In August 2021, we asked the staff of The Verge to tell us about their go-to laptop bags. Now, a year later, some are still using the same bags — but not all.

It’s surprising how attached you can get to a bag — especially the bag that you use to carry your laptop, your sweater, your lunch, your notebook, your exercise shoes, your kids’ diapers, or any of the other stuff you need. Whether you’re heading to the office, visiting a friend, hanging in a coffee shop, going on a hike, or just sitting outdoors to read or work, having a bag that can accommodate everything on your “gotta have this” list can help you avoid a lot of aggravation.

So, here’s this year’s staff picks — some old, some new. Most of the staff wrote about their backpacks, but toward the end, we’ve added a few different types of bags as well.

I got a large Timbuk2 messenger bag in 2015 — just in time to haul it around a CES show floor — after wearing out a few smaller options from fancier brands. (According to one company’s associate, in hitherto-undiscovered ways; I am very hard on my accessories.) It’s comfortable, low-profile, fairly affordable, and has a big main compartment with as many little sub-pockets as I could ever want. The only downsides are a) I feel sort of basic when a co-worker shows off some gorgeous Peak Design product and b) I like it so much that I feel like I must have struck an unwitting faustian bargain with a trickster god. Unfortunately, it looks like Timbuk2 doesn’t offer the customization options I got anymore, so maybe the catch is that I can never buy another one that feels just right. — Adi Robertson, senior reporter

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Most of the time, I use a Timbuk2 Authority backpack, which I like because it distributes the weight of the laptop and whatever else I’m lugging around nicely. There are a bunch of compartments, which contain some accessories for my laptop, plus eye drops, a contact case and solution, and the various over-the-counter medications (ibuprofen, anti-histamines, guaifenesin) that I don’t leave home without. However, sometimes I wish to convey to the people around me that I’m a fancy fucking lady, and then I use Cuyana’s Classic Leather Tote, with the Tote Organization Insert, which has a laptop pocket. Both bags are good at accommodating a great deal of nonsense, but if I’m traveling, I can pull the insert out of the Cuyana bag and carry it to — for instance — a wedding. Also, people are (or were, pre-pandemic) nicer to me at airports when I lugged it instead of a backpack. — Liz Lopatto, senior reporter

[Note: the Cuyana Classic Leather Tote has since been replaced by the Cuyana Classic Easy Tote.]

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The Tom Binh Synapse 25 is quite expensive for a backpack (though I assume some of that cost comes from the fact that it’s made in Seattle), but I knew that it had been a good buy when I was stuck out in the rain with it all night and it kept my stuff dry. That same week, I had to jump on a plane and go across the country for a week, and I was able to fit all my clothes and electronics into it and use it as a single carry-on.

Since then, I’ve taken it on dozens of trips, and have subjected it to muddy outdoor worksites for hours on end. It’s held up to everything remarkably well, and has been one of the most well-built and thoughtfully designed bags I’ve had the pleasure of using. The main compartment perfectly fits a laptop and a few packing cubes, and the water bottle pocket is right in the center of the bag, keeping it from weighing too heavily on one shoulder. The zippers feel great, and I absolutely love the orange color I got it in, as well as how tough the material feels. Overall, it feels like it strikes the perfect balance: it’s tough (and light) enough for prolonged outdoor use, while still being classy enough to tote your laptop and lunch to the office. — Mitchell Clark, news writer

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I see I’m not the only person with a Timbuk2 bag, so I’ll just join the chorus to recommend my personal bag, the Custom Prospect Laptop backpack. It has a good-sized laptop flap (Timbuk2 advertises a 15-inch screen fit, and it’s always held my MacBook Airs comfortably), a spacious interior, and a handy flap up top that lets you add a little extra space to the interior of the bag. I’ve had mine for nearly seven years, even using it for my weekly grocery store runs, and it’s held up like a champ throughout. Plus, with this bag, you can personalize it with your favorite colors or reflective material. —Jay Peters, news writer

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A couple of years ago, I picked up the Black Diamond Creek Transit 32 for what once was my daily commute downtown. While I wish it looked a bit more professional at times — most Black Diamond equipment is built for the climbing crag, not the cubicle — I’ve always appreciated it for its relative simplicity and the sheer amount of gear it can carry. The 32-liter pack takes a cue from the company’s ultra-durable haul bags, and as such, it’s made with a waterproof shell and ballistic nylon that can take a bit of a beating (I’ve tested this). It also features a cushioned, 15-inch laptop compartment on the rear, a zippered top lid, and separate bottom compartment where I can stash my gym clothes, running attire, and — yes — a decrepit pair of climbing shoes for those times when I decide to take it bouldering outside the city limits. — Brandon Widder, senior editor, commerce

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After months of searching and fretting over the width of straps, ease of entry, and general bulk of profile, I finally picked up the Mission Workshop’s The Monty Advanced (now called The Monty: AP) messenger bag in brown canvas. The strap on it is big and padded enough that it won’t dig in if I’m carrying a couple of laptops, a bunch of camera gear, and the general odds and ends I cram in a bag, and the quick release makes it easy for me to adjust the bag so it fits closer to the body on longer walks. It’s also totally waterproof, a thing I accidentally tested on day two when I was caught in a deluge. But if there is a spill, the lining is easy to clean — it has handled chicken curry and rum punch with more aplomb than my stomach lining. I love that it can switch between being a flap-style bag or a roll top, depending on how much stuff I’ve tried to pack in. But its style definitely skews rugged.

When I need a little more professional bag I use a the Telfar Medium Tan Shopping Bag, which a friend sold me on by saying it could hold a 15-inch laptop, charger, wallet, and two bottles of wine. She was correct. — Alex Cranz, managing editor

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“Laptop bag” to me is any bag that fits a laptop but also gets jam-packed with too much camera equipment. The slightly unwieldy but lovely Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L has been my main work bag for well over two years (I have the first-gen version), and it has traveled with me all over the country and beyond while holding up to abuse and looking clean in its charcoal colorway. I have at times packed it with multiple full-size camera bodies, lenses, and accessories, along with either a 16-inch MacBook Pro (which is easily swallowed up in its laptop pocket) or a 13-inch MacBook Air that takes a cave-diving excursion into its inner depths. The structuring of this bag and the way gear is meant to slot into its three shelves and pocket walls with side-access may not be for everyone, but if you want to carry a lot of camera and tech-adjacent gear, it offers lots of versatility. Do yourself a favor and try to make the smaller 20L version work for your needs, so when you inevitably overpack it you can save your back more than I do with the 30L. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, writer, commerce

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I found the Mystery Ranch Urban Assault 18 at a warehouse sale and it has since become my go-to for every occasion. It is not geared toward tech but has two laptop sleeves and three mesh pockets that fit my dongles, books, laptop, small tripod, camera, and personal items with room to spare. It also makes heavy loads easy to carry for long periods with super comfortable shoulder straps and a chest strap. The best part about it, though, is the way it zippers down the middle. This has been great for taking out single items even if they are packed at the bottom. I thought I would never quit my Chrome backpacks but the Mystery Ranch is lighter, more comfortable for long trips, and the vertical zipper is now a must-have for me. — Becca Farsace, senior producer

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It’s okay to like a backpack with lots of pockets (and, from looking at the rest of this article, many of my colleagues do). Sleeves for laptops, side pockets for pens, mesh lining for sunglasses. Whatever. And reader, I was once one of those people. But after using the Errant backpack for a little over a year, I came to the conclusion that sometimes it’s possible to overthink things. I mean, sure, the Errant was great when I was commuting every day with exactly the same combination of laptop, notebook, and other work accessories. But the second I needed to carry around something else — like groceries — I found the sheer amount of extra pockets just ate away at valuable bag space.

So instead, for the past two years, I’ve been using the simplest backpack I could find. It has one big compartment that holds everything from my laptop to a sweater or a grocery shopping trip, with one small compartment for pens and chargers. I don’t have to think about which compartment to put everything in, and I don’t have to spend any time organizing anything because everything inevitably becomes a mess the second I zip the bag up. But you know what? I haven’t spent any time thinking about backpacks since buying this thing two and a half years ago. And that’s exactly the way I like it. — Jon Porter, reporter

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Years ago, while wandering through the gift shop in a museum, I was struck by a large shoulder bag made from a lovely, tapestry-like material. It had a zipper running down the length of its main strap so that, if you unzipped it, one strap became two and the bag could be worn like a backpack. I spent a long time trying to convince myself I didn’t really need it, until eventually my partner grabbed it and bought it for me — and I’ve used it constantly ever since.

The Danny K Classic Backpack isn’t “classic” by any means — as I said, it is basically a shoulder bag that converts to a backpack. It’s also not quite large enough for a laptop. But it’s got loads of pockets and accommodates a lot of stuff — including my phone, a charger, a small tablet, a folded-up rain jacket, a water bottle, and more. It also looks great. I’ve used mine until some of the tapestry has begun to unravel, but even that sort of adds to its feel of something old-fashioned but still useful. — Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

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For obvious reasons, I wasn’t going out very much in 2020. I did not need my lipstick. I did not need a notebook. I did not need my cellphone charger. I did not need a light sweater, or a book, or a place to tuck away a half-empty bottle of sparkling water. When I did leave my house, what I needed was my phone, my keys, and my wallet. And honestly, I didn’t even really need my whole wallet since both the grocery store and the liquor store took Apple Pay.

So I bought the Lululemon Everywhere belt bag (a nice euphemism for a fanny pack) in very practical all-purpose black. It’s smaller than other belt bags I’d looked at and also features mesh pockets on the inside — good for stashing your phone or keys so you can open the bag on the go without fear of important things falling out. There’s also a nice little outside zipper pocket on the side of the bag that faces the body, which is a good spot for a transit card, folded mask, or vaccination record.

I’ve been using the bag regularly for two years, and it’s worn well — no scratches, no tears, no fading, and no issues with the zippers or pockets. I adjust the strap to sling it cross-body over my torso or to wear it around my waist (like a true fanny pack), depending on how dorky I’m feeling at any given time. It’s perfect for errands, great for a walk, and it’s even useful when traveling. (I wear mine at the airport and then tuck it away into my larger “personal item” backpack when it’s time to board the plane.)

The only problem with this bag is that it got TikTok-famous this year, which I guess I should have known once I saw half the people in my neighborhood walking around with some version of my bag in various colors. If you manage to catch a restock, you won’t regret it. — Sarah Jeong, deputy features editor

[Note: Until the Everywhere Belt Bag is available, we’ve substituted the Lululemon Athletica Wunderlust Belt Bag.]

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Although not a bag per se but, rather, a tool for bag organization, I swear by packing cubes. I wasn’t always a diehard fan of packing cubes, though; I’m actually a recent convert. Having schlepped across multiple continents with a carry-on, I consider myself a pretty efficient traveler, so I shrugged off the need for packing cubes for years. It wasn’t until I began to regularly visit a friend every few months in New York City that I had to reevaluate.

My suitcase would explode across her apartment, and I became the house guest every New Yorker hates to have. My piles of clothes simply took up too much room. Finally, begrudgingly, I ordered a set of packing cubes to help contain my various outfits, supplies, and laundry. To my surprise, they not only worked but I also fell in love with them. I won’t travel without them now. I can pack more, save on space, and best of all, I only pull out one cube as needed instead of rummaging around in an unorganized suitcase. — Kaitlin Hatton, audience manager

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It’s been over a decade since I had a commute, and while I have a few backpacks in rotation (including an ancient Tom Bihn Brain Bag and an Evergoods Civic Panel Loader), I wouldn’t qualify either as a favorite. The Brain Bag is a bit floppy, and the CPL has excellent construction but a few confounding design flaws — most since rectified. But technically, the prompt for this article was “favorite way to carry your stuff around.” If a child counts as stuff, then I do have a favorite: the BabyBjörn Baby Carrier One Air.

The Björn, as we invariably call it (“would you like to björn the baby, or shall I?”) is comfortable, versatile, and can haul kids either front- or rear-facing — or even on your back. Ours has survived seven years and three kids, and we’ve used it everywhere from grocery stores and zoos to hikes in the woods. It’s especially clutch for travel. Passengers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport earlier this month witnessed me sprinting across the terminal toward our gate with a 27-pound two-year-old on my front and a backpack on my back. We made the flight. — Nathan Edwards, senior editor, reviews

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Update August 28th, 2022, 1:24PM ET: This article was originally published on August 19th, 2021. Prices have been updated, and several new bags have been added.

It’s been a really stressful few years. We’ve all been living through pandemics (plural!), political upheaval, economic awfulness — you name it. And this isn’t even mentioning the normal pressure of work and family. So how do you deal?

We asked the staff of The Verge to let us know how they cope with the anxiety and pressures of living in today’s world (including having to write about these problems on a day-to-day basis). We got a variety of answers, ranging from running and meditation to pulling weeds and creating chain mail.

In other words, here’s how some of us here at The Verge relieve our stress. Perhaps one of these will work for you — or you can let us know any strategies that have worked for you.

In the garden

There is absolutely nothing better than eating the first tomato you have ever grown. Not only will it be the sweetest, freshest tomato you have ever eaten but also it will be the product of months of watching something grow and grow and grow.

I love gardening (à la Oprah “I love bread”), and for the fourth year in a row, I have planted eggplants, tomatoes, garlic, and a whole host of herbs in my tiny Brooklyn backyard. In fact, my garden is the main reason I cannot work from home. I will spend all day out there obsessing over my magical green fortress. And while I think that most people look at plants and see a green thing destined for a dry death, my experience has taught me that all it takes to grow a thriving garden is watching YouTube videos and watering. I’m not kidding — Plant Tube has you covered, and I have found that weeding my garden often allows me to weed my mind as well. — Becca Farsace, senior producer

We rent a small attached house that has a very small garden just in front of it. (When I say small, I mean two patches of dirt, each about the size of a typical NYC bathroom.) Because I’ve never had the patience to deal with planting, watering, and mowing grass, I recently uprooted all the grass and other weeds that had been growing there and tried planting some sprigs of ivy with the hope that they would grow, thrive, and provide easy to maintain but nice to look at cover.

Well, it’s the middle of the summer, and the ground is indeed covered — not with the ivy (which is doing its best) but with weeds. Lots and lots of weeds, all of which appear like magic about five minutes after it starts to rain. A pain in the neck, right? But funnily enough, I’ve discovered that the process of going out and pulling weeds in order to clear the way for the ivy to grow is, well, very satisfying. I’m doing something that (a) needs to be done, (b) doesn’t demand any real brainpower (short of what it takes to distinguish a weed from an ivy plant), and (c ) helps me let off a little steam by pulling those damn weeds out of the ground. Great therapy, all told. — Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

Chain mail

There is no normal way for me to introduce my stress-relieving hobby, so I won’t even try. I recently took up making chain mail jewelry and clothing. Yes, chain mail, as in what knights and other warriors used as protection in Ye Olden Days. I can earnestly say I haven’t been this relaxed in years.

This hobby falls into the larger category of Making Things, be that jewelry or clothing in general, but there’s something about the patience that chain mail designs require that soothes my worries. I enter an almost meditative state as I work on the patterns, and it feels good to see the progress I’m making as I go. I started with a kit from Chainmail Joe before just winging my designs entirely. I’ve only been at this for a few weeks, and I’ve already made so much jewelry. But now, I’m closing in on my first chain mail top — just in time for the Renaissance fair, too. It takes an absurd amount of hours to make metal clothing, I’ve learned, but that time passes quickly because it’s so relaxing. — Kaitlin Hatton, audience manager

Move and meditate

In times of great stress, the only thing that really helps me is exercising. For me, that mostly means running, but any kind of bodily movement works. Yoga, strength training, rowing, a nice long walk, a hike on the weekend, swimming in a pool — just anything that forces me outside of my overactive brain and into my body. I’ve never vibed with meditation apps or guided breathing, but exercise itself is meditative. Your only real focus is the next mile, the next rep, or the next flow. It’s gratifying to see yourself get stronger, and, sure, closing your rings does give you a dopamine boost.

The past three years have been the most stressful of my life, but all this exercise means I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. The 2020 elections? I was running 20 miles a week, lifting weights every other day, doing a 30-minute yoga flow in the mornings, and taking walks after dinner. After my mom died late last year, the main thing that kept me going was training for a half marathon. Anytime I felt sad or overwhelmed, I could just go out and run 10 miles. It didn’t end my grieving, but it did give me a much-needed break from it.

I know lots of people look at exercise as a huge chore, but Elle Woods was right. Exercise does give you endorphins, endorphins do make you happy, and I have no desire to murder my spouse. — Victoria Song, reviewer

My favorite way to relax, perhaps counterintuitively, is by going on a really long run. Saturday mornings are sacrosanct, when I often run for more than eight miles. My favorite route is a 10-mile trek that takes me on a local trail with an elevation gain of more than 1,300 feet, according to my iPhone’s Fitness app.

Whatever the distance, a long run gives me time and space to process whatever might be churning in my brain, and having to focus on every single step keeps me in the present. When I get home, I might be exhausted, but usually, I’ll be a lot less stressed than when I first stepped out the door. — Jay Peters, news writer

My go-to method of dealing with stress is to go completely offline. When I can, this means taking a hike. It doesn’t really matter whether I’m just walking on the dirt path by my house or doing a seven-mile trek through my favorite trail system. Forcing myself to just concentrate on walking and not a screen or the internet does wonders for how overwhelmed I feel. And while I may still be fretting about whatever it is that I’m stressed about, there’s no Slack messages, tweets about awful things, or anything else adding to it (either because I’m in an area with no service and literally can’t see them or because I can’t check my phone without tripping over a log or rock).

Ironically, my other method for ignoring the internet is very high-tech – it involves strapping a VR headset to my face and playing Beat Saber. While I think that my Quest 2 can technically access websites, they’re easy to ignore when the alternative is getting to do a little dance while swinging laser swords. — Mitchell Clark, news writer

I’m out of the habit right now, but I’ve used Headspace in the past for meditation and found it very approachable and adaptable. I’m way too anxious for the “sit and count breaths” style of meditation so I love that Headspace has guided meditations you can do while you’re walking, riding public transit, or even cleaning. You can choose the time length for your session, so it’s easy to fit in on a busy day. And naturally, you get the gamified excitement of extending your streak every day you meditate. It’s definitely the app to try if you feel like a meditation failure like I did. — Allison Johnson, reviewer

While my colleagues have already touched on exercising, I still feel compelled to share just how much it also helps me with stress (when I don’t let laziness and inertia get the better of me). In particular, I’ve recently found just how much doing consistent stretches every day helps me. I found some stretching techniques and poses from @movementbydavid on Instagram, and it’s been helping me build a new mini-routine for working on some of my personal trouble spots. When I’m at my best, I build off these daily stretches with running and / or at-home strength training. My routines are fairly simple, but they’re more than enough to get my muscles firing, and I always feel so much better afterward. The post-workout euphoric state is real, and it helps me feel focused and in better spirits. It’s a great feeling to make improvements over time, and it’s especially awesome to get that good muscle feeling nearly every day — as opposed to only feeling your muscles when there’s pain or stiffness.

I tell myself that consistency is better than intensity, and when I put in a good week of workouts, my stress levels are better kept in check. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, writer, commerce

Just say no

Repeat after me: “I quit.”

Another one: “No.”

Look, a lot of us want to make other people happy, and we overburden ourselves and then stress about it. One easy way to stop stressing so much is to quit doing things that stress you out. Arguably that’s what happened recently! I think we called it The Great Resignation? Anyway, as Today in Tabs writer Rusty Foster likes to say, “You can always quit.”

Plus also, you don’t have to say yes to things. You can say no tactfully, if you so choose, but “no” often works just fine on its own.

So you need stress relief? Okay. What do you really need to do? What can you say no to? Leave the meditation and the relaxation drinks to the people who want to stay in the rat race. Give yourself more free time to daydream.

Oh, sure, you can be virtuous and resentful if you so choose. But you know who’s actually happy? Lollygaggers and refuseniks. — Elizabeth Lopatto, senior reporter

Cars have become bastions of electronic gadgetry — but that doesn’t mean that we can’t add a few of our own. Some of us are simply not content with what came with our vehicles, some of us want to have emergency gear available just in case, and some of us have older cars that need help in order to be able to accommodate modern electronics.

Here are some of the gadgets that staffers at The Verge have used to upgrade their various vehicles.

I’m one of those boring people who has little interest in cars other than as a way to get from point A to point B. As a result, I tend to hold on to a vehicle until it costs more to keep it running than to buy something new. My current car is a 2007 Honda Civic, which, despite all the dings and dents it’s acquired over the years (mostly from being parked on the NYC streets) is still running well. The problem is that it lacks all the features that current cars offer: electronic locks, built-in touch screens — you know, anything digital.

So if I want to listen to Google Maps directions or to my podcasts or music, I have to secure my smartphone to the dashboard using a car mount holder and connect it to the audio system via the car’s audio jack. However, since my recently purchased Pixel 6 doesn’t have a headphone jack (thank you, Google), and my car doesn’t have Bluetooth, I’ve had to find another way to make the connection.

So I bought this receiver, which plugs into the audio jack in my car and then connects to my phone via Bluetooth. It’s a simple gadget from an unknown brand, but once I press the button to start the Bluetooth signal, it makes the connection immediately and lets me hear all the audio from my phone over the car’s speakers. It also holds a charge for a good long while; I haven’t scientifically gauged how long the charge lasts, but it’s been some time since I last powered the receiver up, and it hasn’t run out yet. — Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

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I spent years trying to find the perfect USB cable that could support both an iPhone and an Android phone for charging in the car. (Anyone whose partner or spouse uses a different phone operating system than they do can probably relate.) While there are many cables out there with adapters that turn a Micro USB connection into Lightning or USB-C, those invariably fail after a few months of regular use.

But reader, I have found the solution, and it’s this retractable USB cable that has all three connections (Lightning, USB-C, and Micro USB) at the end of its plug — no adapters needed. It’s sturdy and solidly clicks into whatever phone I need it to, so I don’t have to deal with annoying adapters that are certainly going to fail. It also supports data connections for both CarPlay and Android Auto.

Beyond that, the retractable design keeps the cable tidy — no longer do I have to deal with a gangly, too-long USB cable awkwardly draped across the center console. I can just pull the cable out, plug in my phone, retract the cable, and tuck my phone into the cubby near the USB port. If I’m taking a short trip and not plugging my phone in, the cable stays retracted and out of the way. You’d think that this feature would require a thin, flimsy cable that would break after just a few uses, but that’s not the case — the cable here is thick and flat and isn’t likely to break anytime soon. I’ve been using one of these retractable cables in both cars we own for nearly a year, and they work just as well as they did the day I got them. — Dan Seifert, deputy editor

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Breaker Bar

After my car broke down in college and a stranger emerged from the darkness with a shotgun and a declaration that he would protect me until the tow truck arrived, my mom bought me a breaker bar, which is like a wrench but much much longer. The idea was absolutely so I’d have something akin to a bat in my car in case I ever found myself in a similar situation, but even better, it gave me a great deal more torque for removing the nuts on my tires. Too often when you get your tires rotated or changed, they’ll use a ratchet gun to loosen and tighten the nuts, and they can often over-tighten them, which makes changing a tire on the side of the road absolutely miserable. A breaker bar absolutely helps. And according to at least one parent, it can also be used in case of other weird emergencies. — Alex Cranz, managing editor

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The biggest upgrade I’ve made to my car is adding a radio that supports CarPlay, letting me see directions and control music from a screen built into my dashboard (and ignore whatever terrible UI my car came stock with). My particular unit is a Sony XAV-AX100, which seems to be discontinued. However, there are plenty of other options on Crutchfield, the site I use to shop for car audio stuff because of its incredibly handy compatibility checker.

It took me several days to install the Sony into my Outback (exclusively thanks to the asinine way Subaru has the AC controls hooked up, which I will die mad about), though there are plenty of shops around that could’ve done it for relatively cheap. If you decide to install a new head unit in your car, I’d recommend looking up a guide to see if it’s something you want to tackle yourself — but I’d say if you’re at all techie, it’s definitely worth getting CarPlay or Android Auto into your vehicle no matter how you go about it. Not having to fiddle around with a mount or charger is well worth the investment for me — so much so that, when we got a new car, I immediately started looking into replacing its radio, too. — Mitchell Clark, news writer

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A fast car charger

Whether you typically go on short or long car rides, it’s really nice to have a charger that can quickly recharge your gadgets. And for that, you’ll need a car charger that has a USB-C PD port like this Samsung model (though there is no shortage of other options on sites like Amazon).

It features a USB-C PD port that can quickly recharge a device with up to an impressive 45W of power, if required. The one that I’ve been using in our car can quickly recharge my Pixel 6 while it’s supplying navigation via Google Maps, or keep my Nintendo Switch topped up. The device can even recharge my MacBook Pro as it sleeps (or keep the battery from free-falling while in use). It also has a USB-A port with support for an additional 15W recharging, totaling 60W from this particular model. — Cameron Faulkner, reviewer

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iOttie Wireless Car Charger

Maybe someday Apple will realize that it wasn’t the brightest idea to artificially limit the reach of its MagSafe charging ecosystem and you’ll be able to plop your phone on a magical minimalist disc that charges it at high speeds. In the meanwhile, a standard Qi charger is about the best you’ll get — and the bulky but practical iOttie Easy One Touch Qi does it with the satisfying snap of springs. When you push your phone into its waiting jaws, it depresses a button that causes those jaws to firmly snap closed on either side of your device. When you want to remove it, you pinch a pair of levers with your finger and thumb to release as you grab your slab. It’s wide enough to fit practically anything on the market, save an opened Samsung Z Fold. I’ve used one for years with Android and Apple phones alike, including newer MagSafe handsets. — Sean Hollister, senior reports editor

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Thanks to increased emissions standards, it’s very common to find turbochargers on almost all new vehicles (at least the ones that still have internal combustion engines). No replacement for displacement, sure, but the lovely thing about turbos is how easily you can modify them to increase engine power and even improve fuel economy. Turbochargers work by reusing exhaust gasses to compress air going into the engine, allowing for more power. (It’s a bit more complicated than that, but I’ll spare you the details.)

But what does this have to do with car gadgets? My favorite gadget is a Raspberry Pi running custom software from Pro Tuning Freaks, which allows me to adjust my car’s ECU (engine control unit) from my iPhone — everything from the amount of boost pressure my turbo builds to adjusting engine timing when I can’t find 93 octane fuel. A Raspberry Pi, paired with a special OBD-II-to-ethernet cable and a tune file, can literally add 50 to 60 horsepower with the click of a button. If you don’t care about cars, this will leave you asking, why? If you do, well, I certainly think it’s worth it.

Some explanations: the tune is the software that the car reads and which makes changes to engine timing, throttle response, boost pressure, etc. The Raspberry Pi is essentially a dongle allowing my iPhone (or Android device) to talk directly with the car wirelessly. You need to purchase a tune, but you do not absolutely need the Raspberry Pi. You can install the tune by connecting a laptop directly to your car.

Pro Tuning Freaks will sell you a hardware kit for $149 (when it is available — when this was being written, it was out of stock due to the microchip shortage) but will also provide the software separately (with a guide) so you can make it yourself. It requires zero coding: you basically drop the appropriate tune file (which you buy separately) onto a microSD, pop it in the Pi, and you’re good to go. Once logged in using the bootmod3 app on your iPhone or Android, you have access to your “tunes.”

Pro Tuning Freaks sells “off-the-shelf maps,” or tunes that have been tested firsthand, starting from around $500. Some tunes require no additional modifications, while others require hardware changes to allow for increased airflow (upgraded exhaust, cooling, etc). Engine tuning is not a new concept (and there are hundreds of other companies that make great tunes for various engines) but having access to vital vehicle information and the ability to make ECU changes from the palm of your hand is certainly a welcome change for the aftermarket car community. — Phil Esposito, supervising producer, tech

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I live in a state that is known for poorly maintained potholes, and so I’ve had more than my fair share of tire-related issues. There’s not much worse than that sinking feeling when you accidentally hit a pothole so big you can probably fit three Jimmy Hoffas in it and start hearing the beep of your tire pressure monitoring system as your car begins pulling to one side. After many flats and bent or cracked wheels, I’ve become a hawk for keeping up my car’s tire pressure. So I bought one of the handiest tools that I’ve been using for years now: a digital air pressure gauge. This Accutire gauge is about as simple as they come, and it instantly reads your tire’s pressure down to one-tenth of a PSI. Couple that with an inflator that runs off your car’s auxiliary power outlet, and you can easily keep your tires topped off — which is safer in general, and with some luck, may help your wheels and tires survive that next pothole. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce writer

Sumer is icumen in — or, in other words (and if you’re not Chaucer), “Get ready, summer’s around the corner!” Especially if you’ve been cooped up all winter watching the COVID stats and waiting for a chance to get outdoors, now’s the time to get ready to see the sky.

We asked the staff of The Verge to tell us about their favorite gear to help them enjoy the outdoors, whether it was on a bike, on a scooter, hiking, camping, or just hanging out and watching the world go by. Here’s what they reported.

Weighing in at 2.65 ounces, the Petzl Actik Core is not an ultra-light headlamp, but it makes up for that fact by being really bright — using two LEDs, it can pump out up to 450 lumens, which can really help if you’re trying to navigate treacherous terrain at night (or if you’re a complete weenie about being in nature in the dark, like me). It also has a red light, so you’re not that person tramping into camp at midnight and waking everyone up or disturbing the bats while caving.

Its biggest feature in my eyes, though, is that you can use it with multiple power sources. It comes with the “Core,” a removable and rechargeable battery. (There’s a microUSB plug right on the battery — yes, I wish it was USB-C, but I have to carry a microUSB cable anyway for my original InReach Mini.) It can also take AAAs, which lets you easily carry a backup in case your rechargeable dies in the middle of a night hike. If your headlamp does go dark, though, it won’t come as a surprise; the Actik Core flashes its beam repeatedly to let you know it’s running low on juice. — Mitchell Clark, news writer

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The Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork trekking poles are, to me, basically the perfect set of hiking sticks. They’re not too heavy despite being aluminum, the latch locks have never failed me over hundreds of miles, and (as the name implies) the handles are incredibly comfy, even after hours of hiking in rugged terrain. I’ve used poles with twist locks or plastic handles before, and in my mind, they just can’t compare. While the Trail Ergo Corks are a bit spendy, I don’t regret a single penny I spent on them.

One word of warning about the cork handles, though: my tent (the Tarptent ProTrail, another piece of kit I’d highly recommend) uses trekking poles instead of traditional poles to get set up. For some strange reason, the default configuration puts the handles of the poles on the ground instead of the tips. One morning I found that some sort of creature — probably a chipmunk, but in my mind, it was a grizzly — had chewed up the cork on one of my poles. So if you go backpacking with a pair of Trail Ergo Corks, it might be best to not leave them lying around overnight. The creatures of the woods crave that delicious salt from your hands. — Mitchell Clark, news writer

Two years of social distancing have turned me into a bit of an outdoorsman. Nine months ago, I bought a Camelbak Chase bike vest to accompany me on trail runs, mountain bike rides, hikes, and to the gym. The tiny pack was a big purchase for me, as it would be replacing the trusty Camelbak I’ve been using for over twenty years — I couldn’t be more pleased. Chase is breathable and extremely comfortable to wear in all climates, even when fitted with its removable 1.5-liter (50-oz) water reservoir. A big pocket up front makes accessing my phone super easy, while the smaller pockets make for quick access to fuel gels, snacks, and keys. Cargo capacity is small at 2.5 liters (150 cubic inches), and its $100 price tag is steep, but if you’re looking for a lightweight pack that won’t bounce around during outdoor pursuits, then look no further than the Camelbak Chase. — Thomas Ricker, deputy editor

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If you’re an outdoor athlete obsessed with tracking performance, then there’s simply no better multisport watchmaker than Garmin. I’ve relied upon an indestructible Fenix 6 to map my kite surfing sessions, optimize my stride cadence while running, find my way home on unfamiliar forest trails, measure the grit and flow of my mountain biking (and call for help when I crash), and track my overall fitness levels over time using detailed charts and graphs. I was so impressed by this watch that I took up golf just to see how well it tracks each shot (nicely, for anything but putting and pitching) while also doing a fine job of helping me to keep score and choose the next club.

And those are just a few of the dozens upon dozens of activities that Fenix watches — including the new Epix 2 (which I adore) and Fenix 7 series — can track straight out of the box for a week or more before needing to be charged. They’re not cheap, but if the pandemic taught me one thing, it’s that I can’t afford to ignore my health. — Thomas Ricker, deputy editor

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I’ve accepted that some people will never wear SPF 50 sunscreen every day of the year, but protecting your skin from the sun is important, especially if you’re outdoors a lot. I’ll run outside so long as it’s between 25-90 degrees Fahrenheit — and at either end of that range, my Nike Dri-FIT Aerobill Featherlight running cap comes in clutch.

In the summer, it protects my face from the sun, and the perforations help me stay cool. It’s also great for wicking sweat away from my brow and keeping my hair off my neck. On blustery winter days, I stick a headband over it and boom: warm ears and protection from the wind. It’s also lightweight enough that I’ll wear it on errands, hiking, to the beach or just walking around. Most recently, I wore it while I ran the NYC Half Marathon. But the best thing about a running hat is I don’t get distracted by environmental annoyances. I can just enjoy my run. — Victoria Song, reviewer

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My favorite summer look is a Chrome Citizen Night Messenger bag with a JBL Clip 3 speaker on the shoulder hook. The speaker perfectly clicks onto the hook of the backpack and sits at right about shoulder height, ensuring I can hear my music clearly without it blasting for every last Brooklynite to hear. Although I would not recommend this backpack for everyday use — when standing upright, the weight on the bag can sit a bit heavy for just one shoulder — it is incredibly comfortable to bike with. And that is why it’s a summer look! Catch me whippin’ down Brooklyn streets jamming every sunny day in this set-up. — Becca Farsace, senior director

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As someone who has seen his fair share of incidents in the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest due to my involvement with search and rescue, I’ve never been one to balk at overcompensating for safety in the outdoors. That’s why I started carrying Garmin’s rugged inReach Mini a few years back for some added peace of mind for me, my partner, and pretty much everyone I know.

The inReach Mini is pretty barebones as far as two-way satellite communicators go. The small, 3.5-ounce device relies on the Iridium satellite network and allows you to send and receive text messages when you’re out of cellphone range, giving you a quick way to communicate with an email address, a phone number, or another inReach via the device itself or through an accompanying mobile app. You can also use it to trigger an SOS beacon, which will alert a 24/7 monitoring center, notify preset contacts, and contact emergency responders in your area. Thankfully, I’ve never had to use the latter function, but it’s nice to know it’s there should I break my leg or find myself wandering the Cascades aimlessly.

Beyond that, however, the inReach Mini is pretty limited. Depending on which subscription you opt for, you can also use it to check the weather forecast in your area — something incredibly handy when you plan on sleeping outside — and to track and share your progress online, which allows others to keep tabs on your trek by monitoring Garmin’s web interface. The newer Mini 2 touts a few incremental upgrades, including a USB-C port and longer battery life, but the bulk of the functionality remains unchanged. — Brandon Widder, senior editor, commerce

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I drink a lot of water. My daily goal is to drink one gallon or more, and I do often succeed in this task. Now, that’s not so hard when I’m home all the time, but it’s much more challenging when I’m out and about. While I own many water bottles, there’s only one I really prefer most of all for traveling or taking outdoors on an adventure — the Vapur collapsible bottle. It’s basically a flexible bladder with a removable cap and carabiner, and once you’ve drunk all your water, you can roll / fold it up and tuck it away. I’ve brought this water bottle on many outdoor hikes and both domestic and international travel, and it’s been a lifesaver as well as a space-saver for me. It’s just so easy to head out with some water in tow, drink it, roll it up, and tuck it away in a bag or even a pocket until there’s a chance to refill. You can even clip it to your bag strap or a belt loop once it’s filled up, so it can go with you just about anywhere and not take up too much space or add much weight to your load.

Sure, it’s a little awkward to drink from at first, and you may get the occasional odd look when someone thinks you’re drinking from a plastic bag, but you get used to both aspects over time. If you have to keep yourself very hydrated, even when you have to pack light and small, the Vapur is a helpful little ally to have in your corner (or the tiny pocket of your camera bag or purse). — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, writer, commerce

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When I sold my car to a robotic algorithm for more than I paid brand new, I knew exactly how I’d get around town: the best lightweight electric scooter on the market. I unfold my E-TWOW Booster V and zip down the street in the bike lane, passing all but the fastest road bikes at 25 miles per hour. If I need to hop on the BART train to San Francisco, it folds down easy (including the handlebars) to fit right under the seats, and its 24-pound weight is plenty manageable when hauling it up and down escalators and staircases.

I’ve been keeping my eyes out for the past five years, and nobody’s come up with a better all-around design than E-TWOW yet. Anything with more speed and range is usually far heavier, and the few scooters that come close (like Unagi) have comparatively terrible suspension. I’d never ride them on the road. But the hidden rear coil and front shock absorber of the E-TWOW are springy enough that I only feel the jolts at train crossings or actual debris in the road. Just don’t be lulled into a sense of long range by the neat regenerative braking feature — if you’re a moderately heavy rider like me, you’re not going to get anywhere near the quoted 24 miles on a charge.

E-TWOW and its distributor, UScooters, also sell a new longer-range model with an extra handbrake, but it weighs more. — Sean Hollister, senior reports editor

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Several years ago, my partner and I went to a small trade show where the theme was Florida. We stayed until closing, chatting with friends, and as we were leaving, a staffer who was packing up the show’s decorations ran up to us and asked, rather desperately, “Could you use a pink flamingo?” It turned out that the many plastic pink flamingos that decorated the show floor had been bought (not rented) for the occasion, and now the organizers had no idea what to do with them, short of putting them out for the trash. So we took two of them home and stuck them in our tiny garden, and ever since, we’ve loved our retro lawn decorations. They keep us company when we’re sitting outside and help make up for my innate lack of talent with growing things. And they come in handy — whenever we want to direct somebody to our home, all we have to do is say, “Look for the house with two pink flamingos!” — Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

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If you’ve got a pet, it’s likely you have something cool that you use to either feed the pet, amuse the pet, watch the pet, track the pet, or travel with the pet. Well, the folks here at The Verge are no different: many have animal companions whom they feed, pamper, worry about — even obsess about — and totally enjoy.

We asked our co-workers to tell us about some of the techie (and not-so-techie) gadgets that they use to keep their pets clean, fed, and amused — along with portraits of the much-loved dogs and cats. We’ve got some great photos to show you. Enjoy.

Aslan

Mitchell Clark, news writer

Photo by Mitchell Clark / The Verge

We got the WOPET automatic feeder after our vet informed us that our cat Aslan needed some kitty liposuction. We had been letting him eat whenever he wanted out of a gravity feeder, but he clearly didn’t have enough self-control for that — and I didn’t have the willpower to feed him on a set schedule (or, if I’m honest, to not give him a little extra when he looks up at me with his cute little face). The WOPET solved that issue by dispensing his food four times a day with set amounts, making sure I know exactly how much he’s eating without actually having to wake up to give him his midnight snack. It’s also great when we go on vacation.

Just as importantly, it doesn’t have an app, or Wi-Fi, or anything that will someday become “unsupported,” rendering my feeder a brick. It just has buttons on the top that I can use to set how often my cat gets fed and how much food gets dispensed with each meal. (Though if you’re the type that wants your pet feeder to connect to the internet, WOPET does make a version with an app and a built-in camera, though I can’t speak to the quality of those features.)

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The ChomChom pet hair remover is an extraordinarily simple device — it’s basically a couple of pieces of plastic, fabric, and rubber. But through some dark magic, it’s better at getting cat hair off my couch, cat tree, and other upholstery than even the adhesive-laden lint rollers (though those are still superior if the thing you’re trying to de-pet is yourself). I’d explain more, but honestly, I think the ChomChom can best be explained with this gif:

Gif by Mitchell Clark / The Verge

I know I’m stretching the definition of “tech” here, but I just had to share the ChomChom because the first time I saw someone use it, my jaw dropped. I hope it can change your life like it did mine. (Note: as far as I can tell, the Limited Cat edition ChomChom that I paid extra for is 0 percent more functional than the regular one. It was still worth it, though.)

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Jeeves

Elizabeth Lopatto, deputy editor

Photo by Liz Lopatto / The Verge

Jeeves loves to be in the office with me while I work. (I assume she’s supervising.) Anyway, to make her cozier, I got her this fuzzy cat bed. At first, she was afraid of it — she’s extremely shy around new people and objects — but now, a year later, it’s her favorite place to sit that isn’t my lap. Usually, she spends the afternoon snuggled up in it.

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So my boyfriend came home from Costco one day — ominous start to the sentence, I know — and said he’d “gotten me a present.” Then he admitted he’d gotten the cat a present. Then he said we could all use it. We do. It’s an electric blanket, and Jeeves loves it. (It’s also great if your back or neck hurts.) You know how cats love to lie on heating grates? She’ll ditch the heating grate for this because I think it’s probably more comfortable, and also, it means she gets to cuddle her humans.

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Trico and Kaiser

Adi Robertson, senior reporter

Photo by Adi Robertson / The Verge

Skoon’s selling point is that it’s made of diatomaceous earth — as in, it’s a literal bag of soft rocks. I cannot explain what makes these rocks capable of almost completely nullifying smells and stopping my trash monsters from tracking dust around the apartment better than any normal litter I’ve ever tried. (It’s also supposedly eco-friendly, what with the “being just a bag of rocks” thing, but I can’t empirically attest to that.) My husband refers to it as “a miracle of science,” and I’m not going to disagree.

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Trudee

Kaitlin Hatton, senior social media manager

Photo by Kaitlin Hatton / The Verge

Trudee, otherwise known as My Boss, is notoriously insistent on being the focus of my attention. At any given moment, she has 20 toys strewn about my apartment, but she will not play with them unless I’m watching her. Like literally, no distractions, sitting within feet of her, just staring at her chewing on her toys for hours on end.

Don’t get me wrong — I love staring at my dog, but she doesn’t get the enrichment she deserves when her activity levels are tied directly to my ability to give her undivided attention. That is, until I bought The Pet Fit For Life Plush Wand. It has a toy attached to a long, chewable rope that is suspended from a metal pole. Now I not only toss the toy about the room from the comfort of my couch, but Trudee is also so distracted by chasing it, she doesn’t notice if I am not making direct eye contact. It’s a win-win.

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Ned and Olive

Sarah Smithers, senior editorial coordinator

Photo by Sarah Smithers / The Verge

My husband and I have two medium-sized dogs named Ned and Olive.

I could go on and on about their positive qualities, but instead, I will be focusing on the one negative that they share: they are walking hairballs. I don’t know how two animals could possibly shed as much as they do. It doesn’t matter what season it is — every day, they lose enough hair to make a whole new dog.

I haul my giant vacuum cleaner out at least twice a week in an attempt to keep my floors as fur-free as possible. But five minutes after I’ve put it away, another dog hair tumbleweed will roll across the hardwood.

That’s where my Shark Cordless Pet Perfect Handheld Vacuum comes in. It’s cordless and weighs about 15 pounds less than my regular vacuum, which makes tidying up in between regularly scheduled cleaning sessions a breeze. Every evening, I spend two minutes walking around my living room, just sucking up hairballs (or the stuffing from murdered toys) as needed. Sure, it’s not great at getting the hair out of our rugs, but it definitely keeps the hardwood floors neat enough. And as an added bonus, it is not half as loud as a normal vacuum, meaning Ned doesn’t hide from it, and Olive doesn’t try to attack it.

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Bill and Ted

Alice Newcome-Beill, commerce writer

Photo by Alice Newcome-Beill / The Verge

Cats are a mathematical curiosity: you want one, and you end up bringing home two. You have two, and yet, they somehow produce enough poop for three. When my partner and I were looking for a new feline companion, we didn’t anticipate bringing home two, but the dynamic duo known as Bill & Ted are an inseparable pair. Don’t get me wrong — they’re sweet, adorable, but occasionally foul creatures. After spending a week or so emptying their communal litter box on a seemingly constant basis, I knew that we needed some kind of automated solution. While there are plenty of automatic litter boxes on the market, there’s just one Litter-Robot. This unconventional but clever piece of engineering is by far the most elegant solution I’ve seen to keeping a litter box turd-free.

The central compartment of the Litter-Robot rotates in place to sift out litter and deposit clumps in a bag that’s in a drawer in the base of the litter robot. For our two roughly two-year-old cats, we empty the bin about once a week. The Litter-Robot is also equipped with a pressure sensor, so it never cycles while a cat is using it, and it has an LED light to keep it illuminated in dark areas if your cat has vision problems. You can program how often you want the Litter-Robot to cycle and can even program a sleep period, so it doesn’t cycle in the middle of the night. I never thought I’d be discussing quality-of-life features for a litter box, but here we are.

The Connect series offers many of the same features as the standard model but uses an app to allow you to remotely cycle the device and track your cat’s bathroom habits. The Litter-Robot 3 is definitely more expensive but is one of the best investments I’ve made for my cats, and frankly, anyone that owns more than one cat should consider owning one.

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Olivia and Mozart

Helen Havlak, publisher

Our cat Olivia (we also have a step-cat named Mozart) is a voracious beast who loves dry food so much that sometimes she eats too fast and then vomits. Enter this Catit slow feeder, which consists of five plastic cups in a holder. You distribute the food between each cup, and then your cat has to fish the food out with their paws in order to eat. This slows down mealtime significantly, and I like to think it gives our cat a little extra physical and mental exercise.

It can be a bit messy — she sometimes flings food and then has to chase it down — so don’t place it in a high foot-traffic area. But compared to other slow feeders, I like that you can disassemble it and run the individual food cups through your dishwasher when it needs to be cleaned.

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This ceramic pet fountain is a little pricey, but unlike other fountains we’ve tried, it is entirely silent. That means you can put it in your bedroom or bathroom without having to listen to an incessant gurgle or the whirring of a motor. This was a big problem with our old one, even after we added rocks to try to minimize the splashing noises. It’s also extremely easy to clean: the top lifts off, the pump lifts up, and you can quickly soap it down with hot water. We don’t bother buying their replaceable carbon filters; we just start with filtered water and clean regularly.

Most importantly, our cat loves it — which is especially important as she also loves dry food!

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If you love your cat but also love your furniture, do yourself a favor and buy a few cardboard cat scratchers. Our cat loves them way more than any fancy cat tree and has pretty much entirely stopped scratching our couch. We get several months’ use out of each one, especially as they are reversible. For extra cuteness, you can even splurge on one shaped like a skateboard.

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Oscar and Pouncey

Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce writer

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

We have two cats, Pouncey and Oscar, who have always shared a litter box. Oscar, the younger one, is quite messy — jumping out of the box with reckless abandon and spreading litter all over. We initially had a covered box to slightly circumvent this, but last year, we opted for a pricy self-cleaning one to keep things tidier (it was on sale for a little more than $400 then). Like much smart home tech, it’s excellent in some ways and dumb in others.

I love that I’m no longer scooping litter every day, and if we ever go on a trip, we don’t have to ask friends or family to handle poop duties in addition to feedings. But it’s a blessing and a curse because if I don’t empty out the waste bin on time, it piles up too high. Ever try opening a jam-packed kitchen drawer with a ladle sticking up inside it? You know that sense of frustration when it hits the top of the frame and the drawer gets stuck? Picture that, but instead, it’s clumped-up cat pee smearing across the underside as you pull it out. Yeah, not ideal. So it handles the daily duties, but it keeps me on schedule, or I end up wrist-deep in the other doodies.

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Gus and Smokey

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewer

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

As a puppy, my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Gus, was the consummate escape artist. He could leap our five-foot-high fence in a single bound and often would if a dog, squirrel, or leaf happened to catch his eye. The Whistle Go Explore location tracker saved his furry butt a few times, first alerting us to his escapade (when the device disconnects from your Wi-Fi, you get an alert), then helping us track him down with its GPS location tool.

As he’s gotten older and lazier, it’s been a helpful tool for making sure he’s getting enough exercise. Essentially a Fitbit for pets, the Whistle Go tells us how many steps he’s taken and how many calories he’s burned. It also has some neat health features on board, thanks to an accelerometer that can keep track of how much drinking, licking, scratching, and sleeping he’s doing. This info actually helped us realize that the poor boy has terrible seasonal allergies, and he’s now on a daily Zyrtec regime and much happier for it.

I couldn’t live without my automatic pet feeders. I have a total of 14 mouths to feed in my household — one dog, one cat, seven chickens, a bunny rabbit, two kids, and a husband. Making sure everyone gets what they need when they need it could be a full-time job. Being able to delegate feeding the dog and the cat to two separate PetSafe pet feeders means two fewer mouths for me to worry about.

In the PetSafe app, I can program how many meals they get each day and what time each is fed, plus determine how big each portion is — very helpful now that my 74-pound puppy Gus is on a vet-instructed diet. The cat, Smokey, has his feeder up on a table so Gus doesn’t sneak in any extra portions (there are some feeders that can recognize your pet based on their chip, but the table works too!). If someone needs a snack, I can just press the button on the feeder, and they get a little extra, or I can ask Alexa to dispense a specific amount. It’s the kind of hands-free convenience that makes the smart home so helpful.

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Let’s admit it — most, if not all, of the people who work here at The Verge are gadget enthusiasts. But while most of those gadgets come under the heading of tech — headphones, smartphones, laptops, speakers, and all the other electronic gear that we love to play with — there are also some really interesting, fun, and useful gadgets out there that we don’t usually think of as tech, per se.

So, for this article, we asked the staff to come up with their favorite non-tech gadgets — things that don’t have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or an app. Admittedly, some of what they came up with sit on the border between tech and non-tech — where, for example, do espresso machines belong? But hey, let’s not be picky. Here are the kitchen gear, home tools, and personal items that we most treasure.

Kitchen gear

I spent ages talking myself out of buying a home espresso machine, but I finally got one a few years ago, and the only regret I have is not buying one sooner. I love my espresso machine. It’s not super fancy, which is fine for me. My model has the built-in grinder, which I keep loaded with Olympia Coffee Big Truck. It’s simple, reliable, easy to take care of, and makes consistently good espresso. I have used it nearly every day going on three years now, and it’s still going strong. My latte art skills are sketchy, but that’s on me, not the Barista Express. — Allison Johnson, reviewer

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Over the past year, I’ve fallen in love with Hario’s lineup of V60 drip coffee makers. But it wasn’t until last Christmas that I finally got one of their decanters, which are big enough to make two (or even three, at a push) cups of coffee in one go. You put a paper filter into the plastic funnel at the top, pour in some water, and then lift out the funnel to pour your delicious brew from the glass decanter.

I’m not going to claim that it’s anywhere near as simple as using a standalone coffee machine or even an Aeropress, and you should be prepared to use scales if you want to get the proportion of coffee to water right. But if you’re someone who likes the ritual of making coffee and want something that’s a little more affordable than a Chemex, then the V60 is a great option. — Jon Porter, reporter

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Kitchenaid stand mixers are famed for their reliability and classic aesthetic, but for my money, their greatest utility is the attachment system. And there’s no attachment I love more than the Fresh Prep shredder, which lets me quickly and easily turn a two-pound block of cheese into an easy topping for nachos, casseroles, and more. If you frequently find yourself turning mass amounts of vegetables, cheese, or anything else into shreds, and you’re still using the standard box shredder to do it, please do your arms a favor and pick up this attachment — if you have a Kitchenaid, that is.

The one downside of this gadget is the price. It’s actually very reasonable for the Fresh Prep kit; I got mine on sale for around $40 (it comes with large and small shredders, as well as a slicer that I’m pretty sure I’ve never used). But there’s no getting around the fact that it hooks onto a bulky, $300 mixer that a lot of people won’t use often enough to justify how much counter space it eats up. If you’ve already got one, though, it’s well worth adding the shredder to your arsenal. (And if you don’t, there are actually manual versions available on Amazon. I can’t speak to their quality, but they should at least keep your thumbs safe from the box grater’s bite.) — Mitchell Clark, news writer

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I flipping adore my Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker. Forget soaking your rice for 30 minutes before cooking, and forget scraping burnt bits of rice from the bottom of your pot. You know what I like doing? Washing my rice the night before, hitting the schedule button on this Zojirushi, and waking up to a pot of perfectly cooked rice that stays warm until I’m ready to eat. I can cook up to 5.5 cups at a time, which is excellent for making fried rice the next day. It can handle multiple types of rice — brown, white, long-grain, short-grain, you name it. It’s even good at making oatmeal and porridge. Hell, it can do basically anything a pressure cooker can do. I can hard boil my eggs, bake a cake, make soup, and steam veggies with this baby. I splurged for a fancy-pants Zojirushi with multiple settings, but there are plenty of affordable options that also take up way less space than an Instant Pot. Also, it sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to me when it’s done cooking. What’s not to love? — Victoria Song, reviewer

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Home tools

Yes, it’s a screwdriver. Yes, I’m aware you can buy screwdrivers (even multi-bit ratcheting screwdrivers) from any number of brands. I have five different ones on my workbench! But once I met the MegaPro, I knew I’d never need to buy a sixth.

Light and strong, grippy yet comfortable, easy to change the ratchet direction with one hand, with a long narrow shaft that reaches farther and more reliably than my other drivers, and a satisfying-to-open hidden stash of bits beneath its rotating cup on the end. Double-sided bits that don’t need to be squeezed or pinched to get them out of that handle and a shaft whose bit cavity is long enough I can fit impact driver extensions or even my right-angle attachment. I’ve never touched the square bits, but it’s got a great mix of Philips, Torx and flat. Oh, look at that — they also sell an “automotive” version that’ll hold 12 one-inch single-sided bits and has a magnetic end to hold on to screws. Looks like I’ll be replacing my other, inferior drivers with that one next. — Sean Hollister, senior reports editor

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Miniature collapsible utility shovels don’t sound very useful until you own a tiny two-seater car that gets stuck in muck with shocking regularity. After many snowy mornings spent trying to dig my car out of its parking spot with whatever I had on hand, I decided it was time to explore my options. Selling my car for a more reasonable one that’s better suited for midwestern winters was out of the question. However, a teeny shovel that collapses easily for storage and allows me to quickly rescue my car from snow or mud is a good compromise. — Kaitlin Hatton, e-commerce social media manager

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Five years ago, I had to purchase a folding saw as part of a prerequisite for joining the search and rescue team I volunteer with. Before that, I had always considered the humble hatchet to be a more versatile tool for the outdoors, something I could use to bludgeon firewood until my arms inevitably tired and I nearly keeled over after fewer swings than I care to admit. That changed when I picked up Bahco’s budget-friendly folding saw.

In the time since, I’ve become enamored with the little device. The seven-inch serrated blade conveniently folds into the handle and flips out in an instant, allowing me to feverishly tear through everything from hardwood to plastic without having to opt for additional tools. I’ve found it to be quicker and more efficient than an axe, and I don’t have to worry about my less-than-ideal precision, given I’m not swinging it around. It even has a convenient safety lock on the handle, so I can toss it in my backpack and not have to worry about it shredding my gloves, expensive rain jacket, and the rest of my SAR (search and rescue) gear. It’s an elegant tool for a more civilized age, and I’m here for it. — Brandon Widder, commerce senior editor

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I’m not much of a tool person or knife person, but I have an unabashed love for my Leatherman Wave Plus multi-tool. I received it as a birthday gift a few years ago from my wife, and it’s been used nearly every day since then.

There are more tools on it than I really need (18 in total), but the locking straight knife (excellent for opening cardboard boxes), needle nose pliers, and mini screwdrivers are what I make use of all the time. Whether I’m breaking down boxes from the weekly arrivals from Amazon, Target, and Walmart or installing a new smart light switch in my wall, the Leatherman is always the first tool I grab to get the job done.

It’s also a great fidget tool when I’m sitting at my desk — it’s really satisfying to repeatedly unfold and fold closed. Just be careful not to pinch your fingers when doing that, as I have done and likely will do again in the future. — Dan Seifert, deputy editor

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Personal items

At some point or another, if you live long enough, it’s very likely that you will need reading glasses. I hit that point — very reluctantly — a few years ago. Once I realized that I was squinting way more than was healthy for me, I accepted my fate and bought a pair of reading glasses. But that brought a new problem — I kept misplacing the things, or forgetting to put them in my bag, or leaving them in cabs. Until I got myself a pair of ThinOptics readers.

They can’t technically be called glasses because they’re made of plastic. And they don’t have earpieces; they sit on your nose like they were Ben Franklin’s specs. But they fold up into a small, flat case with a small keychain loop that I can hang in my backpack. And so when I leave my glasses at home, or accidentally sit on them, or (as once happened) leave them on the subway, I know that I always have a way to read my Pixel phone or my Mac Pro screen without spending the day in a desperate squint. — Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

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Listen, you clip your fingernails every few days. Why not have the absolute nicest fingernail-clipping experience you can? Made of steel, the storied Japanese brand Kiya clippers make nice, clean cuts, and the plastic shell will even catch most of your trimmings. Keep those fingertips tidy! — Kevin Nguyen, features editor

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A traditional watch

There are few non-tech gadgets and items I love as much as watches. While my small collection remains mostly humble and devoid of any luxury extravagance, I can’t help thinking about, reading about, or even writing about watches. Traditional watches are a mostly unnecessary tool these days, but they are one of my favorite ways to accessorize what I wear or how I’m feeling. I admire the craftsmanship and design of all kinds of watches and the way that some tell interesting stories or bring something out of me.

My gold G-Shock? When it’s not sitting beside me on my desk chiming on the hour, it’s what I wear with a black denim jacket and pair of Dr. Martens boots if I want to feel flashy. My two-and-a-half other G-Shocks (the Pokemon one is my wife’s that I sometimes wear)? I admire their ruggedness and streetwear looks. My Seiko SKX013? It’s my first “real” automatic mechanical diver that isn’t too big on my dainty wrist and has as many stylings as the amount of NATO straps I throw at it (though I mostly stick with black). My $15 Casio F-91W? It’s so unassuming, but it’s got an infamous history. My manual-wind 1960s Timex Marlin reissue? I dig its mid-century numerals, and it reminds me of some of the classic Timex watches my dad owned and left behind.

Watches may no longer be necessary, but they are illogical purchases that continue bringing me years of joy and emotional value. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce writer

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