What laptop do you travel with?

[nomadic]

I hope this type of thread hasn't been done to death!
Anyway, I am about to update my business laptop and am considering the Lenovo X1 or X220. Could also go 13" MBP, or maybe one of the ASUS U series.

Wondering what people prefer for plane/airport/general travel usage.

Thanks!

 

[TonyHancock]

MacBook Air 11". It is the perfect size. I upgraded both the processor and the ram rather than buy it off the shelf. It does everything I need when I'm traveling.

(I'm typically away from home for 60-100 nights per year, a lot less than many here. :shock

 

[drewbles]

All depends on where i'm going, for how long, and what purpose.

During a travel-intensive trip to the LOTFAP last year, I took my iPad only. Whilst it was sufficient for what I needed, by the end of the 2 weeks I was itching to get back to a normal keyboard (I touch type quite fast, and it's hard to touch type at high speed on an iPad without making a lot of mistakes).

On other trips i'll take my 15" MacBook Pro. Just in a leather sleeve, it fits neatly on top of my stuff in my wheelie carry-on bag.

I can do 2 weeks in the USA with it as carry-on only (highly recommended for those who have not experienced the liberation of travelling thru the LOTFAP without checked-luggage; highly suggest you try it!).

Always go with iPhone though. I'm attached to email thanks to my job so without that, i'd be without a job.

 

[djfuzz]

13 inch MacBook Pro (work), iPad (entertainment) and iPhone (communication).

Previously had a 13 inch MacBook Air, but ended up preferring to carry a fully specced machine instead. In between MacBooks I used a Hackint0sh'd Dell Mini 9, but found the keyboard way too small.

Mal and serfty are rolling their eyes...

 

[Ewing]

Wondering what people prefer for plane/airport/general travel usage.

11" MBA and I absolutely love it. I've had it for about 3 months now and it's by far the best purchase I've made in the past year.

I went with the entry level 64GB SSD/2GB RAM option. I find that the speed of the SSD more than makes up for the lack of RAM - so much so that for general (browser/MS Office/etc) usage which is all I do when on the road it feels comparable to my 2010 i7 15" Macbook Pro with 4GB RAM that was triple the price.

I did try to use an iPad as my sole travel device for about a year, but like drewbles I was itching to get to a normal keyboard - the iPad is great for consuming content but terrible at creating it. It's also not good when overseas in a place where ethernet is the only option (ie: no wifi).

The MBA is roughly the same size as the iPad - so much so that people think my small STM bag actually contains an iPad - they're surprised when I pull a laptop out. The MBA also fits inside my leather zip compendium (along with a notepad/etc) - I sometimes take just that with me on day trips and surprise a few people with it.

Unlike just about every other "netbook" I've used, I can type at close to full speed on the MBA. Here's a speed test I did just after getting it:

That makes a huge difference with productivity.

 

[moa999]

For personal a Dell Mini 9 - I don't mind the keyboard and am pretty proficient.
Is my main computer and hooks up to a 23" monitor at home - I don't need the processing power.

For work presently with a lenovo t400 which is a bit too heavy for my liking

 

[medhead]

I carry a MBP which is on the heavy side for my liking but was good specs vs price wise. I so wonder if I should have got a Dell 13z or the X lenovo. Both are lighter than a MBP but this was for personal use so the extras in the Mac won out.

I also carry an iPad and will have to double up until I splash out on iPhone 4 or portable wifi. Then I'll probably leave the computer at home.

 

[russ]

I travel with the lightest laptop around: none!

I do take an iPad though. It's great not having to unpack it for security checks.

 

[djfuzz]

I do take an iPad though. It's great not having to unpack it for security checks.

Despite the TSA note earlier, I've seen some haphazard enforcement of separate iPad screening domestically; so while I used to leave it in the bag, these days I just put it in the same tray as the laptop. :-|

 

[obrienja]

I've replaced a lightweight Dell Latitude & before that a HP Mini (netbook) with a Sony 13.3" Z series. It does pretty much everything I need it to do, is fast, light & the carbon fibre chassis means it weighs about 2kg. An iPad & and an Android phone keep it company

 

[nlagalle]

I now travel with a 13" MacBook Air and love it. I spec'd it out with the 240gb SSD 4th of ram and bigger processor. I happily run vmware on top as well.

iPad and iPhone are also in the bag..

 

[LiamR]

I carry a 13" MBA, 256GB hard drive with a custom config for 2.16GHz and 4GB ram. Its amazingly thin, and I love not having to carry a charger for day trips. I tried using just an iPad, but found most of the work I do, can't be done on an iPad.

I can't usually get away with keeping it in my bag, but because so thin I usually carry it in my compendium and open it to go under in the x-ray.

Every now and then I cop the odd bit of abuse from the man sitting at the x-ray screen. But, it does make things faster.

 

[ozmille]

For personal trips 13" Macbook. For work a HP which I "lovingly" call The Beast

Also carry BB for quick email checks.

 

[jsd]

I take my everyday laptop away with me. its a Compaq CQ40-419AU but its had its specs beefed up a bit (RAM, HDD etc.)

It will be replaced with an 11" MBA by years end

 

[simongr]

Very interesting how many Macs are being carried around

I travel only with my iPad until they recently changed the outlook web access settings such that I can't download documents now.

If I am on a multi country conferencey type trip I will still just take the iPad - but if I tarvel for a week to review the team's work then it is likely that I will take the work laptop (Lenovo X301) as well as the iPad as it is just easier to review documents on the laptop.

 

[Fantic125]

The last 2 years I've been travelling with a Lenovo Thinkpad X300.

Only weigh's 1.5 kilo's, and thats with the additional battery in place of the DVD drive..

 

[gumpy]

Currently a Latitude E6400 for work, 11" MBA for leisure...

Trying to convince work to get me a 13" MBA for work... that would be a dream...

 

[medhead]

I've replaced a lightweight Dell Latitude & before that a HP Mini (netbook) with a Sony 13.3" Z series. It does pretty much everything I need it to do, is fast, light & the carbon fibre chassis means it weighs about 2kg.

I looked at the Z series much. I recall the specs saying weight around 1 kg?

 

[Taezar]

I travel with two - I know...
Work does not allow any foreign device connected or any foreign data downloaded onto it.
So for work I take my 15.6inch ASUS K52J upped to an i5.
For me I take my 13inch MacBook Pro.
I carry my MBP but I put the hideously heavy and ugly ASUS into my cabin spinner. I do get some looks when I go through security.
2 phones
1 ipod
2 cameras
2 laptops
I just pretend this is totally normal though.

 

[Andyzx]

I use the lenovo X201. its good in a lot of respects, lite, battery life of around 3.5-4 hours on a 6 cell, easy to use - not a mac:mrgreen:, the keys are man size or at least ok for my fingers. On the plane it fits well onto the tray table with room for a drink on the side

Only problem is no internal DVD slot, not sure if the X220 has this but for a while it was a pain as I had large volumes of site work on CD and DVD.

On balance its fine for work.:arrow: