What's in My Bag
I test it, travel with it, and live with it before I tell anyone it earned a place. I pay for it myself, which is how I can confidently tell you it's worth it to buy or to wait on something that's already in my bag.
Bags, batteries, smart glasses, the whole travel kit. Every piece gets the same call I would make on a $300K platform, because the question is identical: is this actually worth it to you?
This bag has literally travelled the world with me and I've tried to find anything comparable without managing it. The storage, the separate zipper sections, the organization for important things in the large side pocket.
Another bag that's been all over the world with me and was my number one day pack. I've carried everything in it, laptop and iPad through coats and pullovers. Incredibly versatile.
Way more impressed than I expected to be. The 4L fits a full-sized iPad and keyboard, which alone makes it a good conference bag, and I've travelled to a handful of countries with it feeling safe and secure. It gets a bit warm on my back on hot days. I'm holding off ordering a replacement Nomatic for now, which is a big deal for me.
Not yet for most of the room. Worth it if you're an early adopter who sees better.
The One no longer needs software, which is great, but you lose the true second and third virtual monitor. Still great for getting work done in private, or watching a movie and relaxing.
The setup pain is real, real enough that it killed my excitement and made me not want to try the rest of it, but I did and the apps are buggy. The hardware is fairly light and comfortable but cheaply made, overall it's a neat idea that should have worked but simply didn't.
Hands down the most versatile of the headphones. If you're in the Apple ecosystem they do it all. I wear them exercising, working, and travelling. The ANC, especially with the Comply tips, is as good as anything but the Bose.
Still the best at what they do. They stay in my ears, they're comfortable, the battery is excellent. I just reach for them less and less. The AirPods are good enough for most shorter flights and they're always in my pocket.
I still use this regularly for conferences and large rooms. Its standalone feature is the all-day battery that doesn't drain my phone or watch.
The pricing helps, and Notability is adding voice transcription too, so that's an option now. Where it gets really interesting is with the iPad Mini and the Apple Pencil: notebook-size, and it really lends itself to taking notes on the go.
Basic, but it does the job. The screen isn't as crisp and no Face ID gets tiring, so it feels a bit outdated. But nothing beats being able to fit it in your back pocket. It's like a more usable Kindle, and with the Pencil and Notability it's a genuinely good notebook. I miss having a keyboard, so it's not for cranking through email. Looking forward to a new model being released soon!
A fine device, but I was right to hold out as long as I did. At that size all I really wanted was to read books on it, which is possible but a pain, and with no browser of its own loading content was painful. It's better now with the phone app, but not worth the hassle when you're in a hurry. That's me, though. Some people love that it can't distract them, that it does one thing and does it really well.
Great concept, and this is just the first version. Right now it's a bit too limited outside some specific use cases. Worth watching, not a must-have.
The original was 3,500mAh and nice, but way too small. The 2 Plus at 5,000 makes a difference and feels more worth carrying. The watch charging works better too: the original slipped off easily and this magnet feels firmer, though it's still a bit slower than I'd hoped.
Probably my most used battery pack over the last year. Fast charging on the phone and the watch, which is great on the go. It does get hot, though. Very hot. To the point you don't want it in your back pocket while it's charging the phone.
The display shows how fast it's charging, which helps if you're trying to work out which of your cables is actually any good. But the best part isn't the display, it's the plug: three positions, folded in, straight out, or off to the side.
This was my daily carry for months. The cord is a bit short, and it felt heavier overall than the Smart Display charger. The second port was nice but I didn't use it much, since I rarely carry a spare cable in my pocket.
I love retractable cables. The hard part is finding a USB-C one that supports fast charging, and this one does. The trade-off is that it's only 3 feet.
A bit of a party trick. Nice for emergencies on a long-haul flight, but the PETL is the better option if you're trying to reduce gear. It's super small and light, so it's worth keeping as a backup.
If you want protection without the bulk, this is the option. A friend knocked my phone across a room and the Pitaka protected most of it but not the small edges of the screen, which is what you'd expect from that slim a profile. That's what moved me to the Techwoven. Worth knowing: they renamed the whole line in 2026, so Ultra-Slim is now Edge and ProGuard is Cairn.
I moved to the Techwoven for more coverage after a friend knocked my phone across a room, and I've really liked it: not too heavy, good coverage, feels good in the hand. It's nearly a year old now and showing real wear that increases every week. I'll probably buy it again anyway.
A must-have for international travel. The people I'm travelling with are always jealous that I only need one outlet to charge everything, and mine charges much faster than theirs.
I resisted far too long and bought the hype that the Series X would be as good. It wasn't, and it's gathering dust. The improved battery is the killer feature: I wear this to sleep every night, and 10 to 15 minutes of charging every day or two keeps it going indefinitely. Tap to Pay is the one I can't live without. Nobody else gets it as good.