Packing 2.0: I need a Suitcase just for my Gear!

I am getting ready to head out to Florida to visit my sister in Orlando (Magic Kingdom here we come!) and my mom in Clearwater.

I am packing right now for the trip. And while the clothes packing was pretty simple, getting everything that I have for all my techie needs is proving to be a surprise.

Here is the initial list of what I’ll take for these 10 days, techie things I can’t do without:

1. Dell Laptop
2. AC adapter for Laptop
3. portable mouse for laptop
4. earbuds for listening to podcasts
5. either USB skype phone or headset for using Skype
6. Web Cam
7. Kodak EasyShare Digital Camera
8. Kodak Camera Dock
9. Zire 71 Palm Pilot
10. Palm Pilot Dock
11. possibly my Palm Pilot portable keyboard
12. Cell Phone
13. AC adapter for Cell Phone
14. Headset for cell phone
15. no, I am not packing an mp3 player, I don’t have one (or more accurately, I have one around here somewhere, but don’t know where it is)

This is my list so far. It appears to just fit in a carry-on suitcase with wheels.

And of course, I will have flashlights. Lots of flashlights. All different sizes of flashlights. Sean always takes a lot of pens when he travels. It is his comfort item. Mine is flashlights. And with the new LED flashlights, I can have good, bright flashlights that are easily tucked in a purse or suitcase.

It is funny that not one of the items in my list would have even been thought of, much less packed, 10 years or so ago. The most techie item then would have been a camera, and certainly not a digital camera. Maybe a decent 35mm and a few disposable cameras. If you were really into it, you might bring an SLR (which has it’s own set of paraphenalia). And I still have an old Polaroid camera somewhere that gives you ‘instant pictures’.

Funny how quickly times have changed. Not too long ago, I would have taken basically, a pen and notebook or travel journal and a camera. And of course, a flashlight. 🙂

~Susan Mellott