Work Gear
by Jenn Lopez
As promised here is the list and reasoning for all the work gear we decided was essential to bring on our trip. The section “In Our Backpacks” is where you’ll find the list of products and the amazon links for them. As you go through, know that we didn’t opt for the best or most expensive stuff. We just wanted to get what we needed on a budget because, honestly, we wanted to choose where we spent our money and didn't want it all to go in gear. We aren’t trying to impress anyone so we did the research and decided on these items. We got what we did for what we considered reasonable prices. The lists shown in the “In Our Backpacks” section of this site is strictly for things that did stand the test of time. They worked and worked well for over a full year of regular use and if I’m super honest, we still use these items even now that we’re settled. Anywho, let’s get started.
For work gear we brought Edgar’s computer for his work and my mac for everything else. We brought two wireless keyboards with us; one tri-fold and one bifold. The bifold is much smaller and thinner than the tri-fold but not by that much given it doesn’t have the mouse pad.
Months and months before, Edgar noticed pain in his wrist from using a regular mouse and we opted for the wireless ergonomic mouse. When planning for this trip, he started researching small and flat things that could work for him, and was super excited about this flat click mouse. It packs flat and when you need it, you bend it with a click and it’s like a normal mouse. He thought it was super cool, and with all the cool gadgets out there, it’s easy to get caught up in anything new or gimmicky. We discussed the pros and cons and he decided to keep his ergonomic one. If he started to experience pain again and needed an ergonomic one, Mexico in particular is an expensive place to buy electronics. Plus with all the space saving items we already had in mind, he had plenty of room for his ergonomic mouse.
The tri-fold keyboard with the mouse pad built in was for Nora and I. We could hook it up to the iPad, my mac, and even control the mac when we had it connected to the tv for pausing movies or navigating the net on the big screen. The keyboard was awesome, convenient, and worked super well when we had the iPad or mac on the folding stand we purchased.
We actually bought one of the folding stands to try out and it worked so well and was so easy, we bought another. One was for Nora and I and the other for Edgar. The stand folds up small and works like a gem. It’s height adjustable and while it’s not meant to fit the iPad, we would use a thin book, cutting board, whatever was available to us, to create the backing for the iPad to lean against. It worked great while she had online classes and I was working on the mac. While it may not be the prettiest thing if you had a permanent set up, it was one of the best things we bought and still use even now that we’re settled.
Edgar’s work set up prior to this trip was pretty good. He had an electric standing desk, two big monitors along with his work computer. Knowing how good he had it, he knew he was going to need at least a secondary screen to work as efficiently as he had previously. The portable monitor we purchased was just awesome. Edgar used portrait mode instead of landscape and used the laptop stand to match the height with his computer. He used the swivel monitor stand to keep the monitor in place and that thing also folded up super thin and small. He had quite the setup given he was on the road. The portable monitor also became Nora’s entertainment screen for long drives and travel and when we arrived at a place that was super dirty. We’d clean an area for her and let her at the monitor and her nintendo switch while we cleaned like crazy people. The monitor and stands were just so easy to use, super convenient to set them up.
I had also purchased a protective case for my computer, since Nora and I were going to be using it everywhere and for everything. I still have the case on the computer and while it’s showing some wear around the edges, it’s still in excellent condition and is still protecting my computer. That and the protective sleeves we bought made life so easy. Kindles, monitors, and keyboards all fit in these felt sleeves along with our laptops. It allowed everything to be in one spot for security at the airport as well as keeping track of our stuff. Super handy but also super cheap.
Two items on this work list that I think everyone should have if working while traveling is the USB-C hub and the power station/electric extension cord. I will say both were awesome and kept everything powered and connected. The extension cord in particular was a gem throughout the trip. Outlets aren’t always in convenient places and when overseas, we’d use the travel adaptor for it, and then just plug things in as normal.
I know there’s a lot of different lists and articles out there about what to buy when traveling and while these items worked well for us, please think about what you have, what kind of travel space you’ll be working with and if you need anything new. Kinda like the flat click mouse that I mentioned, there were so many cool things but when push came to shove, you may decide that you don’t need them like we did.
We were traveling with carry-on only luggage and all of our electronics were in our backpacks and had to fit within those limitations. With such limited space we made compromises on what to buy and take with us, you may not have that limitation.
What I will say is that I have no regrets when it comes to the gear we choose. So if you’re looking for something like what’s on our list, I’ll tell you now, while they might not be the most expensive or best brand name, these items work and worked well for us. Hope this helps with your own research on your work gear. Stay tuned for the entertainment gear post. Cheers friends.