Packing for a trip exposes the gap between viral promise and real usefulness faster than almost any other shopping category. A gadget that looks brilliant in a studio can be dead weight in a hotel room, and every item you pack costs space, weight, and attention. The right question is not whether a travel gadget works, but whether it works better than the ordinary version you already own, and whether you will use it at least twice on the trip.

Start with the bag itself, because capacity decides everything else. Packing cubes earn their place for most travellers: they compress soft clothes, keep categories separate, and make repacking at a hotel far quicker. The check is simple, though: cubes only help if they fit your bag's dimensions, so measure before ordering, and avoid rigid organisers that waste the corners of a soft bag. A cube set that leaves half your bag unusable has failed, however neat it looks.

Power is the next category where viral gadgets often lose to boring ones. A compact multi-port charger that charges your phone, watch, and earbuds from one outlet beats a drawer of single chargers, and a short, sturdy cable beats a long one that tangles. Check voltage and plug compatibility for your destination before you travel, and carry one backup cable, because a broken cable in a foreign city is a far bigger problem than a slightly heavier charger.

Comfort items need a ruthless test: will you use them on the journey itself, or only imagine using them? A good travel pillow, earplugs, and an eye mask earn their space on overnight travel, while inflatable footrests and elaborate neck supports often get used once and abandoned. If an item's main job is to make a photo look comfortable, leave it. If it helps you sleep on a real flight, it has earned its weight many times over.

Security and organisation gadgets deserve the same scepticism. Luggage trackers are genuinely useful for checked bags, since they answer the one question that matters when a bag goes missing: where is it? Cable organisers and small pouches help only if you already lose cables regularly; otherwise they are another pouch to pack. And whatever you buy, keep valuables, medication, and chargers in your personal item, not in checked luggage, because no gadget fixes a bag that arrives a day late.

Pack with this final rule: lay out everything, remove one item in three, and then check that what remains covers sleep, power, documents, and one change of clothes in your personal item. The viral gadgets that survive that cut are the ones worth buying. Everything else is content, not equipment, and your bag will be lighter and your trip easier without it.

Documents and money need a system that works without power or signal. Keep your passport, bookings, and one payment card in a single accessible pouch, carry a paper or offline copy of key reservations, and split cash and cards between two places so losing one bag does not strand you. No gadget replaces this habit, and travellers who rely entirely on a phone app discover the flaw at exactly the wrong moment, such as a dead battery at a border or a hotel desk.

Finally, do a trial pack before a big trip. Pack the bag a few days early, carry it around the house, and remove anything you did not reach for during a simulated day. Weigh it if your airline has a limit, and check that the bag still closes comfortably without forcing zips. A trial pack takes twenty minutes and saves the airport repack that every frequent traveller has endured at least once, usually in front of a queue.