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Comment by sylens | Hacker News Reader

Just reading this blog makes me feel like it is actually not a great device to travel with. For me, a good travel device is one that takes up minimal room when packing to the point where it becomes easy to forget I even have it in my bag. The Vision Pro typically requires its own dedicated spot on top of your carry on as you go through the airport - kind of the opposite. The author talks about just packing it with a single cover for the goggles but that also makes me nervous given its MSRP

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A kindle/book/tablet seems superior in this regard. You get your entertainment for the plane and you don't have to worry about unpacking it on the plane, being precious with a very expensive piece of equipment and they are negligible in terms of lugging around/storing in your hotel. You can even reasonably use these if you have a little down time waiting in a line, during quick trips, will be without power for a while, etc.

The last time I remember flying with a tablet, it was so suspicious that airport security hauled me into a private room and interrogated me about it. They questioned why I didn't take it out of my bag for the scanner (since it was a 'laptop'). They asked what it was. They made me turn it on and use it. They were extremely rude and kept me holed up for a long time while investigating it.

So I don't fly with a tablet any more haha! Although, I get that time has passed and I would no longer be accosted so much, I assume. Must be pretty common now. My story takes place in ~2011 with the Motorola Xoom tablet. I guess they had never seen a tablet before.

I was also working hard on a plane one time, writing code to access barometer data on mobile devices to build a distributed weather sensor network that could be activated in software. The flight attendant came by and told me, "okay, time to put your toys away sweetie" referring to my tablet and phone. Oooooooooh my god.

In the 13 years since your experience, airport security around the world has had time to be extremely blasé about most electronic devices.

That said, security rules vary from airport to airport. SFO with TSA Pre is practically a no-op, but CDG security requires that you remove from carry-on any device with a >20cm dimension!

> The flight attendant came by and told me, "okay, time to put your toys away sweetie" referring to my tablet and phone.

The audacity! I hope you called them sweetie too.

I believe the main reason laptops have to be separated is because they appear as just a large chunk of metal on the X-ray. A tablet would look similar.

Pre-iPad, most airport staff (who aren't hardcore techies, or might not have the privilege of higher education) might think of a tablet as a laptop anyway.

I was under the impression that because the components are packed so tight it is difficult to scan anything beneath the laptop. Happy to be corrected.

The author (me) specifically recommends to not buy the bulky travel case from Apple and instead, just use the default front cover + a lens protector.

This is specifically to not to take up any extra room than is necessary. The only room it takes up is essentially the width of the HMD itself (even negating the strap)!

FYI, you may want to revisit a couple of your "only me" points on the AVP with the release of the Quest 3S.

The 3S has an IR blaster that allows it to work in total darkness. Meta also enabled a travel mode[1] a couple of OS revisions ago (back in June or so).

[1] https://www.meta.com/help/quest/articles/in-vr-experiences/o...

For those that might find themselves nervous with a naked AVP, consider this popular option, a Syntech Hard Carrying Case compatible with various goggles:

Small: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4YFV9F9/

Medium: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QPN321B

Syntech recommend medium. Folks likely would prefer small, but caution about cracking glass front.

I've stopped carrying my over-ear noise-cancelling headphones for this reason. They take up like a quarter/half of a normal item-sized backpack. I can sleep with plane noise. But I always bring a sleep mask, because I can't sleep with bright lights turning on and off all the time. I did recently get some in-ear headphones w/ noise cancelling, perhaps they're enough.

There's always the fear of losing stuff when you're moving objects around so much, too. One less thing to worry about.

In my experience my Airpod Pros and Huawei Freebud Pros achieve 95% of the audio and noise cancellation quality of my Sony XM3s that I just barely use the big headset anymore. I understand that they are technically different categories of products but for me and a lot of other non-audiophiles I know switched to TWS earbuds once they got half decent ANC.

> They take up like a quarter/half of a normal item-sized backpack

I love the Sony XM3/XM4 for this reason. They fold up to a very compact volume

There are both wired and wireless noise canceling earbuds that work well. Never had an interest in the bulky over the ear ones. I pack pretty light even for 2-3 week trips.

I lost my favorite hair comb on my last trip, so I'm literally building a detailed packing checklist spreadsheet for next time I go anywhere.

I travel regularly with a vr headset and it takes a minority of my carry on space packed in a protective case. Non issue.

It is not necessarily the space used but the inconvenience of packing/unpacking stuff from a carry on bag in a cramped environment.

I guess that would be different if I was flying first or business class.

OP uses the Apple case which pretty much every VP owner I've heard of agrees is comically oversized. You can make do with a much, much smaller case that would fit in a backpack.

That said, the last time I had the opportunity to use my VP on a plane I just used my kindle and laptop instead.

Yes exactly.

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