Camping with technology

[DaveS]

Well as I'm sat here outside at the Camping and Carvanning Club Site at Verwood it seemed an appropriate time to start a thread on camping and computing.

To post this I'm using a Netbook, a Samsung NC10 to be exact, with a Vodafone USB 3G dongle to get the connection. However the club site does have a Wi-fi connection but I'm not close enough to it to get a good one.

The NC10 is an exceptional piece of kit, very easy to use to outside in bright sunlight due to the LED backlighting, it's plenty fast enough for web browsing and email, plus it has a mammoth battery life (7 hours or so on low settings). It's also very portable which is great for this environment.

I've also got the whole of the UK Ordnance Survey maps on it and it will connect quite happily to my bluetooth GPS so I can even use it as a mobile map!

I carry it around in my back pack as I wouldn't like to leave it in the car or the tent and I don't really notice I've got it to be honest.

A great combination.

And of course to some people camping and computing should never mix as people want to get away from their pc's , email, etc.... but to me it's my business arguably so I need to be in touch and it gives me the freedom that I need to stay in touch if I want.

[Boris]

I don't tale a lappy camping but I do have a smartphone which I can email and web browse on over GPRS. If we only had a pda (text only) version of the forums I could post form my tent too. The big problem would be keeping the kids of MSN when they should be out enjoying the countryside.

Actually I am posting from the tent but only cause I left the new Coleman up overnight in the garden to check it out. So far its living up to expectations

[largewayround]

I have a old laptop, toshiba .. something..
Took it camping about 3years ago, and that was a mistake as I forgot to put it away in its bag.. So it got damp (very wet week away in mallaig)
The dvd drive and wireless fried..

I recently dug it out, got a dvd drive of fleabay, and use my mobile (vodafone) to get internet. have 3 dongle as well (waste of time, no network)

I will be taking it next camping trip , as its old now , got a shiny new Imac for the house..

Power for laptop, only runs for 2 hours on batteries but connect to inverter in truck..

The sites we go too do not have wireless..

I also have maps on.. fagawi whole UK,, very handy..

[DaveS]

If we only had a pda (text only) version of the forums I could post form my tent too.

I can do this actually. I have that working over on XRV. There's a mod which picks up the browser type and redirects you to a simple text based style. However it's no good for the mod side.
So I'll think about doing it here.

[Jenna]

I have a toughbook that i run memory-map on (Fugawi for abroad), its also used to run the vehicle/workshop stuff on so its well used... cant say i have used it specifically when camping for anything other than mapwork/gps etc as i see the time away as a chance to get away from the net and the office!...

I did look at using the eee 9" as its small, light fairly robust and well geared up with all the bells and whistles that modern laptops ..'must have' as a personal pc but untill prices drop and it becomes affordable to damage them its only a future possibility.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

... I did look at using the eee 9" ... but untill prices drop and it becomes affordable to damage them its only a future possibility.

I agree. A small laptop can have its uses, but without secure storage you're likely to have to carry it around all day so small, light and cheap to replace seem to be key.