Gear

What Lives in My One-Bag Carry-On

I haven’t checked a bag in two years. Not because I’m proud of it — well, a little — but because every time I tried, something went wrong. Bag lost in Madrid. Bag soaked in Manila. Bag opened in Lima and missing a charger. After the third time I just stopped.

What follows is everything tech-related that lives in my carry-on right now. I weighed it. I looked up what each thing cost. I noted what I’d replace if it went missing tomorrow.

The bag itself

Tortuga Outbreaker 35L — about $300, although I bought mine used for half that. It opens like a suitcase, which sounds minor but is the single best feature. You can find anything in 10 seconds without unpacking. Top-loading backpacks are romantic. They’re also slow.

If I lost it: I’d buy a Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L next time. Slightly smaller, better for the train.

The tech, in order of how much I use it

iPad Air M2, 11-inch — 460g

The main computer. I wrote about why I left the laptop at home — short version: 90% of what I do works on it, the battery is unreal, and it forces me to close it more often.

Cost: $700-ish. Would replace immediately.

Logitech Combo Touch keyboard — 600g

The keyboard case. Not the prettiest, not the lightest, but the trackpad makes it real, and the kickstand actually stands up at a reasonable angle. The Magic Keyboard is sleeker but pricier and worse on a lap.

Cost: $200. Would replace.

iPhone 14 Pro — 200g

The most important piece of tech I own and the one I think about least. Maps, messages, camera, music, ticket scanner, boarding pass, eSIM holder, flashlight, currency converter. Replace every 4-5 years.

Cost: whatever, varies wildly. Would replace day one.

AirPods Pro 2 — 50g

Flights, podcasts, the occasional video call from a noisy hostel. The transparency mode is the killer feature when you’re walking through a market and want music plus the ambient audio of where you actually are.

Cost: $230. Would replace within a week — they’re cheap enough that I wouldn’t suffer through bad earbuds while waiting for a replacement.

Anker 735 GaN Prime, 65W — 130g

Three USB-C ports. Charges the iPad, phone, and AirPods at the same time, off one wall outlet, in any country with a $2 plug adapter. The cable is built into one of the ports on a slide-out reel, which sounds gimmicky and is actually the best charger feature I’ve ever used.

Cost: $60. Would replace immediately. This is the bottleneck if it dies — without it I can charge one device at a time, slowly, and that ruins a travel day.

Anker 622 MagSafe battery — 140g

A power bank that magnetically sticks to the back of the phone. 5,000 mAh, which is enough for one full phone charge or a 50% top-up plus an emergency hour. I use it on long airport days and overnight buses. I do not use it day to day.

Cost: $50. Would replace within a month. Skippable for short trips.

Two USB-C cables — 30g each

One short (15 cm) for charging from a power bank in my pocket. One long (1.5 m) for charging from a wall outlet that’s never near the bed. Both are Anker. Both have survived being kinked, stepped on, and shoved into the small pocket of a backpack for a year.

Cost: $15 each. Would replace from any 7-Eleven.

One universal travel adapter — 90g

The Epicka one. Has all the standard plugs plus two USB-A and one USB-C built in. The USB charging is slow — only use it for the phone overnight. For real charging, run the wall plug into the GaN charger.

Cost: $25. Would replace immediately — without an adapter, all the other tech is just dead weight.

Apple Pencil 2 — 20g

Honestly? I rarely use it. I keep it because once or twice a trip I want to mark up a PDF or sketch a map for someone, and that one moment justifies the 20 grams. Sticks to the side of the iPad, charges itself, doesn’t take space.

Cost: $130. Would not replace unless I happened to be near an Apple Store.

Anker eufy Security cable lock — 80g

A small steel cable that lets me lock the bag to a chair or a luggage rack on a train. I’ve never had a bag stolen. I credit this partly to the lock and partly to luck. It’s heavy and minor and I’m not getting rid of it.

Cost: $20. Would replace at the next hardware store.

Total tech weight

About 1.85 kg. Roughly four pounds. Less than a thick paperback hardcover.

What I deliberately don’t carry

People ask about these. I tried them all.

• A camera other than the phone. Phone cameras are good enough now that the only reason to carry a real one is if photography is the point of the trip. For me it isn’t.
• A Kindle. I love them. I just couldn’t justify another screen when the iPad reads books fine. If I read more, I’d add it back.
• A second screen / portable monitor. Tried it. Ridiculous on the road. The whole point is fewer things.
• A smartwatch. Personal preference. I like checking the time deliberately.
• Noise-canceling over-ear headphones. AirPods Pro are 90% as good and 1/10 the bag space.

The replacement test

Here’s the test that determined what made the cut. For each item, I asked: if I lost this in a hotel room tomorrow, how soon would I replace it?

• Same day: phone, iPad, charger, keyboard, adapter
• Within a week: AirPods, power bank
• Within a month: lock, cables
• Never: Apple Pencil

Anything I’d never replace, I shouldn’t be carrying. I’m working on it. The Pencil stays for now.