Thread: Laptops suitable for travel in the bush

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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.

YouTube - mudsloth's Channel

Originally Posted by 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

I guess you decided on the Macbook Pro then...

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...

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.

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 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

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

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