travel kit
On April 1, 2008 I posted my "geek kit," which went on to amass some 21k views on Flickr. The photo detailed what I was lugging around with me at the time for work.
It's been almost three years since then, so it's time for an updated photo. After a few years on the road, I've learned a few things: redundancy is still good, and excess is not. A lot of people have asked me about what I've done to slim down my travel kit over the years and what I fly with nowadays. Most of my flights are transcon from SNA -> ORD -> MIA or within the west coast from SNA -> SFO -> SEA or from SNA -> SFO. The above photo shows what I normally fly with. Items are broken down by category below.
A few notes:
I never check bags. If I have an extended stay somewhere and need extra clothes, I'll UPS them to the hotel and then UPS them back to myself. I don't like waiting for bags at baggage claim and or playing the "will-the-TSA-steal-my-things" game. I always bring at least a day's worth of clothing with me just in case...i've seen babies vomit on other passengers while on the plane and not having a change of clothes after something like that would make me miserable. I roll my clothes and use Tumi packing cubes to organise them. This saves a lot of space.
I don't fly with a digital or film SLR anymore unless I'm going somewhere with the specific purpose of sightseeing - I find that one of my Micro 4/3rds cameras travels a lot better than a Canon F-1N w/55 1.2 or my Canon 5D Mark II with 85 1.2. I also pack one or two small film point and shoots - this is a personal choice...I just like them.
Not pictured - 4+ mobile phones (including an AT&T & Verizon iPhone 4). People always wonder why I have an iPhone, but also an iPod Touch, iPad and Kindle. This is where I get to explain redundancy. My phones are like my lifelines - I refuse to use them for music/movies since what I really need them for is email/voice calls. The iPad 2 is a new acquisition - whether or not it'll travel with me in the future is unknown. My next trip will be its maiden voyage. My Kindle 3 and my iPod Touch w/the fantastic Shure SE535 IEMs are my must-have items for air travel - the IEMs block out screaming babies and the Kindle is a fantastic reading device, period.
My ThinkPad and my Verizon MiFi with extended battery go everywhere with me. With DirectAccess and Windows 7, gone are the days of using smartcards to VPN into work networks and with the MiFi, I don't have to hunt for unsecured public wifi or tolerate janky hotel internet. I really like Belkin's mini surge protector - it has three sockets and two usb ports and is great in the airport where power sockets are a bit of a valued commodity. It also works very well in hotel rooms where usually only one or two sockets are easily accessible.
I keep a detailed travel journal using a Moleskine large notebook - I tape in my boarding pass, note where I'm headed and for what purpose, and jot down thoughts, ideas, concerns and the like. Most of my flights are 3+ hours, so there is a lot of time to read, write, watch movies and listen to tunes. Occasionally I get to sit next to someone interesting who doesn't thumb his nose at the pax who looks oddly young flying First Class, and we'll strike up a conversation...that's sort of rare, though.
Luggage:
Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Keepall 55 duffel
Triple Aught Design LiteSpeed backpack w/various MOLLE pouches attached
or
Tumi 22" roller
Tumi expandable nylon briefcase
Pouches/Organisation
Tumi hanging toiletry bag/dopp kit (holds all of my toiletries and a basic first aid kit)
SFBags/Waterfield laptop sleevecases
SFBags/Waterfield pouches (cable pouches, camera pouches, Nintendo DS pouch)
Tumi large packing cube
Tumi shoe bags
SpecOps pocket organiser (holds memory cards, batteries, usb hard drive)
Tech
Lenovo ThinkPad X200s (7470-ET5 - 1.86ghz SL9400, 4gb RAM, WXGA+ LED, Intel X25-M G2 SSD, Windows 7 Enterprise x64)
Apple iPad 2 (16gb WiFi) with Smartcover (soon to be replaced with a DODOCase)
Apple iPod Touch (4th gen, 32gb)
Verizon MiFi 2200 w/Mugen Power huge battery
Belkin mini travel surge protector (3 sockets + 2 USB)
Zip-Linq retractable mini & micro USB, CAT5E cables
Cameras
Olympus PEN E-P1 or Panasonic GF-1
Fuji Natura Classica with Fuji Neopan 1600asa
Lomo LC-A+ RL with Fuji Provia 400x
Misc
SureFire LX2 flashlight + 4 extra CR123A batteries
Mont Blanc Boheme Noir rollerball pen
Pen with red/blue/green ink
Moleskine notebooks (large hardcover + small softcover cahier)
Midori Passport travel notebook
Louis Vuitton card case with business cards, frequent flyer/hotel loyalty cards
Extra batteries for devices, cables, etc
Snacks
Explored 3/22/2011, 3/23/20111
travel kit
On April 1, 2008 I posted my "geek kit," which went on to amass some 21k views on Flickr. The photo detailed what I was lugging around with me at the time for work.
It's been almost three years since then, so it's time for an updated photo. After a few years on the road, I've learned a few things: redundancy is still good, and excess is not. A lot of people have asked me about what I've done to slim down my travel kit over the years and what I fly with nowadays. Most of my flights are transcon from SNA -> ORD -> MIA or within the west coast from SNA -> SFO -> SEA or from SNA -> SFO. The above photo shows what I normally fly with. Items are broken down by category below.
A few notes:
I never check bags. If I have an extended stay somewhere and need extra clothes, I'll UPS them to the hotel and then UPS them back to myself. I don't like waiting for bags at baggage claim and or playing the "will-the-TSA-steal-my-things" game. I always bring at least a day's worth of clothing with me just in case...i've seen babies vomit on other passengers while on the plane and not having a change of clothes after something like that would make me miserable. I roll my clothes and use Tumi packing cubes to organise them. This saves a lot of space.
I don't fly with a digital or film SLR anymore unless I'm going somewhere with the specific purpose of sightseeing - I find that one of my Micro 4/3rds cameras travels a lot better than a Canon F-1N w/55 1.2 or my Canon 5D Mark II with 85 1.2. I also pack one or two small film point and shoots - this is a personal choice...I just like them.
Not pictured - 4+ mobile phones (including an AT&T & Verizon iPhone 4). People always wonder why I have an iPhone, but also an iPod Touch, iPad and Kindle. This is where I get to explain redundancy. My phones are like my lifelines - I refuse to use them for music/movies since what I really need them for is email/voice calls. The iPad 2 is a new acquisition - whether or not it'll travel with me in the future is unknown. My next trip will be its maiden voyage. My Kindle 3 and my iPod Touch w/the fantastic Shure SE535 IEMs are my must-have items for air travel - the IEMs block out screaming babies and the Kindle is a fantastic reading device, period.
My ThinkPad and my Verizon MiFi with extended battery go everywhere with me. With DirectAccess and Windows 7, gone are the days of using smartcards to VPN into work networks and with the MiFi, I don't have to hunt for unsecured public wifi or tolerate janky hotel internet. I really like Belkin's mini surge protector - it has three sockets and two usb ports and is great in the airport where power sockets are a bit of a valued commodity. It also works very well in hotel rooms where usually only one or two sockets are easily accessible.
I keep a detailed travel journal using a Moleskine large notebook - I tape in my boarding pass, note where I'm headed and for what purpose, and jot down thoughts, ideas, concerns and the like. Most of my flights are 3+ hours, so there is a lot of time to read, write, watch movies and listen to tunes. Occasionally I get to sit next to someone interesting who doesn't thumb his nose at the pax who looks oddly young flying First Class, and we'll strike up a conversation...that's sort of rare, though.
Luggage:
Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Keepall 55 duffel
Triple Aught Design LiteSpeed backpack w/various MOLLE pouches attached
or
Tumi 22" roller
Tumi expandable nylon briefcase
Pouches/Organisation
Tumi hanging toiletry bag/dopp kit (holds all of my toiletries and a basic first aid kit)
SFBags/Waterfield laptop sleevecases
SFBags/Waterfield pouches (cable pouches, camera pouches, Nintendo DS pouch)
Tumi large packing cube
Tumi shoe bags
SpecOps pocket organiser (holds memory cards, batteries, usb hard drive)
Tech
Lenovo ThinkPad X200s (7470-ET5 - 1.86ghz SL9400, 4gb RAM, WXGA+ LED, Intel X25-M G2 SSD, Windows 7 Enterprise x64)
Apple iPad 2 (16gb WiFi) with Smartcover (soon to be replaced with a DODOCase)
Apple iPod Touch (4th gen, 32gb)
Verizon MiFi 2200 w/Mugen Power huge battery
Belkin mini travel surge protector (3 sockets + 2 USB)
Zip-Linq retractable mini & micro USB, CAT5E cables
Cameras
Olympus PEN E-P1 or Panasonic GF-1
Fuji Natura Classica with Fuji Neopan 1600asa
Lomo LC-A+ RL with Fuji Provia 400x
Misc
SureFire LX2 flashlight + 4 extra CR123A batteries
Mont Blanc Boheme Noir rollerball pen
Pen with red/blue/green ink
Moleskine notebooks (large hardcover + small softcover cahier)
Midori Passport travel notebook
Louis Vuitton card case with business cards, frequent flyer/hotel loyalty cards
Extra batteries for devices, cables, etc
Snacks
Explored 3/22/2011, 3/23/20111