While the first two editions of our new 9to5Toys Travel Kit series took us to the Big Apple and the swamps of Virginia and North Carolina, today we are focused on an overnighter wedding closer to home. The bulk of the event is going to be a lightweight affair and will only require a few things – suit, watch, some extras for the groomsmen, and an iPhone for the most part. But because I’ll be checking into a hotel room on the premises, I will need to put together a small kit with some must-have gear for an overnight wedding.
Best gear for an overnight wedding
You’re reading 9to5Toys Travel Kit – a new feature series where we give you a closer look at our favorite travel gear for heading off to the big city for the weekend, heading out to the country for some R&R, exploring exotic locales overseas, a day trip to the beach, or just to the park for a relaxing picnic for the afternoon.
iPhone 16 Pro
Bringing your phone to, well, anywhere is a must, but I just have to include the new iPhone 16 as I have just received it on delivery day after pre-ordering last week. I have decided to opt for the new iPhone 16 Pro in the Titanium Desert colorway, and I’m not disappointed. After years and years (and more years) of always getting the closest thing to black Apple offered, I finally decided to get “wild” in 2023 and opt for the Natural Titanium color. This year, however, I once again decided to switch it up with the unique golden shade. It’s not quite gold, and it’s not quite brown, or gray, it’s really somewhere in between (or even slightly rose gold in some light), and thus far I’m happy with the purchase – it looks great with brown accessories. I can’t wait to put the Camera Control button to work too.
Nomad Traditional Leather case for iPhone 16 Pro
And with the new iPhone 16 in hand, I’ll need a nice classy case to go along with the wedding apparel. It’s a shame to cover up the Desert color, but some leather just feels right here. While I’m still waiting on some of the others to arrive for review, I need something that I already have on hand that’s also going to match my accessories, shoes, brown suspenders, and a brown watch strap – the new Nomad Traditional Leather case for iPhone 16 Pro is the perfect fit. While I’m not the type to need every phone case to match my wardrobe for the day or even special events, in this case it feels like the right move to complete the look and the gorgeous leather will go wonderfully with the rest of the ensemble here.
The sort of gunmetal colored button covers are a classy touch, and there’s full front-side cutout for the Camera Control button that allows more of the Desert gold to pop through – the color combination here is just wonderful if you ask me.
Harber London Leather City Backpack
For a quick overnighter like this, a small bag will do the trick for me. But I’m instead opting for the Harber London City Backpack. The beautiful brown full-grain leather treatment carries through nicely with the rest of the vibe here and I really don’t need much space. I can carry this one brief-style so I don’t wrinkle my suit on the way there, and like a backpack the next day when that won’t matter.
The laptop compartment is perfect for the MacBook so I can tap out some things for work in the morning before checkout, and there’s plenty of storage compartments to keep everything else nice and organized. It’s not an overly spacious solution, but, again, this is a light Travel Kit – some charging gear, MacBook, a change of clothes for the next day, some toiletries, a few small incidentals, and that’s about it.
Here’s our hands-on review of the Harber London City Backpack for a more in-depth look at the feature set.
Bulang and Sons Watch Strap
For an occasion like this, I like to opt for a non-smartwatch. I certainly don’t mind the look of a smartwatch in a suite – I’m the type to wear a sport watch with a jacket anyway, but again it just feels right on an occasion like this to go a touch more classic. This time around, with the brown accent theme running through both the event as a whole, the groomsman attire, and the rest of my ensemble, I pulled out a classic from Bulang and Sons. It’s not a cheap brand by any means, but it’s also not outrageous through the lens of an industry that can be ridiculously expensive all around. I have opted to pull out one of its more classic brown leather straps – the Siena Brown Leather Watch Strap – to pair with a not so subtle diver watch sporting a back bezel – I know this is blasphemous for some folks when wearing a suit, but I don’t care (at all) – to help tie the look together and couldn’t be happier with it.
Twelve South Butterfly
I will need some light charging action for the overnight portion of the event, and the new Twelve South Butterfly SE is getting the nod this time around. I enjoy the original every time it has made its way into my Travel Kit and decided to bring it along again. Despite the fact that I’m not bringing an Apple Watch, it is still the most compact 15W MagSafe charger I own and works out nicely on the nightstand.
Twelve South PlugBug with Find My
And to plug the Butterfly in, we have the new Twelve South PlugBug with Find My. This, at least for the foreseeable future, will be apart of all my journeys away from home that have me landing in a hotel room at some point or other. While sometimes you can just jack into the hotel’s provided USB ports, I generally make sure I have some kind of wall charger on hand, and with this being a new release I decided to give it a go despite it not being the smallest option out there. One thing is for sure, I definitely won’t leave it behind, or at least not without knowing about it.
Take a deeper dive in our hands-on review.
9to5Toys Travel Kit – My favorite gear for trips to the swamps of Virginia and North Carolina
9to5Toys Travel Kit – My favorite gear to bring on a weekend trip to NYC
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