Gear
This section collects what I've bought, borrowed, or received to test in real conditions on the road: bags, containers, technical clothing, small objects that end up mattering more than expected. Every article opens with a verdict, not a product description: what I'm keeping, under what condition, and what I'm ruling out. The evidence level is shown at the top of every piece, because owned, handled, analysed from the spec sheet, and cross-checked against other sources are not the same claim, and a reader has the right to know which one they're reading. What you won't find here: prices, five-star ratings, review counts, or a top-shelf ranking. Outbound links to Amazon are affiliate links, flagged as such before the first click, and only exist for products I can actually recommend. If an object has no link, it means the reference isn't verified yet, not that it's bad.
The panel-loading cabin bag that stopped me swearing
An on-paper analysis of a 40 L panel-loading cabin bag, after the missed-bus episode in Chiang Mai.
What's in the cable pouch, six months later
I was looking for one cable and pulled out eleven. An inventory of a pouch nobody ever sorts, and of what snuck in along the way without a decision.
The current isn't a constant
A storm killed my power strip in May, and everything plugged in behind it survived. Two months to understand what that doesn't prove.
Six chargers, one day, five eliminated
A day in Seoul replaces the usual comparison table. Each hour disqualifies a candidate for a different reason. Four models, two families, one kept.
The cabin bag everyone recommends, and I skip
The 40x30x20 size is one airline's boarding gauge, not a standard. Twenty-four litres advertised, an EU rule not yet in force, no purchase.
The Hanoi-Đà Nẵng night train sets its own rules
Four berths, a light that never turns off, and a bag you have to watch while asleep. Three constraints, three answers of very different bulk.
What the bag held in Bangkok
A bag emptied onto a bed after three months on the road. What went in the trash along the way, and why packing creates objects that don't exist.
The power bank you can't turn on anymore
"Allowed on the plane" is right there in the listing's title. That's true. Allowed to board doesn't mean allowed to use it.
A reader heads to Morocco and asks about outlets
A reader asks which adapter to bring to Marrakech. He doesn't need one. The real problem shows up once the room has only one outlet.
Replacing a laptop in four days
Six machines, three non-negotiable constraints, five eliminations. Two of the six I've had in hand. The other four, no.