Power & Cables
Keeping your gadgets powered on the go, with ever-changing outlet adaptors, can be one of the biggest frustrations if you are not set up right. It took my first year to get this dialed in, but it was well worth it.
Adaptors
Sometimes you can find adaptors in the host country, but they are cheap and can be poorly designed. When an adaptor cannot stay in the outlet under its weight, it's not fun trying to stack a bunch of books to balance the power adaptor into the outlet, only for it to come unplugged if you look at it the wrong way.
I now travel with the EPICKA Universal Travel Power Adapter. There are a few different models; I currently use the one with 1 USB-C and 4 USB-As, But if I were buying today, I would get the newer version with 3 USB-Cs and 2 USB-As or the TA-105 Max Universal Travel Adapter + Charger (discussed below).
Two things make EPICKA's adapter better than the competition. It works in basically every country, and it has a built-in fuse with a spare fuse kept in the housing. Apple products are next impossible to replace or prohibitory expensive to source in much of the world; I would much rather blow a fuse than my device or MacBook charger.
EPICKA
As such, I do carry a pack of extra fuses. In my two years of traveling, I've never had to replace the fuse, but if you blow one, you will likely blow two or more.
I'll plug in my MacBook Charger from the adaptor, run devices off my computer, or use my Anker 532 (Nano Pro) [10% off]. This is from the Series 5 line, which is a little dated compared to the newer Series 7. The important thing for me here is that it's compact and can push way higher wattage than a typical charger.
This little guy hits 40 watts at less than half the size of an Apple's 35-watt charger. In a pinch, I can power my laptop off of it. At 40 watts, it's not going to charge while in use but does give me a reasonable backup in case something does happen to my 140-watt Apple charger. The newer Series 7 version can now hit 67 watts [10% off].
For a 10% Discount, https://www.anker.com/referral?ic=mhyx3
If you want to save space by combining your charger with your adaptor, look at EPICKA's new TA-105 Max Universal Travel Adapter. It combines all the Universal Travel Adaptor's perks while pushing out 67 watts of charging. I prefer to reduce waste, so I need to run my old ones into the ground, but let me know how the TA-105 Max works for you!
EPICKA
Cables
Having power with backup is tremendous, but how many cables are you carrying around? Taking at least five different cables between my eight devices would be a lot. I need every USB type except USB-B, which can add a fair amount of rubber and copper by weight.
This was until I replaced them with two of Nomad's Kevlar-wrapped Universal USB-C Cables. Starting at $40 each, plus shipping, they are not cheap when replacing the cables you got for free with your devices, but they are entirely worth it. I carry one 0.3m and 1.5m cable, and they replace everything that I need. It's important to note that I have an Android phone, so that you may need a lighting cable or adaptor for your setup.
Nomad GoodsAdditionally, I have found some cheaper devices that I have used come with and charge USB-A to USB-C cables. If something is not charging in USB-C to USB-C mode, try switching to USB-A to USB-C mode; It will probably work, and yes, it will be frustrating to remember this.
In the end, only 3 or 4 items are needed to support everything; but it does make a world of difference to have everything play nice with each other.
I hope this is helpful. If you swear by something else in your pack, let me know!
Member discussion