While not a “professional road warrior” per se, I do travel frequently for both work and play. Through the many years, sitting in airports, rushing to make connections, I’ve had countless moments like this:
- I wish I’d brought X.
- This backpack just isn’t getting it done for me.
- I hate the way this suitcase rolls.
- Where the f^&$ did I put my X?
We’ve all had them, I’m sure. I’m fortunate in that I’m able to do something about most of them.
Knowing full well that perfection is unattainable, but chasing it anyway, my travel gear is always evolving, and this page reflects to current state of affairs when it comes to hitting the road. As I am GenX, this list reflects over 50 years of experience – try not to hold it against me.
My intention is to keep this list up to date so that it always reflects what I’m currently travelling with.
Note: For the most part, all of the links contained within are Amazon affiliate links, for which I may earn a small commission. Having said that, I do own and use every one of these products, and would recommend them just the same.
Luggage & Bags
Luggage Set: Coolife Spinner Luggage 3 Piece Set with TSA Locks – This will be a controversial start, but I “cheaped out” on a luggage set, and I’m so glad I did. I used to buy name brand fairly expensive suitcases, and they usually fell apart after just a few trips. Adopting a more “disposable” approach, I took a flyer on a set from Coolife – honestly, I can’t kill them. Planes, trains, automobiles, ships – domestic & international – they just take a beating and keep right on going. They also completely nest making them easy to store. I just bought a new set for purely aesthetic reasons, as the original set (still completely functional) had collected the scuffs and scrapes of several years worth of hard travel.
Packing Cubes: If you’re not already using packing cubes, they will change your life. While it’s true that the “compressable” packing cubes can save you a little space, or allow you to pack a little more, the real value here is the organization. Remember, no matter how densely you manage to pack, you’re usually still up against the 50lb limit when travelling by air.
I have a few different brands, but my favorites are the VASCO Compressible Packing Cubes pictured above. You can spend a lot more on these, or a lot less, but this set has held up extremely well, and I’ve taxed them – no broken zippers and no tears so far.
Backpack: BANGE Locking Business Laptop with USB Charging Port – I have been through too many backpacks to count, but I’ve finally found one that really works for me. It comfortably handles:
- My laptop & tablet
- A large & a small power bank
- My wall charger
- My headphones & earbuds
- My tech accessory bag
- A hat & sunglasses
- More snacks than I need for a flight
It does all of this, and is still kind of small, and I mean that in a good sense – the footprint while filled is manageable. It’s easy to find a behemoth backpack that can accommodate all of your stuff – but finding one that manages to do the job without being excessively bulky? That’s the trick.
In addition to having a built in TSA lock to keep the high dollar items secure in the laptop compartment, it’s also waterproof (I’ve had it in a sustained heavy rain (thank you Seattle), and it was no problem. I’m not suggesting you can submerge it). My only complaint is that the cover for the USB charging port partially obscures the USB-C port, but the USB-A port is still accessible.
Tech Accessory Bag v01: BAGSMART Electronics Travel Organizer Case – I toss this bag in the backpack with all my junk inside it. A slim 26800mAh power bank, four USB-C cables of various lengths, a charger block, wireless earbuds with case, a set of wired earbuds, a pair of folding reading glasses, and a fistful of USB-C to X adapters (more on this in a moment). With all of that inside, this whole case is only about 2 inches thick – it fits cleanly in the backpack without taking up a lot of space.
UPDATE: Though it served me well for a long time, I have fired this bag. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I changed some of the stuff I carry, and it was no longer the right size for me. It has been replaced with a different bag from Bagsmart. There’s a separate post on the updated tech bag.
Miscellaneous Accessory Bags: Small Cosmetic Mesh Zipper Pouch Bags 4″x 3″ – I have two of these bags that I carry inside of the Electronic organizer bag. They tuck right in to one of the pockets, and the mesh allows you to see what’s inside. I use them for tiny items, particularly all of the USB-C adapters. I can convert my USB-C cables into whatever kind of cable I need – USB-A, Micro USB, a Lightning cable, etc. I also have a number of audio specific items in one of the bags – a USB-C to Headphone Jack adapter, a USB-C to Audio AUX cable, and a Bluetooth Transmitter that supports two sets of headphones simultaneously.
I also use one of these small bags in my toiletry bag for the same purpose – small items, like additional OneBlade blades, tweezers and cuticle tools, and a USB-C to 5v adapter for the toothbrush and OneBlade (told you I had a hack for that) so I can ditch the single-use proprietary cables.
Speaking of toiletry bags:
Toiletry Bag: BAGSMART Toiletry Bag for Men – For me, the medium bag is just the right size. The main pocket is generous, and there are pockets and elastic bands to hold things in place. The front flap has more elastic hold downs, and the rear pocket is set up to handle wet items. It’s just long enough that the toothbrush and trimmers fit perfectly in the otherwise unused ‘wet pocket’.
Luggage Tags: Aluminum Travel ID Bag Tags – I’m partial to this style of luggage tags. I like that only my last name is visible, with the more sensitive information concealed. They also suit my sense of aesthetics, but opinions can range wildly.
Grooming & Hygiene
Toothbrush: Philips Sonicare One – I use a sonic toothbrush at home, and really missed one while travelling. I found this recently, and it is about the perfect toothbrush for the road. My main toothbrush had a travel case, but it was big and bulky. The travel cover that comes with this is minimalist, and elegant. This is more of a massaging toothbrush, but I quite like it. (USB-A charging cable, and a proprietary connector on the brush, but I have a hack for that… Manufacturers: Please USB-C all the things…)
Razor / Trimmer: Philips OneBlade 360 with Connectivity Hybrid Face + Body – That’s a mouthful, but it’s worth it. I’ve had my eye on the OneBlade system for quite a while, and I only wish I’d purchased one a long time ago. It does a “good enough” job as a shaver – take off the guards, and it gets very close – as good as any electric shaver I’ve ever used. Great for trimming a mustache or beard. It does a good job of everything you throw at it, and I mean everything – including down there. (Another USB-A charging cable unfortunately, and another proprietary connector – but at least it’s the same as the toothbrush, and again, I have a hack for that…)
USB-C Shaver Charger Adapter: Here’s the hack for these two devices. This adapter plugs into both the toothbrush, and the shaver, and takes a standard USB-C cable. Please note, this doesn’t work with all of the different Philips OneBlade shavers – but it does work with the model I have listed above.
Technology
And now the big ticket items – the personal electronics:
Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 14″ AMD Laptop (2025) – This powerful little laptop is built like a tank, and has a pretty good array of ports and connectivity options, and charges via 65w USB-C. I ordered mine with the AMD Ryzen™ AI 7 350 Processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This laptop included a digital pen, and drawing with it is both fun and useful.
Tablet: Lenovo Tab Plus – My tablet is primarily for media consumption, and if that’s your use case, it’s hard to beat this tablet. It’s inexpensive, has a large screen, a fast enough processor, and an SD card slot for storage expansion. There’s a sturdy kickstand built in, and that ‘bump out’ on the back is an 8-speaker JBL sound system (25W). There isn’t a better sounding tablet. It also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker for other devices.
This tablet is frequently on sale, so you can usually get it for around $250, but occasionally you’ll see it as low as $199. For that price, it’s a steal.
Be forewarned: the Lenovo branded sleeve/case that is often bundled, or can be purchased separately? I bought one, and it’s hot garbage. I replaced it with the ProCase Hard Shell Tablet Case to protect the device.
UPDATE: As of Feb ’26, I have replaced my tablet to the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus. I discussed the ‘why’ here in this post.
Streaming Stick: Roku Streaming Stick HD – Hotel TVs and their awful apps, right? No thanks. I’d rather have access to all of my stuff. This is the 1080p version, which is the least expensive model they offer, and since most hotel Wi-Fi isn’t up to snuff for 4k streaming anyway, there’s no reason to pay more. With the savings, upgrade to the Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd Ed.), which is rechargeable via USB-C.
Travel Router: TP-Link Ultra-Portable AX1500 Travel Router (TL-WR1502X) – Join this to the hotel’s network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and have all of your devices connect through it – with only one login to the hotel’s captive portal – avoiding potential charges for multiple devices.
It also supports VPN, so you can either use one of the well known providers (I use NordVPN – use this referral link for a free 3 month trial), or to your home if that’s an option for you, and protect all your traffic while on the hotel’s public network. The TP-Link ‘Tether’ app (downloadable from your preferred App Store) is used to configure the device. It’s well designed, and easy to use, even for non-techies. (If you need to have latest and greatest, the updated version of the travel router, the TP-Link AX3000, is also available – the main difference is that it has a 2.5Gbps WAN port.)
I keep the Roku, Roku remote, and the Travel Router along with a 65w Anker wall charger in this EVA Hard Shell, which fits them all perfectly. There’s also room for two USB-A to USB-C cables (power for each of the devices), and a 3ft Ultra Slim Cat 6 Ethernet Cable for the router, should I need it.
Power Options
How do I keep everything charged and working? Here’s the current state of my power game:
Main Charging: Anker 6-in-1 Charging Station – Two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, capable of 140W combined across the four ports. Also, two pass through electrical sockets. This is so practical and versatile, I wish I’d had one sooner. They list this for $109, but it’s frequently on sale and available for $79 – and on occasion, I’ve seen it as low as $55. I keep it in this EVA Hard Case that I purchased separately.
Portable Wall Charging: Anker Prime 67W GaN 3-Port Compact Wall Charger – This stubby little beast has replaced the 65W charger that came with my laptop, and prior to getting the 6-in-1, I’d use it to charge my laptop, phone, and tablet all at once overnight.
I travel with two different power banks.
The Big Chonk: Anker Laptop Power Bank – Not the most conveniently sized, but what it lacks in convenience, it makes up for in power. Two built in USB-C cables, plus an additional port, each capable of putting out 100W of power – simultaneously. It has a 25,000mAh capacity, which is great in and of itself, but it really shines in charging things up fast, and all at once. I put this in the main compartment of my backpack.
The Slimmer Cousin: Charmast 26800mAh Slim Power Bank – The only non-Anker charging accessory that’s still in my kit, this is the most power dense battery pack I’ve run across. It has a huge capacity, but it fits into one of the zipper pockets of my tech accessory bag, being only 6.3″ long, 3.6″ wide. and a staggering .6″ thin.
Cables
I used to buy and travel with high quality braided USB cables, like these from UGREEN. I still keep them around the house, and in the car, but I’ve ditched them for travel. Cable memory (when you uncoil a cable and it retains it’s shape) drives me a little crazy, and it makes it difficult to re-coil everything for packing. I’ve recently switched to silicone encased cables, and they are so much easier to deal with.
Laptop Power USB-C Cable: WOTOBEUS USB-C PD 100W 5V cable with LED Display – This thick boy will handle my high power charging needs, as I don’t have a device that exceeds 65W. The LED indicator is a little gimmicky, but it is nice to see how much power is being drawn at any given time. Again, the silicone cable wrapping is easy to deal with – no tangles, no shape memory, and it coils up so nicely when I’m done.
Since I miss the old Magsafe connectors, I’ve gone all in on magnetic USB-C adapters – and recently, I’ve settled on this one. The pivot and swivel keeps the cable connected when repositioning, unlike a lot of the others. They’re rated for 240w, but they don’t have all of the pins necessary for high speed data transfer – this is primarily a power solution. All of my household’s laptops, and their respective power sources, are fitted with these.
Additional USB-C Cables: I have a couple of different vendors I’ve bought silicone cables from, and they’ve both been great quality:
- 3-Pack 60W 3A USB-C Silicone Cables (3x6ft)
- 5-Pack 60W 3A USB-C Silicone Cables (2×3.3ft / 2×6.6ft / 1x10ft)
I’m quite happy with both of those sets. They coil and un-coil so easily, with no tangles or kinks. Also, the connector housing itself is very slim, so there’s no problem with the restrictively sized port access you find on a lot of phone cases. In the past, I’ve had bulky connectors that wouldn’t seat properly, but the ones above fit with everything I’ve tried.
Cable Ties: If you tend toward OCD, and you need things to be ‘just so,’ then believe me, cable ties are a must. There are two styles I use. For smaller cables, these UMUST Reusable Silicone Cable Ties are a worthwhile addition. For larger, and/or thicker cables (like power cords), I use these heavier Silicone Cables Ties. I have been using them for everything cable related, and for travel, when you really need things to be organized, they are a lifesaver. I tend to take along a few extras with me just in case.
Misc
Flashlight: RovyVon Aurora A3 – This little rechargeable flashlight is tough, extremely bright, and very small. It is rechargeable via a concealed USB-C connection built into the body. It’s found a home in my backpack.
Reading Glasses: Getting old sucks, but they tell me it happens to everyone. If you’ve reached the stage where your arms aren’t quite long enough, or when the dim restaurant lighting makes it impossible to read a menu, then travelling with some foldable reading glasses becomes less of convenience, and more of a necessity.
Strap Management: I hate when the straps of my backpack are loose and dangling in such a way as to snag on or get tangled up with things (hello TSA scanners), or hang out of the overhead bin on an airplane. To solve it, I bought this strap management set. It has tamed everything with great success.
A word about Batteries (more specifically, the lack thereof):
It has taken me quite a while, but I have managed to eliminate everything that uses standard AA/AAA batteries from my travelling life.
Every single electronic gizmo on this list is rechargeable, and everything can be charged by USB-C. For the couple of items that don’t natively use USB-C (I’m looking at you, Philips), I’ve found adapters that allow them to be recharged via USB-C – the same USB-C wall charger and power banks that I use with my phone, laptop, and everything else.
The only item that uses AAAA batteries (and until recently, I did not know that was a thing) is the digital pen / stylus that came with my laptop – and rather than using disposable AAAA batteries, I bought a set of rechargeable AAAA batteries to use with it.
There’s nothing I travel with that can remain electrically dead for long, and that isn’t luck – it’s design.
Whiskey Alpha Romeo 
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