My home office is covered in Danny’s Home Office & Desk Setup. My outdoor kit is covered in Hiking, Camping and Bushcraft Kit. This page is about the stuff I carry every day, and when I’m travelling. It’s evolved to a point where I’m comfortable traveling & working pretty-much indefinitely ****with the stuff below.
By far the most useful part of this evolution is the principles which emerged, so I’m gonna explain them first…
The main goal with any of my kit as always been ensuring spontaneity is an easy choice for me. Whether I’m catching a flight on a whim, randomly hiking in the woods after a heavy night or having an impromptu co-working session with some new friends, it should be easy to say “yes” to new stuff and just go.
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As far as physical kit goes, most of the time it’s one of four things…
1️⃣ I Got Basic Needs! “I don't have enough undies for the trip. I haven’t got my waterproof with me. My toothbrush is at home. My phone’s about to die. I won’t be able to sleep on the train without my special pillow.”
We can buy food & accommodation, so our basic needs here are: protection (waterproofs, warm kit etc), health (sleep, laundry, toothbrush etc), communication (phone, wires, chargers etc) and carrying (I can carry all my stuff about with me).
2️⃣ I Gotta Work – “I need to be at my desk tomorrow. I’m running a workshop and need my second monitor for it. I can’t do a whole week’s work hunched over a tiny laptop. My work notebook is at home.”
We need the ability to work as effectively from anywhere as we can from our home office.
3️⃣ I’ve Got Too Much Stuff – “I’ve gotta drop my case at the hotel first. I’ll stay with the bags. I can’t buy that, it won’t fit. I’m worried about leaving my bag here. My pack’s to heavy to run for the bus.”
Being over-encumbered with a giant suitcase of things I care about is my worst nightmare. In a pinch we can buy clothes, toothbrushes, and laptops. But I’m never gonna take an impromptu trip if it means binning my favourite coat & cowboy boots. The more we carry, the less freedom of movement we have – both physically and mentally.
4️⃣ I Gotta Pack First – “I’d love to come now but I gotta go pack at my Airbnb first. Gimme half an hour, I’m just laying out all my stuff on the bed. Did I pack my toothbrush or not? Shit I left my charger plugged in by my bed.”
All packing should be as thoughtless as “packing” my jeans with keys & wallet when I go out. It should not require thought. It should never take more than five minutes before you’re waling out the door.
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I’ve ended up with a system which is additive. There’s stuff I always have in my pockets. if I’m heading out for the day I add my bag. If I’m staying away for a while I add some extra stuff to my bag. And if I’m travelling for an extended period I add a second bag. Here’s how it works…
| When? | What? | Lets me… |
|---|---|---|
| Near Home | Clothes, everyday basics which I carry in my pockets. | |
| Out for the Day | Everything above plus my bag. | • Work effectively from anywhere. |
| • Stay away from home for one night (or two at a push). | ||
| • Go for a swim. | ||
| Staying Away | Everything above plus some extra stuff in my bag. | • Stay away from home comfortably for a few weeks, or indefinitely with a bit less comfort. |
| • Be comfortable on flights & trains. | ||
| Extended Travel | Everything above plus a second bag and a few extras. | • Travel comfortably indefinitely. |
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This is the stuff I carry about every day, wherever I happen to be.
I used to have an iPhone 14 mini but it was stolen in 2024, so I replaced it with an old iPhone 11 Pro Max. It’s a little large for my taste and is getting a bit slow, but does the job for the moment.