Packing for holiday travel has a way of exposing what is really in your everyday tech bag. I started this because I needed to empty my Peak Design messenger bag, figure out what was actually useful, and repack it for a trip back to New York.
What I found was a mix of everyday essentials, work tools, cables I really do use, and a few things that probably stayed in the bag way longer than they needed to.
Quick Answer
My everyday tech bag is built around a 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro, a Rocketbook notebook, plenty of USB-C and Thunderbolt cables, chargers, adapters, Ethernet tools, external drives, basic personal supplies, and a handful of specialty troubleshooting gadgets.
For travel, I would not take everything. The big lesson from unpacking the bag is that a daily work bag and an airplane carry-on are not the same thing. Before flying, I pulled out knives, multi-tools, extra duplicate cables, and anything I did not need so I could make room for the Apple Vision Pro, my laptop, and the essentials.
The Bag Itself
The bag I use every day is a Peak Design messenger bag. I like these bags because they are flexible, well-built, and easy to reconfigure. The magnetic metal clasps are convenient, and the internal dividers can be moved around with Velcro depending on what I am carrying.
Peak Design is usually thought of as a camera bag company, but I do not use this particular bag as a camera bag most of the time. For me, it has become a mobile tech kit. Laptop, cables, adapters, drives, small tools, personal items, and whatever I need for the day all end up in there.
One thing I do appreciate is the warranty situation. If you buy directly from Peak Design, they have a lifetime warranty, and they also have a used store where that warranty can transfer through their own used marketplace.
Core Everyday Gear
The main device in the bag is my 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro. I keep a textured dbrand skin on it, not really for the look, but because I like having more grip and texture on laptops and iPads.
I also carry a Rocketbook notebook. These are reusable notebooks where you can write normally and then wipe the pages clean with a little water and a microfiber cloth. It is useful when I want a quick place to jot something down without burning through paper notebooks.
There is also a long USB-C cable routed through the bag. The idea is simple: I can charge something from one area of the bag while the power source or device is in another pocket. That kind of setup is easy to forget about until you need it.
- 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro
- Textured dbrand skin for grip
- Rocketbook reusable notebook
- Microfiber cloth
- Long USB-C cable routed through the bag
Small Tools That Earn Space
Some of the small tools in the bag are there because they solve annoying problems quickly. One example is an Olight flashlight that has three functions: a regular flashlight, a laser, and an ultraviolet light. For work, having those in one rechargeable tool is handy.
I also had a pocket knife and a Leatherman-style multi-tool in the bag, but those are exactly the kinds of things that need to come out before flying. They are useful in an everyday work bag, but they do not belong in a carry-on.
There were also practical non-tech items: aspirin, deodorant, wet wipes, rubber gloves, stain remover, rubbing alcohol in an old Whoosh spray bottle, and a small knife-and-fork kit. None of that is exciting, but those are the things you are happy to have when something spills, breaks, or gets messy.
Cables And Adapters
A lot of the bag is cables. That is not glamorous, but it is real. USB-C to HDMI, HDMI extension cables, Thunderbolt cables, Apple Watch chargers, MagSafe MacBook charging cables, USB-A adapters, USB-C adapters, headphone extensions, Ethernet cables, and older USB cables all showed up.
Some of these are there because I work around different kinds of gear. Older devices still need older cables. Video gear may need HDMI, mini HDMI, SDI BNC, or adapters you would not normally carry in a basic laptop bag.
The important lesson is that the bag had drifted from everyday carry into a small mobile cable drawer. That happens when you keep solving one-off problems and never reset the bag afterward. Before a trip, it is worth pulling everything out and deciding what actually needs to go back in.
- USB-C to HDMI
- USB-C hubs
- Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 cables
- Ethernet cables and couplers
- Apple Watch charging cables
- MagSafe and USB-C charging cables
- Headphone extension cables
- HDMI couplers and right-angle adapters
Storage And Phone Video
I carry external drives for a couple of different reasons. One setup is a small 2 TB drive that can attach to an iPhone using a MagSafe-style metal plate and adapters. I put that together for shooting video directly from the phone to external storage.
It is not the cleanest setup, and I wish the bracket were smaller and did not need double-sided tape, but it works. There are cleaner versions of this idea now, but the goal is the same: give the phone more practical storage when recording video.
I also carry another fast M.2 external drive for my MacBook. I use that one for virtual machines so they do not eat up the internal storage on the laptop. That drive is fast enough that running VMs from it makes sense for my workflow.
Charging Gear
Charging is another big part of the bag. I had Anker chargers, smaller power supplies, power strips, MagSafe battery packs for the iPhone, and a few other portable charging pieces.
The Anker charging cube-style unit is one I really like, though I have had durability issues. I have had one crack after being dropped, and another stopped charging properly. I still like the design, but it is a reminder that even favorite gear is not indestructible.
I also had a small USB-C power meter in the bag. You plug it between a charger and device, and it shows voltage, amps, and watts. That is useful when you want to know whether something is charging at the speed you expect instead of guessing.
Networking And Troubleshooting
A lot of my bag makes more sense if you know I often need to troubleshoot computers, networking, and video gear. I carry thin Monoprice Ethernet cables, Ethernet couplers, USB-C Ethernet adapters, and a small USB-C hub with HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, and Ethernet.
I also keep a ring of small USB drives with different bootable tools. Some are for Linux distributions, Clonezilla, and other utility tasks. These are the kinds of things you do not need every day, but when you need them, you really need them.
One of the more specific items is an HDMI dummy plug. If you run a Mac mini or another computer headless, it may default to a low resolution because it does not detect a display. A small HDMI dummy plug can make the machine think a 4K display is connected, which gives you a better resolution when connecting remotely.
Specialty Gadgets
There were also a few Hack5 tools in the bag. These are usually known as penetration testing tools, but I have used that kind of device more for automation and repetitive setup tasks than anything dramatic.
The basic idea is that you can load a script or payload onto a small device and have it run a task when plugged in or connected. If you need to do the same mundane setup across multiple machines, that can save time.
I also had a small rechargeable blower from a Kickstarter project. It has multiple power levels and is useful for blowing dust out of keyboards or keeping gear clean without using canned air.
What Changed For Travel
The whole reason for unpacking the bag was to turn it from an everyday work bag into a travel carry-on. That meant removing anything I could not bring on a plane and anything that did not need to make the trip.
The Apple Vision Pro was the big item I wanted to fit into the bag. I tested placing it in the center area so it would be easy to reach on the plane or during the trip. The laptop would still go in the back, but the rest of the bag needed to be simplified.
Looking at everything spread out on the table made it obvious: I was carrying too much every day. Some of it is useful, but not all of it needs to live in the bag all the time.
Key Takeaways
- A good everyday tech bag should be reset once in a while, especially before travel.
- The Peak Design messenger bag works well as a flexible tech carry because the dividers and pockets are easy to reconfigure.
- Useful everyday carry is not just gadgets. Wipes, aspirin, stain remover, microfiber cloths, and basic personal items matter too.
- Cables and adapters add up quickly. Keep the ones you actually use and pull out duplicates before a trip.
- Knives, multi-tools, and some work tools need to come out before flying.
- For this trip, the priority became the MacBook Pro, Apple Vision Pro, charging gear, and only the adapters that were likely to be needed.
Watch the Video
The video above above for the full walkthrough of the bag unpacking, including the Peak Design layout, the cable and adapter pile, the external drive setups, and how I started planning the travel version of the bag.
