Julie has posted some musings on the What's in your bag meme. I find this kind of stuff really interesting, because you get ideas for how to improve your own setup. Since I'm travelling a lot more than I used to, I"m always looking for tips. Back in the Usenet days there was a thread that was about what you carried in your pockets, or maybe as much as a fanny pack. The flickr meme is the upgraded for digital photography version.

I have the topic on the mind since I'm getting ready to pack for PyCon. Unfortunately, our camera is broken and I don't really have the time to do a nice layout of my bag(s), so a few short tips.

I have three levels of "bag", depending on how far I'm going, and how long I'll be away from home.

Level 1: A ScotteVest. I have one of the 2nd generation models, and I wish I could think of an excuse to get the fleece version. This has been a huge benefit when I am traveling. I put everything into it and then just put the coat into the x-ray machine and walk through. All handheld sized gadgets have a home in the vest. I usually wear another coat over top of the vest since I am always cold, and it reduces the geek factor somewhat.

Level 2: A now discontinued Tom Bihn shoulder bag (I can't even remember the model name). This is a thin bag that hold the computer and a few key accessories.

Level 3: I drop the level 2 bag into one of the two compartments of a Tom Bihn Brain Bag, a capacious backpack. I then load all the rest of the cables, etc into a Tom Bihn Snake Charmer. That leaves the other compartment for papers or whatever else I might need to carry.

The rest of the contents aren't particularly exciting, but if you travel a lot you might be interested in something I call the "make friends in the airport kit". Invariably there are never enough power outlets wherever you go. So I carry a very small power strip that is a combination of a Radio Shack 3 outlet tap and a Cables To Go 1 Foot Outlet Saver extension cord. You plug the tap into the Outlet Saver, and you now have 3 outlets where there used to be one. It's pretty handy at conferences too. Here's a phonecam picture of that.