My portable charging kit.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/

See also

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What is the best gear for travel? ZDNet's top choice is the NIU portable power pack/charger. But it's not the only tech gear you should bring with you on your travels.

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I tend to go through phases of traveling heavy and traveling light. 

Right now,I prefer the convenience and ease of traveling light, andthat means no unnecessarily large chargers, enormous cables, or hefty power banks.

Here's the kit I've put together instead. 

It's small, lightweight, portable, and perfect when traveling with myiPhone , Apple Watch , and AirPods . 

1. A great multipurpose wireless charger 

The Apple MagSafe Duo wireless charger is a fold-out charger that, for me, is ideal for travel. You can charge an iPhone and Apple Watch together on a nightstand, and you can pop your AirPods or AirPods Pro case onto the MagSafe charger when that needs the occasional power top-up. 

The MagSafe Duo packs down small, but opens out into a super convenient charging station, with the added benefit of there being no annoying lights to keep you awake at night.

Also: The best wireless charging pads

Apple MagSafe Duo

$119 at Amazon

2. A charger to power the charging pad

Don't let the tiny size fool you -- theAnker Nano II charger is mighty powerful (ignore the fact that I have the UK version here -- the US version is the same apart from the plug and the power it runs on).

This30W charger is able to power the Apple MagSafe Duo charging pad when charging both an iPhone and Apple Watch, and it can double as a stand-alone charger when you want to get a faster charge than MagSafe will give you.

Anker Nano II 30W

$23.79 at Amazon

3. A power bank

This Baseus power bank is a great combination of technologies -- a 6,000mAh power bank (enough for close to a full charge on the biggest iPhones) capable of up to 15W wireless (7.5W on the iPhone) and 20W wired charging, and the convenience of being able to attach it to the iPhone using MagSafe.

A great bit of kit, and a lot cheaper than the Apple equivalent.

Also: The best MagSafe battery pack for your iPhone

Baseus 20W Magnetic 6000mAh Power Bank

$34.99 at Amazon

4. A charging cable

Yup, you're going to need a cable. Apple's Lightning-to-USB-C cable is a good choice because you get a small, lightweight, yet durable cable that will power both your MagSafe Duo charger and your iPhone. 

Apple Lightning-to-USB-C charging cable

$17.95 at B&H Photo-Video

The whole kit packs down small.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/

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