I travel a lot, and appreciate gear that balances comfort, functionality, and a touch of personality. Over the years, I’ve used many Bose headphones, and other brands, but I keep returning to the QuietComfort 45 Headphones for a few key reasons:

• Effective noise canceling. Essential to focusing while in planes, trains, cars and airports. I’ll wear these over top of Air Pods for extra quiet.
• Lightweight and compact. These fold down into a compact case keep in my backpack. In contrast the AirPod Max headphones are metal and heavy, don’t fold, and take up a lot of space.
• Long battery life and fast charging. These last multiple flights between charges, and I’ll wear them to sleep in hotel rooms (when there’s noisy air conditioning) and sleeping on international flights. I can charge off a portable battery if needed as well.
• Compatible plugs. Supports USB-C charging while also plugging into airplane headsets in case I want to watch a movie.
• They fit my giant head. I’m a 7 and 7/8 hat size and these headphones can fit over a cap I typically wear on the road.

When Bose introduced customization in partnership with ColorWare, I got a pair with some fun colors. But when I wore them to a work meeting, people thought I was using a kid’s toy, so that was awkward.

For my latest pair, shown in the photo, I did a custom combo of dark burgundy, bronze, and black, which looks subtle and sleek enough to use at work, while adding a touch of personality.

I haven’t yet tried the newest model, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which adds spatial audio, but I don’t need a home theater on the road, so these headphones are probably fine for now.