charged, PC/iOS/Android & conference calls)
iPad, mini-USB and micro-USB charging cords, 6' HDMI cable (optional: VGA monitor cable)
Wireless Travel Mouse & 2x ethernet cables 4' with connector
First Aid (mini) items in ziplock pouch. (Not shown: 3 oz. Hand Sanitizer/Wipes)
Nexus 7 tablet w. 2 Amp Charger (compatible w. iPad - NOT SHOWN) 32GB internal storage & optional 32GB ext. mSD adapter (50+ hours IFE)
HTC Droid (unlocked global) spare smartphone w. 1 Amp Charger (roam on AT&T and T-Mo)
HTC Droid / updated to Nexus 5 smartphone w. mini BT Keyboard (tether/WiFi Hotspot, rooted-custom Rom, Xposed/GravityBox) 5GB 4G/LTE data/mo.
3x USB Drives (for data, apps/OS recovery & MP3/MP4 videos and 1 mSD card
Jabra BT wireless Headset (w. usb charging cable)
In-line Headset/mic. (as spare)
** Digital Camera (HD video)
LED slim Flashlight (1 or 2 AA's)
Nescafe 3-n-1 Instant Coffee ***

** These are optional/discretionary items depending on trip purposes.
*** Not a tech item, obviously - keeps me awake when I need a caffeine boost, add hot water & stir, enjoy

This snapshot is slightly outdated with the Nexus 5 & Nexus 7 not in the photo along with the universal BT mini-keyboard (it also works with the iPad & netbook.) Package weight varied from 11 lbs to 15 lbs but very manageable for me - heading for the airport/thru security & at the boarding gate, the shoulder straps are tucked away so the LLB bag has a very low profile using just padded carry handle, GA & FA never blinks looking at it. The cables, adapters & chargers included extra ones for Mrs. L when we travel together, and putting some of it in its own pouch would just meant the odds of forgetting something (iPad's) on a trip - I just leave it & take them with me (2 to 4 oz. at most.)

Everything fitting nicely here - the packing cube will sometimes go into the TLS Mother Lode Weekender if that's staying in the OH bins while flying (not for CRJ's and ERJ's as the TLS would be gate checked) Next: downsize & update some of the individual items, as I purposely carry spare/extras like 2 ethernet cables instead of 1 (plus a connector to extend it) not necessary shrinking it all ...

Have fun customizing yours