The Safest Ways To Carry Your Laptop

Laptops are valuable not only because of their prices, but also because of the information we store in them. Many people need to commute everyday with their laptops. Most people who have one for work can’t do their job without them, which means that their laptop’s safety is a major concern to them. It’s quite easy to carry a laptop and to make sure that it is properly protected along the way.  In this blog we will cover the safest ways to carry your laptop and key elements to keep in mind for protection purposes.

Commuting With Your Laptop

Use a soft laptop sleeve for double protection

A laptop sleeve will prevent your laptop from being scratched or banged against in your backpack or pannier. You don’t need to get a very fancy or expensive one. A simple neoprene sleeve will do the job just fine. Only your laptop should go in this case. Mouse, charging cable and everything else need to go separately.

Place the laptop to the most protected part of your carry case

The most protected part in a backpack is always the one nearest to you and in a pannier it’s always the one closest to the bike. This way you will prevent your computer from damages caused by accidental bumps and hits against other objects. Backpacks with dedicated laptop compartments always have the place reserved for the machine closest to your back. Carry cases with a laptop compartment is the best to have as that ensures a full protection for your laptop while commuting.

Protect the screen

Laptop screen protectors are notoriously fragile and need to be guarded against pressure, especially against pressure on a small surface, which some of the objects you may be carrying in your bag can do. To offer your screen some extra protection, place the laptop in a way that the top of the notebook is facing towards your back in the backpack or toward your bike in the pannier, and the bottom of the laptop is facing away from you or the bike. If the laptop is pushed against inside your bag it won’t cause damage to the screen.

Keep it dry

Laptops don’t tolerate moisture and can easily break if they get in contact with water. If you’re a bike commuter with a laptop, then a waterproof backpack or pannier is a must.

Travelling With Your Laptop

 You have 2 options when you travel with your laptop: either check it in with your luggage or use it as a carry-on. However, we feel it is important to point out that checking in your laptop with your luggage is not the best option. This is because there are a lot of risks involved.

Check-in luggage

Firstly, check-in luggage is not handled with care by airport officials. More often than not, they get tossed on top of one another before being placed in airport cargo. When they arrive at their destination, they are tossed to conveyor belts for passengers to identify.

At the end of the day, the laptop is greatly exposed and the risk of damage is high.

Carry-on luggage

On the other hand, using your laptop as a carry on is relatively safe. The care of your laptop is up to you and it does not end up getting jostled by unsuspecting airport workers.How to Pack a Laptop for Travel

If you have decided to travel with your laptop using either of the two methods, we suggest the following packing methods:

Packing a Laptop as a Check-in Luggage

Although it is not advisable to place your laptop within the cargo hold of a plane, it might be unavoidable.

So, in such a case, you should:

• Stick a screen protector on the laptop to prevent scratches
• Put the laptop within a sleeve to protect the casing.
• Place softly padded clothing in your luggage.
• Fix your laptop in the middle of the padded clothing.
• Cover all sides from top to bottom with only soft items to ensure your system is cocooned.

 Packing a Laptop as a Carry-on Luggage

The first thing to do is to purchase a laptop case or backpack. Make sure the bag you buy is well padded and your laptop has a screen protector to prevent scratches over the course of your journey.

A laptop bag with a lot of extra compartments and zippers would be an added side benefit as well. You could pack items all the way from your chargers,  power banks, to your passport.

Arrival at the Airport

Whether your laptop is a carry-on or check-in bag, you still need to undergo security procedures at the airport.

For your check-in bag, they weigh your bag and confirm its contents then it goes to the cargo hold.

However, for carry-on, apart from removing your shoes, you will need to bring out all electronic gadgets. Therefore, follow these steps:

• Ensure the laptop is turned off.
• Get a tray and carefully place the laptop within it.
• Do not let the tray out of your site once it goes through the detector.
• Retrieve your laptop and place it back within its protective bag.

Boarding

After boarding the plane, place your laptop bag under the seat in front of you. This way, it is within your sight and you can retrieve it if you need to use it on the flight.

Do not place laptops in overhead bins as they can fly open during turbulence.

Etiquette for In-Flight Use of Laptops

• Pay attention to the instructions given by the pilot including putting your laptop in airplane mode.
• Look out for the signal that says you can power on electronic gadgets
• Use your headphones if you require sound output for your work.
• If you are dealing with sensitive information, ensure you have a laptop privacy screen with you.

Other tips when travelling with your laptop

More than one device on a flight

There is no restriction to the number of laptops or tablets you can have on a flight. However, the weight  might limit your ability to have it on-board with you.

As a result, you may have to check it in with your bag. If you also exceed the cargo limit per person, you will have to pay an additional cost to get it on board.

Keep A Backup Of All Your Essential Files

If in a worst case scenario, your laptop gets stolen, or ends up breaking on the trip. Then your going to want to make sure you’ve backed up all your essential files before the trip.

You could get a portable storage solution such as a USB thumb drive, or even a Portable Hard Drive or Solid State Drive. You could also back it up on cloud storage. Remember a laptop can always be replaced, but your data can’t be.

Purchase A Universal Adapter

Chances are that if your travelling abroad. Then the power sockets aren’t going to be the same ones, as from where you are from. So get a decent universal adapter from a reputable brand. An added bonus would be if it has some sort of surge protection capabilities as well.

Speaking of surge protection, a power surge protector would be another great investment. Some countries in Asia have electricity that can constantly fluctuate. And if you don’t have a surge protector, you are at risk of damaging your laptop. So off all the tips on the list, we would recommend these two the most.

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