Covering the communications industry means putting on the miles. You need to be prepared to work wherever you are.

Mitch Wagner, Executive Editor, Light Reading

June 25, 2015

9 Min Read
Staying Productive With My Office-in-a-Bag

Covering the communications industry requires a lot of travel. For a business devoted to erasing the boundaries of distance, we spend a lot of time crossing those distances and getting together face-to-face at conferences, trade shows, workshops and occasionally at the bar.

While I'm traveling, I need to be able to write, snap photos, take thorough notes and communicate with distant business associates. Over the years, I've evolved my office-in-a-bag to keep me productive when I'm on the road. The process started at the beginning of my career, when the main tool was a TRS-80 Model 100.

Eight months ago, while at SDN & OpenFlow World Congress in Düsseldorf, I made a big change to my toolkit: I sacrificed vanity to practicality and bought a rolling computer bag -- the Alpine Swiss Rolling Briefcase on Wheels ($69.99). It's great so far, but I won't recommend it to you just yet. Ask me again in another year to see if it holds up to 12 more months of bouncing off curbs. (See Pics: Düsseldorf Delights for SDN Congress).

At the end of my last trip in mid-June, I dumped the contents of the rolling briefcase onto a hotel room bed and photographed it.

Figure 1: Gear The right tool for the right job. The right tool for the right job.

Here's what you're looking at:

Dominating the left side of the picture is my workhorse MacBook Pro 2010.

Above the MBP: 1' extension cords ($4.67), which free up space on a power outlet that would otherwise be taken up by A/C adapters.

Top-left corner of the photo: Two Monster four-outlet mini power strips, for extra electrical power. One of the power strips takes up residency on my hotel room desk, the other on the nightstand. These have been discontinued, but the Targus Power Strip ($14.95) looks like a good substitute.

Below the power strips: Paper notebooks, because sometimes you have to resort to that. This is my current brand ($32.99 for 12). I like the 4"x8" size; they fit nicely in the breast pocket of a jacket or back pocket of a pair of jeans.

I also carry a ridiculous number of pens with me, especially considering I almost never use them. They're just cheap, random disposable pens, many with company logos and rubber tips to use as tablet styluses.

Pro-tip: When getting up from your seat at a conference, leave a notebook and cheap pen behind to save your place and bring your briefcase with you for security.

Below the notebooks and pens: The iPad Mini 2 2013, with 32 GB storage and cellular connection from AT&T ($479). Like the MBP, it's a workhorse. I use it for hours every day when at home or travelling. The red Smart Cover ($39) is the only cover or case I need or want.

Below the iPad is my latest portable keyboard, the Jorno ($99). It folds in three sections into a black rectangular case that fits in the palm of your hand. The case unfolds into a stand for your tablet or phone. The hardware design is brilliant and I love the portability. But it takes a few moments to set up and sometimes loses Bluetooth connectivity, which is vexing.

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover ($71.38) is my previous iPad keyboard, and it works great, but it's not as compact and sleek to tote around as the Jorno when it's not in use. I also like the Origami Workstation ($27.89), which works as both a case and stand for the standard Apple Wireless Keyboard ($64.12).

Yes, I have bought far too many iPad keyboards. Is there a 12-step group for that?

The blob above the notebooks is the Vita rePETetote ($13.14), made from recycled materials. Here it's folded into its own attached pouch. When I put it in my briefcase it's a bag-in-a-bag-in-a-bag!

Next to the Vita bag and above the notebooks: Sunglasses, sunglass case, and house and car keys.

Next to the sunglasses: The Kenu Airframe ($24.95) is a little clip that attaches a smartphone to a car's air conditioning and heating vent, making it convenient to use Google Maps on the road. I have two -- one in my office-in-a-bag to use in a rental car, the other one in our regular car at home.

Get the latest mobile news, analysis, and opinion on Light Reading's dedicated mobile content channel.

Next to the Airframe: iPhone cord for the car and USB car charger I picked up in an airport or drugstore somewhere.

The iPhone cord is wrapped in a Velcro wrap. These are fantastic. I wrap each of my iPhone and micro-USB cords separately and they don't get tangled up or disappear into the cavern of my bag. I occasionally lose one, but that's OK; they come in a roll of 100 for $6.14.

To the left of the Kenu Airframe: Microfiber cloth for cleaning my eyeglasses and electronics, which are perpetually filthy anyway.

Next page: A 21st-century Mr. Scott

Next: LG Electronics Tone Pro Bluetooth Headset ($44.99). I love this thing. I use it for hours every day with the iPhone when I'm talking, when I'm walking, and when I'm walking and talking.

Below the headset:

Vaultz Mesh Storage Bags ($6.34) for a set of four in various sizes. The yellow bag contains my Lightning cords and wallwarts for Apple devices. The orange bag contains micro-USB cords and chargers.

Pro-tip to my fellow iPhone and iPad users: Don't get a white micro-USB cable. You'll perpetually confuse them for your Lightning cables. Let me be a bad example to you about that.

To the right of the Vaultz bags: three external USB batteries: A little one that Cisco gave away at our Big Telecom Event this month, somewhat bigger one from Mophie ($75.50), and a huge Intocircuit brick ($22.99). The Intocircuit got me to Düsseldorf and back to California again. It's a locomotive.

Above the Vaultz bag: 2013 Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi ($77.69) with red Neoprene sleeve ($8.41), to read a little science fiction in my hotel room before turning out the light and going to sleep. Yeah, I could read the books on the iPhone or iPad but the Kindle only weighs a few ounces so why not bring it too?

To the left of the Kindle: Shout Portable Wipes ($9.90), because I am a sloppy eater and love foods with sauces.

Top right: Ziploc bag containing various granola and nutrition bars and snack bags of nuts. This is part of my desperate and doomed attempt to eat healthy when I travel.

Not shown here:

Trianium Atomic S iPhone 6 Battery Case ($49.95). I forgot to bring it on my last trip, so it's not in this photo. It does the job, roughly doubling my iPhone charge to get through a full day away from electrical sockets. It adds only a small amount to the weight and bulk of the phone so it remains comfortable in my hand or in my pocket.

But I do not recommend the Trianum; it's too hard to get the phone out. I liked the Lenmar Meridian case ($27.25) I previously used with my iPhone 5. The Lenmar Maven ($63.59) looks like the same model for the iPhone 6. I'm tempted.

I didn't bring international power adapters on this trip. It was a local trip so I didn't need them.

Also not shown Cabeau Evolution Pillow ($39.99); I only need that if the plane ride is long enough that I'll want to try to sleep on it (and fail -- I can't sleep on planes).

Also not shown: The iPhone. I use it for email, web, messaging, to jot down to-dos and ideas as they occur to me, to scan in receipts for my expense reports, and occasionally to record interviews and speeches. I also use it for all the photos I publish on Light Reading and on social media. And that's the reason it's not in this photo -- it's taking the photo.

And finally, two items that are shown here but which I'm jettisoning from the office-in-a-bag:

To the right of the MacBook Pro: The Samsonite Add A Bag Spinner attaches a second, small bag to the the vertical handles of a rolling suitcase. Sounds great in theory, but it's not very practical. I had to watch several YouTube videos just to figure out how to attach the thing. And the entire assembly keeps toppling over. I bought it on impulse at Denver Airport and paid $25 for it -- $10 more than the Amazon price. As my Aunt Shirley says in her gravelley Brooklyn accent whenever a business overcharges her: "They should ROT!"

I'll try a different add-a-bag strap next time, one that doesn't require a doctorate in mechanical engineering.

To the left of the Shout pads, covered partly by the blue microfiber cloth: AmazonBasics Adjustable Tablet Stand ($8.99). It's fine, but I never use it.

Yeah, that's a lot of junk but it all fits in my briefcase and rolls around easily. And I'm always prepared. I can work wherever I am, take notes and photos and write stories, even tapping out a few sentences in idle minutes between meetings or when presentations are slow. At our Big Telecom Event, one of my colleagues needed a notebook and pen, and I had a spare and handed it over. I used the 1' extension cords to help colleagues plug into the power sockets in the press room. Another colleague was concerned because she's a vegan and couldn't find anything to eat on the lunch buffet; I hit her with a bag of nuts. I was like a 21st-century Mr. Scott.

— Mitch Wagner, Circle me on Google+ Follow me on TwitterVisit my LinkedIn profileFollow me on Facebook, West Coast Bureau Chief, Light Reading. Got a tip about SDN or NFV? Send it to [email protected].

About the Author(s)

Mitch Wagner

Executive Editor, Light Reading

San Diego-based Mitch Wagner is many things. As well as being "our guy" on the West Coast (of the US, not Scotland, or anywhere else with indifferent meteorological conditions), he's a husband (to his wife), dissatisfied Democrat, American (so he could be President some day), nonobservant Jew, and science fiction fan. Not necessarily in that order.

He's also one half of a special duo, along with Minnie, who is the co-habitor of the West Coast Bureau and Light Reading's primary chewer of sticks, though she is not the only one on the team who regularly munches on bark.

Wagner, whose previous positions include Editor-in-Chief at Internet Evolution and Executive Editor at InformationWeek, will be responsible for tracking and reporting on developments in Silicon Valley and other US West Coast hotspots of communications technology innovation.

Beats: Software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV), IP networking, and colored foods (such as 'green rice').

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