What’s in my Tech Backpack – January 2022
It’s been a while since I last talked about the things I carry inside my tech backpack. In fact, it’s been around two years and I was still a university student back then. As you can imagine, a lot has changed in these two years. That’s why I decided it was a great time for an updated what’s in my backpack post.
Now, you’re probably wondering, why am I telling you the contents of my bag? Well, I’ve recently got addicted to watching every day carry and what’s in my tech bag videos on YouTube. There’s just something about them that spikes my interest. It could be the fact that I love gadgets and novelties that are supposed to make your life better. I find that this type of content helps us, the audience, discover new items which you most likely didn’t know you needed or wouldn’t have come across in your daily life.
Whilst this isn’t a traditional Everyday Carry (EDC), it’s a what’s in my backpack post which is similar in a way because I take my backpack to work with me on a daily basis. I’ve already created an everyday carry (EDC) video which can be found here.
The past…
The last time I created what’s in my backpack content was when I was a university student studying towards an undergraduate degree in computing. The reason I’m mentioning that is that a lot of the content is related to my studies. If you are interested in what I carried with me two years ago to university, the video can be found below.
As you can imagine, a lot has changed since I made that video, the video was uploaded to YouTube in January 2020. This was already a stressful time for me as I was preparing to write my dissertation, but nothing could prepare me for what was about to take place, the pandemic. Obviously, when the universities shut their doors, I was forced to work from home so the way I studied has changed. What’s even sadder is that it’s currently 2022 and we are still fighting the same pandemic, we’re still going in and out of lockdown. Let’s not get bogged down by this and live our life to the fullest.
Due to the pandemic, I ended up continuing my academic life by undertaking a masters degree in computer science. This was an online degree provided by Staffordshire University. I thought that this would be the best option as I was finding it difficult to find a graduate scheme during the pandemic.
The current…
It’s now 2022 and two degrees later I have a full-time job I enjoy and a different way of life outside of academia. I became an IT analyst at a company I enjoy working for, and that’s important. My job is mainly customer service-based, but through that, I am expected to troubleshoot and fix IT problems and equipment. That’s why a lot of the items inside my backpack will be related to that. Now I have recently uploaded a video on YouTube about my everyday backpack, so if haven’t seen it you can check it out here. I decided to also write an article. So without further ado let go!]
🎒 My Bag
I mainly use the Lenovo Commuter backpack because it’s well built, convenient and it can carry a lot of things. Lenovo did a superb job with this bag, not only is it packed with a lot of useful features, but it’s also well built. One of the main features I like is the ability to expand so if I need to carry equipment to other sites or if I wanted to go shopping after work it’s ideal. Not only is the bag made out of waterproof material, but the bottom pocket is also designed for wet and dry items. You can easily put a pair of shoes or a mini umbrella in there which is ideal in the current climate. Due to where I’m situated from my office, I often prefer to cycle or take public transport, it’s just quicker and more convenient, this bag is perfect for these commutes, I guess that’s why they call it the commuter backpack.
Blog exclusive content Alert!
What I didn’t mention in the video was that I sometimes take a bigger backpack, particularly when I have more things to carry. When I need to, the bag I take is this one by Newhey. I think it’s also a great bag because it’s solid and massive! Perfect for carrying equipment! I most likely didn’t mention it in the video because it’s not my everyday go-to back, the Lenovo Commuter is.
💻 My Laptop
If you asked me two years ago, I would have said that my everyday go-to laptop is the HP Pavilion 14-CE0505SA, my student laptop. This was a laptop I bought for my studies, mainly programming. I always found it more convenient to do all the practical coding labs, workshops and boot camps on a laptop because if I found any issues with my code, I could easily show the compiler on my laptop to friends and lecturers. However, as I’m no longer a student, this has changed and my daily go-to laptop is no longer a laptop, it’s an iPad Pro! My iPad pro-2020 edition became my daily driver and I honestly can’t recommend getting one enough! On the other hand, in terms of my work laptop, I carry the Dell Latitude 5420 which is an epic laptop for anything really.
🎧 My Headphones
If you were to ask me which headphones I carry on a daily basis, my answer would have been the AirPods Pro. These are great for everyday use and fit well in your pocket, my full review is available here. However, when it comes to work and commuting to work, I use the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 in matt Black. These are a recent discovery I made thanks to Ali Abdaal. I knew that Microsoft made headphones but I never considered them to be as good as Sony or JBL, the truth is I was wrong. At that price range, they are amazing. I use them for commuting to and from work because of the powerful active noise cancelling and I use them at work for calls. I highly recommend them!
☂️ Umbrella
Yes, you’ve read that correctly, because of the climate I live in, I like to take an umbrella with me. The umbrella that lives in my bag is this Xiaomi upside-down umbrella. The umbrella was worth the purchase, mainly because it’s strong and with the current climate, very practical.
🔋 Powerbanks
I use two power banks, the Anker 5K magnetic power bank for my iPhone 12 and the Green Cell GC PRIME 10000mAh for everything else. Both of these power banks offer great value for a reasonable price and are a perfect addition to your bag, particularly for those long days out.
🖱️ Mouse
I’m not a huge fan of touchpads, I don’t think I ever was. That’s why I always carry a mouse in my bag. The mouse I carry is the Logitech MX Anywhere 2 which is quite an old mouse now but even though it’s battered it’s still strong. This is a feature-packed mouse and the two features I find most useful is the side-scroll and the hyper-scroll both of which are available on my main productivity mouse, the Logitech MX Master 3, a must-have.
🪛 Tools
As I mentioned above, my job requires me to carry tools with me. The star of my on the go tool kit is the iFixit Minnow kit. It’s mainly a well-built precision screwdriver kit, but what I really like about it is the fact that if you take the top of the handle, you get a sim eject tool. I also have the iFixit opening tool, a ratchet screwdriver by Draper and a cheap set of Allen Keys from Wilko, which I mainly use for adjusting monitor stands
Other Accessories
I also like to carry a bottle, bodyspray, the Apple Cloth, and a few cables. My fully updated list is available on my Kit.co page which can be found here and down below…
I hope you enjoyed this article! If you have, leave a comment and subscribe to my bi-monthly newsletter!
Don’t forget to check out my January 2022 What’s in my Backpack video, which can be found below…
What interesting things do you carry with you on a daily basis? Let us know in the comments!