Are you a laptopper?

[mcoyote]

Me? I use soft side cases and a foam sleeve. Used to use a laptop case in a trash bag bungied to the Ventura rack on the 'Busa (20+lb Alienware, no way I'm wearing that), but no more. Can't stomach a backpack, as much as it would protect the laptop -- afraid of it bending my back in a crash or catching as I side.

[rocketbunny]

I lay it flat in a laptop bag on top of my clothes in my Givi top case.

I've been through one accident/drop with the laptop on board. The Givi didn't budge, and wasn't damaged. I was sitting in an internet cafe IM'ing friends about 1 hour after the accident and letting them know I was ok.

[mcoyote]

I lay it flat in a laptop bag on top of my clothes in my Givi top case.

I've been through one accident/drop with the laptop on board. The Givi didn't budge, and wasn't damaged. I was sitting in an internet cafe IM'ing friends about 1 hour after the accident and letting them know I was ok.

I may sit corrected, then. How fast?

[MadMax96]

I've commuted with a laptop in my Givi trunk for 2 years with no effects to the laptop.  The laptop itself is inside a laptop specific (Targus) backpack with pretty good padding.  This backpack wedges itself nicely into the trunk.

This is the one I got - http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=793917

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

I am this: Soft backpack (body absorbs vibration, broken back be damned)

[DredheadV2.0]

Courier bag (single-strap backpack, in other words) currently, with a neoprene sleeve around the laptop.  If I'm just nipping off to a library or coffee shop, I don't bother with the waist strap on the bag; never get above 30, and never have to worry about a hard lean.  If I'm heading to the orifice, I use the waist strap.  I don't worry at all about leaning to the point where the bag slides off, as I'd have to be nearly upside down for that to happen.  If I am, I've got bigger problems than the backpack.

[Chips]

I put my laptop in it's Targus case and into my Givi V46 topcase. I've been for a <25 mph slide on my right side before a curb stopped my forward progress. I righted the bike, popped the case off the toprack and trudged up a hill to my office. Popped the laptop in the docking station and it booted right up.

rocketbunny, my Givi case was fine aside from scrapes on the right side and I've reused it on my FJR1300.

[comet]

I have a Pelican 1510 case that I made a custom mount for on the tail section of my FJR (like a top case). That is where my laptop rides when I carry it. It is encased in black foam and happy.

Comet

[steve.ski]

I have only carried mine a handful of times on the bike, and only for short jaunts. So, the soft backpack works pretty well for me.

That said, I have worried about injury should I chew the pavement. I'm looking into a rear rack/bag system for my VFR with enough padding and such to isolate vibration...

[mcoyote]

I have a Pelican 1510 case that I made a custom mount for on the tail section of my FJR (like a top case). That is where my laptop rides when I carry it. It is encased in black foam and happy.

Comet

Ahhh...there you go. The only sensible waterproof cases that I know ought to survive a fall at any respectable speed would be Pelicans. I looked everywhere for a rack or pack system for Pelican cases that might work and came up empty.

[RickC1957]

When I took my POS Dell Inspiron 2200 out west....I put it in my Ducati/Givi top case....in it's free case, sits on my pillow, I can't sleep without MY pillow, and pile clothes on top. Tipped the bike over once...no biggie.  

[Dustytrump]

I have a Pelican 1510 case that I made a custom mount for on the tail section of my FJR (like a top case). That is where my laptop rides when I carry it. It is encased in black foam and happy.

Comet

That's amazing, we buy Pelican cases for our guys going offshore all the time but I never thought of mounting one on the bike. Seems like the perfect solution

[Geezer]

I used to carry mine vertically in a side case with some foam to protect it. The hard drive failed on me. Now I carry it laying flat in a tail case and have had no problems. If I crash I don't think the laptop would be my biggest concern.

[SilverSTreak]

None of the vote options fit...

[ZED]

Fitted foam in a safety yellow pelican case on the tail.
TIP - Remember to bring it in for the night.

[Major 662]

Used to put it in the hard ST3 sidecase (it's waterproof) or a soft backpack (it never really rains in Boise anyways  ).  Now I just put a few things on a USB flash drive and leave the laptop behind.

[jsanford]

I lay it flat in a laptop bag on top of my clothes in my Givi top case.

+1, 'cept my laptop in its Timbuk2 is under my clothes in my Givi top case.

The laptop has one of those impact-protection hard drives

[bizarro]

Soft back back. I have a Powerbook so weight is not an issue.

[RideWV]

I'm an IT guy and go everywhere with my notebook.  I have hard cases but I prefer the backpack because I "believe" it is easier on the notebook due to less vibration.  If it's raining I put the backpack in the Givi for weather protection.  I have a SwissGear backpack that works really well for the application although I would like to try a courier type bag in the future.

James

[1TallTXn]

I usually just bungee the briefcase my PowerBook resides in, to the back seat. If I take the laptop out of the briefcase and just use the padded sleeve, it fits in the bottom of the top case just fine.

[hawglet]

I have a Kelty backpack that is made for 2-3 day trip backpacking. I remove the water bladder from it and put the laptop with sleeve into the pocket. I try not to carry it on the bike, but those first few days in the summer when it's starting to get near the 80* mark it's hard to pass up the bike on the way through the garage to get to the cage.

[Slonishku]

None of the vote options fit...

That's nuttier than loading clocks into bathtubs made of giraffe bellies.

I have my Dell 700m (small) in a neoprene sleeve, carried in a Givi G36 topcase. It's usually surrounded by clothes, and I make a token effort to make sure the laptop isn't in direct contact with the Givi itself to avoid shock/ vibration.

[kendenton]

Laptop in a neoprene sleeve sitting atop 1" of closed-cell foam in my tankbag.  So far, so good.

[Walker]

I carry a laptop to and from work and school and gym, a smaller Sony Vio, but sometimes I also carry my old HP desktop replacement machine...

I carry them inside a laptop case, and that goes inside my Timbuk2 messenger bag.  I highly recommend this method of carry.  It is uber comfortable and convienent.  Also, no worries about leaning, as it has a chest strap that goes around and keeps the bag in place on the small of my back.

For trips where I'm packing gear and traveling, I do everything in my power to leave the laptop at home... I'm trying to get away from it, not take it with me!  For 90% of the time in those cases, my PDA was enough... my new PDA is a smartphone, so I can stay 'connected', but I often use the 'poor cell coverage' excuse.

For the one time on a business trip where I had to take a laptop, I packed it in my laptop bag and that inside my Tourmaster tailbag strapped onto my bike.  For the trip home I had it shipped home ahead of me.

Seriously, I highly recommend Timbuk2 bags for carrying stuff http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/retail/catalog.htm

[sammyseaman]

That's nuttier than loading clocks into bathtubs made of giraffe bellies.