Two days at home, three at the office (or the other way around)? This is the kit that makes switching painless: power, audio, hydration and a few small things you only miss when you forget them. Everything is compact and bag-friendly.
Sections
3
Commute: Audio & Drinks
Laptop, Power & Cables
At the Hot Desk
Commute: Audio & Drinks
Light on-ear headphones for open-plan office days. Multipoint means one pair for both the laptop and the phone.
Sony WH-CH520 Wireless On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones
Leak-proof, fits a bag side pocket, and lets you sip or chug. The reason this bottle is everywhere is that it just works.
Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle 24oz
Home coffee for the commute. The auto-seal lid means it can go in a bag without leaking onto the laptop.
Contigo West Loop 16oz Stainless Travel Mug
The Target option for all-day hydration: 30 oz with a flip straw and a handle, so it's easy to carry from the train to the desk. Bigger than the Owala, but it won't fit every bag side pocket.
Stanley 30 oz Stainless Steel Ice Flow 2.0 Flip Straw Tumbler
For commuters who prefer earbuds over headphones: tiny case that disappears in a pocket and one-tap pairing with both iPhone and Android. Available at Best Buy.
Beats Solo Buds True Wireless Earbuds Matte Black
Budget noise-cancelling for a loud train or an open-plan floor. The Q20 won't match Sony or Bose, but hybrid ANC cuts engine rumble well for the price, and the battery lasts for days of commuting (up to 40 hours with ANC on). They fold, but over-ears...
Soundcore Anker Life Q20 ANC Wireless Headphones
Laptop, Power & Cables
Built-in USB-C plug, so no cable to forget. Plug it into the phone and keep going when the battery dies mid-commute.
Anker Nano 5,000mAh Power Bank USB-C
Corner protection for the laptop inside a backpack, plus a front pocket for the charger. Check the size for your model.
tomtoc 360° Protective Sleeve for 14" MacBook Pro
One small GaN brick instead of a bulky laptop charger plus a phone plug. 65W is enough for most USB-C laptops (MacBook Air, Dell XPS, ThinkPad), and the three ports charge laptop, phone and earbuds together from one socket, handy when desk outlets ar...
UGREEN Nexode 65W 3-Port USB C Charger
One pouch for cables, charger, mouse and earbuds. Move it between bags and nothing gets left at home.
BAGSMART Large Electronic Organizer Case
For anyone who moves big files between home and office, or doesn't trust the office Wi-Fi with a 5GB upload. Credit-card sized, up to 1,050MB/s over USB-C, and works with Mac, Windows and most tablets. Keep a backup of your work on it and you're cove...
Samsung T7 1TB Portable SSD Titan Gray
Keep one pair in the bag and one at home. 240W means the same cable charges a phone or a laptop.
Anker USB C to USB C Cable 240W 2-Pack
At the Hot Desk
Quick-drying, smooth, and retractable, so no ink in the bag. The pen people always ask to borrow.
uni-ball Jetstream RT Bold 1.0mm Black 3ct
Laptops are banned in some meetings anyway. A proper notebook makes notes you actually reread.
Moleskine Classic Large Ruled Notebook
Hot-desk keyboards are often grimy or awful. This slim Logitech fits in a laptop sleeve, pairs with up to three devices (switch between laptop, tablet and phone with one key) and runs on AAA batteries for months. Quiet keys, so you won't annoy the pe...
Logitech Pebble Keys 2 K380s Bluetooth Keyboard
Folds flat for the bag and props the phone up at any hot desk, so you can see notifications and take video calls.