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  • #1

    Travel gear advice

    So life decided to screw with me once again and while at a con on the east coast of Canada, both my gear bags were stolen (laptop, wireless gear, everything). Laptop was encrypted so no worries there, but years of collecting useful things that made for a great travel grab bag are now gone.

    Obviously I'm none too pleased, It has given me an opportunity to start from scratch on building something new. I asked previously about bags themselves, here: https://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?t=12037

    Now I'm asking the community what little travel accessories you have found that have been useful and make it into your 'go bag'. For instance I found a belkin 3 plug power bar with 2 usb ports (http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPa...duct_Id=400738) that is cheaper and more useful than the actual apple charger brick.

    What would you recommend to outfit a frequent geek traveler?
    Never drink anything larger than your head!





    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Travel gear advice

    I have a device (see link below) that is a "sling" that holds small electronic equipment when charging off the ground or stops it from hanging down a wall when the outlet is up high. It's a very low tech Item but it is a great device when traveling, especially in foreign countries.

    http://www.gadling.com/2007/04/19/lo...r-electronics/

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Travel gear advice

      Originally posted by Bbox View Post
      I have a device (see link below) that is a "sling" that holds small electronic equipment when charging off the ground or stops it from hanging down a wall when the outlet is up high. It's a very low tech Item but it is a great device when traveling, especially in foreign countries.

      http://www.gadling.com/2007/04/19/lo...r-electronics/
      I've actually made similar out of a soda bottle. A few cuts achieves the same result with no need to carry anything extra
      Never drink anything larger than your head!





      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Travel gear advice

        Grid-Its are nice for organizing little things and cables so they dont get spread all around your bag.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Travel gear advice

          I'll make a few posts here, with the hour i have before boarding the flight to SFO. my carry-on travel bag has evolved a lot over time, to a point that i'm really happy with it currently.

          i'll let the photos tell the tale...


          i know you're happy with my bag, but i'll just mention that my main bag itself is a Tac-Force light-duty backpack. Clipped to the outside are my Camelbak bottle and some sharpie markers. I constantly find use for the markers, and often lose them but whatever... if someone doesn't bring them back, i have more. The bottle is a great way of staying hydrated without hassles at TSA and without spending money.


          The main pouch of the backpack contains the following...
          • some pre-addressed, pre-stamped flat rate envelopes for mailing things home if i have to
          • pre-printed TSA regulations, laminated (both this and the above are in the Shmoo folder
          • reading material (hundreds of items on the Kindle, at least one dead tree item for takeoff/landing/power-outage
          • a large ziplock bag with an Under Armor t-shirt, ExOfficio boxers, and SmartWool socks... can wash them in a hotel room, let them hang dry in an hour or so.
          "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
          - Trent Reznor

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Travel gear advice

            small top pouch of the backpack often contains a few granola bars and (not pictured, but incredibly important) some empty ziplock bags. i throw my sunglasses in there, any other odds and ends. but the stuff that's always in there is always contained in a little zipper pouch that i got at an event in Poland...




            ... the zipper pouch has just about anything i could need on planes and in airports...

            • gum, cough drops, and Tylenol PM is about all one ever needs to put in your face-hole to take the edge off in-flight
            • some audio stuff... tiny earbuds (same ones i have, in a different color, in my main tech backpack) and a few airplane plug adapters (bought four of them from some DealExtreme type web site for about 99 cents each)
            • also an eighth inch male/male audio cable... never needed it, but good to keep around
            • USB travel charger. from my old phone, but same voltage and amperage as my Defy
            • USB cables... the best kind i have ever found (see more below)



            the folk at Ziotek make USB cables that have dual heads on them... Mini and Micro. So. Fucking. Useful. I keep two long ones and a single short one in both my travel bag and also my everyday tech backpack.

            so i can power any modern phone, charge little odds and ends, and run all USB devices (including USB 3.0 hardware... since the Micro plug will work just fine and run things at USB 2.0 speed)
            "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
            - Trent Reznor

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Travel gear advice

              Render, i'm willing to bet you remember this little guy...


              ... it made a night with all of us stuck in Denmark for a few hours a lot more tolerable. if you wind up wanting to entertain yourself and (like me) you keep only a netbook with you (or maybe not even that, just a smartphone or iPad) then an external speaker is REALLY useful.


              this little pop-up model from DiVoom is a terrific one, and available cheap sometimes if you poke about on the internets.
              "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
              - Trent Reznor

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Travel gear advice

                Not like it's something everyone needs... but i highly encourage people to carry some Traveling Terabyte Project business cards and maybe a flash drive or two, to hand out to any servicemembers whom you see when you are in the terminals...



                "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
                - Trent Reznor

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Travel gear advice

                  first you get da money, then you get da power...


                  a few odds and ends in the backpack's tiny side pouches that make electricity situations better...
                  • the "salt shaker" power adapter that will let me use basically any plug on the planet
                  • heavy-duty splitter that has made other travelers infinitely happier when they need to share juice with me (as in this morning at GRU, actually)
                  • and i TOTALLY recommend the "Energi To Go" power pack family of products.


                  i can't say enough awesome shit about that last item. i have the "smart phone" version which is more than enough for my needs. they engineer these SO WELL. they will keep a charge for something INSANE (like 6 to 9 months, i think) and can be re-charged via USB. they support a single USB "A" port for you to use in charging whatever you like. i can charge my cel phone from it from totally dead to nearly 100% in about 60 to 90 minutes, i think.

                  one of the best damn things i've ever put in my bag, i swear it is.

                  also in the above photo is a small baggie with some wet wipes, some dental floss, and a couple of airport lounge Free WiFi cards... useful at places where there's a hot spot but no "proper" lounge to go with it.
                  "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
                  - Trent Reznor

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Travel gear advice

                    last but not least is the laptop...


                    ... i don't even travel with it in my carry-on a lot of the time (only when i know i'll have layovers of more than two hours or so and i need to work) but when i do, it's in a neoprene thin zipper case that can pass through the passenger screening x-ray without having to be opened.


                    i hope my long series of images and whatnot have been a little bit useful to you! most of all, i highly encourage people to get some of those dual-head USB cables and an Energi To Go pack.

                    that, and for god's sake, people... travel as LIGHT as you can in an airport. get some miles or just buy your way up to status if you can... they have loads of basically everything you could ever need in some lounges or even in the right places for free if you know where to look. don't over-pack your carry-on and you'll not only have an easier time stowing it on the aircraft, but you'll also breeze through security and generally have a more pleasant time when flying. trust me.
                    "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
                    - Trent Reznor

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Travel gear advice

                      Very nice summary, Dev. I think we can all take away from a thread like this. I don't travel much but when I do, certain things always make it into/onto my pack aside from the netbook/kindle, most of which can easily be found trolling Google.

                      -4 port USB wall charger
                      -The aforementioned 3 outlet power brick
                      -3x 6" Micro USB cables and 1x 6" Mini USB cable
                      -My own brew of the Energizer Energi To Go unit
                      -A stand alone GPS unit
                      -Spare phone battery
                      -Small Space Bag
                      -Energizer Smart Charger (does AA/AAA NiMH)
                      -Spare set of sunglasses
                      -Cleen Canteen
                      -Headphones
                      -Small flashlight
                      -Spare GSM phone
                      -A few doses of prescription meds and various Advil/Tums/Etc.

                      And I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but it's late, and I didn't get raptured, so I'll edit later on with anything I missed.

                      EDIT: I don't know how but I forgot the roll of duct tape that hangs off the strap. Though lately I've been liking the hotel room keycard wrapped in the stuff better, more space efficient.
                      Last edited by sintax_error; May 22, 2011, 21:37.
                      "You have cubed asscheeks?"... "Do you not?"

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                      • #12
                        Re: Travel gear advice

                        Wow, this thread has given me some great info!

                        Just a reminder to all the single people that safety is very important if you meet that special person. Be sure to carry some form of protection in your travel bag for intimate moments.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Travel gear advice

                          Originally posted by Bbox View Post
                          Wow, this thread has given me some great info!

                          Just a reminder to all the single people that safety is very important if you meet that special person. Be sure to carry some form of protection in your travel bag for intimate moments.
                          Jergins is the best, no chafing.
                          Originally posted by Ellen
                          Do I wish we could all be like hexjunkie? Heck yes I do. :) That would rock.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Travel gear advice

                            Originally posted by Bbox View Post
                            Wow, this thread has given me some great info!

                            Just a reminder to all the single people that safety is very important if you meet that special person. Be sure to carry some form of protection in your travel bag for intimate moments.
                            Married... not an option. Would have to carry my Lawyer's business card for when I get home and get busted by the wife in divorce court.

                            Originally posted by hexjunkie View Post
                            Jergins is the best, no chafing.
                            AstroGel... single use packs.


                            On a more useful note, I like to use the six-outlet Monster "outlets to go" power strip instead of the molded plastic 3-way. I like the little bit of surge protection it gives me. It lays really nicely in my gadget bag, and the cord folds around it and plugs into itself - no prongs sticking out anywhere.
                            'jazz

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                            • #15
                              Re: Travel gear advice

                              I was at the airport in Vegas watching people hang thier iphones from the wall. McCarren Airport put the power outlets 6' up the wall.. One lady had her phone in her bra, and the charger cord barely reached the outlet from the chair where she was sitting.

                              I had a nice 10' generic iphone cable I had purchased on ebay, and it reached all the way down the wall and onto the seat next to me. I had about 6 people ask where I bought it.

                              Im using one of the Belkin 3 USB Port Wall Chargers.

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