brucebob Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Do you take your laptop with you? How about the cold and vibrations. Will they kill it?? I know that if the laptop is -20c and i take it into a warm room, moisture will go to it. Just like my glasses....that cant be good. A few hundred kms of rough trails. Any advice,comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Leave the damn thing at home. I use sledding as a chance to escape the world of communications. I carry a phone...left off..only for emergencies. I carry a GPS..again for safety. Anything else stays at home. There is value in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvMyViper Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I doubt anyone has taken one.. An IPhone would do alot of the same things as a notebook... Happy Trails.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I haven't, and won't. Agree with 'peace and quite' quote above. If you need access, most hotels offer it. I'll bet some 'inns' would let you onto theirs in a pinch. Wonder if an iphone or touch (wifi) would do the trick, but don't own either. Rogers wireless is useless in the north. It's Bell country up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooer Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Leave the damn thing at home. I have actually considered it myself. Sled all day, work all night. I could be out touring all winter long while the rest of you are bound in your offices. Rogers wireless is useless in the north. It's Bell country up there. I was thinking of switching to Bell on my next phone update, but I was recently surprised to find out how poor Bell coverage is in the south. My dad just picked up an iPhone on Bell and sitting right beside each other, he was getting 0-1 bars, while my Rogers iPhone was at 4-5 bars. With no GSM fallback, he was without service often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Saul Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I haven't, and won't. Agree with 'peace and quite' quote above. If you need access, most hotels offer it. I'll bet some 'inns' would let you onto theirs in a pinch. Wonder if an iphone or touch (wifi) would do the trick, but don't own either. Rogers wireless is useless in the north. It's Bell country up there. We have a computer in the lodge for folks to use, Its part of being in the biz, , We now have Hi speed!! Emails are all Fudup now, Bobbi is on a first name basis with half of India now, But we have hispeed in the bush! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgianBayGuy Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I occasionally need to take a laptop with me to the cabin on weekends. In those rare situations I use a Pelican Laptop case. It is waterproof, almost bombproof, protects computers perfectly. If you are worried, just let the computer warm up to room temp before spinning up the hard drive. Hope this helps. http://www.pelican.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reved Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Do you take your laptop with you? How about the cold and vibrations. Will they kill it?? I know that if the laptop is -20c and i take it into a warm room, moisture will go to it. Just like my glasses....that cant be good. A few hundred kms of rough trails. Any advice,comments. Backpack works and if you put it in a case in the pack and try not to fall off. If you can pack an older cheap one all the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reved Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 RAM makes a mount for 15'-17 laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 RAM makes a mount for 15'-17 laptops. Isn't there one on Sledjunks sled ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apeXMAN Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Backpack works and if you put it in a case in the pack and try not to fall off. If you can pack an older cheap one all the better I will take my GF She is old and cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electron Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 well if your are serious about taking a laptop.....you better check the specs....like the other guys said...moisture will kill it, i've seen that many times before....however if it is a must, get yourself a panisonic toughbook or even better a durabook.... i'm cheap, i have the toughbook....water resistant...stainless hard drive....drop proof....mine has dropped from my car onto pavement...had it in boat (salt water..and very rough seas) and have thrown it across the room....cement floor...while open.... i will be honest i dont do that anymore...warranty is over...but it will store at -20 to +60.... so basically just check the specs...but i dont recomend you regular toshiba type laptops out there...... Since we are on the topic, does anyone have the OBD software for PC?...be nice not to have to build a datalogger for it to try and figure out the data protocol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooer Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 be nice not to have to build a datalogger for it to try and figure out the data protocol. Wouldn't it be easier to read the spec? It is an ISO standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major_Malfunction Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 well if your are serious about taking a laptop.....you better check the specs....like the other guys said...moisture will kill it, i've seen that many times before....however if it is a must, get yourself a panisonic toughbook or even better a durabook.... i'm cheap, i have the toughbook....water resistant...stainless hard drive....drop proof....mine has dropped from my car onto pavement...had it in boat (salt water..and very rough seas) and have thrown it across the room....cement floor...while open.... i will be honest i dont do that anymore...warranty is over...but it will store at -20 to +60.... so basically just check the specs...but i dont recomend you regular toshiba type laptops out there...... Since we are on the topic, does anyone have the OBD software for PC?...be nice not to have to build a datalogger for it to try and figure out the data protocol. Agree 100% on the Toughbook I was loaned a Toughbook 30 by Panasonic to demo for a cpl of weeks Could drop it spill coffee on it kick it bang it etc it kept on working Also have had Dell XFR laptops and the XFR is pretty darn indestructible to Of course these notebooks are going to set you back anywhere from 2500 to 4000 brand new. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domino Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 A tough book is meant to withstand impact and things dropping on it. At the end of the day it is a lot more expensive for a lot less machine. I've done the math and it was not worth it. I would guess it depend on your situation. Get a Dell with Complete Care, they will replace your laptop when you drop it. As for taking a laptop on a week long trip, yes! I took a Dell Mini. I put it in a Targus case and then inside a saddle back. It ran 5 days around the North and still works and looks like new. Moisture was not a problem and it was insulated by the case,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Isn't there one on Sledjunks sled ? No! That's in my truck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Since we are on the topic, does anyone have the OBD software for PC?...be nice not to have to build a datalogger for it to try and figure out the data protocol. There are a number of free packages out there. Check out scantool.net as a start. I have others bookmarked at work and will send them to you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 A tough book is meant to withstand impact and things dropping on it. At the end of the day it is a lot more expensive for a lot less machine. I've done the math and it was not worth it. I would guess it depend on your situation. Get a Dell with Complete Care, they will replace your laptop when you drop it. As for taking a laptop on a week long trip, yes! I took a Dell Mini. I put it in a Targus case and then inside a saddle back. It ran 5 days around the North and still works and looks like new. Moisture was not a problem and it was insulated by the case,. Based on Domino's experience, I picked up a cheap netbook (Acer Aspire One) to take with me on trips. I figure it should be fine. We have had experience with rugged tablet computers (XPlore C1, C2, C3, and C4) at work. Hydro currently had around 1000 of these installed and they do take a beating and keep working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cehyoopers Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I would never be a week away without a laptop,,,,,, I have an acer aspire netbook for traveling,it goes with me everywhere.If I was doing an overnight bag trip on the sled from home,not likely to take it.But if there is a computer in the lobby,I would use it for sure.A lot of my posts are made from the comfort of my hotel room,,,, ,I need my sled porn,,, In 1998 I bought my first PC,,,Packard Bell 200,,,and made a commitment from that day forward to embrace technology,,hell I have been a cell phone user since 1986,,,,the days of Cantel and 2,000 dollar phones,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02Sled Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 The backpack approach is likely the best if you really want to take a laptop. Not something I want with me on vacation or the weekend. Cell phone is all I need for emergencies and keeping in touch. They actually make back packs specifically for laptops with a padded section. Be sure to let your laptop warm up to room temperature before starting it up but then you can take it into colder temps. It is just a bit harder to spin the drive when it starts from cold but can be done. The battery life will be shorted when used in the cold as well. I am guessing that you just want it along for in the room and not outside though since most laptop monitors don't show up worth two cents in direct sunlight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweese Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I take a laptop on the bike all the time when I travel to be in contact with home via skype. But never traveled over night on the sled. I'm sure bouncing around on the trail would not be good for it, unless you pick up a netbook with a solid state harddrive. The cold shouldn't be that hard on it other than killing the battery so make sure you bring a power cord. The ipod/iphone would most likely work as well, or look at something like the samsung galaxy tab if your thinking about buying something new for yourself. I was thinking of switching to Bell on my next phone update, but I was recently surprised to find out how poor Bell coverage is in the south. My dad just picked up an iPhone on Bell and sitting right beside each other, he was getting 0-1 bars, while my Rogers iPhone was at 4-5 bars. With no GSM fallback, he was without service often. Bell swapped over to HSPA for 3G coverage about a year ago, so if your Dad has a phone older than a year on Bell he is likely still be on the thier CDMA network. I've been on Bell for 7 years now, and just updated to a HSPA BB, its as strong or stronger than everyone I know on rogers, other than at my brother's house because he has a rogers tower less than a klick up the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domino Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I used this one for the trip..... Kijiji Ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cehyoopers Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I used this one for the trip..... Kijiji Ad nice,is that yours or???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domino Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 nice,is that yours or???? Yes, I acquired and new HP through work in December, so this one needs a new home. It has 2GB memory, which is not available through Dell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooer Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Bell swapped over to HSPA for 3G coverage about a year ago, so if your Dad has a phone older than a year on Bell he is likely still be on the thier CDMA network. They are both iPhones. The CDMA iPhone won't be available until next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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