Using BaseCamp on route
 

Having a Zumo 350, i would like to take Basecamp with me on my upcoming trips. I will probably need a windows based notebook or something like that. I am planning to stuff it somewhere in my pannier.
Anybody any tips on this matter? What notebook to look for, second handed? Is it a good idea to pack it in a pannier? :confused1:
Please let me know your experiences.

Good idea to find a used ASUS eeepc 901 with SSD instead HD. They work fine with all Garmin applications, and are very stable, you can stor them anywhere, bumping and jumping will have no effect.

The price is between 75 and 100 euro's on e-bay etc

GRTZ,

JP

I've used a Samsung N150 for a few years. Packed in a metal pannier amongst my clothes and stuff with no ill effects, but only a few miles was not on a tarmac road.

It's a real pity that the only tablets that will run Basecamp cost so much, but then a netbook can be used to transfer pictures / videos to an external hard drive.

I've been carrying notebook PCs for years, starting initially with a massive 17-in Dell, most recently with an Apple MacBook Air. I've carried them in panniers and in roll bags.

If your chosen notebook has a traditional hard drive (as opposed to solid state disk), then make sure you close the operating system down before packing so the disk heads are properly parked. Also, pack a piece of cloth (hankie?) between the keyboard and the screen to prevent the keys scratching the screen.

My chosen software is Garmin's obsolete Mapsource rather than BaseCamp as it's better and easier to use.

Perhaps consider if you really need to carry a pc with you?
Travelling around, you'll always find someone with a computer / web cafe and all you need is your software on your usb stick which weighs very little and is almost unbreakable.

Download the OSM maps you need just before you go on Micro SD card and carry a tiny card reader. Less to worry about, less weight- works for me!

A smartphone these days cost little and take care of email/etc etc
If you want to blog, consider doing this when you get back! ( I've never understood the need to do this daily out there instead of enjoying the new surroundings/people/food/atmosphere etc etc)

I'm spending a lifetime making things lighter and simpler!-
Note to self: time to go again:scooter:

Several ways to go i suppose. From lightweight to a full 17" laptop. I like the idea of a solid state device. I am going to look in to that. Thanks for the suggestions :thumbup1: