All the gear a 20-year gadget blogging veteran packs when traveling

Through more than two decades of travel for both work and leisure, my packing list has evolved from a random assortment of gadgets and accessories thrown together at the last minute into a refined checklist of gear honed by trial and error. The right packing list, I’ve found, can be the difference between a good trip and a great one. Or at least the difference between hectic trips to the local Best Buy and some extra time by the pool.

My family’s summer vacation this year will involve lots of hiking and exploring the great outdoors, but it will by no means be an attempt to disconnect from our favorite devices. Convenience, comfort, and peace of mind are our priorities.

With that in mind, here’s a rundown of all the gear I’ll be packing this summer to ensure our travels will be as smooth and comfortable as we want them to be. It includes everything we need to help pass the time on long flights and drives, capture memories of exotic locales we may never see again, and ensure all our gear is charged up and ready to use every morning.

Sony WH-1000XM4 ANC headphones

If I’m flying for more than an hour, I always pack a pair of Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones. They’re now nearly six years old and a couple of generations behind Sony’s latest ANC tech, but the XM4 remains one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones I’ve ever worn and still do an admirable job at quieting a plane cabin. If you can find them on sale, I still recommend the WH-1000XM4. Otherwise, the newer WH-1000XM6 fix some of the design flaws I didn’t like on the WH-1000XM5, which lacked folding earcups.

For many years it was a given that somewhere in my backpack would be a pair of AirPods Pro, but I’ve since switched to the Shokz OpenFit 2. They have an open design that lets me clearly hear what’s going on around me when I’m out exploring, even while listening to music or audiobooks, and I find them more comfortable to wear for long periods since they’re not squeezed into my ear canal.

I upgraded to an iPhone 16 Pro in late 2024 for the simple reason that my aging iPhone 12 Pro’s battery life was suffering. There’s nothing about the 16 Pro that makes it better suited for traveling than other smartphones, but it comes with a few features I appreciate while on the road. In particular, MagSafe continues to be something I rely on for accessories like the PopSockets Kick-Out Grip, which I use as a camera stand for grabbing family photos. And there’s definitely some peace of mind in knowing that should I find myself in an emergency outside of cellphone coverage range, I can still reach out for help using my iPhone’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature.

iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard Folio

I still travel with a MacBook Air for work trips, but the day iPadOS 26 was released was the day I stopped dragging a laptop along on vacation. I instead bring an older iPad Pro wrapped in one of Apple’s Smart Keyboard folio cases along with a compact Logitech wireless mouse. It’s an excellent laptop alternative that’s lighter and easier to use in a cramped airplane seat. I can use it to back up photos from my camera and quickly share highlights with family, plan daily adventures, stream to a hotel TV, and even play digital board games like Ticket to Ride.

The North Face Surge backpack and Alpaka bags

Over the past two decades I’ve spent more money on bags than I care to admit, but I’ve managed to find a few I regularly travel with. For years I’ve relied on an older version of The North Face’s Surge backpack, which has a small assortment of useful pockets that don’t crowd its large interior spaces. It’s also one of the most comfortable backpacks I’ve ever worn, and its two exterior water bottle pockets are frequently useful for quickly stashing other items. When I prefer something smaller, I’ll rotate between Alpaka’s Flight Sling, the 2-liter version of its Flow Satchel when I want to carry a water bottle, or the 4-liter Flow Satchel when I’ve got my camera.

Apple AirTags and Nomad Tracking Card

To help improve the odds of our checked luggage finding its way to our destination, or to ensure bags and backpacks aren’t accidentally abandoned during the chaos of travel, I keep an Apple AirTag tucked away in all of them. To keep tabs on our passport wallet I instead use a Nomad Tracking Card that easily slips into a credit card slot.

Owala FreeSip water bottle

Any reusable water bottle is better than a disposable one, but the 24oz Owala FreeSip is my hands-down favorite. It fits in all the car cup holders and backpack bottle pockets I regularly use, and its unique cap design that lets you sip or chug water is simple but brilliant. I’ve lost count of how many Owala bottles I’ve gifted to friends and family over the past few years, but it probably rivals the number piled in our kitchen cabinet.

Nitecore izzCool 10 Pro fan

Summer travels often mean enduring scorching temperatures while waiting in long lines or “enjoying” a meal on a patio. I like the refillable water reservoir on Nitecore’s izzCool 10 Pro fan, which it uses to blast you with a fine mist that’s a more effective way to cool down. You can also swap that reservoir for a larger plastic water bottle with enough capacity to use the fan’s misting mode all night long as a makeshift humidifier. I’ve spent enough time in Las Vegas to know the agony of dry sinuses.

Traveling with an e-reader is a must. I personally hate reading on my phone, and no one wants to be the person on a plane with their reading light on when the cabin is dark. The latest version of the Kindle Paperwhite or the Kobo Clara BW will serve you well. They’re both lightweight, have excellent battery life, and provide easy access to extensive online bookstores in case you finish a book faster than expected and need a replacement. Physical page turn buttons on an e-reader is my hill to die on, and while the Kobo Libra 2 I use is no longer available, you can still get buttons on the Libra Colour if you don’t mind paying a premium for its color E Ink screen.

When staring down a five-hour flight with a 10-year-old, the Switch 2 is a no-brainer. A few rounds of Mario Kart World or nine innings of MLB The Show 26 (despite it being a real eyesore) help battle boredom. And when rain or exhaustion finds you trapped in a hotel room, a game of Super Mario Party Jamboree is an excellent alternative to local cable TV.

If you’re traveling with the Switch, a compact USB-C dock is a better alternative to Nintendo’s chonky dock for connecting the console to a TV. There are a few on the market now, including Genki’s Covert Dock 3, but Jsaux’s dock is nearly identical in size and functionality while being more than $20 cheaper.

In addition to the Switch 2 that’s usually monopolized by our son, I always pack a smaller handheld emulator for shorter gaming sessions. My current favorite is the Anbernic RG28XX. It’s compact, but its 2.83-inch screen doesn’t feel small, and the handheld has more than enough power to emulate the roster of Game Boy Advance and Super Nintendo titles I still regularly enjoy.

Belkin ConnectAir Wireless HDMI Display Adapter

My days of packing a 10-foot HDMI cable and a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter are finally over. Belkin’s wireless HDMI adapter is a lighter and easier way to connect our phones and tablets to hotel TVs that also eliminates a recurring tripping hazard in the process. At the end of a long day we like to browse the photos and videos we captured or watch movies without having to log into someone else’s TV.

A 6-foot extension cord with multiple outlets

I like to charge all of our gadgets in one organized place every night, but more often than not the place I choose is not close to an outlet. The easy solution has been to pack a power strip with a long cord, and over the years I’ve narrowed down my needs to three important features. The cord must be at least 6 feet long, the plug must have a flat and angled design that can easily fit behind furniture without blocking other outlets, and the power strip on the other end must have at least three outlets. Something like this would fit the bill, but finding an alternative with built-in cable management is a bonus.

Wall warts that can each charge multiple gadgets is a must. Our family travels with a trio of Anker chargers that each has three USB ports for powering up a revolving mix of smartphones, tablets, headphones, watches, and consoles. As most of our devices charge overnight I’ve never felt the need to splurge on more powerful adapters, but one feature I do prioritize is a design and prongs that won’t easily slip out of an overused outlet. This was something Anker addressed a couple of years ago, and why I recommend something like this 100W Prime charger.

Nomad Universal Cable for Apple Watch

A tangled nest of USB cables is an inevitable part of traveling, and while I find Velcro ties an essential way to keep my cables tidy, minimizing the number I need to pack also helps. Nomad’s 2-in-1 USB-C cable can be used to charge any device and an Apple Watch at the same time, so between my wife’s multi-port charger and mine we can free up two valuable USB-C ports for other devices by packing a pair of these cables.

My travels never take me off the grid or away from a power outlet for too long, but I still carry a power bank everywhere I go. Constantly messaging photos to family and hunting for interesting places to eat can drain a phone faster than you realize. I currently use a compact 10,000mAh power bank from Anker with three USB ports to top off both the phones I carry. While 5,000mAh power banks are much cheaper now, if you’re hoping to fully replenish a couple of devices you’ll want to splurge for at least a 10,000mAh model like this.

Baseus Retractable Car Charger

I treat every car ride as a valuable opportunity to charge phones and cameras, but since I’m never 100 percent sure what kind of rental car I’ll end up with, Baseus’ car charger is a solid backup. It plugs into a vehicle’s auxiliary power outlet (which are still common) and features a pair of pivoting 31-inch retractable USB-C cables plus an additional USB port on its base.

Here’s an underrated photography option: Bring a second phone. Even with an iPhone 16 Pro in my pocket, I still carry a OnePlus 12 for outings when I want a lightweight camera. Its zoom capabilities outperform my iPhone, I prefer the results from the OnePlus 12’s portrait mode, and its low-light capabilities still impress me.

For the first time in over six years I plan to travel with a camera that’s not built into a phone. Although I’ve enjoyed the freedom of shooting with smartphones and not being weighed down with lenses and extra batteries, this summer I’ll be capturing my family’s adventures with Sony’s A6700 hanging around my neck. It’s been a welcome upgrade to my aging A6500, and after struggling to photograph humpback whales with a smartphone last summer, I’m looking forward to seeing what I can capture with a 200mm zoom lens.

The best camera is the one that’s not dead. I may be getting that quote wrong, but modern shooters take a real toll on batteries when you heavily rely on their excellent autofocus and tracking capabilities. I pack an extra pair of these Nitecore camera batteries that have nearly the same capacity as Sony’s NP-FZ100 but with the added convenience of a built-in USB-C port so I don’t need to travel with a separate dock to charge them. Nitecore’s USB-C battery line appears to be discontinued, but you can find alternatives for various Fuji, Sony, Canon, and Nikon battery types — just be sure to check the reviews before trying a new battery brand.

I’ve never found a camera bag I want to carry all day, but I also don’t want my camera getting scratched and dinged as it jostles around with other gear in my shoulder bag. My easy solution has been to wrap it in one of these Stickit Wrappers from Nitecore. It works like a big flexible sheet of Velcro with one side sticking to the other so the wrapping doesn’t come undone. But unlike Velcro, both sides feel soft to the touch, so I’m confident it’s not scratching up my camera while trying to protect it. Nitecore’s version seems to be unavailable now, but there are alternative brands that offer the same thing.

I still have a soft spot for the DJI Action 2 and its magnetic modular approach to action cameras, but it’s starting to show its age, so I’ve replaced it with Insta360’s Go 3S. It’s not a camera I regularly use, but its tiny size and multiple mounting options make it great for capturing fun footage of impromptu zip line adventures or dashboard timelapses of long drives.

Photos and videos are the only souvenirs I care about, and the thought of losing them before I get them home, processed, and backed up, stresses me out. In addition to carrying spare SD cards so that all my travel photos aren’t stored on one card, every night I ensure they’re all backed up to an iPad Pro and an external SSD. For the past few years I’ve relied on a 2TB Crucial SSD that feels only slightly larger than a matchbook. It’s not the fastest SSD you can buy, but its size makes up for its performance.