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Getting the most from your laptop with these awesome accessories
My laptop bag is my office away from the office. It's how I get work done when I'm out and about, whether that's a coffee shop down the road, or a coffee shop on the side of a volcano.
I can whip out my laptop and start getting work done.
But what's in my laptop bag?
Here, let me take out on a tour.
Do note that my laptop of choice is a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro. The side and the operating system dictate some of my choices, but to be honest, most of the items I've listed here will work with most laptops.
Also, on top of the things listed here, I carry the stick Apple MacBook USB-C charger and a bunch of different cables.
A great bag for both my laptop and all the other stuff I carry. It's super robust, has loads of pockets and compartments, and closes securely.
I've also fitted a Helikon-Tex Natel pouch to this bag for things like my wallet and keys.
- Size: 15x13x5 inches, 1.89 lbs
- Inner velcro panels to attach organizers, pouches and holsters. Universal carrying strap allowing detachment and use with our other bag models.
- Detachable stabilizing strap, useful for bikers.
- Two external flask pockets (0.5L)
- Spacious main chamber with foam-lined laptop pocket, internal zippered mesh pocket, two drawstring closed pockets. External zippered pocket at the front.
- Rugged Cordura fabric.
- Zippered secure, loop-velcro lined rear (body side) inner pocket, organizer, pouch and/or holster ready
I don't just throw my laptop into my bag, I put it into a protective sleeve. And the Smatree 16-inch is a perfect choice.
This sleeve has done a great job of protecting my laptop from bangs and scrapes, and is a bit of added peace of mind.
- One-step molding process, provide 360-degree protection
- Heavy duty bag made of 600d EVA nylon
- Internal shock resistant bubble padding layer
- Slim, portable and lightweight
Sometimes the hotspot feature on my iPhone just isn't enough for the job. Either the network I'm using for my phone isn't good in the area I'm in (and swapping SIMs is a faff), or I just need a more powerful hotspot.
And the Netgear 5G mobile hotspot is perfect. It packs a lot of power into a small device and has enough power to supply high-speed Wi-Fi for up to 32 devices.
- Delivers up to 7x faster speed than 4G
- Backward compatible for 4G devices
- WIFI 6: Connect and stream up to 32 devices simultaneously at fast 1.8Gbps speed
- Unlocked for 5G around the world using your provider's Nano SIM card
- Requires Nano SIM card from carrier and activation of compatible BYOD (Bring Your own Device) 5G data plan that meets your data needs
- Connect to your existing home router using the Gigabit Ethernet port for fast, reliable backup Internet connection
- Battery lasts up to 13 hours on a single charge
- Large 2.4-inch screen provides data usage monitoring, mobile signal strength, and network management information
The Flash Pro Plus is a chunky power bank made of aircraft-grade anodized aluminum and batteries that weighs in at a reassuring 580 grams.
It's a big power bank housing five 21700 Panasonic lithium polymer graphene composite cells holding 25,000mAh of power.
And the power bank can push that power out of four ports and two wireless charger pads.
- Capacity: 25000mAh / 92.5Wh
- Interface:
- Max 100W USB-C Power Delivery Input/Output
- Max 50W USB-A Oppo 50W, Vivo VOOC 50W, Oneplus 50W, VOOC Flash Charge SVOOC Super Flash charging 50W, Huawei Super Charge 22.5W
- Max 18W USB-A QualComm Quick Charge 3.0 - 100W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Input: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20V/5A (PPS: 3.3-6V/5A, 3.3-11V/5A)
- 100W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Output: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20V/5A (PPS: 3.3-6V/5A, 3.3-11V/5A)
- 60W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Output: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A (PPS: 3.3-6V/5A, 3.3-11V/5A）
- 20W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Output: 5V/3A, 9V/2.22A, 12V/1.67A (PPS: 5-5.9V/3A, 5-11V/2A）
- 50W USB-A 1 Output: QC3.0 + SVOOC 4.5V~10V/5A, 11V/4.5A, 12V/4.16A
- Magnetic Wireless Charger Output : 15W Fast Charge (10W for Android and non iPhone 12 devices)
- Apple Watch Wireless Output: 5W
- Maximum Power Output: 190W
- Maximum Power Input: 100W
- Batteries: 5 x 21700 Panasonic™ Lithium Polymer Graphene Composite Battery Cells
- Battery Life Cycles: 2,000, 4 times more than li-po batteries
- Battery Life: 5 Years
- Time to 80% (20,000mAh) from empty: 45 min
- Time to full charge from empty: 1 hr 10 min (with 100W input)
- DC/DC Input Efficiency: 90%~95% (100W input)
- Output Efficiency: 70% ± 5%
- Discharge Rate: 12mAh per day over 395 days
- Device Operating Temperature: -20℃ to 60℃
- Safety Protection: Over current/voltage/temperature, short circuit protection
- Enclosure: Aircraft-grade Aluminium and PVC
- Dimensions: 15.85 x 8.7 x 2.85 (6.24" x 3.4" x 1.12")
- Weight: 583.5g (1.28lb)
My AirPods Pro are the very best earbuds that I've ever used. Packed with loads of functionality, comfortable, fantastic battery life, and integrate really well with the iPhone.
- Active Noise Cancellation blocks outside noise, so you can immerse yourself in music
- Transparency mode for hearing and interacting with the world around you
- Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking places sound all around you
- Adaptive EQ automatically tunes music to your ears
- Three sizes of soft, tapered silicone tips for a customizable fit
- Force sensor lets you easily control your entertainment, answer or end calls, and more
- Sweat and water resistant
The perfect way to keep track of my bag. I have one of these hidden in most of my bags and luggage, because it offers me peace of mind.
- Simple one-tap setup instantly connects AirTag with your iPhone or iPad
- Play a sound on the built-in speaker to help find your things, or just ask Siri for help
- Precision Finding with Ultra Wideband technology leads you right to your nearby AirTag (on select iPhone models)
- Find items further away with the help of hundreds of millions of Apple devices in the Find My network
- Put AirTag into Lost Mode to be automatically notified when it's detected in the Find My network
- Splash, water, and dust resistant
The MacBook Pro is limited in terms of the ports that it features, so a dock is pretty much a must. On top of that, the ability to fit an M.2 drive into the dock means that I have portable storage with me wherever I go.
- The USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter features convenient, built-in SSD storage to easily boost memory space, back up data, and transfer files with speeds up to 5 Gbps – all without taking up an additional USB-C port. Supports SATA M.2 SSDs only
- Enjoy crystal-clear 4K HDMI display output to your supported external monitor with a refresh rate up to 60Hz for ultra-smooth streaming and videos. Requires a direct HDMI to HDMI connection
- Equipped with an USB-C Power Delivery (PD) charging port to help keep your setup charged while you work, up to 100W. Note: 15W is used by the hub for operation
- Features two USB-A 3.1 ports for fast data transfer up to 10 Gbps – perfect for transferring images, backing up files, or expanding storage.
I have loads of these drives. They are robust, fast, and are a great way to take lots of storage with me when I'm out and about.
- High-speed performance with read speeds up to 1050 MB/s
- Works with Windows, Mac, iPad Pro, Chromebook, Android, Linux, PS4, and Xbox
- Comes with USB-C 3.1 Gen2 and USB-A connectors
- Durable design, featuring an anodized aluminum unibody core.
- Drop proof up to 7.5 feet.
- Extreme-temperature, shock, and vibration proof
I occasionally need an Ethernet port. This is why I have this. It's the usual high quality I have come to expect from Anker.
- Hardware interface: USB, Ethernet
- Operating system: Window, macOS, Linux
I fill up a lot of microSD cards when capturing video with my drones, so being able to ingest multiple cards simultaneously is a handy time-saving feature.
A high-quality card reader that's designed for professionals.
- The ProGrade Digital USB 3.2 Gen 2 microSD dual-slot memory card reader transfers your data at lightning speed - up to 1.25GB/s (10Gb/s) from both cards simultaneously
- An included adhesive metal plate attaches the magnetic card reader to your laptop to create a compact mobile workstation