Whats In My Backpack: Tech Essentials

eReader; Kobo Aura H2O

Now I know there is nothing that can beat a good solid book... But the convinience of having 10, 20, 30 books and more one one tiny device is so useful for those who travel a lot. There are two main competitors on the market at the moment; the Amazon Kindle and the Kobo. Personally I went for the Kobo as you can download any kind of format to your eReader, whereas with the Kindle you are more limited to Amazon-only books. I'm sure there are ways around this, but I am not a huge technology person, so for me this was the best idea. My Kobo Aura H2O has been so invaluable with long flights, long layovers, long bus journeys and many days spent in areas with no internet and limited electricity. This fantastic little eReader has a 6.8inch screen and is also waterproof*, dust-proof and sand-proof... Not that I would recommend taking it too far underwater, this does mean any accidental spills or if you're reading on the beach then you have nothing to worry about!

* On their website Kobo claims this e-Reader can last up to '30minutes in 1meter of water with port closed.'

World Plug Converter

One thing I am always forgetting but that is incredibly invaluable is a plug converter! You never realise how often you plug something into a wall until you no longer can. Recently I bought my first World Plug Converter and haven't looked back since! The Lifeventure Travel Adaptor converts from and to UK, Europe, America and Australian plug sockets. Now this does sound limiting, only 3 countries and one continent you say?... But this actually covers the majority of plug types worldwide, with a claim on the box that this converter will work in over 150 countries worldwide. It is lightweight, portable and easy to use

Power Bank; Anker Astro E7

So a plug converter is one thing, but what about the times you're using your eReader on a remote beach and it's about to run out of battery? What will you do with all that spare time!... Here I give you the most valuable piece of travel equipment I own, the Anker Astro E7 Power Bank. This nifty little power bank holds so much power it can charge an iPhone 6 10x, a Galaxy s5 6x or an iPad Mini 3 2.5x... It does however take about 20 hours of charge time to be at full capacity, but seems to hold the power forever (so far as I know, it is yet to loose power through lack of usage for me and I've had it for almost 6 months). This power bank is a little weighty coming in at around 500g, but is only 16.6cm by 8cm ,with a depth of a measly 2cm! There are a few cheaper models on the market, in fact there are a lot of cheap power banks around, which are fine if you have regular connection to power to charge them every time, but this power power bank has a capacity of 26800mAh, as well as a handy 3 ports... and a built in torch?! A quick warning though; It doesn't come with a wall charger, only a USB cable, but any USB to wall charger can be used with it!

Head lamp; Black Diamond

I would tell you all about the headlamp I have, but I have had it for around 8 years and so can not remember the name! One thing I do know is the brand; Black Diamond. The headlamp I have has never failed me, and I realised today I have only ever changed the batteries once?! I can however tell you about the one we recently bought, the Cosmo by Black Diamond. This awesome little headlamp is so powerful even my (rather intense) fear of the dark isn't a problem! With the facility to dim the light down in both distance (spot light) or proximity (side lights) modes, and a red night-vision light this headlamp is so versatile. There is also a lock function so you're not wasting battery by accidentally turning it on in your bag! All this accessible by one simple button.