how to pack ac adapter when travelling?

so, when you're travelling; did you also pack your ac adapter with your notebook?

in the same bag as the notebook?

i currently wants to travel with my thinkpad x300. the bag is logitech kinetik 15.4.

the necessities that i wanted to bring;

-notebook
-ac adapter (australia)
-***belkin notebook surge protector with usb.

so the notebook and the belkin surge prot. fits in allright. but the ac adapter with its cable is hard to fit in, as the cable is really tough, and hard to bend.

so when you travel, is it necessary to unplug the cord cable from the adapter?

any other tip? how did you travel with your notebook?

also, i'm worried that the tip of the power cord will wreak havoc on my bad and its content.

 

or just get the two pronged (we use the 3 pronged version) adapter or the travel adapter.

I am not sure how you packed the power adapter, if you can post a pic of the way you pack, i may able to offer some useful tips.

 

I'm confused... my laptop goes alone in either a dedicated laptop case (sized perfectly for just the laptop) or the appropriate section of a bag and the power adapter plus travel mouse and various cables I might need all go in a separate pouch, but packed in the same bag as the laptop.

I can't imagine trying to cram the AC adapter brick/cable in the same compartment or case as the laptop, not least because it might damage the laptop and would be a pain to deal with at airport security.

 

I have this and its thin and light and works well for airport travel as the sleeve allows for easy access of my thinkpad. Here is a list of what I pack in mine without it buldging or being over extended:

-USB numpad
-Mimomonitor USB LCD screen here
-Lenovo slim car/airplane 90watt AC adapter with USB adater
-iPod adapter
-Treo USB cable and wall adapter
-Belkin 3x 3 prong and 2x USB surge protector
-USB wireless mouse
-USB powered 2.5 120gb HDD
-Blizzard authenticator (I HATE WoW)
-1gb SD card
-Micro SD to SD adapter with spare 512MB Micro SD card
-Assortment of pens and pencils
-tons of room to spare

It is quite a thin and light package, and like I said has plenty of room to spare. Mixed with rolling suit case I can bring a full workstation setup for my t400 in a small bag and leave the suitcase to my clothes and shoes.

 

the power cord cable is the most annoying things to bring.

with mac, i can usually just replace it with just the power head. and everything can be wound up neatly.

i'm not stuffing everything into one compartment.

the logitech kinetik briefcase has 3 compartment. i only use the central one for my notebook.

the surge fits in the back easily in the mouse compartment. but the ac adapter compartment wouldn't fit the ac adapter. unplugging the ac adapter from the cord works. but now i need to store the cord somewhere. and because of the thick and stiff cord. i can't really bend them much to fit comfortably inside the bag.

 

I pretty much always bring my AC adapter, since I have a spare one that lives in my laptop bag. Here's how I wrap it, and it's worked well for me from day one. No need to remove the cord from the adapter block, and also doesn't place strain on the plug.

 

THANKS A LOT MidnightSun!

just the thing i'm looking for.

if only i can repped you more than once !

 

I can understand your sentiments but can set your mind at ease when it comes to strain on the plug or any other type of strain for that matter. I pack and unpack my 65W power supply about 250 times a year (4-5 times per week used for long meetings and traveling) and have done so for a couple of years. Any way I wrap it or throw it in my bag, it has not damaged anything yet. Eventhough I have several 65W and 90W adapters I always use the same 65W power supply for my bag - and I am not being gentle on it either.

 

Ditto. Before I got my dock I would pack and unpack my ac adapter twice a day once at work and once when I got home 5-7 days a week (all depends on how busy work is). My routine has not changed and I have done this for a few laptops over the years, and I too am not gentle but Im also not beating the crap out of it and I have yet to have a failed adapter.

Here are some pics of how mine is stored. Granted I have a dock and ac adapter at home and work so I rarely use this one, but for the first 4-5 months it was my primary ac adapter. Previous laptops have been extremely similar

 

I just throw both my laptop (15.4 inch T61), and power brick/cords in the same laptop case. I have a Targus laptop bag (a smaller one, that JUST fits my 15.4" T61. The sleeve behind it I usually wrap up the wires around the brick, and throw it in the sleeve behind the laptop. Been doing that method since owning laptops (with the same case too lol) for about 10 years now. Never had an issue at the airport either. When you get to the security line, just take your Thinkpad out ahead of time, put it in the plastic bin, put everything else on the luggage belt, and away you go.