Laptops On The Road

[Powerband]

Has anyone put a laptop in their backpack and strapped it to the back of their bike and went on a long trip? Did it survive? How long was your trip?

I'll be on the road for about a month at the end of April and need to do some work off and on.

[noahvail]

I've done the backpack thing, and it's ok, so long as the backpack is waterproof, easy to find.

I prefer the panniers, though. A bit of bubble wrap, wrap in some clothes, and you're all set. Laptop in one side, camera and ipod on the other, never a problem.

Trick is in the wrapping. Don't let any part of the cast be able to keep bouncing against some metal or plastic, hence the bubble wrap and clothes.

And before the hoots of what if you drop the bike; I've got friends who I've stolen these ideas from. They've all gone down the road at one stage or another, laptop comes out a winner.

[GungaDin]

Yes, bubble wrap and plenty of it, no problem.

[JonnyF]

I've got a little netbook that I always put it my tankbag when I go away in case I get a call from work. I just use the protective sleeve that it came with and then put that inside a 7-11 bag in case it rains. Put it inbetween a couple of items of clothing while packing and I've never had an issue.

[BigBikeBKK]

Been touring with my little Acer Aspire One for over a year now and it's held up very well. Same as others I keep it wrapped up in clothes and strapped to the pillion in a dive bag. I don't know how guys can ride long distances while wearing a back pack- having that weight on my shoulders and back would drive me nuts.

[Powerband]

Thanks for all the replies, sounds reassuring. Now all I have to do is get rid of this humongous 17" and get a smaller one.

[12DrinkMore]

My current laptop has travelled well over 12,000 kms by bike in a rucksack on my back, and the previous laptop, still going strong, went over 20,000 kms. Never a problem. Although I must admit that an Acer Aspire would be considerably less weight to carry. I'm thinking about buying one for the next trip.

I suggest that you take a couple of the self sealing plastic bags that Tesco, for example, sells for storing food. They have a size that is exactly right for my laptop, it keeps all the fluff and crap out, plus providing extra protection against moisture.

[ttakata]

If you're going to get a new notebook maybe you should look at the Toughbooks, some are military spec.

I'm sure all those vibrations can't be great for all other PCs, but these can handle it.

http://www.panasonic.com/business/Toughboo...p-computers.asp

Edited March 31, 2010 by ttakata

[Garry]

I'm getting a Netbook (10.1" screen) myself for the road, for two reasons. The first being the obvious WWW access, but mainly it will be road tuning my bike.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Garry

[Powerband]

What size laptops are you guys packing? I was thinking of getting a new 12" but the processing power of these dont seem to hot. Since I'll need to edit things in photoshop every now and then.

So may move up to 14" so it can have a built in dvd as well. But still would really prefer to have something smaller.

Whats up with those netbooks? anyone running photoshop on one? I used a netbook once with an Atom processor and it was so painfully slow it almost made me cry.

Weapon of choice so far will be a Lenovo thinkpad edge 13, unless there are better suggestions.

[nikster]

If you're going to get a new notebook maybe you should look at the Toughbooks, some are military spec.

I'm sure all those vibrations can't be great for all other PCs, but these can handle it.

http://www.panasonic.com/business/Toughboo...p-computers.asp

Bubble wrap or even just clothes will be way safer, and way cheaper, than letting a tough 'book bounce around unprotected.

I'd take a MacBook Pro 13 - fast, small, 7 hours battery, built like a tank and can't be beat for style. Oh, no viruses.

[witold]

You will be fine for a long time, but vibration and shock really take a toll on laptops, particularly the hard drive. Try to minimize this via bubble wrap or similar.

I often carry my work laptop in my backpack on a bike. It is now starting to have over heating issues. Probably some cooling fan has failed. I can't tie it to the fact that I carry it on my bike, though.

[nikster]

I often carry my work laptop in my backpack on a bike. It is now starting to have over heating issues. Probably some cooling fan has failed. I can't tie it to the fact that I carry it on my bike, though.

Unlikely, I've been carrying my laptop in my backpack ever single day for the last... 10 years? Mostly Macs, but also a few PCs. The better quality models do this with no problems, they're made to withstand some bumps and vibration. Example, hard drives have rubber mounts..etc.

[SeanMoran]

What size laptops are you guys packing? I was thinking of getting a new 12" but the processing power of these dont seem to hot. Since I'll need to edit things in photoshop every now and then.

So may move up to 14" so it can have a built in dvd as well. But still would really prefer to have something smaller.

Whats up with those netbooks? anyone running photoshop on one? I used a netbook once with an Atom processor and it was so painfully slow it almost made me cry.

Weapon of choice so far will be a Lenovo thinkpad edge 13, unless there are better suggestions.

There you go - hot off the Canon, albeit a rather rushed effort - unsharpened and the cameraman forgot to put a t-shirt on in case of reflective feedback. Compaq Presario CQ60. 15" screen if I recall. Just enough for graphic work in GIMP at 1366x768 resolution, and fits into the 'Toshiba' shoulder bag I bought with the laptop last November, along with the mouse, webcam, and transformer. That bagged laptop then fits into a central compartment in the rucksack, between the bagged clothes in the bottom compartment and the paperwork and other items in the top compartment. The decorative PVC tape you see was applied the day I bought it, to protect the casing from scratches, the innards from shock (minor) and deter wouldbe thieves from relieving me of my trusty laptop if I'm away from the hotel room.

With rucksack strapped to the back seat of the Honda, we've been to Cambodia and back, as well as in and out of Rayong and around the local area from time to time. Lucy the laptop remains relatively unscathed, although the Honda suffered a little before she went home to the shop.