Whiskey Alpha Romeo

Current Travel Gear

I have decided that my original Perfecting Travel post isn’t adequate for maintaining my “current” gear list – things change too frequently, and it doesn’t make sense to keep going back to an aging blog post to keep up with the refreshes.

So here’s the current Travel Gear list, which will always be up to date. I’ll have links to blog posts about whatever changed, and why, if such posts exist.

Luggage & Bags

Luggage:

  • 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.
  • Previous Coolife set (Replaced for aesthetics only)

Packing Cubes:

If you’re not already using packing cubes, they can change your life. I say can because people start using them with false expectations. You need to very them from the organizational advantages, rather than for their space saving capabilities.

While it’s true that “compressable” packing cubes might save you a little space, or allow you to pack a little more, the real value here is the organization. The compression feature works very well if the cube doesn’t have a lot in it, but if they’re packed full, you’re not going to recover much space – you might not even be able to close the compression zipper.

Instead, view packing cubes as mobile drawers. Keeping like items together. Shirts in this cube, pants & shorts in that one. Socks & underwear in yet another. This makes it easier to pack, and maybe more importantly, much easier to live out of that suitcase while you’re away.

Remember, no matter how densely you manage to pack, you’re usually still up against the 50lb limit for each bag when travelling by air.

Backpack(s):

I used to think I could find the One True BackpackTM, but such a thing doesn’t exist. At a minimum, I need a backpack to carry:

  • My Laptop and/or Tablet
  • My Tech Kit
    • A large & a small power bank
    • My wall charger
    • My headphones & earbuds
  • A hat & sunglasses
  • More snacks than I need for a flight

These are the backpacks I use, depending on my current need:

  • BANGE Locking Business Laptop 25L – For work and travelling light. I do love this backpack. It can neatly carry a lot of stuff in a relatively small form factor. It’s functionally waterproof (think heavy rain, not swimming), well made, and I like the materials.
  • Veria Savvy Sleek 35L – Sometimes though, you need to carry everything. Not gonna lie, the Internet algorithms got me. I was getting bombed with ads for this bag left and right, but it looked so intriguing, I caved and bought it. Not disappointed. In addition to my normal collection of gear, this also accommodates my Travel CPAP’s rigid EVA case with ease. The main compartment has a lot of depth. Great materials, well made, and water resistant. Packed to the gills, and heavy, the straps were quite comfortable.

Backpack Accessories:

  • Travel Hat Clips – Ever pack a hat and have it crushed out of shape? Clip it to the outside instead.
  • Gear Aid Hero Clip – Ever get skeeved out having to set your backpack down on the floor at an airport restaurant, or worse, public bathroom? Solved. The Hero Clip attaches to your bag handle, and pivots open to hang your bag from the side of your table, or easily suspend your bag from a bathroom door that’s missing a hook.

Tech Accessory Bag:

Miscellaneous Accessory 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 – Until recently, I’ve been 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. I must admit however, the aluminum is pretty thin, and these are prone to getting severely bent while being banged around on luggage conveyers and carousels. I am probably going to switch to these QR code style tags soon – which are more durable, and reveal even less information to the casual observer.

Bluetooth Trackers:

These are one of the best solutions out there, in my opinion. They work with either Apple Find My, or the Google Find Hub ecosystems (not simultaneously, unfortunately) so you’re not trapped either way. They’re both rechargeable (suck it, Apple), the Clip 5 via USB-C, and the Card 5 via Qi magnetic chargers, and the charges last somewhere between 12 and 18 months. Also, the Card 5 is one of the slimmest card type trackers out there, at only 1.7mm thick. Many other cards are almost twice as thick.

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.

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.

USB-C 5v Charger Adapter:

Here’s a charging hack for these two devices, both of which come with a proprietary charging cable. 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 several of them including the model I have listed above.

Technology

Laptop:

Tablet:

Recently switched – Details in this post.

  • TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus (Jan ’26) – Probably the best tablet option out there if you use your tablet as your primary eReader. The matte finished NXTpaper screen handles glare very well.
  • Previous Tablet: Lenovo Tab Plus (May ’25) – This remains my favorite choice for pure media consumption, and the Bluetooth speaker function is legit given the JBL sound integrated into this.

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.)

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 Case:

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 Chargers:

  • Anker Prime 100W GaN Charger Block (recent change) – This is the smallest / thinnest 100W 3-Port charger that I’m aware of, and Anker is my #1 brand recommendation for 3rd party chargers. This will run my laptop, or charge 3 devices simultaneously.
  • Baseus PicoGo 67W GaN Charging Block – This is my #1 alternate recommendation. I have this in my wife’s and daughter’s travel kits. They never travel with laptops, but if they did, this would power them. This is the smallest 67W 3-Port charger that I’m aware of. It’s tiny, and very solidly built.

Powerbanks:

I have a complicated relationship with Powerbanks. Mainly, I travel with two different power banks:

  • Ansody 25000mAh 140W Power Bank – This is the big boy I carry when travelling for work. A lot of stored power, and high output for rapid charging multiple devices simultaneously, including a laptop. After an exhaustive search, this is the smallest form factor I could find with these capabilities. At 6.48″w x 3.19″d x 1.08″h, it does fit into the new tech bag, but it adds a little over a pound, and an uncompressible inch.
  • Baseus Picogo 10000mAh Qi2 Magsafe Charger – This is my favorite Magsafe battery. It’s the only 10000mAh battery I’ve found that remains only .5″ thick. It has a nice grippy coating on the battery side that helps keep it in place, and protects the surface of your phone. I always carry one of these in my kit, and if it’s not a work trip, I dump the big battery, and carry two of these.

Other Powerbanks I own, use, and recommend:

  • Anker Laptop Power Bank – 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. My beef with it: Not the most conveniently sized. If this were a better form factor, it’d remain my go to for big power.
  • Charmast 26800mAh Slim Power Bank – 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. There’s only 1 USB-C port unfortunately, and none of the ports are truly high output / rapid charging, but in terms of capacity vs space, this thing is a king.

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: This is kind of a no-name choice, but after purchasing my first set from them, I’ve bought from them on multiple other occasions. They’ve been great quality:

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. 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

The stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else.

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:

  • Coume Folding 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 stop fighting it, and do yourself a favor. These come in a six-pack, and I have them stashed all over the place.

Strap Management:

  • Strap Management Kit – 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 kit, and 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.