Life these days can be very complicated, and many of us — I’d guess that most of us — are constantly looking for the best method to keep our lives in order. What do you need on your grocery list? When is that work project due, and who is working on it with you? A friend wants to do a movie-watching session, but is that the same day you promised your parents to help clean the garage? Which bills are due, and can you afford to pay them all? Where is that article about which masks to wear? And on and on.

So we’ve asked the staff of The Verge what they use to keep track of all their appointments, tasks, projects, and workflows. And it turns out that they use a variety of different apps or some fairly old-fashioned paper-and-pen solutions — or both.

If you’re finding that this year is turning out to be a confusing one and you need a way to try to keep your life and your sanity in order, here are some methods that we use. We hope they are helpful.

Doing it digitally

Sharing notes

Jay Peters, news writer

My wife and I jot things down on a shared Apple Note so that we can remember to chat about them over dinner or whenever we have a few seconds during the day together. It’s something we’ve been doing for years as a way to keep track of things like chores, reminders, passing thoughts, and silly links we find on the internet.

We both primarily use Apple devices, so it’s easy to add something to the note while on our computers at work or while we’re out in the world with our phones, but you could easily replicate this with a shared Google Doc or some other shared document service. Highly recommend!

Keep a task list

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewer

I have been on an organizational quest for decades. For years, I stuck with analog for managing contacts, to-do lists, and random thoughts. Having grown up with a Filofax as my tool of choice, handwritten notes always seemed to work well for me. I even flirted with Bullet Journal-ing for a year or two. But I soon realized life is too short not to fully embrace digital to-do lists. My problem was, which one? 

My favorite had been Wunderlist until it got bought by Microsoft and disappeared. I tried Trello but quickly tired of its too-wide interface. Then, like the proverbial Goldilocks, I tried all the apps, but they were either too expensive, too simple, or too complicated. (When you need to add “figure out how to use my to-do list” to your to-do list, something is wrong.)

Then I found Todoist. Simple, straightforward, and super powerful, it’s a basic make-a-list-and-cross-it-off app that has superpowers if and when you want them (or want to pay for them) but just works (for free) when you need it to.

My favorite features are that it’s cross-platform, fast to load (I use Evernote for notes, but it’s too slow for to-dos), and I can reschedule all my tasks with one click. I also love that I can import items from places like Slack and Chrome and turn them into tasks, as well as easily separate Work from Personal. 

But my genuine favorite thing is the iOS lock screen widget for Todoist, which lets me add a task in record time even without unlocking my phone. 

Toaster tasker

Andru Marino, senior audio producer

As an audio engineer, I prefer not to use sounds like dings or rings as reminders while I’m working. Instead, I rely on my sense of smell. When I need to remember an important meeting, I place a slice of bread in my toaster oven, which is connected to a Wemo smart plug. Then, I ask my Google Assistant to turn on the toaster five minutes before the event. When I smell toast, it reminds me that I have a meeting in a few minutes.

Pomodoro practicality

Victoria Song, senior reviewer

I’ve used the Pomodoro method a lot ever since the pandemic wrecked my focus, which is why the Focus To-Do app is a godsend. It’s a combination of a to-do app and a Pomodoro timer. I wrote a more in-depth blog about it a while back, but the gist is it helps me get started on things I’ve been putting off. It’s also got an option to play white noise for times when you really need to hunker down, and you can sort to-dos by projects and set deadlines. I find it’s best for time-consuming and long-term tasks and errands — think writing drafts, cleaning your home, or setting aside time to practice a skill. You don’t have to use the method perfectly, but for some reason, setting timers makes the biggest tasks a lot more digestible.

AI-powered organization tools

Jess Weatherbed, news writer

A big part of my ADHD diagnosis involved how little traditional methods of planning and staying organized just did not work for me. My apartment is littered with the ghosts of paper journals and immaculately designed “to-do” planners with barely a handful of pages filled in between them. Things have improved slightly since starting on medication, but I have found one particular planning app that I’ve managed to stick with for several weeks.

Goblin.tools is a collection of helpful AI-powered tools for neurodivergent folk that help to break down large tasks into smaller, easily actionable steps. Typing something like “tidy the kitchen” into its Magic ToDo feature will spit out a checklist of tasks for you to tick off, such as “clear the countertops” and “take out the trash.” It’s great for pushing past the weird ADHD paralysis when tasks feel overwhelming, and you can customize the breakdown level to suit how much help you need.

It includes a few other tools to help you estimate how long it will take to complete a task, plan meals based on ingredients you already have at home, and analyze the tone of written content to avoid unintentionally coming across as an asshole. Otherwise, my backup is to set a million alarms on my phone to alert me to complete household chores at a specific time and stick to a fixed routine — though I’d advise against this unless you live with very accommodating roommates.

The analog approach

Fountain pens

Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce writer

I’ve tried digital solutions to organize myself, yet I often come back to pen and paper. I’m more focused when taking a moment to jot something down, whether it’s making a to-do list and outline in my notebook or creating an up-to-the-minute morning routine on an index card.

I channel my obsessively geeky tendencies into my choice of writing instrument. I got into fountain pens years ago, and I’ve picked up a bunch that I love using. They motivate me to take personal notes, get organized, and plan out my day — because I just like writing with these pens, even when it’s only a few words and a checkbox.

Find yourself something you like to write with, whether it be a fancy (or affordable) fountain pen, a quirky gel pen bought off AliExpress that looks like a cute bear (I have this, too), or a cheap ballpoint that just feels right to you. Fountain pens can be finicky, but they make everything very purposeful. Check out the Lamy Safari for a tried-and-true pen that is fairly inexpensive but undeniably good or the TWSBI Eco for a bit more money and get a cool bottle of colorful ink you can see slosh around in the translucent piston-filled barrel. You’ll feel like the coolest nerd around.

Planner pad

Adi Robertson, senior tech & policy editor

I am apparently downright incapable of remembering to look at a schedule or a reminder on a screen, and while small freeform notepads are great for planning individual tasks, I needed something on my desk that would tell me what I’m doing at a glance. Turns out that thing is the Executive Size Planner Pad, a straightforward day / month / year planner that includes a calendar for marking big dates, an hourly appointment schedule for setting up my day, and space for weekly tasks and a daily to-do list. It’s reasonably priced and easy to check quickly, and it strikes a good balance of nudging me toward writing out my schedule without forcing me into over-complicated productivity hacks.

A notebook with removable pages

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

Between holding a full-time job, being a caretaker for an elderly parent, and trying to prepare a novel to send to my agent, things can get very crowded in my head. As a result, I use a lot of different tools for making sure things don’t fall through the cracks — because there is no one tool that does it all. For example, I use Evernote (yes, still) for storing and finding personal information, TickTick for my personal to-do list, and Notion for tracking my work tasks and thoughts. But I still need someplace to physically scribble notes and refer to them later, and for that, I use a Circa Discbound notebook from Levenger.

The nice thing about these is that the pages are held in place by discs in the spine of the notebook and can be pulled out (without having to be torn out) and then replaced elsewhere. I have a section in the notebook for work items, one for notes having to do with doctor visits and other issues, and one for any thoughts that I’ll want to use in my fiction. And if I suddenly need to take a note quickly, I don’t have to worry about finding the right section — I can just use any blank page and then pull it out and place it where I can find it later. 

I should mention that, for a time, I felt betrayed by Levenger. I use the “compact” size notebook because it is the most portable and fits in all my various bags, but at one point, for some unknown reason, the company stopped carrying that size — and the pages that fit in it. So I had to buy replacement pages from various vendors on eBay. I was beginning to wonder what to do when that resource ran out — until Levenger apparently changed its mind and started selling the compact pages and notebooks again. Phew!

A simple and inexpensive tool

Sheena Vasani, commerce writer

I use a combination of things, but this simple $4.79 Five Star notebook is my favorite tool. Although I don’t adhere to it religiously, I like the bullet journal approach, so I manually number each page and add a separate index sheet in one of the notebook’s folders to easily find what I need by categories I’m constantly creating. I like color, so I use a few markers and pens but nothing too fancy. 

For me, the simpler and cheaper the notebook is, the better because I find I feel less guilty about using it not just to write out my to-do list but also to plan, brainstorm, quickly jot down notes, journal, add my grocery shopping lists, and more. I find I just can’t do all of that when I have a high-end or exceptionally beautiful notebook. Don’t get me wrong — I have a collection of stunning journals that look like art, but I rarely use them because I know it’ll be expensive to buy another. When I do actually use them, I almost feel this kind of pressure to make my entries as organized, attractive, and as Pinterest-worthy as possible — while never actually getting anything done (true story).

Now that most of us are traveling around again — to work, to the movies, to friends, or just to get outside and experience the summer — we are pulling our favorite backpacks and bags from our closets and filling them up with laptops, phones, cameras, clothes, groceries, and other stuff. (Not to mention trying to figure out if they might suit any kids of our acquaintance for back-to-school purposes.)

Here are some of the carry-alls that we here at The Verge have been using. As you will read, most of these have gotten months or even years of good use — which is what you want in a good backpack or bag.

A colorful fanny pack

Victoria Song, senior reviewer

I’ve always been stymied by the need for a bag smaller than a backpack or knapsack but larger than a dinky clutch. I was wary of the whole “wear a fanny pack as a mini crossbody bag” trend, but earlier this summer, I caved and bought the Baboon to the Moon 3L Fannypack. 

Now, I cannot go back. This bag easily fits my wallet, phone, house keys, car keys, hand sanitizer, and chapstick — everything I need when I take walks or run errands. It’s also got a quick-release buckle, so I can stick a carabiner on it and schlepp around a water bottle on hot days. The material is also incredibly durable, spill-proof, and easy to clean. The inside has some dividers but nothing too complicated. 

But what I probably like most about this fanny pack (and this brand in general) is how colorful their bags are. I got one in lavender, stuck some enamel pins on it, and now there’s absolutely no mistaking this is mine. I can see it easily from a distance, which also makes it harder to lose. The mix between colorful whimsy and practical functionality is something I wish I saw more often. All I’m saying is that two of my friends went out and bought the same bag in different colors as soon as they saw me wearing it. And we’re all immensely happy with our purchases.

A handbag for clumsy ghouls

Jess Weatherbed, news writer

Okay, look. There are plenty of sensible folks in this article who can point you toward genuinely useful (and certainly more palatable) bags to keep your gadgets safe, but I’ll personally remain married to my Killstar Grave Digger Skull handbag until it joins me in my burial plot. Is it practical? Not in the slightest — outside of simply having the space to accommodate a large smartphone, you’ll get absolutely zero features designed specifically to make your life easier. But do you really care when you could be pulling your belongings from a colorful ensemble of scalped skulls instead? (For my own mental health, please don’t answer that.)

Luckily, the build quality is actually impressive for such a gimmicky accessory. A hard plastic internal shell is what gives the bag its shape as well as provides some protection for its contents. My clumsy ass has genuinely dropped this down a flight of concrete stairs, and not only did my iPhone 14 Pro Max come out completely unscathed, but the bag itself only suffered the weeniest of blemishes. There’s also a selection of colors and finishes to choose from. The flocked versions (that fuzzy, velvet-like finish) hold up surprisingly well — I have one in the shade “blood” that looks almost immaculate despite the near-daily beating it takes.

A tapestry backpack

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

In our previous roundup of The Verge’s favorite backpacks and other bags, I talked about my combination shoulder bag / backpack that was manufactured by a small company called Danny K. Made from a tapestry-like cloth, and full of pockets, zipped and otherwise, this has been my go-to bag for any occasion where I’m not carrying a laptop (which is the only thing that it doesn’t hold). 

However, that bag is a bit large, especially for times when I really don’t need quite as much space, which is why I was delighted when somebody gifted me a smaller version of my bag called the Luna Backpack. With outside pockets on the back and front, a side opening that takes in more stuff than you’d think, and a pocket for a bottle or a small umbrella, my new bag (which I wear over my shoulder more often than I wear it on my back) still carries everything I need but is a lot more discreet for those times when I don’t want to look like I’m leaving on an urban day hike.

A sling for daily use

Kaitlin Hatton, audience manager

I’ve previously written about my love for my inexpensive Lumesner travel backpack in our roundup about travel gear. That love still holds true, especially as I’ve used this travel backpack far more since first writing about it. The bag has held up through many short and long trips and even a cross-country move. 

However, I’ve found a daily-use bag that I love just as much. I recently purchased Dagne Dover’s Mara Phone Sling because I needed something simple to stash my phone and keys in when walking my dog or running a quick errand. After a couple of weeks of use, I can confidently say that this small bag is worth the price tag. The size took some getting used to, as the bag really can’t fit much else aside from my phone, but it also keeps me from carrying anything but the essentials. The product is incredibly high quality and very durable while also looking a little nicer than most phone slings I’ve come across.

Baggu Reusable Bags

Makena Kelly, reporter

Like almost every other young woman in New York City, I am a Baggu girlie. I’ve been using its reusable, collapsible bags for years and don’t see that ending anytime soon. 

The bags come in a variety of sizes and patterns that fold up into a small pouch, making them the perfect addition to my everyday handbag. Stopping by the grocery store for a few dinner items on your way home from work? Suddenly remember you’re out of toilet paper while out? You’ll always have a spare bag tucked away in your primary carry to help you to pack away those goodies.

They also make wonderful last-minute gift bags!

A bag for the cycling set

Andrew J. Hawkins, transportation editor

If you’re like me and you like to bike most places, you’ll need a bag that’s both versatile and stylish. I recently came into possession of a bag that meets both these qualifications: the Alpha Pannier Backpack by Two Wheel Gear. It’s a backpack! It’s a pannier! It’s a laptop bag with a padded pocket for an external battery! This bag really checks a lot of boxes, and it’s easy on the eyes as well. The ability to convert to a pannier is really the clincher for me: unclip the backpack straps and tuck them away inside an interior flap. The top latch fits most rear bike racks. The ability to show up at your destination without the dreaded back sweat is really priceless. And if you’re diehard about biking in all weather conditions, the Alpha Pannier Backpack’s waterproof material will certainly impress. You can even attach your bike helmet using the various straps.

A completely customized backpack

–Jay Peters, news editor

I asked for the Timbuk2 Custom Prospect Backpack as a gift in 2015 and have been using it ever since. It’s been my companion to work, coffee shops, the grocery store, vacations — so many other places that I can’t remember them all.

The small front pocket is great for storing little things that I may need easy access to. The main compartment is great for bigger items, and with its included laptop pocket, I’ve never felt the need to get a separate laptop case for my bag. And the water bottle pockets are handy for carrying around a Hydro Flask or two.

Perhaps best of all, there are a ton of customization options available when you order, so you can deck out your bag in whatever style best suits you.

The de facto tech journalist bag keeps pulling me back in

Chris Welch, reviewer

I’ve been lugging Peak Design’s Everyday Backpack around for at least five or six years now. We’ve covered it regularly at The Verge. And at any tech press event or conference, you’re guaranteed to see quite a few of them. I’ve stuck with the Everyday Backpack over the long haul largely out of familiarity; I’ve got my organization system down, and I instinctively know where everything goes among the bag’s many dividers and pockets. Peak Design’s anchor connectors are attached to all of my cameras and my keys. At this stage, it’d be an unnecessary hassle to start anew with a different backpack.

I wouldn’t say it’s the most comfortable bag I’ve worn — especially when it’s nearing maximum capacity and loaded with tech. But it’s versatile when I need it to be, and I still love having such quick side access to the main compartment. Plus, the waterproof exterior does an admirable job fending off even heavy rain so long as I’ve remembered to close everything up tightly. 

I also appreciate the way Peak Design stands behind its products. The Everyday Backpack has a lifetime warranty that actually means something. After one of the zippers on my 30L V2 bag started giving me some trouble a few weeks ago, I stopped by the company’s SoHo retail store. Within 15 minutes, I walked out with a brand new Everyday Backpack free of charge. (And no, the employees didn’t know I’m a journalist.) If I were to really dive into the hunt for a new bag, I’m sure I could land upon several new contenders that I’d like just as much (or even better). Maybe I’ll do that eventually, but for now, I’ve got a new bag to break in. Familiarity counts for a lot with me.

A smaller Peak backpack

Antonio Di Benedetto, writer, commerce

I finally did it. I started using a more normal-sized backpack. One that’s big enough to carry a laptop, my average accessories, and a very selective amount of camera gear. I specifically chose the 15L size of the Peak Design Everyday Backpack Zip — as opposed to the massive 30L of the other Peak pack I used to tote around — to force myself to carry less. I have a tendency to bring way more gear than I end up really needing, and even though my naive subconscious still tries to pack in a camera and multiple lenses, this version of the Everyday Backpack Zip physically prevents me from going overboard.

It also helps that I really like the all-around zipper design of this Peak Design bag compared to the separated compartment access of its bigger sibling — though they’re obviously similar. While it’s taken a little adjustment to get used to a much smaller bag, I’ve made it work and been a little more thoughtful about what I’m carrying on the rare occasions I head into the city to go to our office. And once I figured out that I can still fit my Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch into this small-ish backpack by simply adjusting some dividers and packing in one of those handhelds vertically, I knew I had no regrets. 

Tech bag choice fatigue made me buy this

Umar Shakir, news writer

When you’re into tech, you’ve gotta have the perfect tech bag for every situation. I’ve written about my desire to have a minimalist backpack that can carry most of my daily cables, chargers, and gadgets, as opposed to a complete-solution one that’s unreasonable to lug around everywhere in New York City.

My choices for a lightweight backpack were so high that I erased all of my research. Instead, I’ve found a bag that didn’t advertise itself as a tech bag at all and has a couple of features that I really like. I bought the Chrome Semantics Backpack, which, unfortunately, is now discontinued.

The Semantics has mesh pockets on the outside so that even my short arms can reach around and grab items like a water bottle without sliding the bag off my shoulder. It’s got one no-gimmicks zipper pocket on the upper back where I carry a multi-device charger and cables, and the interior has two can-sized separators where I can roll up some extra clothes or add a folded pair of headphones in a pouch. It also has a (not very padded) laptop compartment, some areas on the shoulder straps to add carabiners, and a chest strap that doesn’t seem to ever get in the way when not in use.

I’ll be very sad once this bag wears out — it’s already got tears on the mesh pockets from snags. Once it does, perhaps this Chrome Hondo bag would be the next closest thing I could get. 

Repeating a classic

Kate Cox, senior producer, Decoder

It’s been roughly a thousand years since I was in high school, but I remember very clearly that pretty much every kid in my school had the same backpack: the classic L.L.Bean Deluxe Book Pack — big enough for 40 pounds of textbooks and a crushed lunch. I used to say that the company should film a commercial at the main entrance to our building, so many kids with that bag came pouring through every day. It only came in four colors back then — red, blue, green, and black — and so everyone had their initials embroidered on because otherwise, the odds of leaving the language lab with the wrong bag were pretty high. 

I definitely don’t have to schlep school gear anymore — but I have kids who do. Luckily, there are way more colors to choose from now. Last year, my older child picked a floral pattern for her smaller version, with her initials embroidered on it in dark pink. My younger kid can choose his own pattern when he starts first grade next year, and while he’s welcome to pick the crocodiles or dinosaurs if he really wants to, I hope he picks something he won’t mind still using when he starts middle school because it’s an indestructible workhorse that should last at least that long if not longer.

It’s travel season, which means it’s time to pack your bathing suit, your hiking boots — and your tech. We asked the staff of The Verge what their favorite travel gear was, and as you can imagine, we got a wide range of answers — from backpacks and travel apps to power strips and selfie sticks.

So sit back, think about vacation, and take a look at some of the stuff that our editors and writers find most useful when it’s time to get out of the house and on their way to relaxation or adventure.

Getting there

The best app for tracking your flights

Alex Heath, deputy editor

Let’s be honest: most airline apps suck. And if you’re like me and not loyal to any particular airline, it’s annoying to bounce between a half-dozen apps of varying quality to check a flight’s status.

Friends, there is a better way. A couple of years ago, I discovered Flighty, an iOS app made by aviation nerds for aviation nerds. It uses real-time flight data to let you track just about any route in the world. I regularly get notifications for delays or gate changes before they are pushed to the airline’s app or announced in the terminal. It’s dark magic that has saved me from serious trip delays and headaches.

The real-time flight tracking is really just one piece of the puzzle; upgrading to the app’s Pro subscription gets you a bunch of helpful features like calendar sync, email import, TripIt sync, delay forecast, and more. I’m also a fan of the flight archive that shows you fun stats like the number of airports, countries, and trips around the Earth you’ve taken in a calendar year. The lock screen widget is helpful for putting all the most important info about your flight, such as the remaining duration, front and center as it’s happening. I’m not surprised Flighty was nominated for an Apple Design Award this year. It’s one of the best examples of indie software for power users that just works and fills a need. I’ll never fly without it.

Carry-on backpack

Kaitlin Hatton, audience manager

Earlier this year, I committed to traveling more, and so I took a look at the gear I had that could be replaced after years of trekking the globe. My ratty old secondhand carry-on bag was the first thing to be replaced. After several days of weighing the pros and cons of various travel bags, I stumbled upon this Lumesner carry-on backpack on Amazon, and it fit all of my needs. It can carry a laptop, several days’ worth of clothes, my 40oz Hydro Flask bottle, and more. The bag even includes some packing cubes. It’s very comfortable, and the weight is well distributed when it’s completely full. It’s an inexpensive alternative to many name-brand carry-on bags, too. So far, I’ve used it on a handful of trips, and the quality has held up. It also holds onto pet fur, though, so I had to add a small lint roller to my travel necessities. But that’s just life while traveling with a dog anyway.

Versatile duffle bag

Victoria Song, reviewer

One thing I learned while living abroad is that traveling light will make your life a thousand times easier. If the trip is a week or less, you’ll almost never find me with more than a single carry-on and maybe a light personal item. That means my luggage has to be versatile, multipurpose, durable, and spacious enough for several kinds of trips. I’ve gone through many duffle bags and rollaboard suitcases in search of the perfect bag, and I love my Baboon to the Moon Go-Bag Small.

First off, it comes in bright, distinctive colors. If you need to check a bag, this is the easiest and fastest way to differentiate your luggage from everyone else’s in the carousel. It’s also super easy to spot. Call me paranoid, but I’m pretty sure any thieves are going to have a tough time making off with my incredibly vibrant purple duffle. (It also makes it a lot easier for my travelmates to find me in a crowd.) 

The other thing I really dig is that you can wear it in multiple ways. It comes with two straps that can be configured into a backpack or a crossbody bag, depending on what other luggage you have. There are also suitcase handles to make it easier to lift and stuff into an overhead bin. Inside, it has one big mesh pocket that you can stuff your laptop in, and built-in side compartments for stuffing in underwear, socks, and other smaller items. I’m also a big fan of the outside passport compartment. It’s so much easier to access your wallet / passport during security as well as stash items like watches, belts, and easy-to-lose items that the TSA makes you take off. Lastly, the outer shell is waterproof and super easy to clean, which came in handy when a kid spilled soda on it at the airport. 

The main compartment is also a good size. On my last trip to Google I/O, I managed three sets of clothes, three sets of workout clothes (wishful thinking), two extra pairs of socks and underwear, a jacket and sweater, a giant toiletry bag, a hair dryer brush, a bag containing several chargers, and an extra pair of shoes. And I still had extra room in case I picked up anything during my trip. 

Why a duffle? If you’re in the last group to board a crowded plane, it’s much less likely staff will ask you to check your bag compared to the smallest rollaboard.

Gadget bag

Dan Seifert, deputy editor, reviews

My favorite bag for toting along all of the chargers and cables my many electronic devices require is the Side by Side. It may not look like it can hold very much because, when it’s empty, it’s deceptively slim. But reader, it’s astonishing how much I can cram into this thing.

For a typical work trip where I might need to charge a laptop, phone, watch, tablet, headphones, and camera batteries, I will load this up with two high-powered multiport USB bricks; a smaller USB brick for backup; a dual camera battery charger; a folding triple charger for my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods; six USB-C cables of varying lengths; and a Lightning cable. The Side by Side’s stretchy side panels will just expand and swallow it all.

And unlike other gadget organizer bags, the Side by Side can be put into my backpack vertically, which takes up less space overall. It’s a winner all around.

Comfortable neck pillow

Monica Chin, senior reviewer

Neck pillows seem like a great idea in theory, but I’ve never been able to figure out how to successfully use them to sleep on planes. I’d get cramps in my neck from bending my head that far over, and I hated that they seemed to shift around every time the plane wobbled. 

If you’ve ever had these frustrations with neck pillows, what you need to buy instead is this product called the Cabeau Evolution S3. It’s a neck pillow that attaches to the back of your plane seat (or train, or bus, or whatever) with a clasp in the front that holds the two sides together. The angle is much more comfortable than that of a traditional neck pillow, it won’t shift around during the flight (seriously — it does not move), and it’ll prevent you from accidentally knocking into the people next to you as you sleep. As a bonus, it has pockets on the sides for storing small items. It also comes with a travel bag that clips onto the back, which I use to store essential items that I might need during the flight (chargers, passport, extra headphones, meds) so that I don’t have to go digging for them in my carry-on. 

My only warning is that I’m five feet, five inches tall, and I’m probably close to as short as you’d want to be to use this. The pillow already rides up onto my cheeks a bit, and I imagine that someone who’s a bit shorter than me might just have it straddling the middle of their head. 

Make mine Maps

Victoria Song, reviewer

You know what absolutely stinks when you’re on vacation? Figuring out where to eat on the fly, how to get from point A to point B, and visualizing where all the things you want to do are. Sure, it’s not so bad when you’re traveling domestically, but international trips can be a doozy if you’ve never been there before, don’t speak the language, and don’t know any locals. Which is why I love Google’s My Maps feature.

Basically, you can do all your research ahead of time and plot out points on a custom map. Want to group all the restaurants separately from all the attractions you want to visit? Cool, you can do that by grouping them in two separate layers that you can toggle on or off. That way, you can see where the restaurants you saved are in relation to your current location or your next sightseeing destination. You can also assign different icons to different groups to make them more distinguishable at a glance. And everything is viewable from your phone in the Google Maps app, though you’ll need to make sure you’ve got internet access. 

This is awesome if a tripmate is vegan, halal, kosher, or has any other dietary restrictions. (It’s also great if you need to map out accessible locations for tripmates who may need special accommodations.) Have multiple hotels you’re staying at on a cross-country road trip? No problem. Just group the hotels together and plot out driving directions / routes ahead of time. If you’re a visual person, this can be so helpful in figuring out the most time-efficient itineraries.  

The best part is you can collaborate on an itinerary with your travel buddies. You can also send a link to any friends or family if they want to visit the same place at a later date and time. Your custom My Maps entries are also viewable from the Google Maps app so you can take them with you on the go, though keep in mind there’s no way to use them offline yet. (C’mon, Google — what gives?) You can also directly import locations from a spreadsheet in case that’s your preferred method of listing out spots during the research phase.

I used Google Maps to plan out my honeymoon to Iceland last year. While we didn’t go to every location plotted out, it was really helpful visualizing where things were in Reykjavik in relation to our hotel and popular sightseeing locations. It took a huge load off our minds knowing that we had the flexibility to explore and be spontaneous, while having fallbacks in case we were tired and didn’t want to think. 

A portable speaker for an aging car

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

Okay, it’s time to admit it — I have a well-used, not-at-all-new, not-at-all-smart car. It’s a 2007 Honda Civic, and the most technologically advanced thing it does is allow me to roll down the windows by pressing a button. No Bluetooth, no screens — nothing like that. It’s not that I don’t like having tech in my car, but I’m the sort of car owner who holds onto their auto as long as possible until it starts to become more expensive to fix it than to buy a new one. And so far, I haven’t hit that milestone.

Not that there aren’t issues, the most serious of which lately is that the port that I used to plug into in order to listen to my music on the car’s stereo system no longer works. (Not to mention the fact that my Pixel 6 doesn’t have an audio port anyway.) So I’ve compromised by using a small portable speaker (a several-years-old Ultimate Ears Roll), paired via Bluetooth to my phone, to act as the speaker for my mapping directions, music, and audiobooks. At least this way, while I’m visiting friends and relatives over the summer months, I won’t have to depend on the very old-fashioned method of listening to whatever happens to be on the radio. 

Enjoying your wanderings

A mobile tripod for holiday snaps

Jess Weatherbed, news writer

When you go on holiday with your partner or family, you generally get stuck with three options when it comes to taking group photographs: a cramped selfie, leaving someone out to take the picture, or asking a total stranger to take it for you. Not to be dramatic or anything, but I’d rather not ruin my vacation by trying to figure out which individuals nearby are the least likely to dip the minute I hand over my phone. And it’s depressing to think that my mum is in so few of our family photos because she was always the person on the other side of the camera.

A decent Bluetooth-enabled tripod can resolve these issues. I’ve had good experiences using Atumtek’s Premium Plus Phone Tripod Selfie Stick — it features a discrete, detachable Bluetooth shutter remote that you can pair with your smartphone, sparing you from having to set a timer and run like hell. Simply get into position and use the remote to snap as many shots as you need to ensure it’s caught you at a flattering angle. It also extends up to 60 inches to squeeze everyone into a group selfie if you’re using it as a selfie stick. This could be a brilliant gift for any “Instagram boyfriends” who spend hours of their vacations as their partner’s dedicated paparazzi.

An extension cord for awkward situations

Sarah Jeong, deputy features editor

Nobody wants to carry a power strip or an extension cord with them on their vacation. It’s probably unnecessary if you’re staying in relatively modern buildings and definitely unnecessary if you’re camping. But sometimes you want to stay in a charming historical hotel or a lovely cabin in the woods, and it’s only when you go to charge your devices at night that you realize that the only electrical socket in the bedroom is in the corner farthest away from the bed and there’s already two lamps plugged into it. 

Older buildings especially suffer from what I can only describe as loose socket syndrome, where those very convenient modern boxy socket extenders with five different USB and USB-C charging ports simply cannot stay in place and fall right out of the wall because they’re too heavy. After one (totally pleasant) vacation where I had to charge my phone, watch, AirPods, and laptop in a weird corner of my room with the plug-in charging hub propped up on a strategically balanced mountain of books and sham pillows, I bought this Anker combination extension cord / power strip. It’s not a full power strip — just a cube with a few sockets along with USB and USB-C charging ports at the end of a five-foot cable. I’ve brought it on a few trips since then. It takes up extra space in my suitcase but each time has left me feeling vindicated about the purchase. 

The three prongs at the end of the cable are static, rather than folding flat for easy packing. This is key because the loose sockets of older buildings reject the beautiful convenience of folding prongs. There are more than enough sockets for one person, and with some finagling (and maybe an extra charging brick), it can accommodate two people’s devices.

If you’re traveling overseas, don’t forget to purchase a different plug type for the region you’re going to or pack an adapter. 

Wraparound power

Sean Hollister, senior editor

It doesn’t have the USB-C ports of Sarah’s solution, but an utterly charmingly low-tech solution that never leaves my suitcase is this compact three-port power strip with a cable that folds around itself. The folding feature isn’t just to store the cable and prongs, either — if you wrap it around the brick backward, the plug can snap into place (see those metal clips?) to create a rigid three-port power brick that can hang right off a wall outlet. That’s useful when you’re not sure your outlets will be close enough to the floor. 

I’m linking to one sold by Element-Hz, but it’s a generic white-labeled product. I picked up mine at a garage sale years ago, and it has no branding at all. I’d pay two to three times as much for a modern one that adds a 65W or better USB-C PD port.

Universal Travel Adaptor 

Victoria Song, reviewer

In my youth, I forgot to pack plug adaptors for international trips one too many times. Buying them once you’ve landed in another country isn’t always easy, either. And if you’re like me, your relatives in rural Korea don’t always have more than one plug for your American devices — in which case, you’ll have to share with your six other cousins. Nope. Absolutely not. Which is why I never leave this country without a universal travel adaptor.

Basically, it’s six plug adaptors in one. Depending on which one you get, it might come with USB ports so you can charge multiple devices in one outlet. Granted, it’s bulkier than buying one or two specialized adaptor plugs, but if you’ve got a multi-continent itinerary, it’s a game-changer. What I like about this one from Epicka is that it comes with a spare fuse in case things go sideways with voltage.

The only caveat is that, although it says “universal,” it’s technically only the four most common types of plugs. That’ll get you by in most countries, but it’s not a guarantee in places like Brazil, South Africa, or India. Even so, I’ll take this over price gouging at airport electronics shops or having to take time out of my schedule to visit a local hardware store.

More time, more power, more flexibility

Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor

I just got back from a weeklong trip with three small children, and my No. 1 tip is as old as the hills: give yourself plenty of buffer time. Sprinting through the airport isn’t ideal, but sprinting through the airport while carrying or herding several kids and their luggage is worse. 

Speaking of luggage: pop an AirTag (or Tile tracker) in each checked bag. We haven’t actually had to use them to locate our luggage, but I figure it’s like carrying an umbrella to ensure it doesn’t rain. 

I cosign Victoria’s multi-port travel charger rec above — we always bring a couple when we visit family overseas — but my new favorite charger for domestic travel is this Anker GaN charger. Its top USB-C port can charge a laptop, and it has another USB-C and a USB-A port, too. We travel with an absurd number of devices — we’re talking two or three phones, three iPads, two laptops, a variety of smartwatches, several sets of Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, and often a Nintendo Switch — and while it can’t charge all of them at once, it can charge three of them pretty fast and then move on to the next one. It replaced two laptop power bricks and a bunch of other single-port wall warts in our luggage, and it worked like a charm. I might get another one.

The last thing I want to shout out are the Puro BT2200s kids headphones, which are about as versatile as they come. They have Bluetooth and wired functionality, you can daisy-chain them so two kids can listen to the same input, and they automatically limit the volume to under 85dBA to protect kids’ ears. (My old colleagues at Wirecutter tested them and verified that they work.) On our last plane ride, my older kids used them to watch movies on the seatback screen and wirelessly to play games on their iPads. (Screen time rules go out the window when we’re traveling.) We were using cheap wired headphones for the kids until the 3.5mm plug broke off in the headphone jack of my daughter’s iPad. We can’t get it out, so we can’t use wired headphones, and the iPad won’t play out of its speakers because it thinks headphones are plugged in. Bluetooth it is.

If you’ve got a pet, it’s likely you have something cool that you use to either feed the pet, amuse the pet, watch the pet, track the pet, or travel with the pet. Well, the folks here at The Verge are no different: many have animal companions whom they feed, pamper, worry about — even obsess about — and totally enjoy.

We asked our co-workers to tell us about some of the techie (and not-so-techie) gadgets that they use to keep their pets clean, fed, and amused — along with portraits of the much-loved dogs and cats. We’ve got some great photos to show you. Enjoy.

Aslan

Mitchell Clark, former news writer

We got the WOpet automatic feeder after our vet informed us that our cat Aslan needed some kitty liposuction. We had been letting him eat whenever he wanted out of a gravity feeder, but he clearly didn’t have enough self-control for that — and I didn’t have the willpower to feed him on a set schedule (or, if I’m honest, to not give him a little extra when he looks up at me with his cute little face). The WOpet solved that issue by dispensing his food four times a day with set amounts, making sure I know exactly how much he’s eating without actually having to wake up to give him his midnight snack. It’s also great when we go on vacation.

Just as importantly, it doesn’t have an app, or Wi-Fi, or anything that will someday become “unsupported,” rendering my feeder a brick. It just has buttons on the top that I can use to set how often my cat gets fed and how much food gets dispensed with each meal. (Though, if you’re the type that wants your pet feeder to connect to the internet, WOpet does make a version with an app and a built-in camera, though I can’t speak to the quality of those features.)

The ChomChom pet hair remover is an extraordinarily simple device — it’s basically a couple of pieces of plastic, fabric, and rubber. But through some dark magic, it’s better at getting cat hair off my couch, cat tree, and other upholstery than even the adhesive-laden lint rollers (though those are still superior if the thing you’re trying to de-pet is yourself). I’d explain more, but honestly, I think the ChomChom can best be explained with this GIF:

I know I’m stretching the definition of “tech” here, but I just had to share the ChomChom because the first time I saw someone use it, my jaw dropped. I hope it can change your life like it did mine. (Note: as far as I can tell, the limited-edition cat ChomChom that I paid extra for is 0 percent more functional than the regular one. It was still worth it, though.)

Jeeves

Elizabeth Lopatto, deputy editor

Jeeves loves to be in the office with me while I work. (I assume she’s supervising.) Anyway, to make her cozier, I got her this fuzzy cat bed. At first, she was afraid of it — she’s extremely shy around new people and objects — but now, a year later, it’s her favorite place to sit that isn’t my lap. Usually, she spends the afternoon snuggled up in it.

So my boyfriend came home from Costco one day — ominous start to the sentence, I know — and said he’d “gotten me a present.” Then he admitted he’d gotten the cat a present. Then he said we could all use it. We do. It’s an electric blanket, and Jeeves loves it. (It’s also great if your back or neck hurt.) You know how cats love to lie on heating grates? She’ll ditch the heating grate for this because I think it’s probably more comfortable, and also, it means she gets to cuddle her humans.

Trico and Kaiser

Adi Robertson, senior reporter

Skoon’s selling point is that it’s made of diatomaceous earth — as in, it’s a literal bag of soft rocks. I cannot explain what makes these rocks capable of almost completely nullifying smells and stopping my trash monsters from tracking dust around the apartment better than any normal litter I’ve ever tried. (It’s also supposedly eco-friendly, what with the “being just a bag of rocks” thing, but I can’t empirically attest to that.) My husband refers to it as “a miracle of science,” and I’m not going to disagree.

Trudee

Kaitlin Hatton, senior social media manager

Trudee, otherwise known as My Boss, is notoriously insistent on being the focus of my attention. At any given moment, she has 20 toys strewn about my apartment, but she will not play with them unless I’m watching her — like literally, no distractions, sitting within feet of her, just staring at her chew on her toys for hours on end.

Don’t get me wrong. I love staring at my dog, but she doesn’t get the enrichment she deserves when her activity levels are tied directly to my ability to give her undivided attention. That is, until I bought the Pet Fit For Life Plush Wand. It has a toy attached to a long chewable rope that is suspended from a metal pole. Now, I not only toss the toy about the room from the comfort of my couch but also Trudee is so distracted by chasing it that she doesn’t notice if I am not making direct eye contact. It’s a win-win.

Ned and Olive

Sarah Smithers, senior editorial coordinator

My husband and I have two medium-size dogs named Ned and Olive.

I could go on and on about their positive qualities, but instead, I will be focusing on the one negative that they share: they are walking hair balls. I don’t know how two animals could possibly shed as much as they do. It doesn’t matter what season it is — every day, they lose enough hair to make a whole new dog. 

I haul my giant vacuum cleaner out at least twice a week in an attempt to keep my floors as fur-free as possible. But five minutes after I’ve put it away, another dog hair tumbleweed will roll across the hardwood. 

That’s where my Shark Cordless Pet Perfect Handheld Vacuum comes in. It’s cordless and weighs about 15 pounds less than my regular vacuum, which makes tidying up in between regularly scheduled cleaning sessions a breeze. Every evening, I spend two minutes walking around my living room just sucking up hair balls (or the stuffing from murdered toys) as needed. Sure, it’s not great at getting the hair out of our rugs, but it definitely keeps the hardwood floors neat enough. And as an added bonus, it is not half as loud as a normal vacuum, meaning Ned doesn’t hide from it and Olive doesn’t try to attack it. 

Olivia

Helen Havlak, publisher

Despite many standoffs in pursuit of an acceptable wet food, our cat Olivia remains addicted to dry food. Last year, I recommended the Catit Senses 2.0 slow feeder, a pedestal with five plastic cups that slows down her eating pace. 

This year, my in-laws gifted us the even more intense sequel, the Catit Design Senses food maze. This is a three-level tower that you load from the top; your cat then has to reach in with their paw to move food down each level. It’s intense! I would estimate that it takes her about three times as long to finish a meal in the tower as in her older slow feeder.

Olivia has feline asthma and needs to take medication each morning. This got exponentially easier when we discovered the Churu lickable cat treats, which she is so obsessed with she will finish immediately — even if we’ve mixed in a ground-up pill.

If you love your cat but also love your furniture, do yourself a favor and buy a few cardboard cat scratchers. Olivia loves them way more than any fancy cat tree and has pretty much entirely stopped scratching our couch. We get several months’ use out of each one, especially as they are reversible. For extra cuteness, you can even splurge on one shaped like a skateboard.

Gus and Smokey

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewer

As a puppy, my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Gus, was the consummate escape artist. He could leap our five-foot-high fence in a single bound and often would if a dog, squirrel, or leaf happened to catch his eye. The Whistle Go Explore location tracker saved his furry butt a few times, first alerting us to his escapade (when the device disconnects from your Wi-Fi, you get an alert), then helping us track him down with its GPS location tool. 

As he’s gotten older and lazier, it’s been a helpful tool for ensuring he’s getting enough exercise. Essentially a Fitbit for pets, the Whistle tells us how many steps he’s taken and how many calories he’s burned. It also has some neat health features on board thanks to an accelerometer that can track how much drinking, licking, scratching, and sleeping he’s doing. This info actually helped us realize that the poor boy has terrible seasonal allergies, and he’s now on a daily Zyrtec regimen and much happier for it.

The downside is the $99 annual subscription fee, which is required to use the device. This does include GPS tracking, but I admit I let my plan lapse in my last round of budget cuts. (I’m currently looking into Whistle’s health tracker, which ditches GPS for a lower $40 annual fee).

I couldn’t live without my automatic pet feeders. I have a total of 14 mouths to feed in my household — one dog, one cat, seven chickens, a bunny rabbit, two kids, and a husband. Making sure everyone gets what they need when they need it could be a full-time job. Being able to delegate feeding the dog and the cat to two separate PetSafe pet feeders means two fewer mouths for me to worry about. 

In the PetSafe app, I can program how many meals they get each day and what time each is fed as well as determine how big each portion is — helpful now that my 74-pound puppy, Gus, is on a vet-instructed diet. The cat, Smokey, has his feeder up on a table so Gus doesn’t sneak in any extra portions. (There are some feeders that can recognize your pet based on their chip, but the table works too!) If someone needs a snack, I can just press the button on the feeder, and they get a little extra, or I can ask Alexa to dispense a specific amount. It’s the kind of hands-free convenience that makes the smart home so helpful.

Bird

Christopher Grant, group publisher, The Verge and Polygon

I’ll be honest, I have no idea if this is the model I have. Amazon is full of these identical alphabet soup-branded laser pointers with cute stock art of puppies and kittens. But who cares? It’s under $10, and my cat chases it like it’s his job. He prefers the stock pointer-style dot, but maybe your kitty is more of a butterfly-shaped laser fan? You can run your kittums out, and when the internal battery is depleted, just pop the whole thing awkwardly into a USB charger — it just sticks out, so don’t put it somewhere it’s going to get bumped — and you’re back to Cat TV in no time. Are there better cat laser pointers? I don’t know, I guess, probably. But my cat doesn’t know the difference.

Oscar and Pouncey

Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce writer

We have two cats, Pouncey and Oscar, who have always shared a litter box. Oscar, the younger one, is quite messy — jumping out of the box with reckless abandon and spreading litter all over. We initially had a covered box to slightly circumvent this, but last year, we opted for a pricey self-cleaning one to keep things tidier. (It was on sale for a little more than $400 then.) Like much smart home tech, it’s excellent in some ways and not so great in others.

I love that I’m no longer scooping litter every day, and if we ever go on a trip, we don’t have to ask friends or family to handle poop duties in addition to feedings. But it’s a blessing and a curse because, if I don’t empty out the waste bin on time, it piles up too high. Ever try opening a jam-packed kitchen drawer with a ladle sticking up inside it? You know that sense of frustration when it hits the top of the frame and the drawer gets stuck? Picture that, but instead, it’s clumped-up cat pee smearing across the underside as you pull it out. Yeah, not ideal. So it handles the daily duties, but it keeps me on schedule, or I end up wrist-deep in the other doodies.

Aela and Jack

Sarah Jeong, deputy features editor

For people with multiple indoor-only cats — especially those who also live in apartments — the Litter-Robot is a godsend. I was a skeptic at first. “You’re going to pay $500 for a litter box, all because you’re tired of scooping?” I asked my partner, incredulously. We may have fought about it more than once. But eventually, we bought the thing. I was pretty curmudgeonly about it. And well, I was wrong. Now that I have experienced the joys of post-Robot life, the price tag no longer bothers me.

The Litter-Robot detects additional weight (your cat entering the box) and will “flush” your cat’s doings a few minutes later. (I currently have it set to cycle out seven minutes after the cat exits). The Robot rolls the litter around, sifts it, and then dumps the lumps into that waste drawer. When it’s done, it’s as though the litter box has been freshly scooped and completely clean. Instead of scooping an entire litter box, you’re opening a little drawer in the front and removing a bag of sandy lumps, tying up and replacing said bag, shutting the drawer, and then topping the Robot off with some extra litter. Cleaning the litter box is a job I can now relegate to every few days. But it’s not the convenience that matters so much  — I’m doing this while smelling nothing at all. 

My two-cat household currently has a single Litter-Robot. I kept a second litter box out for several months before giving up and throwing it away because the cats never used it. They like the Litter-Robot. It seems like they really enjoy having a clean box every time they go. They also love to stare at it when it’s doing its whirling, turning flushing thing. They’ll walk in and out of the box in the middle of the night just to make it do something. (There is a setting to automatically pause the Robot during sleep time.) Sometimes they’ll jump into the box while it’s going, possibly for shits and giggles. (The Robot will stop when it senses that additional weight and cycle again later.)

We own the previous generation Litter-Robot, the Litter-Robot 3 Connect. It has been two years, and it’s still in good working order, although it errors out from time to time and I have to press a button to manually reset the Robot. I suspect there is some kind of a firmware issue, but it works well enough that I am completely unmotivated to figure out what the problem is.

Yeah, there are a bunch of nice little perks that come with the Litter-Robot, like an accompanying smartphone app that tracks how often your cats are going (maybe good for elderly / sick cats). Also, there are Apple Watch notifications that the poop drawer is getting full. And you end up paying less for litter because of how efficiently it’s cycled. But these reasons in and of themselves are not sufficient to justify a $700 litter box. I have to really emphasize that the basic premise of this gadget is that your cats are going into a clean litter box every time. This will change your life. You probably won’t believe me until you get one yourself. 

Pablo

Victoria Song, reviewer

My cat Pablo is a tech-savvy feline. He loves rendering sunrise lamps useless, typing on keyboards with his tail, sneering at cute robot pet cams, sniffing smart alarm clocks, and supervising my at-home fitness classes on the Lululemon Mirror. He recommends none of the gadgets mentioned above. He does wholeheartedly recommend his poop spaceship, the Litter-Robot 4.

You might think it’s absurd to spend several hundred dollars on an automated litter robot when you can manually scoop the poop for much less. My wallet would agree with you, but Pablo’s not had a lot of success with other covered litter boxes. (He was once stuck in one for an hour even though the exit was very clear.) He is also a finicky boy who needs a perpetually clean litter box or he will take his business to the couch. His turds are also foul thanks to his prescription diet.

The Litter-Robot 4 solves all of these issues. The opening is wide enough so he always knows how to get out. Often, he will joyfully launch himself out the front like a cat-shaped cannonball once his gastrointestinal adventures are complete. It automatically cycles so it’s clean the next time he needs to use it, and the smell never lingers. Plus, he loves watching it cycle almost as much as he likes watching the washing machine. Built-in cat entertainment. 

As Pablo’s human servant, I appreciate that this thing is so much quieter than the Litter-Robot 3 — which served Pablo faithfully until it broke down. The poop drawer is also easier to remove and keeps things airtight. The fact that this thing lets me know when it’s time to empty the poop drawer is also excellent. It’s also a lot smaller than the Litter-Robot 3, which is great since I wasn’t keen on a litter box being a focal point of my living room. 

Pablo and I rarely see eye to eye on cat toys or gadgets. (Currently, his favorite toy is the laundry hamper and my ponytail when I do yoga.) So the fact that this is cat and human approved? ’Nuff said.

Ein

Ash Parrish, reporter

My corgi Ein (yes, I’m a weeb) turns 13 years old this year, and I’ve had him for every single one of those years. But with that venerable age has, unfortunately, come a host of health problems that seemed to hit all at once. Because corgis are bread-shaped with stumpy legs, they’re prone to all kinds of musculoskeletal issues, from hip dysplasia to Intervertebral Disc Disease. 

Thankfully, Ein isn’t that far gone, but his issues have left him with limited use of his back legs. He can still move them, scooting about on the floor, his little legs kicking like a baby duckling, but he can’t walk properly — which means he can’t relieve himself properly. We tried everything to help him, starting with a cheap sling that wrapped around his belly to hold him up — that he inevitably pissed on every time we used it. Then, we went for the more expensive full-body sling that had a handle I could grasp to keep his butt from scooting on the ground. He hated that thing so much. His being in that sling was like when you grab cats by the scruff of their neck; he just went limp and refused to move.

Finally, I decided to buy him a Walkin’ Pets Rear Dog Wheelchair, and friends, it has been a literal lifesaver. Ein no longer needs me to pick him up, he no longer drags his hindquarters on the ground, and he is able to poop and pee as normal. It’s a bit on the expensive side — $300 including shipping — but has proven well worth it. (And the website often has $50 to $100 off sales.) The manufacturer makes wheelchairs in all sizes and even specially constructed ones for all the weird-shaped breeds out there. Its website comes with a nifty size calculator to help you decide what size will work best for your pup and a measuring guide. 

The wheelchair works with a soft harness that slips over his head and clips under his front legs. You then clip the harness to the chair — it makes your dog look like a harness racer you see at racetracks. It also came with stirrups for dogs who can’t move their back legs at all, but since Ein doesn’t yet have that issue, they’re easily detachable. Ein is a stubborn old goat, though, and didn’t like being wrapped or confined or otherwise harnessed. It was a big learning curve to get him to walk in the chair, but once he realized he could run again, using the chair became easy for him.

Ein is so much happier with his wheelchair. He’s able to zip up and down our backyard, face full of smiles, like he used to when he was healthier. I love that the most, seeing the puppy-like exuberance in my old man. And he likes it, not only because it’s restored his ability to walk but also because he gets so many pets from people who see him in it. I mean, see for yourself! Wouldn’t you want to pet him? 

Update April 24th, 2023, 9:40AM ET: This article was originally published on March 26th, 2022, and has been updated to add several new entries.