For all its talk of wireless this and that, the tech gear is still a bunch of lumpy chargers and snakes of different cables, plus at least an adapter and, for the road warrior, a mouse and a data bank. portable power supply.
All gear, if loose and unorganized, will end up in the bottom of a bag or, worse, be forgotten and left at home when you head to the office or on vacation.
What you need is a dedicated bag to store all that tech gear in one portable and tidy package.
Tech Kit Organizer Bags promise to keep all your gear together and easy to reach. They come in all shapes and sizes, and we’ve rounded up and tested the best tech storage bags to help you choose the right one for you.
I travel often for work and built myself an organized tech travel bag with a spare set of everything I needed so when packing I could just pick it up, put it in a backpack and be packed with the assurance that I have with me everything needed for a trouble-free tech trip.
Some tech cases have sections for dozens of cables, pockets for chargers, and compartments for headphones, mice, and batteries. Others are simpler cases with one or two compartments to carry your technical kit.
First, consider the essential tech gear you need.
Technology to take on the go
Here are some of the things you’ll want to keep organized and maybe travel with you, along with our recommendations in each category:
• Phone charger: at least a 20W USB-C charger, preferably GaN for the smaller models. Read our roundup of the best phone chargers and the best iPhone chargers.
• Phone charging cable: Lightning for iPhone, USB-C for the rest. You might want to take several if you’re traveling in a group, because everyone wants to charge at the same time! We’ve also tested the best Lightning cables and USB-C cables for you.
• laptop charger: this will probably come with your laptop, but you can buy smaller and more powerful chargers, and of course we’ve tested the best laptop chargers and the best macbook chargers so you only travel with the best.
• power bank: Essential for long trips or even a busy day, a power bank can top up your phone’s battery that’s fading to keep you connected when you’re next to a power outlet. Yes, we have tested the best power banks and best MagSafe power banks for iPhone 13/13/14 users.
• Mouse: Laptop trackpads are fine for some people, but most of us are happier with a proper mouse to use when scrolling, clicking, and selecting. Best mouse and best mouse for Mac.
• USB adapter: Your laptop probably doesn’t have enough ports for everything you want to connect, even if you’re using a wireless keyboard and mouse. A USB hub connects to your laptop with a single cable and can add additional USB-A and USB-C ports, plus Ethernet for wired Internet access, card readers for portable storage, and display ports such than HDMI so you can connect your laptop to an external monitor (or two) or even a hotel TV for streaming on vacation. See the best USB-C hubs and the best USB-C hubs for Mac.
• Hard disk: Portable hard drives and SSDs these days come in very small form factors, and come in handy for backups and keeping your most valuable but large files with you at all times. Check out the best SSDs and the best SSD for Mac.
• Memory cardsMuch smaller than hard drives, SD and MicroSD cards are inexpensive ways to add high-capacity storage to your laptop (512GB for as little as $50) in a tiny package. First used for ultra-light camera storage, these cards are like a small hard drive you can put in your wallet, but we recommend storing them in your tech case. See the best Micro SD card.
• USB key: Inexpensive USB drives are incredibly useful on your travels and make the perfect backup in your tech bag.
Here are the best tech cases and bags we’ve tested for organizing your cables, chargers, and other gear.
