Tips on the Best Ways to Protect a Laptop when Bicycle Touring?

Hello bike travellers! For those who carry laptops with them, I am wondering how you protect them from damage, if you have any tips or tricks? I will be taking my Microsoft surface book with me and it has a funny design that doesn't allow it to close flush (refer to photo). I am worried about compressing it too much or warping it when packed in the pannier, on top of the usual worries about laptops. Would love your input!

I would put a layer or two of bubble wrap between the screen and the keys. Then put it into a regular laptop sleeve.

Use a hard case. It's bulky but it's the safest option, even during accidents.

Get a rack pack like the Ortlieb ones and put it in your laptop case inside the rack pack and put your clothes and sleeping bag etc underneath and around it

My laptop is between my clothes. 😉

I would use a laptop sleeve for peace of mind. It adds a bit of bulk but will give additional protection from vibration and moisture.

I have a similar laptop and travelled with him from Iceland to Patagonia, nothing bad happens if you carry it inside a special laptop rucksack or bag.. it is made of robust Aluminum... however, the weakest points in these models are: 1) batteries and 2) ventilation, both not good to work with a laptop in warm conditions outdoor, plus, 3) screen reflects everything if you are not indoor... 4) plus, it is rather heavy and expensive to travel with...

I would put a little bubble wrap in between the screen and the keyboard when it’s folded, and also get a laptop sleeve. If you really want some better protection, there are small hard cases you can get for laptops as well.

I carry my electronics (just an iPad mini & accessories) in a locking Eylar hard shell camera case set up as a trunk box bolted to my rear rack with pad eye hooks. Foam padding inside, waterproof.

& a 10watt Voltaic Systems solar array mounted atop the case for charging.

I have a Microsoft surface with me and bought the best-rated case off Amazon. No issues.

But a foam rubber sheet with about 1mm in between your laptop to avoid tension (because of the gap) and what I like very much is a 0,5 mm aluminium sheet on both sides of the laptop with an additional 1 mm foam rubber glued on them (on the laptop side). That protects very well, is light and cheap. You can fix this with a rubber band or in a small bag.

That will be broken in two weeks.

If I'm not mistaken, that model is solid-state, ie - no moving parts, robust, and can take a lot of vibration/impact. A guy I met with gazillions of KM's in all conditions kept his really nice camera and pc in a backpack though. I've hauled that same model a bunch in my rear pannier in a simple waterproof padded case, but in Japan where the roads are smooth as glass for the most part.

I do this for almost 20 years. I usually put it vertically in the bag with the closes. There was never a problem with this.

Looks like it needs a shingle in there to prevent over-compression.