Ever wondered how digital nomads pack expensive tech gear safely while staying within airline weight limits? In this detailed walkthrough, I show you exactly how I organize my complete mobile office setup in a single carry-on backpack without breaking the bank or the weight restrictions.
Starting with a budget-friendly $50 Amazon backpack, I demonstrate the complete packing process for essential digital nomad equipment including a laptop, 16-inch MSI portable monitor, drone with controller, wireless microphones, battery packs, cables, and protective accessories. The key is using customizable foam inserts that I received four of instead of two due to a shipping error - talk about lucky breaks!
Watch as I cut custom slots in the foam to create perfect-fit compartments for each piece of equipment, ensuring everything stays secure during travel while maintaining easy access. The drone controller, wireless mics, battery packs, and accessories all get their own protected spaces, while the laptop and portable screen are strategically positioned to avoid impact damage.
The real game-changer comes with my jacket hack that I've perfected over years of travel. Using a fishing vest or jacket with multiple pockets, you can carry additional weight in power supplies, batteries, and small accessories without it counting toward your carry-on weight limit. Security doesn't weigh your jacket, and everything passes through scanners normally.
My complete setup weighs just 6 kilos, well under the 7-kilo carry-on limit, leaving room for one more kilo of essential gear. The backpack features airport-friendly design with a full-length zipper that opens completely flat for easy laptop removal during security checks.
This isn't just about packing efficiently - it's about protecting thousands of dollars worth of equipment while maintaining the mobility that makes the digital nomad lifestyle possible. Whether you're a content creator, remote worker, or traveling entrepreneur, these techniques will help you travel light while carrying everything you need for professional work on the road.
The foam insert method works for any gear configuration, and the jacket hack alone can save you hundreds in overweight baggage fees over time. Plus, I share the specific products I use and why they work so well for this setup.
Perfect for anyone looking to optimize their travel tech setup, reduce baggage costs, or simply learn better packing techniques for expensive electronics. The strategies shown here have been tested across multiple countries and airline carriers with consistent success.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Fitting $5,000 Tech Into a Carry On Bag | My ULTIMATE Digital Nomad Backpack 0:25 Foam Insert Secret Weapon 1:25 I And I Come From Jah - Anahata Source 4:43 One Name, Many Roads - Anahata Source 5:57 Placing the Tech in the New Home 13:12 Strategy for Carry-On Luggage
🎵 Special thanks to @AnahataSource for the chilled music!
00:00okay so what we're looking at now is we've gone for a bit of an upgrade this wasn't exactly a
00:05very expensive um backpack it was probably 50 bucks from amazon but it looked like it was
00:10really good as far as being able to handle the size of all of the stuff that i'm looking at
00:15putting in here uh the laptop there's a second little screen that i've got which i'll include
00:20a link to that in the description below really really helpful um for traveling uh but what
00:26we've got here is some foam with uh little cuts in it so i can pull apart pieces i'll pull little
00:32pegs out and i'll be able to make sure that the remote control or the drone or whatever it is
00:39that sits in here actually gets nested inside nice and comfortably when i ordered this um really
00:46really grateful for the fact that the company um that i ordered it through made a mistake and they
00:51sent four of these and they're a pretty decent depth too so if we grab the remote control and
00:57stick that there you can see that they're pretty close so i've got two of them in here there was
01:04supposed to be two of these and then a couple of really like thin layers to go over the top and the
01:09bottom but um got four of these so chris is going to get the chance to see if she can use two
01:15so i'm going to do now is just um kind of place and configure what i've got and see how it's going
01:22to fit with these uh these units here
01:25it's not me and you is i and i one life one source one most high i and i come from jungle lying
01:43that truth same flame in the elder same spark in the youth know me and you know them and we
01:53one light shining eternally i and i come from jungle lying that truth same flame in the elder same spark in
02:04from the river to the holy land from the mountain to the desert sand skin might change tongue might
02:34sound but the soul of i and i is always found don't get fooled by the flesh and name
02:42the breath inside we all the same john made the tree john made the sea and planted that same root
02:53inside of me not just me not just you but the whole wide world is sacred to me
03:03i and i and i come from jungle lying that truth same flame in the elder same spark in the youth
03:11know me and you know them and we one light shining eternally i and i rise never divided
03:24love is the fruit unity the sea
03:36every time i look in your eye i see the same piece of the most high no need to fight no need to claim we all return to the same flame i and i know
03:46know deep inside one ocean just different time i and i come from jungle lying that truth same flame in the elder same spark in the youth know me and you know them and we one light shining eternally i and i come from jungle lying that truth same flame in the elder same spark in the youth
03:56know me and you know them and you know them and we one light shining eternally i and i come from jungle lying that truth same flame in the elder same spark in the youth know me and you know them and we one light shining eternally
04:24jaja
04:26jaja
04:27Oh I and I, Jaja Oh I and I
04:34Same breath, same sky One love, I and I
04:42One name, many roads One flame always glows
04:55Chant the sound, let it flow From the crown down to the toes
04:59J Ma J Ram Sweet like sugar cane
05:03Singing holy names in a reggae rain
05:07One name, many roads One flame always glows
05:11Chant the sound, let it flow From the crown down to the toes
05:16J Ma J Ram Sweet like sugar cane
05:20Singing holy names in a reggae rain
05:24Ganga flowing through the sound of my soul Rhythm and my breath jump make me whole
05:29Om Namah Shivaya in the echo of the trees
05:33Best line, carry me on waves of peace No more war, no more blame
05:37Just a dance of love in the holy name
05:40The name, many roads One flame always glows
05:45Chant the sound, let it flow From the crown down to the toes
05:49J Ma J Ram Sweet like sugar cane
05:53Singing holy names in a reggae rain
05:57Okay, so we are going to throw all of this together
06:00We've got all of the slots cut for the pieces that we need
06:05And we've got the backpack ready to go
06:11So, let's see how it all falls in
06:18Which I think I'm not sure if I'm going to need to use the straps that go across it
06:36Maybe not
06:39Simply out
06:41I'll see how it works
06:43As we go again
06:44While we're going to have to wash the straps
06:48Which I think we need to take a break
06:49Like a break
06:50And imagine how they feel
06:51Now you're gonna be able to hang out
06:53Like a break
06:54And you can have a break
06:56I'll see how you can hold it
06:58If I'm going to get a break
07:00And you can put a break
07:03that seems to be sitting in quite nicely
07:30so we've got the microphones
07:33battery packs
07:41controller
07:45I'm going to put that face down
07:47a little whizzy thing
07:54it goes that way
08:00a little space down the back here
08:02for being able to store
08:04additional propellers
08:06and the screwdriver
08:07so that will stop them from getting bent
08:10and snapped around
08:12so that's pretty much the front there
08:15sorted out
08:16because we're doing a lot of work
08:20when we're travelling
08:21I've got an additional screen here
08:23so this is a pretty slick little MSI unit
08:27which that one just plugs in
08:30via the USB there
08:32straight into the computer
08:3316 inches
08:3416 inches yeah
08:36and it's got some speakers
08:38and all that sort of stuff on there
08:39pretty reasonable
08:40but it definitely makes working
08:43a lot easier
08:44so what I'm going to be doing
08:46is I'm going to be putting that
08:47in this way
08:49so that's protected
08:50from any impacts
08:52on the front of the bag
08:53obviously I'm going to try and reduce
08:55as much of that as possible
08:56but I've recessed these parts down
08:58to lower
08:59than that foam surface
09:01so the screen's not actually going to be touching
09:04any of those parts there
09:05and that'll also
09:07have a layer of protection
09:08for the drone itself too
09:10so that's all that's going to go
09:12in the front there
09:14I've actually got
09:15I'm going to run over here some way
09:17there's a couple of little bits and pieces
09:18there's a
09:20there we go
09:21bag with our two little critters
09:24so we've got a little
09:25microphone
09:27fluffy spiders
09:28we've got to go in
09:29and a couple of cords
09:32so
09:32probably put
09:34all the cords
09:35together
09:36just to make that easier
09:37to manage for now
09:38these two little critters here
09:40I'm wondering
09:42if they're probably going to be better off
09:46just sit them down there
09:47on top of the controller
09:49so we're going to be using
09:50the controller
09:51we're going to be using the microphone
09:53so we're going to need those as well
09:54so
09:54I think that's probably
09:56for how I'm dealing with this
09:58a good way to go about that
10:00so
10:02let's see if it's worth
10:03strapping this together
10:06wasn't it a bad idea
10:10gives it a bit more stability
10:14and security
10:15okay
10:16the next thing
10:19is our laptop
10:21at the moment
10:26this unit does weigh
10:28a little bit
10:29so
10:30put an extra two terabyte hard drive in there
10:33but
10:33probably going to be looking at upgrading
10:36to
10:36a newer laptop
10:38because that one's really struggling at the moment
10:40and
10:41if we're doing that
10:43we're going for
10:44two two terabyte hard drives
10:46or maybe a two and a four
10:47so towards the back of the backpack here
10:50bring this back down on screen for any of something
10:55so there's
10:57there's a zip that runs along
10:59the entire back
11:00and the sides
11:02so
11:03what we're able to do here
11:05is open that all the way out
11:06and that could be a very easy place for us to keep the laptop
11:10given that these are set up to be
11:12airport friendly
11:14we can basically just open it up and run it through
11:16we'll take advantage of that
11:18and just chuck the laptop in the
11:21in the back here
11:22I'll flip it around so
11:23that flat edge is against there
11:26so outside of the power support
11:30there really isn't anything else that
11:32I'd be planning on putting in here
11:34because
11:34I want to try and keep the weight as low as possible
11:37maybe a couple of little fittings
11:38a few bits and pieces
11:39which
11:40I'll show you what I'm going to be doing with this little
11:42gadget
11:43and the drone
11:44later
11:45the rest of it's pretty much going to go into
11:48check luggage
11:49and this will be what
11:51comes with us
11:52as far as
11:52carry on
11:53to be able to make sure that this stuff is
11:55protected and secure
11:56and
11:57it's the sort of thing that we'll use
11:59pretty consistently
12:00do you want to weigh it?
12:02yeah we'll weigh it
12:03yeah
12:03zip it up
12:05and we'll weigh it
12:07and see how it goes
12:07there may be a bit more
12:14I reckon there's a bit more in there
12:16I think we'd be lucky
12:17if that goes over five kilos
12:19we'd be really lucky
12:20if that is anywhere near there
12:22so the bag was very light to begin with
12:27alright
12:29here comes my beautiful assistant
12:30with the scales
12:31yeah
12:35put it on
12:35gotta try and get him back to the boat
12:38come on
12:40there we go
12:41got a zero
12:43alright nothing hanging around underneath there
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