I still don't travel as much as many developers I know: but, I have traveled a lot more this year than ever before. So, the night before I travel out to New York I think it would be good to cover my carry-on pack. This is going to be a series of posts, but for now, I'll start with the gear.

The Gear

All of my carry-on gear is shown in the picture above. Starting in the top left in columns:

Column 1

  1. Sony Vita Headphones - These earbuds are comfortable, have a toggleable microphone, and very importantly they work for voice chat on Vita and PS4 which have a different set of tollerances for the mic.
  2. Lightning Cable - This is the standard Lightning cable for my iPhone and iPad. I also travel with a longer amazon Lightning cable which is just off screen charging my phone
  3. Micro USB Cable - This cable is used for my non-Apple devices (mostly for my battery packs)
  4. Playstation Vita USB Cable - This cable can be plugged in to external batteries or my Mac to charge the PS Vita. Sadly the vita takes almost a full 2A to run while charging and the stock power pack is a bit bulky
  5. Anker 10,000mAh Battery - This backup battery can fully recharge my Vita and Phone with some room to spare. While that's really nice at a conference, this sees more use as a USB splitter that happens to act as a backup battery. Since this battery is fairly heavy, I don't usually cary it around cities.
  6. Jot 4.5 - This is actually the newest addition to my pack. The Jot is a small reverse e-paper eWriter. Clicking the button on top makes the whole screen black and then using the stylus (or your fingernail), draws white lines on screen. I've been impressed with the resolution so far. The small size also is great for a quick sketch or Pomodoro style notes. Since there's no storage, these notes here have to be single track and then moved to something more permanent or sent off to the ether.

Column 2

  1. 13" Macbook Pro Retina - This is my office, work horse, and most everything. Fully packed and ready for fullstack development, under the hood is a 2.8GHz i7 and 16GB of RAM.
  2. Brikbook Case (on Macbook) - I get asked about my new Macbook case at conferences. Brikbook was originally kickstarted and is now available for sale. Right now I'm sporting one of the monthly designs.
  3. Playstation Vita - The Vita is an impressive set of hardware for a handheld. While I don't spend much time playing Vita day to day, this gets a lot of use on the plane. It's an awesome break and since the battery life is pretty solid and all games support system lock and resume, it is nice even on public transit. I'm currently playing Jak and Daxter, Hitman Go, and Little Big Planet. Also, note the trigger case on the Vita, this helps for longer play times for when I am at home or on the plane (but the case is removed if I need to pocket and go).
  4. Notebooks - For times when the Jot isn't enough room, or I need to save something for later, I have two notebooks with me. The larger is a gift from The Iron Yard and is helpful for things like specing out app or assignment ideas. The smaller one is a fields note sized Moleskin I got from Conde Nast and is great for carrying even when I don't have a bag.
  5. USB Wall Wart x2 - These are standard Apple 1A wall warts. I carry two with me on trips for a few reasons: first I have enough devices that I likely need to charge two things at once. But, more importantly, I have a backup if one goes bad (which has happened on the last two trips I've been on). If I loose one power brick I still have another and don't have to wait FOREVER for something like my Anker or Vita to charge via the USB on my Mac.
  6. Apple Earpods - Standard pack Earpods. While I like the Sony earbuds above, it's not uncommon for me to have podcasts and my vita going at the same time. But, also it's a good idea to have two different style earbuds since my ears start hurting after a while. Then I can swap and not have the fatigue from the foam or hard Earpods

Column 3

  1. Bobble Infuse Water Bottle - While day to day on campus I cary a 32oz Contigo Water Bottle, that becomes hard to carry around when traveling. This Bobble seems to be a nice trick. The infusion basket can be used to filter fruit infused water, or you can pack it with a carbon filter basket which can help reduce some odd tasting water when running around. The Bobble still holds ~22oz so I don't think I'll be running to refill it every 10 mins. Plus the softer sides make it easier to pack (but more on that in the next post).
  2. Dynex Backup Battery - Another new addition to the bag. This backup battery only has a single port, but has enough juice to keep the old iPhone going for a few more hours. Being alot smaller than the Anker, the Dynex is even pocketable for time around town.
  3. 60W Apple Mag Safe 2 Charger - The old work horse needs some juice. This is it! I keep my extension cable on this charger at all times: outlets are always two tables away in the coffeeshop.
  4. Quirky Powercurl Round - Cables are always getting cluttered. The powercurl keeps the Mag Safe charger neat and tidy. It even stows away quickly. There's also a little powercurl on one of the USB blocks, but no cord is in there.
  5. Bag - My bag is a hand me down from my dad. Turns out, it's the best bag I've found for traveling. More on that in the next post though…
  6. Wallet - I go with the standard billfold. I've had this wallet since university. Nothing really special. This was really just laying next to the rest of my pack…

Stay tuned for the next post where I talk about something even more important than the gear… THE PACK!