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My daily carry

28 Oct 14

Inspired by a conversation I had yesterday with Lee Garrett discussing his new show about Productivity and getting things done, I have decided to finish this blog post i have been working on for weeks…

I have always been interested in other folks 'Daily carries'…

"But Paul, what is a Daily carry???" i hear you cry!

The 'Daily carry' is a phrase coined by Andy Ihnatko i believe (or at least thats where i heard it first). It basically means the tech or tech related peripherals you carry on a day-to-day basis that you cannot leave home without; the Daily carry.

Anyway, I have always had an interest in what other people have within their daily carry. This interest was mainly to find other tech, cables and doohickies i must have… because you know… my life is all of a sudden not complete without that new micro USB cable with a LED light that i didn't know existed until 5mins ago. But recently i have become aware that i am carrying far too much, I am carrying cables that do not fit in devices i carry (e.g. an Apple 30 pin cable). I also carry multiples of the same device or cable, I carry a AA battery recharger and 6 (yes, 6) rechargeable batteries for an Apple bluetooth keyboard that i rarely use.

So I have given myself a mission, I want to reduce my daily carry significantly but without affecting my day to day tech use. What i mean is i want to reduce my daily carry by replacing 3 cables with 1 that does 3 things. Remove things i _never_ use and generally help mitigate back problems that are sure to hit me later in life if i continue to lug about this much tech.

To track my progress i thought i would blog and review the stuff i am replacing and dropping. I figure I, like so many of you, like to hear about new things. New things that are 3 times more awesome than the other thing that you thought was "the most awesome thing i had ever found"… yesterday.

To start this journey I am listing all the things i currently have in my daily carry and invite you guys to list your daily carry or just suggest alternatives for my stuff that might lighten the load.

Sound good? Okay lets get going…

I currently carry the following in my bag…

15" Retina Macbook Pro
Not much to say about this, its an awesome laptop and i am very happy with it.

Magsafe 2 Power block
I don't carry the extra cable, just the powerblock with the plug, i have never had need for the extra cable outside the house.

Grid-it
This is an awesome little accessory, its basically a board with elastic straps all over it, you can then slide your cables and accessories into the elastic to keep them in place while travelling. It also has a zipable pocket in the rear for holding smaller items The board itself is roughly the size of a laptop so fits nicely into your bag.

Lightening to VGA
Standard Apple version of this cable for presenting on my iPad or iPhone

Thunderbolt/Mini Display to VGA
Standard Apple version of this cable for presenting on my Macbook

Lightening to USB
Standard charging/data transfer cable for iPhone/iPad

Generic Micro USB to USB
This is just a generic cable, not sure where i got it but i carry it to charge my battery pack and bluetooth earbuds among other things

Generic Mini USB to USB
This is just a generic cable, again not sure where i got it but i carry it to power my Scansnap

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 Document Scanner
I love this little scanner by Fujitsu, it is slimline, fits comfortably in your bag and is powered by USB2. The one downside to this device is it needs proprietary scanning software installed & running on your Mac for it to work.

Apple battery Charger & 6 Rechargeable Batteries
This is just Apples AA battery charger, it looks like the early iPhone and iPad plugs but with a bit to stick 2 AA batteries for charging. I carry these for my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Microsoft Bluetooth mouse

Masterplug SRGAUSBPW Surge Protected Mains USB Charger
This is a great little USB plug with surge protection. It is a little bulky though.

Origami Apple Bluetooth Keyboard case
I have tried a lot of options for getting a keyboard on my iPad and i have found this to be the best, its a case for your keyboard and a stand for your iPad when typing. The stand part of this is designed for a standard iPad, not the mini so i need to put a pen or similar under my Mini to have it raised above the height of the keyboard. It does the job though.

Apple Bluetooth Keyboard
As mentioned above, i have tried a number of iPad keyboard/case solutions but none work as well as the standard Apple Keyboard. i just love typing on Apple keyboards.

Plantronics BackBeat GO Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Headset
I have tried a number of bluetooth headphones out over the years and these are by far the best compromise of price and quality.

Generic 3.5 jack to 3.5 jack audio cable
Nothing much to say here, you never know when you might need this cable… I can't remember when i last used it!

Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 - Black
I'll be the first to say it, Microsoft make a great mouse… Apple do not!

Samsung M3 1TB USB 3.0 Slimline Portable Hard Drive - Black & USB3 cable
Great little USB 3 hard drive, small enough to carry about, powered from USB and handy for any files you _need_ access to when you can't access the cloud.

Apple 30pin Cable
No idea why i still carry this. Not had a 30pin device for years!

The Roost Laptop Stand
This is by far the best Macbook stand for someone who likes using an external keyboard with your MacBook and moves around alot. Folds down to fit in a pouch about the length and dimension of a kitchen roll cardboard tube and doesn't weight a huge amount more.

Powergen Mobile Juice Pack 12000
Best Battery pack i have used, has 2xiPad ports and an iPhone lasts for ages and charges up with a micro USB port in the size. Lights on the top show charge left.
…it also has a flashlight… so there's that!

…in my pockets and on my person…

iPhone 6plus
I also used to carry an iPad Mini 1gen but the 6plus has completely removed my need for that. It now is used in the studio to monitor the Livestream feed.

Pebble Watch
Love this thing. But all its done is make me want an watch all the more!

…and finally, in my wallet…

Lightening Charge Card
I backed this on Kickstarter and its a great idea but i have to admit i always forget i am carrying it and never use it. I have been carrying it for at least 6 months now and i don't think i have used it once - outside of showing it to people.