Packing wisely makes the difference between success and frustration on the road.

Packing wisely makes the difference between success and frustration on the road.

To paraphrase the once-almost-ubiquitous line from a popular credit-card commercial, ‘What’s in your backpack’?’

Whether a family cruise or a two-week road trip, I make sure to pack my backpack with all the essentials needed to create a home office from the road. And with every trip, I find something new to stash in my travel case. I’m sure road warriors and teleworkers go through the same exercise.

Along side my MSI Wind netbook and Verizon Mifi personal hotspot, Below are the 10 (or so) must-pack accessories I carry with me:

– My laptops and netbooks don’t have card readers. So I carry a card reader and USB flash drive so I can import the scores of photographs I’ll shoot each day.

– Portable accessories kit. My wife picked up for me a portable accessories kit once, which I generally carry along (when I don’t have my Targus Netbook Accessories Kit). Measuring eight inches square by 1.5 inches thick, it includes retractable USB cables, an ethernet cable (with most hotels going wireless, who needs that today?), a USB hub, and a flash drive.

– A Belkin Mini Surge Protector. It sports three outlets and two USB jacks for charging, which we use for all sorts of devices, players and gadgets; even the Mifi can recharge with the included USB cable). I also have a Monster Power 2 Go five-plug, surge protected power strip.

– Kensington cable lock. I’d like to think most people are good. Some, therefore, are not. I take no chances. Small and portable, its high tensile-strength cable and compact size make it a gimme in the backpack.

– A Leatherman-like multi-purpose collapsable tool, with a knife, pliers and several screwdrivers. Small and compact, it can be worth its weight when the need arises.

– An LED flashlight. Camping, it’s a must. But again, its compact size and high-powered performance makes a strong argument for bringing it along. Besides, it’s much more user- and -carry-friendly than the four-D-cell Maglight back at home.

– Excedrin, Motrin and Dramamine (in a small Dramamine travel vial). Headaches can be the bane of any creative existence.

– Gorp / trail mix. Hey, gotta eat. And priced airport food lately?

– When traveling large, like in an RV, I’ll pack our HP 470 portable printer and other files in the Foray Mobile Workmate. If space is tight, I’ll stick with my soft, pliable knapsack with lots of pockets for my stuff.

– David Pogue likes to shash a $20 bill in his backpack — just in case. Not a bad idea.

Add-ons: I also like to pack Velcro cable ties. They’re great for tidying up otherwise unruly cables. If we’re on a cruise, we’ll bring Motorola walkie-talkies to stay in touch with the kids.

Here’s what some other people had in their backpacks and laptop bags. Wireless Road Warrior found size essential. Webworker Daily had a review of the stash in one laptop case (read the comments for some more good ideas). Here’s some more threads on the topic.

Even with this list, every time I travel, I tend to bring something new along. And it invariably gets lost among the various places I’ve grown accustomed to putting my stuff. Next time: An Ode to George Carlin’s A Place to Put Your Stuff…