Tech Gear And Gadgets I Travel With (Updated Regularly)

• Last Update: August 5, 2021
  

An essential component of my travels and blogging lifestyle is all of the technology I carry; and one of the most frequent questions I get is what exactly all that gear is. Being so mobile means the gadgets I carry have to be portable, powerful, plus durable. When I am in one place long enough, I use and test a lot of products sent to me and out of pocket, to find the travel-tech-sweet-spot for common gear so you don’t have to.

Here’s a look at all the electronics that have made it into my backpack in the photo below that yes, all fit into Aer Travel Pack 2.

• You can find all of the luggage and other non-electronic gear I carry and recommend here.

Laptop: 16″ Macbook Pro: 2.3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

• Recommended Laptop Cover: Incase Icon Sleeve
• Mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 2s, MX Anywhere 2s travel case, and Glorious Large Gaming Mousepad

• Webcam Stickers: EFF Laptop Camera Cover Set
• 2 External Hard Drives: Seagate 4TB Backup Plus [Video Review]
• USB Hub (To Add More Ports): Hiearcool Docking Station

Camera Gear

Main Video Camera: Sony a7C with Tamron 17-28mm Lens

• SD Card: SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Memory Card
• Camera Case: MegaGear MG091 Ultra Light Neoprene Camera Case
• Lens Filters (67mm): K&F UV Filter, Gobe ND and Gobe Polarizer

Action Camera: GoPro HERO9 Black

Tripod: Joby GorillaPod Focus with Joby Ballhead and Neewer Carbon Fiber tripod (66 inch). For locked off shots, I use the Samson MK-10 microphone stand.

An Aputure MC for portable lighting.

Audio Equipment

On top of the Sony a7C, I’m using a Deity D3 Pro for recording audio.

For podcasting, I use the Audio-Technica ART2100x-USB microphone.

Headphones: Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds

• For sports, I use these extremely durable but inexpensive Anker Soundbuds Curve.

Phone (Daily Driver): iPhone 11 (128 GB)/(Product) Red

I also travel with a Nexus 5X, primarily because it’s stock Android and gets updates from Google before most other phones, making it ideal for testing development versions of my WiFox and DroneMate apps.

Drone

Drone: DJI Mavic Air 2

• Recommended accessories: Flyt Path case for Mavic Air 2; Storage: SanDisk 64 GB Micro SDXC UHS-I card with adapter.

All of the electronics in this list, including the DJI Mavic drone, fit into one backpack, my Aer Travel Pack 2. I use two SwissGear Hanging Toiletry Kits to better organize and stack everything inside my backpack. These are the other bags and non-electronic gear I use.

Luggage: Osprey Packs Sojourn Wheeled Luggage, 60L

Daypack: Osprey Daylite

To keep track of my luggage and gear, I use Apple’s Airtags.

Portable Batteries: Anker PowerCore 13000.

Connectors, Converters, And Other Accessories

For reading books or when I need a larger, mobile screen in general, I use a 64 GB iPad Air 2020 protected by an Apple Smart Folio with an Apple Pencil 2.

• YooTech Wireless Charging Pad – Inexpensive and small wireless charging pad.
• OREI Safest World Travel Adapter – An all-in-one that covers my poor memory for most of the world’s outlets. Includes a 3 prong connection too for grounded plugs.
• World Travel Adapter Plug Set – Being less bulky these adapters work well for outlets that can’t support much weight from a heavy charger.
• ALFA Long Range Wi-Fi Adapter – Here’s why you might find one of these very useful, especially if you spend a lot of time online when traveling.
• iKlear Cleaning Kit – This liquid is what Apple stores around the world use to keep our eager but greasy fingers from making display models an icky version of shiny. It also comes with two microfiber cloths.
• Moleskine Classic Notebook 5 x 8.25 (Black) – An ancient but important technology for taking notes and outlining ideas.

If you’re curious, you can see the progression of the gadgets in my backpack from 2012, earlier this year, to now. Also, if you’re interested to know what services I use to maintain this site, I have listed them here. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below!