Gear

Things that earn
their weight.

Safety gear has an unusually high ratio of marketing to usefulness. Everything here solves a problem that genuinely happens, at a price that is not silly. Several of the best items cost nothing at all.

The short list

What earns its place in the bag

Four things do most of the work. If you sort out only four, sort out these.

A navy backpack standing upright against a plain white wall

A bag that closes properly

$40–120

A zip that locks to itself, a cross-body strap, and a compartment that does not gape open when you lean forward.

Why it earns its placeThieves pick the bag that opens with one hand in one second.
Bags with lockable zips →
A teal power bank held beside a phone showing a map on screen

Power bank & offline maps

$25–60

10,000mAh is the sweet spot: two full charges, still airline-legal. Download the city map before you leave the wifi.

Why it earns its placeEvery other item here assumes a working phone. A dead phone is the actual emergency.
Slim power banks →
A brass security chain fastened across the gap of a painted door

Door wedge or portable lock

$12–35

A rubber wedge or a travel lock that braces the frame from the inside. Works on most hotel and rental doors.

Why it earns its placeNot about stopping entry. About noise, delay, and being awake for it.
Travel door locks →
An open roll-out first aid kit showing dressings, scissors and supplies

A small, boring first aid kit

$15–40

Plasters, blister care, antiseptic, painkillers, rehydration salts, tweezers, and anything you are prescribed.

Why it earns its placeRehydration salts and blister care are what you actually open. Skip the tactical trauma kit.
Compact first aid kits →

Carry & access

What you have on your body, and how hard it is to take.

A dark bifold wallet with banknotes folded inside it, on a dark surface

A second wallet you do not mind losing

$0–15

An old card holder, a dead card, a little local cash. Your real cards live somewhere else entirely.

Why it earns its placeHanding something over ends the encounter. The alternative is a negotiation.
Cheap slim wallets →
A hand holding an open wallet with bank cards in its slots

Two cards, two networks, two places

$0

One Visa, one Mastercard, in separate bags. Ideally one you top up rather than your main account.

Why it earns its placeCards get frozen, skimmed and swallowed. One card is one point of failure.
Slim card holders →

Power & comms

A dead phone is a safety problem, not an inconvenience.

A phone's SIM tray pulled out on a grey surface with the ejector pin beside it

An eSIM bought before departure

$5–30

Activate it on the plane and land with data. Keep your home number live for bank codes.

Why it earns its placeThe hour after landing is the most exposed of the trip. Data closes it.
Compare eSIM plans →
Braided blue charging cables coiled on a white surface

A charging cable you actually trust

$10–25

Braided, and long enough to reach the bed from an awkward socket. Carry your own plug.

Why it earns its placePublic USB ports carry data as well as power. Two ounces removes the question.
Charge-only cables →

Where you sleep

Accommodation security is mostly about knowing, not stopping.

A hotel room door numbered 313, with a peephole above the number

A door alarm the size of a matchbox

$10–20

Hangs on the handle or sits against the door, and sounds if the door moves.

Why it earns its placeYou cannot stay alert asleep, so give the job to something that will.
Pocket door alarms →
A brass round doorknob on a pale panelled interior door

A rubber doorstop for the bathroom

$5

Absurd until you are in a rental where the bathroom door does not lock.

Why it earns its placeCosts nothing, weighs nothing, occasionally matters a great deal.
Rubber doorstops →

Health & light

The unglamorous items that get used most.

A small black torch switched on, lying on a dark surface

A real torch, not your phone light

$15–45

A small handheld or headtorch. Power cuts are routine in more of the world than travellers expect.

Why it earns its placeYour phone light drains the one device you need, and holds it out in the dark.
Small rechargeable torches →
A blank white card on a desk beside a notebook, pen and watch

A paper card with your critical details

$0

Blood type, allergies, medications, emergency contact, insurance number, in English and the local language.

Why it earns its placeIf you cannot speak for yourself, this speaks for you. It works on a flat battery.
Cards & laminating pouches →

Packing for somewhere specific?

The destination notes pair this list with the advisory level, emergency numbers and embassy details for where you are actually going.

Destination notes Pre-trip checklist
On these links. Every item above links out, and some of those links are affiliate links that may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. They point at category searches rather than single products, and that is deliberate: we do not buy, test or stock any of this gear, so naming one specific item would be a recommendation we have not earned. What we can tell you is which category of thing is worth carrying and why — the choosing is yours. Where the useful thing is free or something you already own, the link points at whatever makes it easier to actually do rather than at a product you do not need.