Serious question, why does everyone act like you need a special 'nomad' laptop?

I keep seeing posts about buying these super light, super tough, super expensive laptops just for travel. I've been doing this for four years now and my regular, slightly beat up, 4 pound laptop from 2020 has been to 12 countries. It works fine from a hostel in Bangkok to a cafe in Lisbon. People act like you'll fall apart without a carbon fiber shell, but I think it's just gear hype. I've seen more people stressed about a tiny scratch on their $2,000 machine than I have about actual work problems. My old one cost $800 and if it gets stolen, it's a bummer, not a crisis. Am I the only one who thinks a normal computer is good enough?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavinwells2mo ago

Totally agree, I used a regular 15-inch laptop for years. Threw it in my bag with a cheap sleeve, worked from beaches and buses. The only real upgrade I made was swapping to a smaller 13-inch model last year, just for the space in my pack. It was a refurbished model, nothing fancy.

alex_wilson792mo ago

Honestly, I used to be all about the biggest screen possible. Thought anything under 15 inches was pointless. But reading how you just threw a 13-inch refurb in your bag for real work on a bus kind of changed my mind. Makes me wonder if I've been hauling around way more laptop than I actually need. That extra space in your pack sounds pretty nice.

wendy6282mo ago

Just for the space in your pack" really makes sense to me now.