Packing Tips

What to take; what to leave; how to pack so you don't have to check anything.

James A. Martin

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Feature: Packing Tips

Packing your equipment, clothes, toiletries, and other items for a business trip is an art form that, in all honesty, I've never perfected. There's always something I packed that I didn't use, something I didn't pack that I wished I had, or both.

But I have learned a few critical dos and don'ts along the way about taking computing gear on the road, which I share with you this week.

Wheel It On, Store It Under

Stay away from shoulder-strap or backpack notebook bags--they make long trips feel even longer. Ideally, find a wheeled bag that's narrow enough to be rolled down a coach cabin's aisle and compact enough to fit beneath the seat. That way, you can avoid the inconvenience and strain of having to lug your bag between connecting flights or having to heave it up into the overhead compartment.

One such bag I can recommend is the Travelon 14" Carry-On with View Thru Panels ($110 at EBags). Measuring 14 by 12 by 8.5 inches, the bag rolls down airplane aisles with ease and fits, in my experience, under most coach seats.

The Travelon bag isn't designed to store notebooks, but its roomy main compartment can accommodate a portable with a 15-inch or smaller display (just make sure the computer is well padded). The bag features lots of external zippered pockets, including a moisture-resistant compartment for a water bottle. The inside compartments sport see-through panels, so you can quickly locate your ear plugs when the inevitable infant wailing begins. And an external pocket on the back zips open to allow room for newspapers and magazines.

The Travelon has enabled me to often travel with one carry-on bag instead of my usual two, for which I am exceedingly grateful. One caveat: The bag's telescopic handle feels a bit wobbly, which makes me wonder how durable it will be over time. Travelon offers a limited lifetime warranty, however.

Tip: The area under an aisle seat in coach is sometimes narrower than the storage space beneath a middle or window seat. So to get the most room, stay away from an aisle seat.

What to Pack Overhead

Can't limit yourself to one carry-on bag? Then take some time to decide what you are most likely to need during a flight or train ride and pack accordingly.

For instance, there are some things I'm uncomfortable packing in my checked luggage for fear of theft or loss, such as my Palm PDA. So when I travel with two carry-ons--one for under a seat, the other for the overhead compartment--I pack my Palm in the overhead bag.

Other items you might store in an overhead bin include:

AC adapters for your notebook and other gadgets. Why not pack them in your checked luggage? Because you may find yourself waiting in an airport or train station longer than expected, with your notebook, mobile phone, or PDA batteries beginning to fade. Why not pack them in your beneath-the-seat bag? Because unless the power adapters are designed to work with airplane power ports, you won't need them. (More on that topic in a minute.)

A change of clothes and key toiletries, in case your checked baggage decides to take a trip without you.

Coins, keys, belt, and other objects containing metal. Ideally, these items should be stored in their own compartment before you reach the airport security X-ray. The less metal on your body, the faster the screening process will be for you (and those behind you). Again, these aren't items you're likely to need in flight.

Sunglasses, a jacket, and other items you'll need traveling to or from the airport but not in flight.

Application and system-restore CDs, in case your notebook becomes ill during the trip.

What to Store Under the Seat

Here are some items you might pack in your beneath-the-seat bag:

Your notebook, unless you don't plan to use it in transit. In that case, pack it in the overhead-compartment bag. You could pack it in your checked luggage, of course. Then again, you could also go for a drive on the interstate while blindfolded.

An extra notebook battery, or if your plane has in-seat power ports, an airplane AC adapter. One such adapter I recommend is the IGo Juice (about $80). For my review of the IGo Juice, and more tips about airplane power ports, read "Mobile Computing: Power Outlets on Airplanes."

Earplugs, if you plan to sleep, and/or earphones, for listening to music or DVD movies on your notebook. I'm particularly fond of Plane Quiet ($80), a noise-canceling headset that buffers a lot of background noise and enriches audio quality.

DVDs and music CDs (or MP3 files on your notebook or portable MP3 player), because you can't work all the time.

Newspapers, magazines, and books. See above reason.

A nutrition bar, bag of peanuts, or other food--you can't count on being served food at all in flight, much less something edible.

A bottle of water. Three things you should always do in flight: hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate.

More Tips

For additional tips on traveling with gear, read "Mobile Computing: Travel Tips for Notebook Users."

Have you got a packing tip to share with your gear-hauling comrades? If so, send it to me.

Notebooks & Accessories

News: Targus's Three-in-One Mouse

New from Targus: a travel mouse that, with the flip of a switch, becomes a laser pointer or a remote control for presentations. The $80 Wireless Optical Mouse/Pointer/Presenter comes with a receiver that also acts a as a recharger. For more details on the Targus device and other products announced at the Consumer Electronics Show, read "CES 2004: Picks and Pans."

News: Savvy File Swapping

The new Hewlett-Packard Pavilion Zx5000 notebook features an optional USB digital drive ($25). The small, Secure Digital flash-memory-based device fits into the notebook's USB port, allowing you to transfer large files without needing cords or software.

News: Tablet PC With Staying Power

Electrovaya says its new Scribbler Tablet PC SC-2000 can run for 9 hours on its battery--a significant increase over most notebooks and Tablet PCs. The convertible tablet is a Centrino device and includes a detachable keyboard/docking station, a 1.2-GHz Intel Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M CPU, and a 12.1-inch display, among other features. Pricing starts at $2299.

PDAs & Gadgets

Review: Top 10 PDAs

The results of PC World's latest Top 10 PDAs are in. And the winners are: the PalmOne Treo 600 (Best Phone/PDA hybrid), for its brilliant screen and handy features; and the Dell Axim X31 (Best Standard PDA), for its bargain price, good-looking screen, and useful Wi-Fi connection utility.

News: Hands-Free Bluetooth Phones

Jabra's new Speakster is a Bluetooth headset that lets you talk hands-free, without wires, on a Bluetooth cell phone in a car, conference room, or other location. You'll get 10 to 15 hours of talk time and 20 to 30 days of standby time from the headset's two rechargeable AA batteries, according to the company. The headset will cost about $119 when it's available this April.

The Speakster was among the products announced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. For more details (and more new products), read "CES 2004: Picks and Pans."

Wireless

News: Use Your Voice to Check Your Battery

Wondering how much juice your cell phone battery has left? With the Samsung Vi660 phone, you can find out by speaking a command into the handset. The phone also enables you to retrieve information by spoken command on roaming status, signal strength, and the unit's phone number. The information is heard through the earpiece. The phone is available through Sprint PCS for $80 with a two-year service contract or $230 without.

For more details on the Vi660 and other new mobile phones, read "Mobile Phone Pipeline."

Business Travel

Reviews: Best Travel Web Sites

Before your next trip, pay a visit to TripAdvisor, an indispensable guide to hotels and destinations. It was deemed one of the four best travel sites in our recent "Web Stars: Best of the Web." TripAdvisor offers handy links to reviews from the New York Times, Fodors, Frommer's, and other publications as well as user comments. Among the other top travel planning sites: Expedia, Orbitz, MapQuest, and AccuTraffic.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.