Low-profile Cable Management
 

I’ve used a few Bubm cable management zippered clamshell totes from Amazon and they’re great. However, because of their smaller dimensions, they tend to get bulky.

I’ve switched to a briefcase shoulder bag and need something lower profile.

What do you use for cable management?

I carry…. USB numeric keypad, Mifi, laptop charger, Apple Watch charger, two power adapters (usb A and C) and a couple of cables.

I try to be as minimalist as possible, for the situation, packing what I need. I use a TomBihn soft-sided brief case; it has a few small pockets that I use for cable storage. I also purchase most of my cables/accessories from MonoPrice, because I like the quality, price, and they have a fair assortment of lengths, so I can get Goldie-Locks with my set up (not too short, not too long, just right).

Good luck!

-C

I shove all of mine into or bags. Nothing fancy. They're soft-sided so they're quite flexible in the bag. The bags are slightly padded as well.

I use quart size zip lock bag so I can see what's inside clearly.

I use pencil cases I get from Walmart. I currently use four of them. One with stuff I anticipate I will use in-flight (block-ish type), one that I anticipate will use at the hotel (also block-ish), one for medication and an old school one (segmented) to hold the various currencies I will use on the trip, I occasionally raid one case for the other if I need to swap around for some reason, but it's not often. One thing I don't keep in there (but use regularly) are the travel power bars (Monster OTG.... discontinued). I am currently looking for some sort of envelope that I can put in a bluetooth keyboard.

NOTE: I always use a backpack to carry my gear. so some creativity may be in order.

Here's an example of what I use (not the exact type). I usually grab one or two during back to school sales as I often find other uses for them.

Big thanks to all who replied. Still haven't found any true dedicated low-profile solutions. I've ordered a couple of pencil cases from Amazon. They look promising!

I use old airline amenity kits for cable management. Some of my favorites for that are the see-thru mesh ones that United use to provide in business class. I also use some of those more recent Delta economy class headset packages for some smaller cables as one side of them is see-thru and they keep the cables tight inside and hold up well when being opened and re-sealed. Also, there are some see-thru zippered plastic bags that are used as packaging for men’s/boy’s underwear and undershirts that can work well for holding cables.

I hate cables. So much so that I won't or try not to carry any peripheral requiring them and limit my cables to USB-C "one cable to rule them all" devices. Will follow this thread to see if there's good solutions to cables, which, I need to say again, I just can't deal with.

PS - Big fan of bluetooth. Oh, can't deal with those dongles to and will not use them.

I found a 6-foot 3-in-1 USB charging cord on Temu for $5. Too cheap to not try. So far so good.

One end is regular USB. The other end has Mini USB, USB-C, and Apple Lightning. So far, so good.

My laptop needs USB-C to USB-C and a power brick. So that’s another device.

I carry a Mifi, as well.

Lastly, I carry a 10-key numeric keypad. The cord on this is fairly unobtrusive.

Yeah, my laptop PC requires a power brick, which of course means I travel without it opting instead for the new Macbook Air, which appears to able to be powered by just about any ole USB-C source.

I found an aftermarket power brick from my laptop that has additional USB-A and USB-C ports. Unfortunately, when I’m charging multiple devices via the power brick, my laptop shows an “insufficient power source“ notification.

It depends on the brick and the power requirements of the laptop. Most power bricks that can charge a laptop are currently 65w or so. You should start seeing 100w USB-C bricks becoming more common. If the laptop is a "U series" CPU (or an M series macbook) 65w is enough for itself and not much more. If the brick supports 90-100, you shouldn't get that error message as there should be plenty for the laptop and something else.

I use the zippered packaging case from a TSA approved toiletry kit purchased from the trial size section at Walmart. It is a flat rectangle with a see through side. I have also used the clear bar soap containers for my inflight cable and earbuds.

My Dell kvetches about that all the time with most aftermarket chargers that have minimum 45W output in the USB-C port, but it charges just as fast as the OEM even when in use. I think it's more of a Dell scare tactic. My Lenovo ThinkPad is a lot more lenient.

I bought for Mrs. Swede, and it's pretty low profile if you only have one or two chargers.

I also have , and the tablet pocket (which I don't use for a tablet) might work with a 10-key number pad.

I have some Think Tank bags like this. :):tu: