GaN charger, fancy USB-C cable maybe, small portable mouse, laptop sleeve, battery pack that'll charge it
If you own a laptop you probably take it places because that's kind of the point. Otherwise, you'd probably just have a desktop Mac or PC, right? But as great as laptops are these days you're going to need a handful of things to make sure that you get the best out of it, especially when you're on the move.
I live the laptop lifestyle to the max and don't use a desktop machine. Instead, I use a 16-inch MacBook Pro as my only computer. And just like there are some things you need to live that laptop-desktop lifestyle, there are a few accessories that are going to change your game.
I've collected together some of the accessories I think you should put into every laptop bag, and with Black Friday deals galore, you can save some money if you place your order soon.
The go-to must-haves
Getting the best out of your laptop is easy and I think you'll benefit from picking up just one or two of these things. Get all of them and you'll be unstoppable. Those Excel spreadsheets won't know what hit them!
My list of must-have accessories includes a powerful battery pack for topping your laptop up on the go, a portable mouse so that you can ditch that trackpad, and more.
This list of items should be platform agnostic, so you don't have to choose something else just because I use a MacBook Pro and you're rocking the latest Surface.
And with that said, let's get into the good stuff!
Portable Mouse — Logitech MX Anywhere 2S
Trackpads are fine but they're no way to really get work done if you're away from a desk. And what you're going to need is a nice, small mouse so that you can slip it into your bag without it taking up a ton of room.
Thankfully, that doesn't mean you have to lose out on functionality, though. The Logitech MX Anywhere 2S is the smaller cousin of the popular MX Master mouse, and it's pretty great. I use the newer MX Anywhere 3, but the 2S is now available at a discount making the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S just $39.99 on Amazon this Black Friday. It has hyper-fast scrolling, it's rechargeable, and it has extra buttons that can be customized whether you're using a Mac or a PC. And it's great.
Power source — Anker 24,000mAh Power Bank
Sure, the best laptops have the longest battery life and don't need charging anywhere near as often as older laptops. But every laptop will run out of power eventually, and the Anker Power Bank has a large 24,000mAh capacity and it's perfect for topping up not just your laptop but also your phone and tablet, too.
Right now the Anker Power Bank is available with a massive $58 discount, bringing the price down to Anker Power Bank, 24,000mAh 3-Port Portable Charger is just $92 at Amazon right now.
Laptop sleeve — Inateck Laptop Case
I have a backpack that I use when I take my laptop anywhere but I paid a lot of money for my 16-inch MacBook Pro and I do baby it a bit. For that reason, I put my laptop in a laptop sleeve before putting it into my bag because I don't want to get scratched. My bag has internal pockets with zips, and maybe I'm being over-cautious, but here we are. The added benefit is that I can take my laptop anywhere, in its new case, without having to take the bigger bag if I want to.
The laptop sleeve I bought was the Inateck MacBook Pro 16-inch laptop sleeve that's now just $19.18 at Amazon, with multiple different sizes offered depending on the size of your laptop.
A power cable — UGREEN 240W USB-C Cable
So now you have somewhere to store your laptop, and you have a portable battery pack for powering it should it need a little top-up. But that power doesn't get from the battery pack to your laptop by magic or some sort of electro-osmosis. You're going to need a cable.
The UGREEN 240W USB-C to USB-C cable will more than handle the job. It's rated for 240W which is more than you're going to need and at 3.3ft it isn't crazy long so won't take up space in your laptop bag when you aren't using it. It's also braided, so it should stand up well to the battering it'll get at the bottom of that bag as well. Right now it's yours for just $9.99, a 41% saving. Need a longer cable? The 6.6ft one is just a dollar more and worth picking up if you need added flexibility.
It's time to put it all to good use
The only other essential that I haven't mentioned here is a laptop bag, and mine is a nondescript no-name one that I got from Amazon years ago. You can spend a fortune on a bag and there are tons of great laptop bags to choose from. My advice? Buy the one that your laptop will fit in, plus all the extra bits and pieces, and leave it at that.
It's very easy to get into the weeds and spend hundreds of dollars on a bag with compartments you'll never use and reinforced straps you'll never get the benefit from. If, like me, the most adventurous thing your laptop bag does is go to the coffee shop or perhaps the library, just get the one that fits your stuff and move on.
For everyone else? We have a great list of the best laptop bags that you're probably going to want to peruse. Happy shopping!
