The life and contents of a survey kit is a dynamic one. Here’s what’s in my kit these days. The Pelican 1510 is airline carry-on size, because there’s no way they’ll let you check that stuff with the batteries (which are all just under the airline limit of 100Wh), and the contents are valuable enough that you probably don’t want it out of sight, or trust it to the airline baggage handlers. If you’re carrying this stuff, it’s because you need it at your destination. Downside is that the 1510 doesn’t allow the overhead bin to be closed on Embraer 135/145 regional jets.

Links go mostly to Amazon where I get all this stuff

• Pelican 1510 case with lid organizer and padded dividers, containing:
  • Manfrotto 5001B lighting stand
  • WifiStand AP bracket
  • AccelTex Accelerator Battery (98Wh)
  • Ekahau Sidekick (can also go standalone in Pelican 1400 case)
  • Bosch GLM400C Laser Measure (Measures up to 400′ in broad daylight)
  • DeWalt DW040 Laser Measure (This is a little cheap one I got from Home Depot for measurements up to 40′ after my previous Bosch suffered a fatal fall to a concrete deck from a scissor lift.)
  • Garmin GLO Bluetooth GNSS receiver (although the USB-connected 18x may be a better option if you are surveying Bluetooth)
  • Netool.io Ethernet tester
  • Red/white sUAS strobes (x2) These are FAA-approved for being visible from at least 3 miles away. They’re ridiculously bright and have a few flashing modes, so I mount these to the AP stand at eye level so people don’t walk into it. Also good to have one on your back when surveying areas with heavy forklift traffic. Since they also have a constant on mode, they make a good flashlight in a pinch.
  • Safety Strobes Same as above – just a different configuration.
  • iFixit 64-Bit Driver kit (TSA Approved – It’s under 7″!)
  • 15/16″ Ceiling rail mounts for Aruba 5XX and 3XX access points
  • 9-15′ Spiral Ethernet cable
  • Assorted SlimRun Cat6a cables
  • Cable Organizer Pouch containing:
    • Assorted console cables:
      • USB3 Type C to 8P8C modular (Cisco wired)
      • USB3 Type C to DB9 RS-232
      • USB2 Type A to Aruba 5XX
      • DB9 to Aruba 3XX
      • AirConsole Mini (x2)
    • Assorted USB Cables:
      • A – Micro-B
      • C – Micro-B
      • A – Mini-B
      • Micro-B – Lightning
      • C – Lightning
      • A – Lightning
      • C – C
      • A – C
    • Linksys AE6000 802.11ac USB-A interface
    • Comfast 802.11ac USB-A interface (WLANpi)
  • WLANpi with PoE extractor
  • Roll of double-sided Velcro
  • Sharpies (Black, Silver, some colors)
  • Outlet/GFCI Tester
  • USB power tester
  • Peak Design Capture camera clip (for holding the Sidekick to a belt or shoulder strap)

• Thule laptop backpack/briefcase (I rotate between a Thule backpack/briefcase, an employer-logoed backpack, and a 5.11 Rush 24 pack, depending on the loadout) containing:
  • 13″ MacBook Pro
    • Ekahau Pro
    • Ekahau Capture
    • Wifi Explorer Pro
    • Wireshark
    • Visio (in Windows VM)
  • 4K USB3 Type C display
  • 10.5″ iPad Pro
    • Ekahau Survey for iPad
  • 10.5″ Galaxy Tab A (2019)
    • Aruba Utilities
  • 10′ Slim HDMI cable
  • Apple Magic Mouse
  • Thunderbolt 3 mini dock
  • USB-A to USB-C adapters
  • USB Stick(s) with most of the Aruba software on it.
  • Ibuprofen
  • Surface Book (Backup Laptop, not always carried)
  • Sennheiser PXC550 Active Noise Canceling Headphones (for air travel although the AirPods may take over)
  • Apple AirPods Pro (for making phone calls)

• Floater items that go between kits:
  • BatPower PDE2 96Wh USB Battery Pack (Amazon has removed this item. The upcoming Accelerator 2.0 battery pack from AccelTex will have full power type C PD ports on it)
  • EU/US power plug adapter
  • Swift Body Platform Harness (for carrying survey laptop and avoiding Survey Elbow, the nerd version of tennis elbow)

• Other gear brought to bear as projects require:
  • Fiber optic light source and meter (in Pelican 1200 with appropriate leads – test units have FC connector)
  • Brother PT-750W label printer and labels (in Pelican 1200)
  • PPE as required by jobsite
  • Access points as required by survey
  • Pelican 1615 Air Case

Also, if you’ve started adding this up in your head, you can see why I carry this on instead of leaving it to the baggage system. Make sure your business has insurance, especially if you’re self employed. If you’re traveling overseas, you’ll need special insurance coverage. I used to carry audiovisual insurance (the kind news crews carry) when doing streaming, and those policies will even cover against force majeure and acts of God. I don’t know if there’s an IT equivalent.