What’s in My Tech Bag: A Summary of My Tech Essentials in 2020

MacBook Pro 16-inch.This is the one absolute tech gadget that I could not live without. My laptop is something that I use to create basically everything. From editing photos and videos, graphic design and also my online content consumption. I bought this 16-inch with i9 processor Macbook Pro this year and after months of usage, it has not failed to impress. This MacBook costed me a lot of money, but I use it every day for work so it is something worth investing in. Having the right laptop is crucial for the best desk setups and my MacBook Pro is by far the most essential piece of technology in my tech bag!

Apple Magic Mouse. This Magic Mouse has a lot of negative review to it. But the design and usability is seamless. Just power on and it will connect itself through bluetooth once its setup. There is no dedicated button for right click but is customizable to have the right click function and the scrolling using the magic mouse best in class, I can scroll up and down and left to right is great to scrolling through the timeline on Premiere Pro or any other software compatible.

iPad Mini 5th-Generation with Apple Pencil 1st-Generation.This iPad mini I have is spactacular. I accomplished a lot of my photo editing using Adobe Lightroom with my Apple Pencil. As I'm not a great drawer or even a illustrator to actually use the Apple Pencil but with the Apple Pencil I use it to replace the traditional note pad and ink pen to be more environmentally friendly. With the latest macOS Catalina I can easily use my iPad mini as my second monitor to expand my MacBook workspace which also works great with Apple Pencil. The Apple ecosystem is something that is bad and great. The bad is that it will kinda suck you in to get more apple products but there is a sliver lining to it every apple product from iPhone to iPad to Macbook they are all designed to work with each other seemlessly and effortlessly. Once I own multiple devices, the experience of moving between them is smooth and seemless. Notes made on an iPhone can be continued on a Macbook or iPad in matter of second, files can be instantly transferred via AirDrop, and AirPods connect to your device as soon as they are removed from their charging case. The convenience of the Apple Ecosystem is a major benefit.

Anker PowerPort Atom III 60W and Powerline+ III USB-C to Lightning. Despite the Original 96W Apple Mac Charging Brick the size of the adapter is quite huge which is a hassle to try to travel light. The compact size is 35% smaller than an out-of-the-box Macbook Pro Charger which is a huge plus not to mention that it runs cooler than the out-of-the-box Macbook Pro Charger. With the USB-C cable I could always charge any of my android devices which makes me carry one less cable. Despite that I would still need to carry a USB-C to Lightning cable which can also get from Anker which is the Powerline+ III USB-C to Lightning. If you have an iPhone or any Apple product… You can probably agree that the original lightning cable they give you isn’t the greatest… I’ve gone through several iPhone charging cables over the years. Anker Powerline+ III cable is braided which is strong and durable and it support quick charge to my iPad and my iPhone to keep my devices charge fast and running for the entire day.

Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD 45W. This is great battery bank on-the-go. Not just you can charge your phone quickly you could charge your MacBook too (When you are not using use) like charging the Mac when you on the way to your meeting to provides enough power to charge a laptop. This is something I cannot live without especially when you forgot to bring your charging brick not to mention that MacBook battery life is seriously amazing.

2TB LaCie Rugged Drives. The LaCie Rugged Drives external hard drive is something I’ve recommended many times to anyone. It is part of my favorite MacBook Pro accessories for a reason and I love how compact, sturdy, and ready for anything, they’re the ideal solution for transporting data anywhere like literally anyway and they are also IP67 Rated. The advantage of an SSD drive over a regular hard drive is that it doesn’t use a disk anymore. This means you can move the drive around freely without worrying about the disk inside being affected from movement outside. The SSD drive is also extremely quick and reduces the time needed for file transfers.

UGREEN Double Layer Gadget Organizer Bag. The tech case helped me keep my cables and chargers organized. This was so useful when I was moving from states to states around Malaysia. This inexpensive tech accessory organizer is well-built and is the perfect size for everyday travel. While it helps keep my tech gadgets organized, it also looks great and helps protect my electronics. It fits into my tech bag perfectly and I can throw it into my rolling luggage or my bag without any worry.

UGREEN USB-C Dongle. This is what is known as a 6-in-1 USB-C dongle, with six different ports available for you to use. Including a 4K HDMI output port, SD and TF card readers, and 3 USB 3.0 ports. Most of the USB-C dongles out there are a lot more expensive than this one, though that is likely due to the fact that they use USB-C PD as well. Which does add on some cost to the dongle, as expected. This dongle is made of metal and looks really nice actually. It's somewhat small, so you can easily toss it into your bag and take it on the go with you, in case you need some USB-A ports still for different peripherals.

Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L. This backpack is really amazing and is full of hidden compartments and there is also some that I don't even use. The expandable design offers a lot of storage to hold a full-frame DSLR camera body & 3-4 lenses. This is the only backpack that offers laptops size up to 16-inch and is waterproof. It's extremely versatile and can be configured in various ways to accommodate all different types of items and carry. It is very professional looking. There is a separate section in the back where iPad and laptop can be in a cushioned areas. Plus you can put your wallet and phone in a small zippered "pouch" at the top of this back section of the backpack so they are easy to get to and also have them not be visible and, again, the area is padded for your phone protection.. It is also a hard-back style, meaning very structured so it does protect things inside. The major (front) portion of the backpack easily will hold files, folders of papers & reports, etc. There is a divider on both sides with separate zippers so you open the sides only instead of whole backpack. The fabric is strong and has a look of a gray suit pattern (very subtle) on very sturdy material - no plastic can be found anywhere. You will not need to reinforce the zipper or do any other alterations

Final Thought. What’s in my tech bag might not necessarily be in your budget, but these are items that are well worth the price. I can vouch for this gear and each piece of tech that I’ve mentioned has helped me over the years. There are a ton of alternatives out there on the market, but I always like to look at reviews and see what other people recommend before buying.

I’ve upgraded and added quite a few new tech essentials from the last time. As I go through new phases of my life, I’m sure these tech essentials will change. My tech bag from college and my tech bag from working full-time remotely are already significantly different. Now I can already see things changing in my everyday workflow. I’ll try to keep you guys updated with what’s in my tech bag, but for now I would love to hear what you all carry!

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