Chargers, cables, adapters and the cases that keep them from becoming a knot. What to look for rather than what to buy — because in this category the brand barely matters.
Between the two of us, a trip means two iPhones, two Apple Watches, two sets of AirPods, a Mac, a DSLR, a gimbal, a second camera, and sometimes an iPad. Eleven things, all wanting power at some point during the day and again overnight.
Every travel-electronics guide I have read assumes a phone and a laptop. At eleven devices it stops being a question of which charger is best and becomes a question of logistics.
Overnight is a bulk problem. Everything has to be full by morning and you have one or two outlets. That wants a multi-port charger and enough cables to leave the whole lot going while you sleep.
Daytime is a top-up problem. One device, usually a phone, usually at the wrong moment. That wants a power bank and a single cable in a pocket.
Most advice conflates the two and recommends one charger for both. It doesn't work, because the awkward items aren't the phones. Two Apple Watches want their own pucks. AirPods want their own cable. The cameras run on proprietary batteries with proprietary chargers — usually the bulkiest thing in the bag and the item nobody counts when they tell you to travel light.
Which leads to the conclusion I've arrived at the slow way: spare batteries and cables in more than one place. Not one perfect charger. A dead cable in a foreign city costs you an afternoon; a spare costs you nothing but space.
I genuinely do not know who made most of my adapters. Some came from Costco, some from Amazon, one or two from a hotel drawer. They all work. That's the point of this table — in this category the specification matters and the badge on the front doesn't.
| Item | What actually matters | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-port charger | Enough ports for the overnight load, and enough wattage that the laptop still charges when everything else is plugged in. Check what your laptop asks for — it is printed on its own brick. | Meets the spec |
| Power bank | Capacity, output, and the watt-hour figure printed on the casing. See the battery rules below — this is the one item with a regulation attached. | I use one |
| Cables | More than you think, in more than one bag. Length matters more than brand: a short cable is useless when the only outlet is behind the bed. | Meets the spec |
| Plug adapter | Changes the shape of the plug. Covers the plug types where you are going. Nothing more. | Meets the spec |
| Voltage converter | Changes the voltage. A different object, needed by very few things. See below before you buy one. | Meets the spec |
| Clear zip cases | Quart-size, clear, and cheap. Bought as toiletry bags, used for cables. | I use these |
I use one I own it and travel with it. Meets the spec It meets the requirement; I am not telling you how it feels, because I haven't used that particular one.
They sit side by side in the shop and they do completely different jobs. An adapter changes the shape of the plug so it fits the wall. A converter changes the voltage coming out of it.
Most of what you are carrying only needs the shape changed. A few things — anything with a heating element, a travel hair dryer being the obvious one — care a great deal about the voltage, and that is where equipment dies or a breaker trips.
This is the one part of the page where the rules are not mine and the stakes are not cosmetic.
The FAA is explicit: spare lithium batteries, including power banks, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. Never in a checked bag. That applies to your camera spares too — they are lithium as well, and they are the ones people forget.
On size, the FAA allows up to 100 watt-hours per battery without asking anyone. Between 101 and 160 watt-hours you need the airline's approval and are limited to two. Above that it does not fly. The FAA also says plainly that many airlines set stricter limits than the federal ceiling, so the number that governs your trip is your airline's, not Washington's.
I bought a multi-pack of clear zip cases — the quart-size kind sold for toiletries — and I use them for cables. Cheap but good.
Purpose-built cable organizers cost several times as much and do less. The clear bag has a second advantage nobody selling organizers will mention: you can see what is in it without opening it, and so can the person at the X-ray machine. Quart-size clear is also the format the liquids rule asks for, so the same pack covers both jobs.
One note on the listings: a great many of them say “TSA approved.” The TSA specifies a quart-sized bag and containers of 3.4 ounces or less. It does not approve, certify or endorse any bag or any brand. That phrase is the seller's, not the agency's.
Some links on this site are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Everything marked as mine is something I bought and use. Battery and liquids rules above are from the FAA and the TSA; rules change, so check them before you fly.