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Bike travel with laptop?

The_Veg

D'OH!
OK so I *FINALLY*joined the rest of the world and got myself a travel-size computer.

For various reasons I opted for a 14" model rather than the easier-to-carry netbook...and now I'm wondering if I can safely pack it on the bike. I heard somewhere that laptops travel best lying flat. How bad would it be to stand the thing on edge in one of the side-cases (inside its padded carry-case of course)? How much protection from vibration need I worry about? I ride an R1200GS with Micatech cases.

Or am I worried about nothing?
 
I heard somewhere that laptops travel best lying flat. How bad would it be to stand the thing on edge in one of the side-cases (inside its padded carry-case of course)?

I've carried laptops in a case or padded pouch sitting on edge in a side case since the days of my R80RT... call it 20+ years. For at least 6 of those years I commuted daily that way. Never had a failure. I'd always outgrow memory/disk/processing power before anything on the laptop broke.

Today the laptop comes with me on trips; packed in a padded pouch standing on end stuffed between packing cubes of cloths in a Zega case on my GS. Dirt roads haven't destroyed it yet.

Note: the laptop is always off or hibernating, not sleeping, when on the bike.
 
OK so I *FINALLY*joined the rest of the world and got myself a travel-size computer.

...and now I'm wondering if I can safely pack it on the bike. I heard somewhere that laptops travel best lying flat. How bad would it be to stand the thing on edge in one of the side-cases (inside its padded carry-case of course)?

Or am I worried about nothing?

As long as you shut down your laptop normally the disk heads park off the writing area of the disk and are protected from moving into the surface for all but the most harsh treatment. PCs, servers, laptops can run or travel properly shut down with any orientation. Certainly adding protection from sharp inertia changes would help insure against unplanned events. Many people (including myself) have traveled tens of thousands of miles with laptops of various vintages with no issues.
 
All the college students and office worker types i know carry them vertical in backpacks or briefcases.

How's that for an anecdotal answer.

Peter in OKC,OK
 
Check out this thread.

Pack it in a padded bag inside something waterproof. It will be fine.

I've been riding with a laptop in my saddlebags for years. It's the reason I can afford to ride. And yes, my new boss has decided to change the entire website this July. She didn't get it when I told her I would be on the road all July. So yes, the laptop will be coming to Redmond with me.

Holly
 
Put a thin microfiber cloth between the screen and keyboard to keep the keys from scratching your screen... plus you will always have something to clean your screen with you :)
 
I've carried a laptop to and from work for several years. Sideways, upside down, flat, on end or diagonal, it doesn't matter how they're positioned as long as you don't drop them off the bike going about 65 mph along the freeway like I did last year. That pretty much ruins them.
 
I use the soft, padded cardboard that comes in a box of chocolate candy to prevent the keys from scratching the screen on my netbook. It works great, fits well, and when I lose it I have an excuse to buy more chocolates.
Put a thin microfiber cloth between the screen and keyboard to keep the keys from scratching your screen... plus you will always have something to clean your screen with you :)
 
I carry mine to work in a backpack because I was afraid of the vibration in the saddle bag. Sounds like I worry to much. I guess I will look for a padded case.

I would love to be rid of the backpack.

Scott
 
I simply made a case out of bubble wrap using my freezer bag sealing machine. I found that this home made bag provided protection and took less space than the padded store bought cases. I would guess that duct taping bubble wrap should work as well. :thumb
 
when I bought my latest macbook, I opted for a SSD so that there'd be no moving parts. I carry that in a neoprene case and pack it inside my 20-litre kriega tailpack... no issues.

-tp
 
I've travelled with mine in all sorts of manner, but I now use an Otterbox strapped to my rack. They are indestructible. One drawback is that the power cord won't fit in the case, so it has to go elsewhere.
 

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I've carried laptops in a case or padded pouch sitting on edge in a side case since the days of my R80RT... call it 20+ years. For at least 6 of those years I commuted daily that way. Never had a failure. I'd always outgrow memory/disk/processing power before anything on the laptop broke.

Today the laptop comes with me on trips; packed in a padded pouch standing on end stuffed between packing cubes of cloths in a Zega case on my GS. Dirt roads haven't destroyed it yet.

Note: the laptop is always off or hibernating, not sleeping, when on the bike.
That's pretty much my situation as well. I commute with it in the side bag, in a leather courier-style briefcase on end. I've been doing this for at least the last 8 years and have never experienced a failure with any of the laptops that I've used. I also just put the laptop in "standby" mode when I unhook it at the end of my work day at the office before I pop it out of its docking station at my office.

As far as bringing a laptop along when I'm traveling for pleasure...sorry, no, that's not going to happen. I've worked in the computer industry for the last 30+ years. If I'm off the clock, I don't want to be using a computer.
 
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