For many people, laptops are just a way to take work down to the corner café. But for true road warriors, portable computing means bringing along all your computing essentials without having to schedule a visit to the chiropractor. As a Macworld editor, I'm often asked what I pack in my laptop bag; here's a look at the kinds of accessories that are on my must-have on-the-go list, along with some specific examples of them.

Portable hard drive

Just because your laptop is always with you doesn't mean you don't need a good backup. Thankfully, portable drives are smaller and lighter than ever. LaCie's US$140, 5-ounce Little Disk, for example, offers 60GB of storage in an attractive USB 2.0 enclosure that's only 2.6 by 1.7 by 0.7 inches in size. Keep your backup drive separate from your laptop bag; if one is ever stolen, you'll still have the other.

Network cable

Not all hotels and businesses have wireless Internet access. So a compact networking cable is a must. Zip-Linq's retractable cables ($15) work well and take up minimal space in your bag. If you've got a MacBook Air, you'll also need Apple's USB Ethernet Adapter ($29).

Portable USB hub

If you use more USB devices than you have ports for--we're looking at you, MacBook Air owners--you'll appreciate the utility of a compact USB hub. Dr. Bott's tiny T3Hub ($20) weighs only 21 grams but converts a single USB port into three. It can host two low-power USB devices and one high-power device.

Multi-outlet power strip

If you're lucky, your hotel room will have a wall outlet so you can plug in your laptop's AC adapter. But what about all your other gadgets? Belkin's compact Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger ($25) turns a single outlet into three surge-protected versions; it also provides two ports for charging and powering gadgets via USB.

USB power cables

Instead of lugging a separate AC power adapter for each gadget, look for compatible USB power cables; you can then use a USB power adapter--such as the Belkin model noted above--or even your laptop's USB port(s) to charge your gear. For example, Apple's dock-connector cable lets you charge iPods and iPhones via USB, and many mobile phones have USB-charging accessories. Zip-Linq's Charge-n-Sync line (starting at $11) offers power supplies for many portable devices.

For more Mac news, visit Macworld. Story copyright Mac Publishing, LLC.

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