What’s in my bag: David doesn’t carry a notebook around

Apart from my smartphone, there’s no device I always have on me. The contents of my rucksack look different depending on what I’m planning to do.

I own an iPhone 12 mini. Yes, it’s over three years old, but it still works well enough for me. It’s why I recently had the battery replaced. The old stalwart will probably be with me for some time to come.

Relaxed on the go thanks to noise cancelling

Headphones are my second most frequent travel partner. I don’t really need entertainment on the train – I could also just look out of the window and let my mind wander. But since there’s always some dimwit watching TikToks on their smartphone without headphones, I need something to isolate myself with.

The Sony WH1000-XM4 fulfils this purpose. I haven’t had it for too long – before it I used a Sennheiser Momentum 2 for many years. It was more comfortable and never made me sweat. But the battery began to weaken, and the noise cancelling also wasn’t the best. I needed something better for my upcoming flight to New Zealand.

I don’t own in-ears. It all has to do with a harrowing experience that happened some time ago. Within a short period of time, a silicone attachment got stuck in my ear canal twice when I tried to pull earbuds out. Both had to be removed with tweezers. The second time I even had to do it myself since I was home alone. I was afraid I’d push the thing even further into my ear canal with the tweezers instead of pulling it out. Thankfully, it all worked out. Nevertheless, I got put off in-ears for a long time.

Tablet instead of notebook

My employer provides me with a notebook, but I don’t carry it around with me. It stays in the office. I have my own PC at home, and I don’t need a full-blown computer when I’m out and about. An iPad will do – it can do way more than most people think. Lightroom, for example, can do everything on an iPad that’s also possible on a Mac or PC.

I recently started using the latest iPad Air. Here’s where I have to make a confession. Contrary to my own recommendation to buy the large iPad Air, I got the smaller one at 11 inches instead of 13. Its lower weight doesn’t cause an issue in the backpack, but it does when I hold it with two hands on the sofa. The smaller aspect ratio is also more pleasant there, as it isn’t 4:3, but closer to 3:2.

Of course, I need an external keyboard to work with the iPad, but I also prefer one for my notebook. What I like about the Logitech MX Keys Mini is that it can pair with three devices at the same time. For me, that’s the iPad, the company notebook and my Mac Mini at home. I use this keyboard for everything.

Photo equipment: pushing back against escalation

I don’t always bring along a camera, but quite often it still ends up in my backpack. My current one is the Canon EOS R5, still in version one. I own five matching lenses, which I may or may not pack depending on the occasion.

24-105mm: very handy for capturing objects – during reviews, for example. It can also focus at short distances, is lightweight and has an excellent image stabiliser. As a result, the low light intensity isn’t a problem for stationary objects.

50mm: if I do need a large aperture, I also bring along the 50 mm. It’s so small and light that I don’t have to think twice about packing it.

14-35mm: I use the wide-angle lens for landscape shots. It’ll come along on hikes and similar excursions, and it can also be useful for taking pictures indoors.

100-400mm: I often take this one with me in case I need a telephoto. Most of the time I won’t need it after all. But it’s pretty light, so it doesn’t stress me out.

800mm: I use the Supertele to photograph birds. Given the huge focal length, it’s surprisingly light and just fits into my backpack.

The Swiss Army knife of music rehearsals

I play electric guitar. Doing so requires amplifiers, effects pedals, cables and other bits and bobs, an endless array. Ideally, I should be able to leave everything in the rehearsal room.

Lately, however, I’ve often helped out in bands or just jammed. But the same old questions pop up: is there a free amplifier in the room? If so, can I use it? If so, can I handle it?

The red box called Line 6 Pod Express makes these questions moot. It simulates guitar amplifiers and can be fed directly into a mixing console if required. I can also use it as an audio interface for recordings (yes, even with the iPad). Effects and loopers are also included – to me, it’s the Swiss Army knife of making music.

A tuner would also be built in, but I prefer to use this little clip thing called Polytune.

The backpack: boring

My Wenger backpack is robust, comfortable and has many compartments. It’s decked out in a light colour on the inside, which makes black gadgets more visible. With 21 litres of space, however, it doesn’t offer much room and I can’t fit larger, cube-like items in the backpack due to the subdivisions inside. Aesthetically, it’s extremely boring – but that was intentional. I wanted something that could be combined with any outfit.