I have been super busy the past several months between writing and releasing Action Phrase, helping with family, and getting ready for three trips in April. I leave in less than a week for the Deep Dish Swift 2026 conference in Chicago, IL. My talk “Playing the Long Game as an Indie Developer” will cover my nearly five decade experience with Apple computers and my thirty plus years as a developer.
Following Deep Dish, I’ll be heading over to Arizona, where my family and I will be making a short trip to view the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon. I’ve long wanted to check these two places off my bucket list, and now is the time! Unfortunately, we won’t be able to stay too long in Arizona, because I have to jet off to Las Vegas for the NAB Show 2026. It will be good to see friends and colleagues and see what’s new in the AV broadcasting industry. Last year, I was demoing RouteEffect, and this year, I have Look Straight and Action Phrase to show off.
Once again, I am stripping down my travel gear to the bare essentials and traveling like Jack Reacher for these two weeks. That means no luggage whatsoever.
I have made a few changes to my packing list from my previous zero baggage trips. Details matter to me and to Reacher, so let’s dig in!
Here’s the current list of stuff that I’m planning on bringing:
Tech
| Item | Weight | New |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 7.8 oz | No |
| iPad mini 7 | 10.2 oz | Yes |
| EarPods with 3.5mm to USB-C adapter | 0.6 oz | Yes |
| Anker Nano MagSafe Power Bank | 4.2 oz | Yes |
| Nomad Slim 65W dual USB-C charger | 2.6 oz | Yes |
| Apple Pencil | 0.6 oz | No |
| Thunderbolt 3 cable | 1.1 oz | Yes |
| USB-C cable | 0.4 oz | No |
| USB-C cable with USB-A adapter | 0.6 oz | Yes |
| Apple USB-C Digital AV Adapter | 1.2 oz | Yes |
| Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3 | 0.2 oz | Yes |
| Subtotal | 29.5 oz or 1.84 pounds |
Clothing
| Item | Weight | New |
| Buff Merino Wool Neck Gaiter | 2.5 oz | Yes |
| Bluffworks Ascender Chinos | 12.6 | No |
| Merino wool turtleneck | 8.6 oz | Yes |
| Wool & Prince merino wool t-shirt | 5.6 oz | Yes |
| Ex-officio underwear | 2.1 oz | No |
| Lululemon running shorts | 5.6 oz | Yes |
| Running socks | 1.2 oz | |
| Long socks | 1.8 oz | No |
| Uniqlo Blouson utility jacket | 23 oz | No |
| Belt | 5.4 oz | No |
| Saucony Kinvara 15 running shoes | 15 oz | Yes |
| Subtotal | 83.4 oz or 5.21 pounds |
Toiletries
| Item | Weight | New |
| Half-height toothbrush | 0.7 oz | No |
| Disposable Razor | 0.3 oz | No |
| Slide out hair brush | 1.0 oz | No |
| Dental floss | 0.3 oz | No |
| Extra hair band | 0.2 oz | No |
| Travel toothpaste | 1.0 oz | No |
| Cathay Pacific zippered bag | 0.2 oz | No |
| Subtotal | 3.5 oz |
Miscellaneous
| Item | Weight | New |
| FEGVE Titanium key belt clip | 0.5 oz | Yes |
| 3D printed belt clip | 0.3 oz | Yes |
| Miltado ML05 watch | 2.1 oz | See Notes |
| Ziplock bags | No | |
| Vapur collapsible water bottle | 1.5 oz | No |
| ESR MagSafe wallet with stand | 2.8 oz | No |
| Pocket Wallet | 0.5 oz | No |
| Subtotal | 7.2 oz |
Let’s now talk about why I’m bringing certain things and not others. To quote Reacher:
“Slippery slope. I carry a spare shirt, pretty soon I’m carrying spare pants. Then I’d need a suitcase. Next thing I know, I’ve got a house and a car and a savings plan and I’m filling out all kinds of forms.”
― Bad Luck and Trouble
iPhone and iPad mini
The rumored iPhone Fold/Duo foldable can’t come soon enough. I am bringing the iPad mini so I can run my presentation for Deep Dish and show off Action Phrase at NAB. I would love to be able to lighten the load by bringing just one device. Rumors say that the fold will be more like a souped-up iPhone when folded out as opposed to being an iPad; I’d rather it be the opposite. iPhone when folded, iPad when unfolded. iPadOS has extra features, like UVC webcam and Apple Pencil Pro support that I would find useful on such a device.
The Mini despite being small at 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches and 10.4 ounces is the biggest and heaviest thing I am carrying. An iPhone Fold would be half the size and would more easily fit in my pocket. The mini fits the outside pocket of the Uniqlo or the inside tablet pocket of the Scottevest windbreaker. There’s potential rain in the forecast in Chicago, so I will put the mini in a ziplock bag. I’m going without a case for two reasons: (1) the Moft would add an additional 6.4 ounces and (2) it was annoying to have to open the case every time I wanted to demo my apps at last year’s NAB.
Watch
I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch since they were originally released back in 2015. I had the original Apple Watch, followed by a Series 4, and am currently using a first-generation Ultra. The battery life on the Ultra has degraded since I got it in September 2022, but it still lasts over a day provided I’m not using it for a long running workout. Bringing it on this trip would mean taking a charging cable or the Anker MagGo UFO 3-in-1. The MagGo is great when I don’t worry about weight, but the shape is a bit chunky.
So, analog watch it is for me on this trip. The Miltado ML05 is an affordable quartz field watch that has the look of a classic field watch. While I would prefer a mechanical, automatic, or even solar field watch, I am in no rush. I will miss some of the utility of my Apple Watch, but I think I’ll manage just fine without it for two weeks.
Anker MagSafe Nano Power Bank
The battery life on the iPhone 15 Pro Max has never been that stellar. After two and a half years and 693 charge cycles, its maximum capacity has been reduced to 81%. I’m bringing the power bank because I may not find myself near a power outlet on travel days and I want to make sure I’m not running out of juice. When I went to Seattle for the Cubing World Championships, there were times when I was tethered to an AC outlet charging my phone in the middle of the day. I’d rather not have that happen again. 5000mA isn’t that much, but it will get my iPhone back to maybe 60%, which should get me through the rest of the day.
Travel Charger
I have been using the Anker Prime 67W USB-C charger for a year now. I like how it has three USB ports, two USB-C and one USB-A. What I don’t like is its chunky design and weight (5 ounces). When I travel with my laptop, I bring the Anker Prime 160W 3-port compact charger, which is even bigger and heavier than the 67W Prime. Since I’ve pared down my tech to just the iPad mini, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the Anker Nano MagSafe battery bank, two ports should be sufficient. The Nomad Slim 65W charger is nearly half the weight of the Anker Prime 67W and much more compact. It can slip easily into one of my pockets without making a bulge.
EarPods over AirPods
I still bring my AirPods Pro 2, but the current plan is to bring the EarPods with a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter. It’s 3x lighter than the AirPods and doesn’t require batteries. I don’t think I’ll be listening to things or making calls that often during the trip, so why not lose the weight for something I plan to use infrequently.
Toiletries and Clothing
Bringing such minimal clothes means I will have to wash things every day and hope they get dry by the morning. Fortunately the clothing that I am bringing is quick to dry and naturally odor-resistant.
The turtleneck and buff should come in handy in Chicago, but they will be too hot for Arizona and Las Vegas. I will leave those for Rae to bring back home following our Grand Canyon trip.
To Sling or not to Sling
When I was considering bringing more gear, like the Apple Watch, AirPods, USB-C hub, etc., I was thinking of putting everything into a sling bag. I know that goes against Reacher’s preference to carry everything in his pockets, but I was struggling to see how I would fit everything without looking out of place. When I packed everything in, the sling had become a mini-brick. With everything in the pockets of my pants and jacket, things were more distributed around my body.
Now, I’m not totally opposed to using a sling bag for part of the trip. In fact, because I will be transitioning from windy, cold, and rainy Chicago to the heat of the Arizona and Nevada desert, I may have Rae be my resupply depot when we meet up in Arizona. I can see myself changing my load out for the second half of the trip. For instance, I might trade off the Uniqlo Blouson Utility Jacket for a Rework Toshi 2.5L V2 sling bag and a pack windbreaker from Scottevest. In the books, it’s not as if Reacher never used a bag; he just prefers to travel without one whenever possible.
“To fill a small bag means selecting and choosing, and evaluating. There’s no logical end to that process. Pretty soon I would have a big bag, and then two or three. A month later I’d be like the rest of you.”
—61 Hours
As you can see, I could bring more, but it soon becomes a slippery slope like Reacher says. I bring the Apple Watch and soon I will need different cables or a charging station. I take my laptop, and I am no longer able to sling bag it but need to bring a backpack. More clothes and I will have a carry-on. Nah, I will just go as minimal as possible and take things as they come.
I’ll post a recap of my trip in a few weeks with what worked and what didn’t.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!
tow.com 
Leave a comment