transporting a laptop

[martin_14]

no idea whatsoever where to post this, so I'll try here and the moderators will do their witchcraft.
I am doing a 2 months, several thousand miles trip on the bike and need to take my 15" laptop with me. A backpack would be ok for short stints but not for the stages that I'm going to do.
From what I could read around, a well padded wrapping (neoprene sleeve and then inside a sweater, shirts, etc.) and flat in the top case (better than standing on the side cases) should do the trick of keeping vibrations to a minimum. Computer should be off, so the hard drive would be parked.
Any advices, experiences, ideas?

[Flat-spot]

The best but $$$.   http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1095CC

A nice padded sleeve for $20.  http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/integration.workflow:ProductDisplayItem?IsBundle=false&GroupID=460&Code=LAPS-116BLACK&sb=:000001CC:000033F9:&hide_menu_area=yes&cid=us:cse:WR5MjN:ca%7CAmazon%7CLAPS-116BLACK&CA_6C15C=1524758490 

I have a Thule gauntlet for Macbook. It's very slim with no padding but the Mac has no moving parts to worry about.  I just lay it on top in the top-box.
http://www.amazon.com/Thule-TAS-115-15-MacBook-Sleeve/dp/B004N731J8

[jwh20]

You might consider a smaller laptop, like a 14" as that will fit into your saddlebags which would offer better protection from weather and such.  I often commute with mine (a 15" model) in a backpack which I strap to the seat and luggage rack with a cargo net.  But it would be a problem in the rain which you will likely enounter on a several thousand mile trip.

In general most laptop are pretty rugged.  You're not going to damage the hard drive although if you're concerned about that you could upgrade to an SSD drive - no moving parts and really F-A-S-T!! 

[maxtog]

In general most laptop are pretty rugged.  You're not going to damage the hard drive although if you're concerned about that you could upgrade to an SSD drive - no moving parts and really F-A-S-T!!

+1

SSD is the best thing to happen to computers in many years.  Not only vibration-proof and fast, but also light.

[martin_14]

thanks guys for the replies.
About the SSD: I know and I agree. I just don't have the time and money to deal with that right now Same applies to changing the laptop for something smaller.
I just come from a big electronics store here in Germany and found a pretty well padded sleeve for about 25 USD. If I keep my rain gear under and around it in the top case (which has been 100% water proof so far, so I'm not getting another one), it should work.

[stevewfl]

I throw my laptop and ipad between clothes and run with it.  No damage to report in >108,000 miles.  Matter of fact, this trip was a LOT of miles through cold/hot/twisties, and offroading and all electronics survived 

[JoeRau]

I commute with my laptop in a cheap bag held on the rack with a bungee net.  I know I am pushing my luck and at some point may damage the machine, but it has been working for a few years. 

[stevewfl]

I throw my laptop and ipad between clothes and run with it.  No damage to report in >108,000 miles.  Matter of fact, this trip was a LOT of miles through cold/hot/twisties, and offroading and all electronics survived 

Here is what mine went through between clothes and towels hehe:

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=2298.0

[KevinRLi]

I've had my laptop with me on many short and long trips. I pack it in the side case on my C14. Just in between the clothes. Normally folded in between a pair of jeans so the bottom is padded. That's it. Nothing else special. Never an issue.

[lather]

I've done dozens of long trips with my netbook in the side case in a padded sleeve with no problems. My top case seems to vibrate and bounce more than the side cases and various electrical devices stowed in it have damaged by vibration.

[Landon]

I just got an 11.6" laptop specifically for taking on the bike. Mine does have the SSD, but I plan on getting one of these to carry it in.

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-11-6-Inch-Laptop-Tablet-Bag/dp/B00DUGZFA6?

I want something that will hold the laptop, charger, and a mouse. This seems to fit the bill at a reasonable price(you can get them cheaper on ebay than amazon). Have not really put much thought into top case or side case storage yet. I personally think we as motorcyclist put a little to much thought into this, how many people take a laptop and put it in their trunk or backseat and never give a worry to vibrations. A car cannot be that much different than a bike.

[Rhino]

I commute daily with a 15" Macbook Pro. It has solid state memory and no hard drive. I put it in a simple padded case. Fits nicely in a side case with the elastic straps to keep it on the inside half and doesn't move around a lot. This leaves some room for stuff inside of it and lots of room on the outside but I do have to manage what else is in the side case.

[MAN OF BLUES]

I've carried both my old 17" Dell precision portable workstation ( heavy laptop) and my mini Acer unit, with chargers and other devices, in both the side bag of the C10, and top trunk on the C14, for over 60,000 miles since 2004 with no issue. Both have hard drives. a good padded briefcase and somtimes a piece of 1" thick foam under them when room was available.
stuff other soft gear around them to limit movement, and its all good.

[Two Skies]

I've been toting my 17" laptop in my side cases for a bit.  Never any issues, although I did upgrade my hard drive recently.  Not spending much time at all on the bike these days (needs some work thanks to a bad spill), but I used to bring my 17" laptop to work with me (60 mile round trip) 2-4 times a week.

48K on the bike, laptop was with me, in either of the side cases, for at least 30K of those miles...

Also packed my laptop on a few longer jaunts (500-600 miles).

The only 'padding' is the backpack.  My 17" laptop barely fits in the side case inside the backpack, so top/bottom padding wasn't really an option in my situation.

Unless your HDD has been giving you issues already, then I wouldn't be too concerned.  Another option (if you are worried) would be to put it in a carry on suitcase and strap that on your back seat, cushioning it between clothing that you may be bringing with you.

Long term wise, SSD's are nice for a lot of reasons, lack of moving parts being one of them.  They do degrade eventually, but endurance values these days are pretty robust.  In most cases (unless you are a REALLY heavy user), these days the laptop will probably die from other factors (screen failure, etc.) long before the SSD degrades significantly...

I do have some rubber cushions inserted between my antler and the pad the antler rests against, which might help reduce the 'bouncy bouncy'/side to side jolts.  That's just good in general, for those that haven't already permanently bolted the antler to the pad.

[stevewfl]

I throw my laptop and ipad between clothes and run with it.  No damage to report in >108,000 miles.  Matter of fact, this trip was a LOT of miles through cold/hot/twisties, and offroading and all electronics survived 

On a side note, I never have pinned my bags and my electronics rides in the panniers 

[VirginiaJim]

How do you do at Casinos?