A 13 Inch Commuter's Packing List (UK)

What to carry in a 13 inch laptop backpack on a UK daily commute

A 13 inch laptop backpack for a UK daily commute carries the same eight items every day, with two or three seasonal swaps. The list below is the kit that has survived the train, the platform, the wet pavement and the office, written for the person who is tired of forgetting the charger once a week. The full list, the order to pack it, and the items to leave behind are all below.

The kit, every day

1. A 13 inch laptop in a slim sleeve. The sleeve is what protects the laptop against the base of the bag and against the next item in. A neoprene sleeve is the cheapest; a leather or waxed canvas sleeve matches the bag and lasts longer.
2. A laptop charger. The brick and the cable, in a small leather or canvas pouch so they do not tangle the rest of the bag. The pouch is worth the money; without it, the cable finds the washbag.
3. A phone charger. A short USB-C to USB-C cable (or Lightning, depending on the phone) and a small plug. The plug lives in the pouch with the laptop charger; the cable lives in a side pocket of the bag or in a coat pocket.
4. A packed lunch in a small container. The container goes in the bottom of the bag, against the laptop sleeve, so the lunch does not get sat on. A rigid container protects the laptop better than a soft bag and is easier to clean.
5. A water bottle, full. 500 ml is the working size: enough for the morning, light enough to forget about. The bottle goes in the side pocket of the backpack, never in the main compartment where it leaks onto the laptop.
6. A paperback or a notebook. One item, not both. The paperback goes in the front pocket for the train; the notebook goes in the back panel sleeve next to the laptop. Both is too many for a daily commute.
7. A small washbag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, a folded flannel, deodorant. The washbag goes in the top of the bag so it can be lifted out without disturbing the laptop or the lunch. The full washbag routine for a one to three night trip is in our city break packing guide.
8. A folded layer. A merino base layer in winter, a packable rain shell in summer, a thin down gilet in the shoulder seasons. The layer goes in the bag last so it is the first thing out at the desk.

This is the kit that earns its keep on a 9 to 6 day. The full discussion of why a backpack is the right shape for this load (rather than a messenger) is in our messenger versus backpack guide, and the question of whether a canvas backpack survives this load every day is in our canvas backpack commuting guide.

The order to pack it

The order matters because a poorly packed bag punishes your back and your laptop. The right order, from the base up:

1. Lunch container flat on the base.
2. Laptop in its sleeve, flat on top of the lunch.
3. Charger pouch on top of the laptop.
4. Paperback or notebook against the back panel.
5. Washbag in the top of the bag.
6. Layer on the very top, ready to be lifted out.

The water bottle is in the side pocket, not the main compartment. The phone cable is in a coat pocket or in the front pocket, not in the main compartment where it tangles everything.

Seasonal swaps

• Winter: swap the paperback for an e-reader (lighter, easier to read one-handed on a crowded platform). Add a thin pair of gloves to the layer slot. Keep the merino base layer for the office, not the walk; the walk wants a water-resistant outer shell.
• Summer: swap the layer for a packable rain shell. Keep the paperback. Add a small pack of tissues and a small bottle of hand sanitiser to the washbag.
• Shoulder seasons (April, October): the kit is the same as winter but the layer is lighter. The British weather in these months is the wettest of the year, so the rain shell earns its place more than in midsummer.

What to leave behind

Five items that look essential and are not, and that earn a place in the bag only when actually needed:

1. A second charger. One laptop charger and one phone charger is enough for a daily commute. A second laptop charger lives at the desk, not in the bag.
2. A second water bottle. One is enough. Two means twice the weight and twice the leakage risk.
3. A full-size umbrella. A packable umbrella lives in a coat pocket, not in the bag. The bag is for the things that have nowhere else to live.
4. A hardback book. The paperback or the e-reader is the answer for a commute. The hardback is for the weekend and lives in a holdall, not a backpack.
5. A second layer. One folded layer in the bag is enough. Two is too many for a 9 to 6 day and turns the bag into a luggage piece.

How this changes for a hybrid week

Two days in the office, three days at home, is a different bag. The laptop and the charger stay. The lunch, the water bottle and the layer stay. The paperback and the washbag leave the bag on the home days and live in a desk drawer. The result is a lighter bag on the home days and the same bag on the office days, which is the right answer for a hybrid week.

The full discussion of how to choose the backpack for this load is in our canvas backpack guide, and the wider argument for how the bag handles British weather is in our commuter bag guide.