How many gadgets do you carry on a trip?

NM · Sep 29, 2005

Sometimes my carry on bag and sometimes also my checked luggage resemble out of a kids movie (Inspector you know who). There is often little room for the essentials like duty-free scotch.

What gadgets do fellow travellers carry with them for short domestic trips, longer business trips, and even when travelling for leisure?

My list often includes:

Laptop computer (IBM T41) *
Pocket PC (Dell Axim X50v) *
Mobile Phone *
Digital Camera *
USB Card Reader (for camera and PPC)
Bluetooth Keyboard (for PPC)
USB Battery Charger (for camera and BT keyboard batteries) and spare batteries
USB Headset (for IP Softphone)
USB Hub (when I need to use more than 2 USB devices together)
USB Serial Adapter (the T41 does not have a serial port)
Earphones (Shure E3)
Stash of different power plug converters

* each with their own power supply

And loads of different cables, including various length and colour ethernet Cat 5/6 cables, RJ11 telephone cables, RJ45 joiners (good for extending telephone cables for modem use), DB9-RJ45 serial cable, USB cables for digital camera, PPC sync, phone sync, card reader etc.

And that is just for a day-trip to Sydney :roll: . For a leisure trip I would likely add the video camera to the list :shock: . Its a good thing we get 2 x 32kg baggage allowance for USA trips.

NM · Sep 29, 2005

Yes, I could technically combine camera, phone and PPC, but the PPC/Camera combination is a pretty limited camera capability. And the FBT ruling under which I bought my Dell Axim specifically excludes phones and cameras (and combo devices) from the list of "personal computing devices" that can be purchased as a salary sacrifice. Hence I stuck with the PPC and didn't go for the combo PPC/Phone/Camera deal.

Also cannot take a digi camera into our computer rooms. That means I would have leave a combo device outside and I use my PPC regularly inside such facilities, so another reason to have one without a combo camera.

Would still need the USB headset, USB Serial adater, cables etc since not everything I need to connect with has WiFi or BT :cry: . Maybe that will come with time.

I probably should get a BT adapter for my T41, then I could save on some of the cables. I usually don't take my PPC cradle with me, just sync via WiFi or Infra-Red when I need to.

A lot of the bulk is all the power supplies. I have had Nokia phones for a while now, and having purchased them in Australia, USA and KL, I now have a variety of Nokia plug pack adapters with the most common power plugs. So for a RTW trip I often take all three, saving the other adapters for the PPC and Laptop as I often have all three charging in the hotel room overnight.

Damien · Sep 29, 2005

I take the following. Some things are left at home depending on the length and/or destination of the trip.

- Laptop computer *+
- Mobile phone *+
- Digital camera *+
- Portable hard drive *+
- Mouse
- MP3 player *
- Earphones

* each with their own power supply.
+ sometimes I take two of

Plus cables for cables for network and phone, plug adapters, USB accessories, etc. Oh, and the assortment of medication (depending on the country).

I have a US plug for my laptop and camera chargers, but I've found the easiest thing to do is take a 4-plug powerboard with me. It takes up less room than a pile of adapters, and I can have several things charging from the same powerpoint at the same time. We all know how rare powerpoints are in hotel rooms.

I also need to leave room for the goodies I purchase in other countries. My US-born wife always gives me a lengthy shopping list when I head in that direction. I often envy the lucky travellers who board the plane with a small and light carry-on.

jasonja3 · Sep 29, 2005

Yes for for some, seamless integration between devices, and longer battery life cannot happen fast enough!! At least we are slowly getting rid of some cables........

NM · Sep 29, 2005

Oops, forgot the rechargable shaver! How could I live without that little gadget

.

Anna · Sep 29, 2005

I definitely need a different pair of shoes for each outfit. Perhaps even 2 different pairs, the same colour but with different heel heights. And matching handbags. That's both a day bag and an evening bag. Should I go on? :wink:

QF WP · Sep 29, 2005

Gentlemen, I think you just got trumped by Anna

:wink:

MetroAir · Sep 29, 2005

Anna, you must meet my wife!

Her record for a 3 week trip was 65kg :shock:

Luckily we were allowed 80kg and they ignored the overweight (mine was 25kg).

I just never found the kitchen sink, I knew it was in there........

Cheers

icarus · Sep 29, 2005

I like to travel with an empty extra suitcase, and buy more shoes as I "need" them. Last Christmas I went to Melbourne at sale time and came back with twelve new pairs and a hole in my credit card balance that made me hyperventilate. (Actually, it still makes me hyperventilate, but the shoes are beautiful. And, hey, on sale!)

As to gadgets - I take my combined PPC/phone/camera, but I hate travelling with a notebook computer unless it's really unavoidable. My iPod and a lovely little set of speakers for them to plug into. Adaptors. Earphones. And the one thing that I cannot live without - my GHD hair straightening iron. It's so indispensible that I am contemplating buying a US version, because using the adaptor I can't get them to heat fully. I wish they made a mini-travel version; it would live in my handbag.

knoxd · Sep 29, 2005

I travel light with gadgets.

Mobile,
Laptop,
Ipod
and maybe camera..

Althought on my last round world trip I had quite alot of luggage..
I had to pay for the extra bag and weight from MXC - DFW - LAX - BNE leg

I usually take my 122L hard sided case...
and sometimes a 90L backpack..

Due to different the different seasons and unexpected cold weather in sweden I took everything you could need.. Including 2 suites a blazer and of course black dinner suite.. It was too difficult to hire one in london for my 3 days there.. So i just took it as well.. Plus 6 pairs of shoes.. no self respecting man would turn up in black tie without high shines..

danielh · Sep 29, 2005

- IBM T41 Laptop
- Portable 80GB Media HD (with tv shows to watch on TV) - www.sarotech.com (AIVX model)
- Portable 20GB Media HD (with more tv shows to watch on TV)
- Sony PSP
- Airport Express Wireless Access Point
- Mobile Phone
- PDA
- Gameboy SP (not so much now as wife has taken it away from me)
- 6 way power pack
- Backup Mouse coz I hate using nipple or trackpad for long periods
- Usual jumple of power supplies, USB cables, extendable telephone connectors, remote controls, RCA cables for the HDs (etc)

There are probably a few bits and pieces more but thats what I take on my weekly Sydney trips.

Regards
Daniel

[EDIT: Forgot to mention my Shuffle. Great for getting past Airport Security where my 40gb iPod cannot go.

]

matau · Sep 29, 2005

Hmmm....for me

Laptop
02 xda mini
Retractable Sync cable
Foldable bluetooth keyboard for xda
Bluetooth Mouse
USB hub
Digital Camera
Ipod with wireless headphones
Bose noise cancelling headphones
Mr Gadget Booklight
Olympus Digital Voice Recorder
And assorted adapters and cables

I do a lot of writing and have found I can actually chuck my xda and foldable BT keyboard in a small shoulder bag and still belt out articles, check emails, do banking, surf the net, make phonecalls,MSN all from the one bit of kit.....with a 1Gb SD card, a pocketgear WiFi card and a digital camera I have pretty much all I need to keep me going in a small bag that weighs around 1kg

Dave

shillard · Sep 29, 2005

Always:

- Laptop (issue HP widescreen)
- Phone (Nokia 6310i)
Yes, it's old - but the battery life is incomparable and it fits my car kit.
- Surefire G2 Flashlight
- m:robe MP3 Player & noise-cancelling headphones (Sony)
- Retractable phone cord (targus)
- 512Mb USB Micro-Vault

Sometimes:

- Universal power adaptors
- Mobile charger
- Digital Camera (Olympus C-770 or Mju800)
- Beretta Model 92FS Brigadeir

browski · Sep 30, 2005

I find that my Lamy compact pen has now made the team for Away Games.

.....and on an earlier theme - the lint brush!

......electric nose hair cutter still on the reserves bench, I notice.

.......Still pack a swiss army knife

........I always pack one of those small screwdrivers that can light up if they receive a charge - good for checking if current actually exists in some third world power points.

neil_gardner · Sep 30, 2005

Work suppied Laptop (Dell Lattitude weighs almost 4kg on its own)
Sony Ericsson K700i (Radio, Camera, and a great selection of Java Games meaning no more Game Boy)
NC Headphones
Digital Camera

In the days when Mrs G travelled together (before children) we always took the game Pigs with us...

Now we have Master G then sometimes I feel like a packhorse. We recently went to Borneo for a holiday (with a stopover at the Mandarin Oreintal in KL - excellent for shoppoholics as it is next door to Suria KLCC) and I swear that our 8 mth old had more luggage than we did. We had 80kgs for 3 people for 10 days - and mine was basically board shorts and a t shirt!

duffshot · Sep 30, 2005

If I could just work out a way to do wireless power chords ......

infoworks · Sep 30, 2005

I keep it to laptop (which has "everything" inside it - wifi, dvd, etc) and a small bag of cables like usb phone charger, 1Gb thumb drive, mobile phone (inbuilt camera). Also a 60Gb external hard drive backup.

USB power from laptop drives anything external.

Guest · Sep 30, 2005

I wont join the flop it out competition - however I do take a usb-parallel cable with me to play games against my travelling friends

On another note....how do airport security handle fuel cells in laptops?

danielh · Sep 30, 2005

I was playing a few wireless games on the PSP with my cousin a few weeks back.

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