[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":476},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog:2008:whats-in-your-laptop-bag":3,"blogMore-Technology":334,"comments-whats-in-your-laptop-bag":347},{"_path":4,"_dir":5,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":8,"description":9,"date":10,"category":11,"tags":12,"excerpt":15,"body":39,"_type":324,"_id":325,"_source":326,"_file":327,"_stem":328,"_extension":329,"url":330,"wordCount":331,"minutes":332,"commentCount":333},"/blog/2008/whats-in-your-laptop-bag","2008",false,"en","What’s in your laptop bag?","Since my new laptop arrived I’ve been fine tuning my accessories in search of the developer-on-the-move setup. Here is my current contents complete with shameless Amazon Affiliate product links where applicable ;-)","2008-01-04T00:40:45+00:00","Technology",[13,14],"Apple","MacBook",{"type":16,"children":17},"root",[18,30],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":21,"children":22},"element","p",{},[23,26,28],{"type":24,"value":25},"text","Since my ",{"type":24,"value":27},"new laptop arrived",{"type":24,"value":29}," I’ve been fine tuning my accessories in search of the developer-on-the-move setup. Here is my current contents complete with shameless Amazon Affiliate product links where applicable ;-)",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":31,"children":32},{},[33,35,37],{"type":24,"value":34},"My parents bought me the ",{"type":24,"value":36},"Brenthaven Pro 15-17 Backpack",{"type":24,"value":38}," for Christmas. It has a great number of sections and compartments yet can still be thinly packed with the padding contributing to a comfortable wear. The only negatives are that the finish seems a little rough in places and that the rigid laptop protection area seems to be designed to hold a laptop almost twice as thick as a MacBook Pro despite claims of being ‘Designed for a 15.4″ MacBook and 17″ MacBook Pro’.",{"type":16,"children":40,"toc":310},[41,52,59,71,76,82,105,111,125,131,144,150,164,170,184,190,204,209,215,220,226,258,264,296,301],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":42,"children":43},{},[44,45,51],{"type":24,"value":25},{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":47,"children":49},"a",{"href":48},"/blog/2007/one-week-with-a-macbook-pro-17/",[50],{"type":24,"value":27},{"type":24,"value":29},{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":54,"children":56},"h2",{"id":55},"brenthaven-pro-backpack",[57],{"type":24,"value":58},"Brenthaven Pro BackPack",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":60,"children":61},{},[62,63,70],{"type":24,"value":34},{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":64,"children":68},{"href":65,"rel":66},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BYGFYU?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000BYGFYU",[67],"nofollow",[69],{"type":24,"value":36},{"type":24,"value":38},{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":72,"children":73},{},[74],{"type":24,"value":75},"The dream laptop bag would have an external USB port that would power and charge various devices within ;-)",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":77,"children":79},{"id":78},"radtech-sleeve-protector",[80],{"type":24,"value":81},"RadTech sleeve & protector",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":83,"children":84},{},[85,87,94,96,103],{"type":24,"value":86},"I’ve owned ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":88,"children":91},{"href":89,"rel":90},"https://www.radtech.us/Products/SleevzNotebooks.aspx",[67],[92],{"type":24,"value":93},"RadTech sleeves",{"type":24,"value":95}," for all three of my Apple laptop’s to date and they’ve all been excellent. Snug fitting, soft but hard-wearing and well-made they keep the machines clean and scratch-free. Now available in a multitude of colors but call me a traditionalist I’ve stuck with aluminum-grey. I also recommend grabbing ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":97,"children":100},{"href":98,"rel":99},"https://www.radtech.us/Products/NotebookScreensavRz.aspx",[67],[101],{"type":24,"value":102},"a screen protector",{"type":24,"value":104}," that sits between the keyboard and screen that doubles up as a cleaning cloth.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":106,"children":108},{"id":107},"ocz-rally-2-4gb-usb-stick",[109],{"type":24,"value":110},"OCZ Rally 2 4GB USB stick",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":112,"children":113},{},[114,116,123],{"type":24,"value":115},"Another gift I received is the ever-useful USB memory stick for those odd file transfer tasks. The ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":117,"children":120},{"href":118,"rel":119},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JBXLV0?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000JBXLV0",[67],[121],{"type":24,"value":122},"OCZ 4GB Rally 2 USB 2.0 Flash Drive",{"type":24,"value":124}," can double up as a Vista ReadyBoost cache (providing you are booted natively, neither Parallels or VMware Fusion emulate it fast enough) and is housed in a small black metal enclosure the size of my little finger. Minor downsides are the easily-lost cap and the green led that casts an eerie glow over the geek at the keyboard.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":126,"children":128},{"id":127},"microsoft-wireless-notebook-laser-mouse-600",[129],{"type":24,"value":130},"Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 600",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":132,"children":133},{},[134,136,142],{"type":24,"value":135},"I’ve been using mice with laptops less over the years as my comfort with track-pads has grown and i have found myself without desk space for a mouse. The ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":137,"children":140},{"href":138,"rel":139},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A6NUVA?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000A6NUVA",[67],[141],{"type":24,"value":130},{"type":24,"value":143}," works well however and the battery seems to last for ages. It is light and possibly a bit too small to be comfortable and if I was to replace it I’d go with something Bluetooth to avoid the dongle (which clips into the mouse when not in use).",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":145,"children":147},{"id":146},"ipod-nano",[148],{"type":24,"value":149},"iPod Nano",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":151,"children":152},{},[153,155,162],{"type":24,"value":154},"I purchased a ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":156,"children":159},{"href":157,"rel":158},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JO1MU4?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000JO1MU4",[67],[160],{"type":24,"value":161},"iPod Nano 8GB 3G",{"type":24,"value":163}," late last year after my 60GB iPod died. The device is incredibly small with a good battery life and fantastic display. Not convinced that the screen or control is suited for video or games but it makes a great little music player, and I’m just hoping the flash models have a longer lifespan.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":165,"children":167},{"id":166},"philips-earbuds",[168],{"type":24,"value":169},"Philips Earbuds",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":171,"children":172},{},[173,175,182],{"type":24,"value":174},"These ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":176,"children":179},{"href":177,"rel":178},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00061IYJC?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00061IYJC",[67],[180],{"type":24,"value":181},"Philips HN060/37 ‘Noise-Canceling’ Earbuds",{"type":24,"value":183}," are good considering the price, size and battery life. While they don’t cancel noise out the combination of the in-ear mechanism, volume booster and the active circuity does help suppress noise levels somewhat and I have found them particularly useful on flights. Some people find the high-pitched white noise the circuitry generates annoying and others find in-ear plugs irritating however. Personally the only problem I have with them is that the rubber pieces tend to come off and get lost easily but you can buy generic replacement packs from many airport/music stores.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":185,"children":187},{"id":186},"my-book-pro-500gb-external-drive",[188],{"type":24,"value":189},"My Book Pro 500GB External Drive",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":191,"children":192},{},[193,195,202],{"type":24,"value":194},"Leopard’s Time Machine combined with a ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":196,"children":199},{"href":197,"rel":198},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WGJZ44?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000WGJZ44",[67],[200],{"type":24,"value":201},"Western Digital My Book Studio 500GB External Hard Drive",{"type":24,"value":203}," provides me with a simple backup strategy that is lightning fast via FireWire 800 (800 Mbps) and still speedy over USB 2 (480 Mbps).",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":205,"children":206},{},[207],{"type":24,"value":208},"The Studio drive I linked to also provides eSATA support (couldn’t find mine on Amazon). It isn’t always in my backpack but does make a regular appearance.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":210,"children":212},{"id":211},"cables-etc",[213],{"type":24,"value":214},"Cables etc.",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":216,"children":217},{},[218],{"type":24,"value":219},"The bane of every techie’s life. Currently includes 1m USB extender, a USB to mini-USB cable that connects my TyTN, PSP, BlackBerry and Canon EOS 400D to my MacBook Pro and the Apple DVI to VGA adapter for presentations. The Apple-supplied remote also sits in there for exactly that purpose.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":221,"children":223},{"id":222},"stationary",[224],{"type":24,"value":225},"Stationary",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":227,"children":228},{},[229,231,238,240,247,249,256],{"type":24,"value":230},"I like to keep a ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":232,"children":235},{"href":233,"rel":234},"https://www.moleskine.com/eng/_interni/catalogo/Cat_int/catalogo_notebooks.htm",[67],[236],{"type":24,"value":237},"Moleskine pocket notepad",{"type":24,"value":239}," tucked away, ruled by preference until they make a ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":241,"children":244},{"href":242,"rel":243},"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_paper",[67],[245],{"type":24,"value":246},"graph-paper",{"type":24,"value":248}," version. This is normally coupled with a Pilot G2 at the moment which is comfy and smooth but takes too long to dry and is still too thick in the 0.38mm ’05’ version. Without sounding like a pen obsessive I’m going to try a ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":250,"children":253},{"href":251,"rel":252},"https://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Uni-Ball_Signo_Bit_0.18.html#a3316",[67],[254],{"type":24,"value":255},"Uni-Ball Signo Bit 0.18",{"type":24,"value":257}," next! There is also a nondescript mechanical pencil and large eraser.",{"type":19,"tag":53,"props":259,"children":261},{"id":260},"reading",[262],{"type":24,"value":263},"Reading",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":265,"children":266},{},[267,269,276,278,285,287,294],{"type":24,"value":268},"Yes, there is still room in this TARDIS of a laptop bag for reading material. At the moment it is alternating between ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":270,"children":273},{"href":271,"rel":272},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300111509?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0300111509",[67],[274],{"type":24,"value":275},"Designing Type",{"type":24,"value":277},", ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":279,"children":282},{"href":280,"rel":281},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159059844X?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=159059844X",[67],[283],{"type":24,"value":284},"Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager",{"type":24,"value":286}," and ",{"type":19,"tag":46,"props":288,"children":291},{"href":289,"rel":290},"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471782661?ie=UTF8&tag=dam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0471782661",[67],[292],{"type":24,"value":293},"The Art of Intrusion",{"type":24,"value":295}," all of which were Christmas gifts :)",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":297,"children":298},{},[299],{"type":24,"value":300},"That’s it! would love to find out what other people keep in their laptop bags and hear suggestions on some of my weak spots. I wish I could fit a full-size tactile keyboard in it but I guess I’ll live!",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":302,"children":303},{},[304],{"type":19,"tag":305,"props":306,"children":307},"em",{},[308],{"type":24,"value":309},"[)amien",{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":313},"",2,[314,315,316,317,318,319,320,321,322,323],{"id":55,"depth":312,"text":58},{"id":78,"depth":312,"text":81},{"id":107,"depth":312,"text":110},{"id":127,"depth":312,"text":130},{"id":146,"depth":312,"text":149},{"id":166,"depth":312,"text":169},{"id":186,"depth":312,"text":189},{"id":211,"depth":312,"text":214},{"id":222,"depth":312,"text":225},{"id":260,"depth":312,"text":263},"markdown","content:blog:2008:whats-in-your-laptop-bag.md","content","blog/2008/whats-in-your-laptop-bag.md","blog/2008/whats-in-your-laptop-bag","md","/blog/2008/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/",841,4,5,[335,339,343],{"title":336,"date":337,"url":338},"VTX5000: Part 4 - Communications ","2026-05-06T10:19:24.727Z","/blog/2026/vtx5000-part-4-comms-routines/",{"title":340,"date":341,"url":342},"VTX5000: Part 3 - Software ROM","2026-04-15T23:00:00.000Z","/blog/2026/vtx5000-part-3-software-rom/",{"title":344,"date":345,"url":346},"VTX5000: Part 2 - Hardware","2026-03-30T23:00:00.000Z","/blog/2026/prism-vtx5000-part-2/",[348,369,395,416,450],{"_path":349,"_dir":350,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":351,"description":352,"id":353,"name":354,"email":355,"avatar":356,"date":357,"body":358,"_type":324,"_id":366,"_source":326,"_file":367,"_stem":368,"_extension":329},"/comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5955","whats-in-your-laptop-bag","5955","Alienware 17in laptop (I hate tiny screens)\nMicrosoft Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 (bluetooth)\nmouse pad\nnetwork cable\npaper notebook and pens\na folder with stuff for whatever project I'm working on\nJabra Bluetooth headphones (these were a Christmas gift and are great!)\nat least one book; usually either fiction or a computer book but right now I'm reading ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer",5955,"Zack","tzmoore@gmail.com","https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a269b83176e5838a30ad857fa41cab2b?r=pg&d=retro","2008-01-23T20:48:32",{"type":16,"children":359,"toc":364},[360],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":361,"children":362},{},[363],{"type":24,"value":352},{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":365},[],"content:comments:whats-in-your-laptop-bag:5955.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5955.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5955",{"_path":370,"_dir":350,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":371,"description":372,"id":373,"name":374,"email":375,"avatar":376,"url":377,"date":378,"body":379,"_type":324,"_id":392,"_source":326,"_file":393,"_stem":394,"_extension":329},"/comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5885","5885","My backpack is a SwissGear from Wenger (makers of the famous Swiss Army knife) and contains a pack of index cards, an iPod nano with Sony earbuds, a Nokia N800, sunglasses, a 32 MB USB stick, a SanDisk Micromate card reader, a 2GB SD card, and the usual cable stuff. Plus, the MBP 15\", of course.",5885,"Eddy Young","jeyoung@priscimon.com","https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/39e02cf834b2d31955b0824a3eb33db2?r=pg&d=retro","https://priscimon.com/blog","2008-01-14T10:53:46",{"type":16,"children":380,"toc":390},[381,385],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":382,"children":383},{},[384],{"type":24,"value":372},{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":386,"children":387},{},[388],{"type":24,"value":389},"-- Eddy",{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":391},[],"content:comments:whats-in-your-laptop-bag:5885.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5885.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5885",{"_path":396,"_dir":350,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":397,"description":398,"id":399,"name":400,"email":401,"avatar":402,"url":403,"date":404,"body":405,"_type":324,"_id":413,"_source":326,"_file":414,"_stem":415,"_extension":329},"/comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5858","5858","I've found the iPod nano 3G can get sucked of its battery when playing the games on it though.  It's a very decent piece of kit, I got one for my birthday last month along with one of the protecting cases which are impossible to get on ;)",5858,"Kezzer","kieran@kieransenior.co.uk","https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/954948e64a7de2cbe5e4248feebec29b?r=pg&d=retro","https://www.kieransenior.co.uk","2008-01-10T16:38:33",{"type":16,"children":406,"toc":411},[407],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":408,"children":409},{},[410],{"type":24,"value":398},{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":412},[],"content:comments:whats-in-your-laptop-bag:5858.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5858.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5858",{"_path":417,"_dir":350,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":418,"description":311,"id":419,"name":420,"email":421,"avatar":422,"date":423,"body":424,"_type":324,"_id":447,"_source":326,"_file":448,"_stem":449,"_extension":329},"/comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5803","5803",5803,"Richard","richard@rjcox.co.uk","https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/95e28ac250c4604a6f9d7e34705c3259?r=pg&d=retro","2008-01-05T12:00:38",{"type":16,"children":425,"toc":445},[426,435,440],{"type":19,"tag":427,"props":428,"children":429},"blockquote",{},[430],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":431,"children":432},{},[433],{"type":24,"value":434},"Signo Bit 0.18\nCultpens are right, it is very scratchy, except on glossy/very smooth paper, not at all comfortable except for marginal notes in tight spaces.",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":436,"children":437},{},[438],{"type":24,"value":439},"Pilot's G-Tec C4 is probably a better bet for extended fine writing.",{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":441,"children":442},{},[443],{"type":24,"value":444},"I usually find myself preferring a 0.3mm mechanical pencil however (provided I've got a good quality lead).",{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":446},[],"content:comments:whats-in-your-laptop-bag:5803.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5803.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5803",{"_path":451,"_dir":350,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":452,"description":453,"id":454,"name":455,"email":456,"avatar":457,"url":458,"date":459,"body":460,"_type":324,"_id":473,"_source":326,"_file":474,"_stem":475,"_extension":329},"/comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5794","5794","The TechAir rucksack which I carry my 15\" MBP around in is similar, the laptop pocket is double the depth needed for the super-thin MBP even though it was advertised as ideal for MBPs. Just par for the course I think, they don't want to exclude people with fat laptops ;)",5794,"steve","steve@stevestreeting.com","https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/fbe8cc9ac5bc8797382e01e10f5f8e33?r=pg&d=retro","https://www.stevestreeting.com","2008-01-04T08:58:50",{"type":16,"children":461,"toc":471},[462,466],{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":463,"children":464},{},[465],{"type":24,"value":453},{"type":19,"tag":20,"props":467,"children":468},{},[469],{"type":24,"value":470},"I'm a minimalist, my bag generally only contains the MBP, power leads, DVI adapter, Apple remote, a few sheets of A4 and a pencil. When I'm travelling further, it also has my 3G iPod (still going!) and has been known to have a T-Shirt and spare underwear stuffed in it when I've been on a short UK trip. It's an easy way to pad out the laptop pocket anyway ;)",{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":472},[],"content:comments:whats-in-your-laptop-bag:5794.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5794.md","comments/whats-in-your-laptop-bag/5794",1779264568933]