As we prepare to start our third year/season of splitting our time between Birmingham and the Isle of Wight, I thought it was about time I blogged about my current travel setup. In this context, “travel” mostly refers to what I use on the island, but also partly to what I use when I am somewhere that isn’t one of the usual paces I live or work.
Things I store here
Apart from the table and chair, I think I have had most of this stuff over a decade. But it still serves me well for 9 weeks of the year.
- Desk riser – this is one of those adjustable ones that can convert any desk into a standing desk, but can also raise a laptop or monitor to the correct eye height
- Folding table – slatted, so that it will break down into a small enough package that it can be easily stored
- 24″ Monitor and cables – an old one that I’ve had over 10 years and that was replaced at home by something newer
- Desk mat – because of the slats I need something to provide a surface that my laptop, keyboard and pointing device can sit on without moving around
- Speakers – old Logitech ones that I used to use at home before I wired up my home computer with an amplifier and dedicated speakers
- Extension lead – to power everything
- Webcam – I do also travel with one, but if I am working here it’s really important to have one, and the webcam in my laptop is not good enough for work. This is a really old Microsoft one that we have quite a few of in various places
- Folding chair – from B&M, and small enough to be storable. I used to use a patio chair, but I needed something that would be better for my posture
- USB mouse – in case I forget my trackball
- Amazon Basics USB hub, that I use to connect my keyboard, trackball and camera to whatever laptop I am using. It’s like a docking station, but cheap and old.
Things I carry with me
- Personal and work laptops (both ThinkPads). For longer trips I may bring my very small desktop PC.
- Kensington Orbit trackball
- Ferris Sweep mechanical keyboard in a travel case
- Portable USB-C monitor
- Mobile internet, although if we are in one place for a while we remove the SIM card and put it in a more powerful router.
- Trust webcam
- Whatever cheap bluetooth headphones I am using at the time