The short answer
My kit is built to recreate a real desk anywhere: a portable monitor made by InnoView for a second screen, a CUKTECH 15 Ultra power bank (a pocket battery, 20,000 mAh, up to 140 W from one port) that can charge a laptop, and a carry-on suitcase from the luggage brand Away to hold it all. The fourth piece, a 4K HDMI dummy plug, never travels. It stays plugged into my home PC, which runs headless (with no monitor), so I can reach it remotely.
I'm Kevin Luten, and on Field Office I write about working full days from home swaps (lending my home to members of a home-exchange club and staying in theirs), cabins and a rooftop tent. This is not a buyer's guide. It is what's in my bag and why, with the published specs where they matter. For power and internet beyond what a bag can hold, see off-grid power and Starlink satellite internet.
The desk in the bag
InnoView portable monitor
Picture yourself on a laptop at someone's dining table. What is the biggest difference from working at a desk? A second screen.
Portable monitors are thin USB-C screens. Many run from a single USB-C cable for both picture and power, if the laptop's USB-C port supports video output (DisplayPort Alt Mode or Thunderbolt). If it doesn't, you'll need the monitor's HDMI input and a separate power source.
Mine is an InnoView, and it is an unusually large screen for a travel monitor. The other big factor: it needs no power supply of its own. It runs on the power coming through the single USB-C cable from my laptop. Some bigger monitors fold, but the real beauty of mine is that it slides into the middle divider slot of my Away carry-on.
- InnoView portable monitor
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CUKTECH 15 Ultra power bank
Most power banks can top up a phone. Few can charge a laptop at full speed. The CUKTECH 15 Ultra can. Per the review on Notebookcheck, a laptop and gadget review site, it holds 20,000 mAh (72 Wh), has two USB-C ports and one USB-A, delivers up to 140 W from one USB-C port (65 W from the other, 18 W from USB-A, 165 W combined), has a small screen showing live wattage, and weighs about 590 g.
How many laptop charges does that mean? It depends on your laptop's battery. Some energy is lost in conversion, so a 72 Wh bank delivers noticeably less than 72 Wh to the laptop. As a rough guide only, that is around one full charge of a laptop with a 50–60 Wh battery, or a long afternoon of extra work.
Can I even fly with this thing? Yes. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration, the US agency that regulates flying) says spare lithium batteries and power banks go in carry-on bags only, never checked, and that lithium-ion batteries up to 100 Wh need no airline approval (FAA PackSafe, checked November 14, 2026). At 72 Wh, the CUKTECH is within that limit. If a carry-on is checked at the gate, take the power bank out first. Some airlines set stricter limits on how many power banks you can carry, and Notebookcheck notes it lacks the CCC mark (China's compulsory safety certification) required for flights to and within China.
Why this one? In many ways it is my EcoFlow power station at a much, much smaller size. It is easy to charge, it delivers a lot of power, it has plenty of ports, it feels solidly made, and the display shows exactly how much charge is left.
- CUKTECH 15 Ultra power bank
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Cables and chargers
The unglamorous part, and the part most likely to be forgotten.
I also bring a full-size keyboard and a separate mouse. I don't like working on just a laptop for long stretches, so for anything longer than a few days I want a real setup. It makes me feel much more productive.
When I drive: the full desk
Most of the kit above is about size and bulk, because everything has to fit in a carry-on. When I travel by car in my Jeep, that limit goes away, and for stays of a week or more I bring a much bigger setup.
- A full-size monitor (about 32 inches) instead of the portable one, used alongside the laptop screen.
- A standalone webcam, an Insta360 Link 2C, for calls.
- The full keyboard and mouse.
- The power station, solar panel and Starlink for off-grid stays (covered below).
- The Insta360 Link 2C webcam on Amazon
Amazon link. I earn nothing from it yet. Once I am approved as an Amazon Associate, I will earn from qualifying purchases and this note will say so.
Is it a lot? For a week or more at a Kindred home in a remote spot, it's worth it. I like some combination of performance and portability in everything I carry, and when the car does the carrying, performance wins.
The bag
Everything above goes in an Away carry-on. Why a carry-on? For a one-to-three-week swap, a carry-on that holds both clothes and the work kit means no checked bag and no waiting at the carousel.
One detail sold me on it: the portable monitor slides into the middle divider slot, between the two halves, so the screen travels protected.
- Away carry-on
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The half that stays home
Part of a travel kit never leaves the house. My home PC stays on while I am away so I can reach it with Chrome Remote Desktop, Google's free app for using one computer from another. Because it runs headless (no monitor attached), it has a 4K HDMI dummy plug in the graphics card. The plug tells the computer a monitor is attached, so the remote desktop comes through at a proper resolution instead of a cramped or sluggish one.
Mine is a Windows desktop with a xieoery 4K HDMI dummy plug in it. It's on this list because it's the piece I'd least want to forget: without it, the remote desktop is the first thing to go wrong.
- The xieoery 4K HDMI dummy plug on Amazon
Amazon link. I earn nothing from it yet. Once I am approved as an Amazon Associate, I will earn from qualifying purchases and this note will say so.
The full setup, with power settings and the steps to test before you leave, is in the half that stays home.
Connectivity and power, when I need them
What about stays where the listing says basic internet, or there is no internet or outlet at all? Then the kit grows: a portable power station and solar panel, covered in off-grid power for remote work, and satellite internet, covered in Starlink for unusual places.
What I stopped carrying
The checklist
- Laptop and its charger
- Portable monitor and its cable
- Power bank (in the carry-on, not checked)
- USB-C cables rated for your laptop's charging wattage
- Phone and phone charger
- Headset for calls
- Full-size keyboard and a separate mouse
- By car: the 32-inch monitor and the standalone webcam
- At home before leaving: PC on, sleep off, dummy plug in, remote access tested
- For off-grid stays: power station, solar panel and adapter cable, Starlink if needed
Specs from the sources linked, checked November 14, 2026. The affiliate links don't go live until each program approves them, and how they earn money is on my disclosures page. Back to the setup.
About the author. Kevin Luten is a long-time remote worker and Kindred home-swap host based in Atlanta. He has hosted 14 guests in his home and works from home swaps, ranger cabins and the occasional hotel. He founded the behavioral-science consultancy Behavior Design Works, is a Cialdini Certified Practitioner, and has spent about 28 years in transportation demand management. He writes Field Office. More about Kevin.