Top Gear Picks 2017

2017 has definitely been a year of maturing technologies. From a road warrior perspective this means the gear is less bulky and more dependable. And the gadget bag getting lighter. Here is my personal hall of fame, which also reflects what I carry in my bag on every business trip.

1. Blackberry KeyOne. This is the phone that ended the era of power banks. Depending on usage I charge it every 2 or 3 days and it has never run out of juice.
2. 10.5 inch iPad. Serves as reading, research and entertainment device. I tried the 12.9 inch version which proved to be too bulky to fit in a seat pocket or on an economy class table. But I still use the same self-made kickstand. It also serves as a 2nd monitor for my windows laptop. 512GB memory is the key, as I can carry with me all my music, photos, books, research documents as well as several movies. Offline experience matters when you average 15k miles in the air every month.
3. Logitech MX Anywhere 2S mouse. Ultra responsive and precise on any surface (including a sheet of glass on a desk in a hotel room). Runs on Bluetooth (of course!) so no extra adapter needed.  
4. FinSix DART charger. 65W of power squeezed down to 30% size of comparable units (and includes a secondary USB socket). The only charger I carry - for the laptop, the iPad, the phone and other accessories.
5. Garmin fēnix 3 watch (actually the one I use is the D2 Bravo Titanium, but they are very similar members of the fēnix 3 platform). Great feature set of a smart watch and great battery life. My only complaint was the wrist bands were tedious to swap, but now this has been solved witch the QuickFit system, which is backwards compatible with the 3 - series).
6. Bose QC35 Bluetooth headphones. Fantastic cord-free sound immersion. Coupled with an eye mask deliver business - class sleeping comfort in an economy seat.

The honorable mention goes to the Sawyer mini water filtration system. Although not part of my business trips equipment, it worked perfectly throughout my 3 weeks Himalaya trek. Providing access to drinking water anywhere, this is a true technology marvel, especially as you consider the only energy it requires is mechanical squeeze.