Gear

Things that earn
their weight.

Safety gear has an unusually high ratio of marketing to usefulness. Everything on this page is here because it solves a problem that genuinely happens, at a price that is not silly. Several of the best items cost nothing at all, which is why they are on the list.

Carry & access

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

A bag that closes properly

A bag that closes properly

$40–120

A zip that locks to itself, a strap you can wear across the body, and a main compartment that does not gape open when you lean forward. Colour matters less than closure.

Why it earns its placeNearly all opportunistic theft is opportunistic. A bag that takes two hands and four seconds to open is a different problem than one that takes one hand and one second, and thieves choose accordingly.Bags with lockable zips →

A second wallet you do not mind losing

$0–15

An old card holder with a dead card, a little local cash, and a scrap of paper. Your real cards live somewhere else entirely.

Why it earns its placeIf you are ever robbed directly, handing something over ends the encounter immediately. The alternative is a negotiation you do not want to be in, over the contents of your actual wallet.Cheap slim wallets →

Two cards, two networks, two places

$0

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

Why it earns its placeCards get frozen, skimmed, swallowed by machines and declined for no reason. A single card is a single point of failure on the one thing you cannot travel without.Slim card holders →

Power & comms

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

Power bank & offline maps

Power bank & offline maps

$25–60

10,000mAh is the sweet spot — roughly two full phone charges, and still airline-legal in carry-on. Download the offline map of your city before you leave the hotel wifi.

Why it earns its placeEvery other item on this page assumes a working phone. Navigation, translation, your documents, the emergency number and the person you would call all live in the same battery.Slim 10,000 mAh power banks →

An eSIM bought before departure

$5–30

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

Why it earns its placeThe most vulnerable window of most trips is the hour after landing — unfamiliar, tired, visibly carrying everything you own, and unable to call anyone. Data closes that window entirely.Compare eSIM data plans →

A charging cable you actually trust

$10–25

Braided, and long enough to reach a bed from an awkward socket. Never plug into a public USB port; carry your own plug.

Why it earns its placePublic USB ports can carry data as well as power. The plug is two ounces and removes the question.Charge-only cables and data blockers →

Where you sleep

Accommodation security is mostly about knowing, not stopping.

Door wedge or portable lock

Door wedge or portable lock

$12–35

A rubber wedge or a travel door lock that braces the frame from the inside. Works on hotel rooms, hostels and rentals with a lock you did not choose.

Why it earns its placeIt is not about stopping entry — it is about noise and delay. A door that resists and makes a sound wakes you up, and being awake is the entire difference.Portable travel door locks →

A door alarm the size of a matchbox

$10–20

Hangs on the handle or sits against the door. Sounds if the door moves.

Why it earns its placeSame logic as the wedge and often better: you cannot be alert while asleep, so you outsource it to something that will be.Pocket door alarms →

A rubber doorstop for the bathroom

$5

Sounds absurd until you have been in a rental where the bathroom 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, boring first aid kit

A small, boring first aid kit

$15–40

Plasters, blister care, antiseptic, painkillers, rehydration salts, tweezers, and any prescription medication in original labelled packaging.

Why it earns its placeRehydration salts and blister care are what you will actually open. Do not buy the tactical trauma kit for a city break — buy the one that treats the injuries you will genuinely get.Compact first aid kits →

A real torch, not your phone light

$15–45

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

Why it earns its placeUsing your phone as a torch drains the one device you need working, and holds it out in your hand in the dark, which is exactly what you would not choose to do.Small rechargeable torches →

A paper card with your critical details

$0

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

Why it earns its placeIf you cannot speak for yourself, this is what speaks for you. It works with a flat battery, which is the scenario where it matters.Wallet-size cards and laminating pouches →
What is deliberately not here Weapons of any kind, tactical clothing, and anything that makes you look like you are expecting trouble. Weapons are illegal to carry in most places you will visit and turn a robbery into something far worse. Tactical-looking kit does the opposite of blending in. The goal is to be an uninteresting, well-prepared traveller — not a visible hard target.

Packing for somewhere specific?

The regional guides pair this list with the embassy and hospital 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.