My Go Bag

Click on image for larger version
Back in October, Lifehacker asked readers to show-off their ‘go bags‘. I enjoyed seeing various versions of what people lug with them while on the road. I did not submit my entry on Lifehacker, but I will submit my own version here for your reading pleasure. I consider myself to be a road-warrior of sorts, so I am always trying to optimize form, function, and weight while traveling. Here’s my go bag:
1) Apple MacBook Pro 15″ – No explanation needed, right? I buck the corporate trend of carrying around a PC by using Boot-Camp and Parallels for those rare times that I have to use Windows. Otherwise, it’s all Leopard for me.
2) Amazon Kindle – I’ve posted quite a bit about my Kindle but I will reiterate that for the traveler especially, it’s fantastic to have all of my reading material in one lightweight, small package with content that gets automatically delivered to it daily (New York Times, Wall Street Journal for me).
3) Apple iPhone – I’ve probably owned 20 or more mobile phones in my lifetime and bar-none, the iPhone is the best piece of kit I’ve ever owned.
4) Navigon 5100 GPS – I like the Navigon for three reasons: Voice reading of streets/map data, no cost/subscription to traffic information, and “reality view“.
5) Apple iPod Classic 80 GB – While I enjoy the iPhone for music and video, there is no substitute for having your entire music collection available. Also, battery life on the Classic is really great.
6) The Boom noise canceling headset – You can read my mini-review here. This wired headset provides dead silence amidst the noisiest environments. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny.
7) Targus Bluetooth Mouse – I’m not all that impressed with the Targus but it works alright when I am tired of using the track-pad. I’m on the hunt for a decent bluetooth mouse that is a bit smaller and offers exceptional battery life. The Targus does charge via mini-USB, which is a plus.
8 Moleskin notebook – sometimes nothing beats paper and pen.
9) Accessory pouch – This was an add-on for my laptop bag and is great for holding the power-brick, mac remote, and a mini-USB cable.
10) Marware keyboard cover for the MacBook Pro – This is a handy cloth that is the exact size of the mac keyboard for when the laptop is closed. It prevents keyboard imprints on the screen and also prevents grease transfer to the screen. It doubles as a cleaning cloth.
11) Waterfield Laptop bag – I get more comments on my bag than anything else. Great design and excellent function make this a great bag to tote around. From a security standpoint, it’s nice that it stands out such that it’s really easy to spot in a crowd. These bags are made in San Francisco and not only look good but are also built very well.
12) Network cable – When wireless is not an option and the hotel cable can’t be found or is busted.
13) Cleaning cloth and cleaner – I’m a nut case about keeping all of my screens clean.
14) 4 GB Flash Drive – Remember when we carried several 1.44 floppy disks around?
15) Vonage V-Phone – As long as I’ve got broadband, I’ve got my office line with me too. Unfortunately, it’s Windows only and does not work in Parallels. So, it’s boot-camp or nothing when using this.
16) iPod/iPhone charging block – All of my devices charge via USB but there are times when it’s convenient to go the old-fashion route and plug it into the wall when juice is low.
17) Macalley Lithium Ion Charger – For those times when an outlet is no where to be found and you gotta charge one of your USB devices – which in my case, is everything you see here except for the Kindle (I hope that changes).
18) Shure ear-buds – These are high performance noise isolation ear-buds that happily replaced my Bose noise canceling bulky headset. Not only are these easier to carry, they sound much better than the Bose.
Not pictured: Jawbone bluetooth headset
Filed under: gadget | Leave a Comment



No Responses Yet to “My Go Bag”