Laptops suitable for travel in the bush

[LandieMan]

Hi,

We're looking to spend +6mths travelling around Aussie and as we're just about to update the laptop so I was wondering what to get.

Do we need to invest in a rugged laptop (like a Toughbook) or are we likely to be OK with a standard laptop so long as we have a sealed container to keep it in when it's not being used. I guess another option is to buy a cheapo laptop so that it's not so bad when it does die.

Any and all thoughts and experiences would be welcomed.

Cheers, LandieMan

[mike_ie]

Your decision will be more dependant on what you want the laptop for, rather than which tough laptop is available on the market. I've been traveling overland from Ireland for almost two years now, living out of a rucksack, and I've had a Sony Vaio with me for the length of that time. Fairly expensive compared to what is available, but I neded it to edit my photography on the road, so I couldn't settle for anything less. It's far from being the most rugged of laptops, and I did suffer a cracked screen in Pakistan, but as a laptop it has stood up just fine to the rigors of being on the road.

If, on the other hand, all you want is to be able to surf the web from time to time, or bring some music on the road, keep a journal or whatever, the Asus Eee is a great choice. I've seen quite a few people traveling with them, and they all have good things to say about it. It's light, compact, has a flash based hard drive so you can bounce it about the place a bit more, and it's cheap enough that if you do manage to break it, you won't lose too much sleep over it.

So, to answer your question, yes, yoru standard laptop kept in a decent case will be more than sufficient, or if you want to go the cheap option, take a look at the Asus Eee.

[dmdigital]

I'd pretty much second what Mike has said. Everyone I know with an Eee PC loves it for travel, but as mentioned they're not for photo work, more for keeping in touch.

The ToughBooks are very good and expensive but they are designed for field use. The equivalent option would be a standard laptop and a Pelican case to store it in when travelling or not in use.

[HBWC]

I have an acer aspie one
its small with a8.9" screen and has taken a beating including me runing it over in the wheelchair i also use it for a gps it the car

the only thing i dont like is no cdrom but i do have a portable one

[Bushie]

I've been thinking about one of the Eee PC with the SSD coupled with a portable HDD.

Mainly for mapping but also so I can download photos, the cautious side of me says I need 2 portable drives to be safe.


Martyn

[dmdigital]

For photo backups when travelling consider this:
Download to Hard drive
Copy to portable hard drive
Copy to DVD and store in your luggage
Duplicate DVD and post it to home

You now have:
The original photos
A hard drive copy
A DVD copy in your luggage
A DVD copy in the mail to home

This allows you to:
Loose/damage the PC/Hard drive
Loose/damage the portable hard drive
Loose your luggage
Loose the DVD in the post

As that's a lot to be unlucky with the odds are you'll come through with at least one copy of the pictures somewhere.

[Redback]

We have an Asus R2HV, it is a UMPC (ultra mobile PC) it has all the funtion of a Laptop but is half the size.


Asus R2HV-BH035E Ultra-Mobile PC

http://shoppingshopping.com.au/Prod_Images/nohot.gif http://shoppingshopping.com.au/Prod_Images/Asus_R2HV-BH035E_1188_1.jpg
http://shoppingshopping.com.au/Prod_Images/Asus_R2HV-BH035E_1188_a199.jpg (http://shoppingshopping.com.au/PS/1188/48/Asus-R2HV-BH035E-Ultra-Mobile-PC.aspx#thumb) http://shoppingshopping.com.au/Prod_Images/Asus_R2HV-BH035E_1188_a200.jpg (http://shoppingshopping.com.au/PS/1188/48/Asus-R2HV-BH035E-Ultra-Mobile-PC.aspx#thumb)

R2Hv Ultra-Mobile PC for the New Mobile Computing Era
7-inch LCD touch screen with handwritten input support and solid security protection -The R2Hv offers full PC functions and more!
Specification



Processor & Cache Memory Intel® Pentium® M 723, 1GHz, 2MB L2 Cache
Operating System Windows® Vista™ Business
Chipset Intel® 915GM
Main Memory On board 1280 MB DDRII-667
Display 7" active matrix TFT(800x480)
Hard Drive PATA 80 GB
Card Reader SD card slot push / push type
Integrated 802.11b/g
Interface

1 x R2H Port Bar connector for external hub(S/PDIF, VGA, DC-in, 3 USB, LAN) / VGA function support via VGA Cable
2x USB 2.0A ports
1 x mini-USB2.0A port
1 x Microphone
1 x Headphone
1 x AV (Audio + Video) out
1 x RJ45 (Lan port)


Audio Built-in 1 mono speaker and 1 microphone
KeyBoard External foldable USB KBD ( optional accessory )
Battery Pack & Life 2cell Polymer battery 3430mAh, 24W/hr, 2 hours rundown life
AC Adapter

Output : 12V DC, 3A, 36W
Input : 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal
3/ 2 pin compact power supply system
12V Car Charger Cable (optional)


Dimension & Weight 234 x 133 x 28 (WxDxH) 830g (for Primary Battery)

Baz.

[DeanoH]

If you're looking for a good rugged laptop to cart around you can't go past a Panasonic Toughbook.:):):) They are simply outstanding as they are designed to survive in a tough enviroment. These are a Milspec ( military specification) PC and have a lot of "tough" features not found on traditional Laptops.

For example

1/. Has a hardened plastic and metal case which is extremly durable, you don't need a soft case to carry them. I've seen these run over and still work.

2/. Battery management firmware/software that alows them to be be safely charged/discharged over a wide temperature range. This is very important as the amount of charge a Li-ion battery can safely store is very much temperature dependant. You won't find this in any other PC that I know of.

3/. Soft rubber seals on all external orrifices and keys to stop dust, moisture, bugs etc. from getting inside.

4/. Abitity to have NextG SIM fitted to allow internet access.

5/. Have a real RS232 (comm.) port for connection to external gear such as OBD cable etc.

6/. Touch screen is great for ease of use and would probably be good for use with an external GPS receiver and mapping program. Though I have not used one for this.

7./ Can be used as a tablet PC if this is your thing.

8/. Specially designed HDD to withstand shock if dropped/bashed or treated harshly. It really works.

In short these would have to be the best robust travelling PC that you could buy. Fair dinkum, they're not called a "Toughbook" for nothing.

No I don't have shares in Panasonic nor do I sleep with one. :eek: But I have spent the last 4 years rolling out and managing these PC's for a large Australian companys field workforce in my region. They are widely used by the Military, Telstra, Fire Brigades Ambulance Service and other utilities.

The CF-18's (most common) are now obsolete and have been replaced by the CF-19 although other variants are available. Brand new, about 4 years ago, they cost over $4K each. Now they can be bought second hand end of lease for less than $400.

Typical spec would be Pentium Mobile 1.4 Ghz, 512 Meg of RAM, HDD of 20, 40, 60 or greater depending on variant. CF-18's came as Mk.1, 2, 3 or 4's though I've never actually seen a Mk 1, I think they were bought out as the prototype.

If you want to run the latest high end game this is not the right machine for you. If you want to run Windows XP, Office and access internet and e-mail as well as downloading and managing your photos then no problem.

CF-18's have no internal FDD or CD/DVD as this would compromise their ability to be dust/moisture/bug proof. They have two USB ports so you use an external drive if neccessary. Has PCMCIA slot(s) and SD (not HC) port on the Mk.4.

Even second hand at 4 years old you will find Toughbooks in good condition. Of the hundred or so that I managed none were worn out when returned at end of lease, and remember these were used daily in the field. Some had physical damage but none were worn out as you would normally find with a conventional Laptop at EOL.

IMHO for outback or travel use a Panasonic Toughbook is a far better bet than an eePC or any other type of conventional laptop which are just not designed to beat the heat, dust etc. I like 'em so much I bought one.

Deano

[HangOver]

You can go for the tough book or Dell ATG or a proper mill spec laptop like the pioneer link here (http://www.pioneercomputers.com.au/products/info.asp?c1=3&c2=87&id=2161) but the latter you'd would easy spend $5000-$7000.

If it where me I'd take a cheapo and maybe a spare hard drive to back stuff up onto.

If you want it for navigation though don't go the cheapo option as you'll want reliability. But put it in a padded bag when your not using it and maybe in a hard case if its likely to get something falling against it but laptops are pretty safe getting bumped around if they are off at the time. IMO take whatever you budget allows and make regular back ups

[rathies]

I made the mistake of purchasing an Asus EEE, its the 10inch screen model with hard drive instead of solid state. sure its compact and the battery life is great for its price. But web browsing is a pain! The keyboard is way too small and the screen resolution is all over the shop meaning you have to do alot of scrolling.
They are also gutless if you plan on doing anything other than web browsing!
My advice (budget dependant) would be to purchase a Macbook believe it or not. they are alot more cross compatible with Microsoft these days, you can even run windows on it if you are not happy with the Mac software. They are imune to viruses and just a well built unit.

As for storage my advice is the same as everyone elses, get yourself a nice water and shockproof pelican case and you can't go wrong, you can even use the case when you get stuck in a rut they are that strong!

[HowardSmall]

For the last two years I have had a Dell Optima with me as I drive around from Kuranda to Croydon, Chillagoe to butchers Creek. Often the roads kick up huge amounts of dust and can be rough in some stretches.

The notebook sits in a backpack lying in the back of the Nissan X-Trail. It has never missed a beat.

I am not saying rush out and buy a Dell (although we have found them to be reliable) but in my experience an ordinary notebook is fine. It has been bounced around a lot, but being in the backpack inside the car it has not had dust ingress.

On the other hand, you can kill a hard drive at any stage of a computers life so all the advice on backing up, etc is valid whatever choice you make.

Howard

[PhilipA]

From my experience the biggest issue is how you charge it.

Physical damage is unlikely unless you are really careless , but incorrect charging can kill them.

I bought a 3500milliamp Projecta charger to charge my NEC , the charger of which was 3500Milliamps. However first time I used it, it blew up and damaged my power supply so the thing will not turn on reliably, so it has been relegated to house duties where it can be left on standby.

So I now have a cheapo HP, and I only charge from a Pure sine wave inverter through the 240Volt charger.

The HP has done one 8 week trip including Savannah way, Ooodnadatta Track, Mereenie Loop etc with no probs. It was in a Targus bag only. This time I think I will dispense with the bag and just put it in the warm clothes box..

Regards Philip A

[AndyRevill]

I think you've opened a can of hard drives here :)

For what it's worth I've been using all three varieties already mentioned (laptop, netbook and Rugged) for work. Just some personal experience:

Laptop - these are generally more rugged than people give them credit for BUT it depends what you mean by rugged - carting around in a car, I wouldn't be that concerned, but as an example of what can happen - I almost killed mine when working in Karumba. I was using it outside to record data (38 deg, 90+% humidity) and then working on it back in the nice airconditioned accommodation (25 deg, probably 20% humidity). After 3 days it wouldn't boot up. After much panic, thinking, telephone calls etc. I removed the hard drive and under the cover was a nice amount of condensation - no wonder the thing wouldn't boot. however, after drying it out it still worked (and still is).

Netbook - I've used a Dell mini-9 with solid state drive. I'm amazed how good these are BUT they are only a netbook. yes the keyboard is small and it has limited processing power, but it has no moving parts, not even a fan and low power consumption. If all you want is mapping and a bit of web/email at $500 they're great and you can use them to back up photos onto usb sticks, cd's or whatever.

Rugged - I love it and would have nothing else for what I use it for (nothing else would survive), but I wouldn't personally buy one for a road trip - too many $$ for a benefit you probably don't need.

It's going to come down to what you want to be able to do and how many $$ you want to spend - my advice would be think hard about the first part.

good luck!

Andy

[JohnF]

Earlier today I was looking at the price of second Hand toughbooks on e-bay. I am wondering if one should buy a second hand one rather than a new mini laptop. I am being given $1600 dollars soon.

[AndyRevill]

Earlier today I was looking at the price of second Hand toughbooks on e-bay. I am wondering if one should buy a second hand one rather than a new mini laptop. I am being given $1600 dollars soon.

personally I'd be too chicken :)

1. people buy them to be used in harsh environments
2. it's on fleabay

[DeanoH]

True, people buy Toughbooks to use in harsh enviroments. Corporations buy toughbooks because they are tough and don't break and therefore don't have the downtime costs, workforce management and customer issues associated with conventional PC's when they fail.

If you want a really robust and well designed PC to use in a harsh environment, ie outback travelling, then you can't go past a toughbook. At the prices they're going for second hand they are a steal.

Whats wrong with ebay?

Deano

[rocket scientist]

I agree with all the comments.
I bought an ASUS eeepc for my wife and she thinks its great, but as someone mentioned the power and screen size may frustrate you.
Have a look on the secondhand sections of mac dealers. You can pick up a 12" powerbook or even i book quite cheap. Had one before the macbok pro, and it was a great little machine. compact too.
Pelican case is a definite must to guard against everyting.:D

[JohnF]

I agree with all the comments.
I bought an ASUS eeepc for my wife and she thinks its great, but as someone mentioned the power and screen size may frustrate you.
Have a look on the secondhand sections of mac dealers. You can pick up a 12" powerbook or even i book quite cheap. Had one before the macbok pro, and it was a great little machine. compact too.
Pelican case is a definite must to guard against everyting.:D


Touble is some software I run like E-sword is only made for IBM compatable machines. I do swap files [Powerpoint, Word documents] with IBM compatable users.

[DeanoH]

A Mac!! :Rolling: Overpriced, underpowered, compatable with nothing - BUT - sexy as hell.

Decide if you want a show pony or a workhorse.

BTW. A Toughbook is built in its own 'Pelican case'. It doesn't need another one.

Deano

[djam1]

I suggest you have a look for a T Series Thinkpad on Ebay.
If you buy a corporate release machine you will probably pay about $5-600 for them sometimes they are still under factory warranty.
They are incredibly durable I have used them for years at the moment I have 3 the oldest is 8 years old and currently runs 24 hours a day and has done so for the last 2 years.
The others have gone through every member of the family right down to the kids.
The later models you are likely to buy on ebay would be T43 s these have the hard drive brake that is perfect for using in a vehicle.
I use to build Laptops for Aboriginal Community use and found these the best.
Tough books are fine if you have stacks of money as they cost heaps to repair or replace a second hand Thinkpad isn't too painful provided you are sensible you will not have too.

One word of warning you cant buy a T43, buy any hard drive and put it in and expect it to work they can be finicky
with their hard drive choice

[rocket scientist]

That's what I like about PC users, wind em up and off they go.
Amazing that most professionals in the graphics/phographic industry use macs.
More user friendly than windows.

[PaulP38a]

That's what I like about PC users, wind em up and off they go.
Amazing that most professionals in the graphics/phographic industry use macs.
More user friendly than windows.

Hi Rocket Scientist - notice that noone else has taken the bait now that they're on to you? Although I do agree that it is sometimes enjoyable to toy with the minds of zealots... of course Mac users aren't zealots are they?... just enlightened. ;)

I guess that graphics and photography professionals in NE Vic must be more enlightened than the ones I know in Canberra and Sydney who have moved over to Windows and Linux machines, not to mention all the production studio and broadcast engineers who were using Macs up until about 5 years ago.

I'm not anti-Mac by any means - I still have one at home which runs alongside 9 or 10 other Windows and Linux boxes, and a handful of virtual machines. However, I'm a realist these days and can't justify the extra cost of a MacBook over a similary spec'd PC running Windows or Linux.

Anyway, it all comes down to personal preference and what works best for you. We are truly fortunate to have such a choice of platforms these days that are relatively robust and have a decent suite of applications available. It shouldn't be a religious thing what O/S we use, just personal choice that we respect each other for.

We all drive Land Rovers here... that's a pretty good starting point for mutual respect... and sympathy ;)

back to the topic...

I like the Acer Aspire One (XP, 1GB RAM, 120GB HDD) as a car PC. It's cheap, fast and pretty rugged as far as I can tell. I got mine a little damp when I drowned the Rangie last year but it's still running fine. 3 USB ports are handy for expansion such as hard drives and it has a built-in SD reader. It happily runs OziExplorer map software and talks to a bluetooth GPS.

Just got a 8" touch-screen that I've hooked up to the Acer. Plan is to find a spot in the dash to mount the screen and store the Acer in the glovebox with a bit of foam padding and power supply, then swap over the bluetooth GPS for a hard-wired USB one.

Currently checking out CentraFuse as an alternative interface for the touch-screen.

Cheers, Paul.

[Mudsloth]

I just bought a Toshiba nb100, its one of those mini pcs. Specs:

windows xp
120 gig hard drive
wireless adapter
10/100 network adapter
2 usb ports
1 serial port
bluetooth built in
1.6ghz chip
1 gig ram

All in a mini laptop, it cost me $500 bucks from Harvey Norman. I was going to build a mini pc and mount it in the back with a waterproof box, hook it up to my touch screen in the stereo but then i found this! Tough as nails, its survived a few trips and took its fair share of knocks. If you wired this to cars electrics and ran your cables to the touch screen you could fold it down and mount it anywhere!

And no, i don't work for Toshiba. :p

YouTube - mudsloth's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/mudsloth)

[mike_ie]

Hi,

We're looking to spend +6mths travelling around Aussie and as we're just about to update the laptop so I was wondering what to get.

Do we need to invest in a rugged laptop (like a Toughbook) or are we likely to be OK with a standard laptop so long as we have a sealed container to keep it in when it's not being used. I guess another option is to buy a cheapo laptop so that it's not so bad when it does die.

Any and all thoughts and experiences would be welcomed.

Cheers, LandieMan

I guess you decided on the Macbook Pro (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/stolen-goods-alerts/80296-stolen-macbook-pro.html#post993427) then... ;)

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Just to prove my objectivity, if you don't want to take a "normal" notebook i too would go for an ee-pc (netbook).

Personally, I just put the mac in a quality case and carry it under the back seat when travelling...

[LandieMan]

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts.

Below is a bit of a summary:

1) Any good quality laptop (or netbook) will survive OK in the bush if looked after. Keep them dry, out of direct heat and dust and try not to shake them about too much. Most are tougher than you think.

2) Panasonic Toughbooks are great but expensive. Consider picking up one second hand as they are well built. Probably overkill for private users who don't have to worry about the cost of down time.

3) Give some thought to exactly what you want to do with the laptop. Netbooks are great if you're just looking to keep up with the emails and AULRO but not so good if you're into editing your holiday videos while on the move.

4) Hard drives are susceptible to damage from shock and vibration as they have moving parts, consider a SSD (solid state drive) if it's an option and you can afford the extra.

5) Regardless of what you use, all laptops & software fails for a variety of reasons at the most unfortunate of times so you should take regular backups, ideally to different media and/or devices (burn to CD/DVD AND a portable hard drive). Think about sending DVD's home as you go to ensure you've not got all your eggs in one Land Rover.

6) Laptops can be sensitive to damage from variable and/or poor quality power supplies. Charge carefully from reliable supplies and use quality sine wave invertors if charging from batteries.

7) Pelican cases are very good and will provide first class protection for any sensitive gear, whether a laptop, camera or other electronic device. They're cheap insurance and retain an excellent resale value.

8) Mac's are good.

9) PC's are good too.

:)

[Bytemrk]

Looks like you have it pretty much summed up LandieMan.

Just like all smart computer choices - the first question is what are you planning on doing with it.

On my upcoming trip, I'll have my 7" solid state Eeepc mounted on the dash running the GPS and Oziexplorer.

It also has loaded Rave and my Nanocom software. But that is all I use it for.

As others have said you will sprain your brain trying to use a 7" screen to edit photos etc.. and even web browsing is uber painful.

That's why safely packed away in the back, I will also have my Dell Precision.

It wont be exposed to heaps of dust and mud.... it will only come out after we set up camp and I can control the environment it has to face.
The plan is something like... dinner, a few ales :beer: and sort out the days photos, a little AULRO (if we have net access) and update the blog.

Sounds tough...... but somebodies got to do it :p

The EeePc is simply a toy with a dedicated roll, the Precision is my day to day work tool so I have no need to buy something else..

But as others have said if you need a machine that will bounce around the truck and still work.... a second hand Panasonic Toughbook will probably give you the best bang for your buck..

Cheers,
Mark

[HangOver]

you could also go the totally other way and just buy a second and cheapo if it dies no big deal :)

[waynep]

We just finished a 10 week trip around central Australia, travelling in some reasonably remote places, and camping in a tent for 80% of the time.

I think the secret is to avoid crushing the laptop ( which occurs if you keep it in a standard soft pack and pile stuff on top of it ) and keep it away from dust. I took a standard Dell M65 Laptop but kept it in it's carry case inside a strong aluminium checkerplate tool box ( from Bunnings $160 ) that I kept in the back of the car. This box is lockable and also secured to the seat points with a locking lanyard. In this we kept all our "delicate" electronic gear and also it served as a bit of a safe for our valuables when we went walking etc.

The laptop is powered by a Dell power supply that works off both mains and 12V cigarette lighter outlet via the second battery in the vehicle.

Internet was important to us to keep up with banking and emails etc, and do last minute research on places we were heading for. We invested in a Telstra Next G Express card with 5GB monthly download. This gave us full broadband internet in a surprising number of places. I chose the Express card over the USB modem because it has a port for an external mag-base antenna.

I was glad I took a full sized laptop rather than the smaller EEE type. ( it seems everyone on the road has one of these). It meant we could do do photo editing and watch a DVD or even the ABC Iview in reasonable comfort ( we used this a bit to catch up on our favourite ABC programs. ). You could also get a TV tuner USB stick and watch telly if you really want ( we didn't )

We also had a HP Ipaq Travelmate on the windscreen for everyday mapping/navigation ( Oziexplorer/Tom Tom )