The Bag
I have a choice of two and this really depends where I am heading, if I am heading out for a conference I prefer a backpack, easier to march around airports and conference centres with a backpack but if I am rocking a suit or have a particular customer meeting then I would probably go for the messenger bag.
Since my Professional Services days where I carried a 15″ MacBook Pro specced to the nines allowing me to run remote labs and give me enough power to do anything whilst onsite I have downsized to a smaller MacBook Pro 13″
Tech Amenities
Power bank – this is not a inherited or acquired one from a tech show as they just do not really have the power, this is a full blown unit giving me about 4-5 charges on my phone but also the ability to charge other devices I sometimes carry such as iPad or my Kindle Fire. Depending on where I travel I do have some more pocket friendly units that can give me just enough top up. It’s a whopping 20000mAh and take a look it was very cheap.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NGK9HN2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Head Phones – I have my beloved Beats by Dre regardless of where I am heading and what bag I am taking I will always have these in hand they are coming up to nearly 4 years old now so its about time I looked at some newer shinier ones but the replacements will follow me everywhere.
Lightening cables – my MacBook has an embedded HDMi but not all screens out and about have that capability still yet so I am always armed with my two VGA adapters.. Why 2? Because if one fails and you are to present then you best be able to have a backup plan before the witch hunt starts on the Mac guy. I also carry a lightening network adapter, to be honest since getting this I think I have used it once. Its much easier to tether or find an open Wifi for connectivity.
PowerPoint clicker – Much the same as the VGA adapter if you don’t have your clicker and no access to one for a presentation it really throws me off so always keep one in my bag and always a couple of spare batteries for it.
Charging cables – I have recently moved over from a OnePlus One to the new HTC 10 and in doing so this means a change of all of my charging cables from mini USB to USB-C. I also have my iPad which is a 2 shame on me but still using that old Apple charger and then my kindle fire so I like to make sure I have one of each of these plus maybe one of those handly little multi cable chargers.
On top of all that above I will also have a lot of small bits I always carry, I carry a small pair of earbud headphones ideal for remote calls and WebEx sessions, a notebook and pen when you just need to write something down. I also carry a stylus for my iPad, sometimes when on a customer site or giving remote sessions an iPad is the next best thing to an old fashioned whiteboard. I try as well to always have a few Veeam branded USB drives with the latest ISOs and documentation on or just plain empty ones that I can use for various tasks.
That’s really it, I find these posts really interesting so would love to see more out there so take 20 minutes and jot down what you have in your bag.