What’s in My Tech Backpack – Late 2023 Edition
It’s that time of the year again when I share all the things I carry with me in my tech bag.
As a tech and gadget enthusiast, I love reading and sharing this type of content, it’s amazing what awesome gadgets and tech you can discover, and that is also why I recommend sharing yours in the comments!
On a side note, this is more of a what’s in my work bag article, if you are interested in my actual everyday carry, I recommend checking out my recent article on my actual EDC, which can be found here.
I primarily tend to use my tech bag for work as an IT engineer, so some of the items I have in my bag will be related to my job.
But without any further ado, here are the things I carry in my tech bag…
My Bag
My main go-to bag tends to be the Menos backpack, which is by one of my favourite YouTubers, Liam Porritt, I highly recommend checking out his channel if you are into productivity.
The Menos backpack is a great bag, especially if you commute. It offers quality and you can actually fit a lot into it considering the size. It offers a 20L capacity which I feel is perfect for commuting to and from work.
It features one main pocket which you can open 180 degrees allowing for easy access to all your things. Inside the main compartment, you will find a zipped pocket at the top which is perfect for small things such as your keys or USB drives – yes I do use those, they tend to be useful in my career for things like boot disks or transferring data from one device to another.
Below that there are 3 smaller internal pockets one of which is designed for a water bottle. I use them for carrying my water bottle, umbrella and the iFixit Minnow precision screwdriver kit which comes in handy in my job.
I use the Recycled Polyester Crook Handle umbrella I got in M&S on a rainy day. In terms of the water bottle, I use one that was gifted to me by my employer, but here is a similar one I found online. I find that it is the perfect fit for my bag and it tends to keep water cool throughout the day.
The bag also has a padded laptop compartment as well as a tablet compartment where I store my work laptop and 11” iPad Pro. I love that the bag has a dedicated pocket for a power bank as well as a USB charging port on the outside which allows me to easily charge my devices throughout my commute.
The power bank I use is the Xiaomi Mi PowerBank 3 Ultra-compact 10000 MAh, which not only fits the charging pocket perfectly but also provides enough charging capacity should I need it.
As someone who uses the trains to commute to and from work, I highly recommend investing in a decent one, just in case you get stuck somewhere and need your phone, especially if you live in the UK where trains aren’t the most reliable at present due to strikes as well as other situations.
Last but not least, there is also a small pocket at the front of your bag, which is perfect for things such as keys.
The bag is also water resistant, which is important at this time of the year.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this bag and I can honestly recommend it if you are looking for a commuting backpack that isn’t too big but can still fit a lot inside.
Laptop and iPad
I currently use a Dell Latitude 5330 laptop which was provided to me by my employer. It features 16GB of memory, a 500GB Solid State Drive as well as a 12th-generation Intel i7 processor.
The laptop is perfectly adequate for my job and I love the fact that it’s 13” making it a perfect fit for working in small places such as the tray table on the train.
I also carry my 2nd generation 11” iPad Pro from 2020. I’m a huge fan of the iPad and I mainly use it for my side hustle as well as personal things.
I use it with the PaperLike screen protector which is a must-have if you use an Apple Pencil, which I also happen to use.
For typing, I tend to use the Hou keyboard case, which features a trackpad that supports gestures and a pretty decent keyboard. I honestly enjoy using this case, but having had it for a while now, it’s starting to show its age.
In terms of the iPad, I had it for around two years now and I seriously think it was a great purchase. I would even go as far as saying that it’s my primary “computer” for most things I do.
If you are in the market for a second-hand iPad Pro and see the 11” iPad Pro 2nd generation on a good deal, it’s a great investment. However, it would be nice to have better support for external monitors, as at present it can only duplicate my iPad display.
Headphones and Earbuds
I primarily tend to use my Google Pixel Buds Pro for work which I’ve recently written about. I think that they are a great set of wireless earbuds which are comfortable to wear, and offer decent sound quality, bass and some awesome features such as multipoint Bluetooth which we’ll talk about later in this article.
When it comes to long commutes or loud train journeys, I also keep the SoundCore Liberty 4 NC earbuds in my bag as they offer phenomenal active noise cancellation considering their price.
My go-to headphones are the Edifier WH950NB which offer really good sound quality as well as decent active noise cancellation. Like the Google Pixel Buds Pro, they also offer multi-point Bluetooth.
I have a few prerequisites with work earbuds and headphones that I cannot live without, these include active noise cancellation, decent sound, multi-point Bluetooth and reasonable mic quality.
The reason multi-point Bluetooth is a prerequisite is that it allows me to connect my earbuds to my laptop and my phone at the same time, so if I am listening to music on my work laptop, I can answer a phone call on my phone without needing to take my earbuds out of my ears.
When working in a busy open-plan office, I tend to use a more professional headset with an active noise-cancelling microphone. The current headset that I’m using is the Jabra Evolve 2 30 SE, which I like as it feels comfortable to wear and comes with a pretty decent pouch.
Laptop Accessories and Gadgets
Being a gadget nerd, it’s no secret that I bring gadgets and accessories with me to work.
Starting with my mouse, I’m a huge fan of the Logitech MX series, I currently use the Logitech MX Master 3 with my desk setup, which is my all-time favourite mouse. So, naturally, I went with the Logitech MX Anywhere, which is like the smaller version.
I currently use the Logitech MX Anywhere 2 in my everyday work carry. I actually purchased the mouse second-hand at CEX which is a shop in the UK that sells second-hand tech. I guess it was available for a good price so I decided to get it, but I will likely eventually end up buying a new version because it’s good!
I also carry a keyboard with me from time to time, usually when I don’t take my keyboard case with me for the iPad. The keyboard I take is the Logitech K380, which may not be to everyone’s taste due to the round keys, but I tend to like it as well as the fact that I can switch between 3 devices.
Recently, I also started carrying the BenQ LaptopBar which is a great accessory that I use all the time with my laptop, especially when working in the dark as it provides a decent amount of light for my work space.
I also tend to carry a few spare cables with me, I usually carry a Micro-USB and USB-C cable for charging tech items and my phone.
I also carry a mains charger with me, I used to take the iBlockCube Travel Adapter with me but I found that I was making more use of it at home so I just purchased this basic charging plug by Anker which features a USB-C and USB-A port which allows me to charge two devices at the same time.
Final Thoughts
As a tech reviewer, the things I carry in my bag always change, but the things I featured in this article are the things I tend to carry most often.
I plan on writing these posts around every 3 to 4 months to keep you updated. I know I’ve said it many times before, but I love reading and sharing my everyday carry as well as what’s in my tech backpack.
It helps me and others discover new tech and gadgets, that’s why I always welcome people sharing their everyday carry or what’s in their tech backpack in the comments!
Disclaimer: This article contains Amazon and Paperlike affiliate links which help me earn. You can read more about the affiliate links I use here.