My USB-C hub died mid-shift in a Bali coworking space last month

I was on a tight deadline editing a client's site and the power port just snapped off the board. Ended up scrambling to find a replacement at a local electronics shop that cost half my daily rate. Anyone else have a backup plan that actually works for gear failures abroad?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_west1mo ago

The exact same thing happened to me in a hostel in Medellin. I was about to upload a final draft when my hub just went dead, no power, nothing. I found a guy on Facebook Marketplace who sold me a used one for like 10 bucks but it only worked for maybe two days before it started overheating. Now I always carry a backup hub in my bags main compartment, not the bottom. Its worth the extra weight for sure. Also learned to keep a local number saved for a nearby electronics shop just in case the whole thing goes south again.

carter.joseph1mo ago

Heard a buddy tell me he lost two days of footage in a hostel in Peru when his hub shorted out. He just kept a spare in his toiletry bag after that. Cheap insurance if you ask me.

allen.iris1mo ago

Oh man, I used to be one of those people who thought carrying a backup anything was overkill lol. I'd be like "what are the odds" and just pack light. Then I had this trip in Bangkok where my main hub just fried out of nowhere, must've been a power surge in the hostel or something. Lost a whole morning of footage from a market I was really excited about. Now I'm on your side completely, I keep a cheap little hub in my daypack's front pocket, takes up no space but saves me so much anxiety. It's just not worth risking it anymore.