Their series focuses on applications designed for professionals and hobbyists looking for a field workstation.  But I see the application extend to the expedition traveler - a lot of similar needs, along with a few others.  Let's talk about finding the right laptop - the core of the system.

The Specifications: What an Expedition Laptop Needs

While the field professional needs things like a durable computer, no cables, and long battery life, the overland traveler has a few other uses for an expedition laptop - email, blogging, costing spreadsheets, photo storage, video storage, and maybe even video editing.  It's something you want to mount in a car or at least have easily accessible when driving.  You want to take it to the internet cafe, update your emails at the campfire, transfer photos from your camera by bluetooth, drag it on a canoe with you up the Amazon river...it's got to be durable, and rugged, and reliable.

So combining the features of a GeoPad and an Expedition class laptop I get

• rugged, waterproof, dustproof, drop proof
• touchscreen (digitizer style - read this post on the difference)
• convertible tablet/clamshell style
• WIFI
• built-in GPS (no annoying cables)
• long battery life
• at least 120 GB hard drive (for you photos and videos)

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-18

The Panasonic Toughbook is listed as the first choice on the Free Geography Tools post, but quickly dismissed due to it's prohibitive cost (a new tablet Toughbook CF-19 starts around $3000, and then you add the options like integrated GPS).  But I disagree.  If you lowered your standards just a bit, you can find a the previous Toughbook tablet computer model, the CF-18 on eBay for around $600 USD.

It would come with a touchscreen and WIFI, and be in pretty decent condition.  Many of the models have upgraded hard drives (they came stock with 60 GB back in the day) and if you look hard enough you'll find one with Bluetooth and if you're really lucky, built-in GPS.

But don't spend too much time trying to find all of that in one computer.  Instead get a model in good condition with an upgraded hard drive.  There are lots of those available.  Then jump over to CustomToughbooks.com and buy one of their GPS/bluetooth upgrade kits for $175 USD and install it.  You'll get a modern GPS module, much better than the stock ones that came with the CF-18, and you'll get the bluetooth as well.  The downside is you'll need a bit of handywork to install the GPS module, but the installation documentation is available on the CustomToughbooks website and it looks fairly straight-forward.

The CF-18 is slow: Will it work?

It's a valid point.  The CF-18 came with a 900 to 1.2 Mhz Pentium M processor, quite slow by today's standards.  It will be happy running Windows XP, but don't try running Vista.  I'm not sure how well Windows 7 will work but my guess is it would be too much for it.  And you'll have to forget video editing.  Well, not forget it, but expect to take a long time waiting for your scenes to render.  Large photo editing would be  a problem too, but storing and viewing photos and basic tasks available in standard photo album software should be no problem.

For emailing, working with spreadsheets and blogging - no problem.  Mapping and GIS? Also a snap especially for field work.  Data collection, mapping, and navigation don't need much processor speed.

Other Ideas?

Feedback, experiences, questions - always welcome!  If you've got something to say, do so in the comments section below.  In the meantime, take a look at some current eBay auction listings fro CF-18 Toughbooks.  If you're keen on buying one, take a look at our article on Buying Used Panasonic Toughbooks.  It gives you some good pointers on what to look for, especially from eBay auctions.

Panasonic Toughbook CF 18 MAXIMUM 320HD WARRANTY DVD RW GPS Serial Port
895.00

INTERNAL GPS Panasonic Toughbook CF 18KCHZDVM 12GHz 15GB RAM 160GB HDD Backlit
500.00

36 MTHS WARRANTY XMAS SPECIAL PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK CF 18 TABLET GPS BLUETOOTH
940.52

Panasonic Toughbook CF 18 MAXIMUM 320HD WARRANTY DVD RW Serial Port GPS
895.00

Panasonic Toughbook CF 18 Oem Gps Custom Hydroprint
999.00

TOP OF THE RANGE PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK CF 18 INDUSTRIAL TABLET FACTORY GPRS
940.52

Under this arrangement, enterprise and industry-specific organizations can acquire Getac-branded rugged notebooks, convertible/slate tablets, handhelds and in-vehicle solutions through HP's direct sales teams and channel partners.

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For more information about Getac visit www.getac.com

• Bluetooth 2.0,
• Internal WiFi A/B/G cards (often with external high-gain antennas),
• Internal GPS receivers,
• large capacity hard drives, and
• DVD/CD Burners.

And to top it all off, they come with new paintjobs!

While all of these extras are great, remember that at the end of the day these are just CF-28 's on the inside. The maximum processor speed is still only a PIII 1Ghz, and the maximum RAM supported is 1 GB. Windows XP will run very slowly, and Vista will barely run at all. Windows 2000 is fine, but no longer supported by Microsoft, and many modern programs won't run on it either. For example, the latest version of Microsoft Streets and Trips navigation software (a typicaly application for a Toughbook) doesn't install on Windows 2000.

In any case, the CF-28 is a great little notebook, a true ruggedized computer, and if you look hard enough you'll be sure to find a deal (prices are going anywhere from $800 to $2000 depending on the options). Take a look here at the latest eBay listings on our site for some of the current options.

Map Availability

Maps are much more readily available with laptops. A full computer supports multiple applications, whether you use a proprietary software that comes with your GPS or if you use a generic GPS/Mapping application such as Fugawi or OziExplorer. With both of those peices of software, you can import any digitized map, scanned or otherwise, and calibrate it to georeference with a GPS. See our related article on Calibrating Maps for OziExplorer.

With a handheld unit you are limited to the maps provided by the GPS company, either stored with internal memory or by a flash style memory card. In modern countries the map availability and coverage is excellent. In developing countries it can be hit and miss.

Reliability and Durability

It took 6 months of overland travel for us to go through one standard laptop. It was an old Dell PII, and just barely ran Windows 2000. But for mapping it was all we needed and did the job. But all the banging and shaking in the truck broke the screen hinges. Dirt got under the keys and the CD ROM stopped working. Screens on standard laptops are hard to read in the daylight as well. We've upgraded to a Panasonic Toughbook now - vibration, dust, water, and actually reading the screen in the daytime are no longer issues.

On the other hand, a handheld GPS is often water resistant, and can stand being thrown around, for a fraction of the price of a laptop.

Cables, Cables, and Cables

I hate the cable between the gps reciever and the laptop. I have similar disdain for the 12V power cable for either machine. I've since converted my serial gps to a bluetooth unit to eliminate the one cable between computer and GPS. A docking station mounted onto a laptop stand is a great way to control the cables, but takes a lot of room in the vehicle.

On the other hand, a handheld GPS doesn't need to have any cables as long as there is battery power. Eventually you need to plug into 12V DC. Except for a more permanent gps unit mounted into a dash, cables are all but unavoidable.

Other Perks

Laptops provide the flexibility of having offline email and the ability to store digital photos and movies without running out of flash card space. We like to share music with other travellers via thumb drives and CDRWs. We also maintain the ability to maintain a website while on the road. Handheld GPS units do none of these things.

I like the big screen of a laptop. Route planning with a handheld is next to impossible.

Summary

If you're staying close to home, don't need access to computer applications, storage, or you can rely on the maps provided by a GPS company a handheld gps is simpler, cheaper, and more reliable. If you're planning an extended international trip, you probably want the flexibility and power of a full laptop.

• Gel packed casing for the hard drive. It is heated for extreme cold conditions, and can sustain repeated shocks and dropping
• Waterproof
• Dustproof
• Magnesium alloy case
• Daylight readable touchscreens
• The computers fold up into small cases with closing clasps and built-in carrying handles
• Designed to MIL-STD-810F specification

They have two basic models to choose from, in the Fully Rugged category: a full-size notebook, and a tablet PC.

The following table summarizes the different models over the past few years.

Click for Listings	Model	Notebook/Tablet	Processor	Max RAM	Screen	OS
	CF-18	Tablet	Pentium M (900 MHz - 1.2 GHz)	1.5 GB	Digitizer/Touch	Windows XP
	CF-19 (current)	Tablet	Intel Core Duo (1.06 GHz)	4 GB	Digitizer/Touch	Windows XP/Vista
	CF-27	Notebook	PIII (300 MHz - 600 MHz)	512 MB	Normal/Touch	Windows 2000
	CF-28	Notebook	PIII (300 MHz -1000 MHz)	1 GB	Normal/Touch	Windows 2000
	CF-29	Notebook	Pentium M (1.2 GHz -1.6 GHz)	1.5 GB	Normal/Touch	Windows XP
	CF-30 (current)	Notebook	Intel Core Duo (1.66 GHz)	4GB	Normal/Touch	Windows XP/Vista

Tablet Versions

The CF-18 and CF-19 are really light-weight (about 4 lbs), especially for a fully rugged PC. In exchange for the light computer, you give up an optical drive and you get a small 10.4" screen. For mounting into a vehicle, the smaller screen might be just right. The tablet versions come with

• 10.4" Active Digitizer or Touchscreen
• 9 Pin Serial port
• All have built-in WiFi - some have A/B/G some only have A/B

• Optional Bluetooth
• Optional Rubberized backlit keyboard
• Optional GPS
• Optional CDMA/GPRS Wireless (Sprint, Verizon, Sierra, etc)

I used to wonder about how well the screen would hold up since it can swivel 360 degrees and lay flat - these kind of hinges tend to be weaker than a standard double hinged screen. However, Panasonic has done a very good job of using strong components and making the system strong enough to last.

Active Digitizer versus Touchscreen

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The CF-18 and CF-19 tablets come with either an active digitizer or a touchscreen. A digitizer uses a special pen that communicates with the screen, while a touchscreen is sensitive to different inputs from the tip of a sharp object to something dull and blunt like your finger. You can change the sensitivity of most screens depending on what you want to use for an interface. Because it uses a special pen, I would not want a digitizer model when travelling - things like pens go missing! Anyhow, geekset.com has done a really good video demonstrating the difference. Watch it!

Notebook Versions

The notebook versions started quite a few years ago. I think they go back as far as a CF-25, but these are so rare and won't support most available operating systems anymore. Practically, the CF-28, CF-29, and the current CF-30 are the 3 models you can choose from. Ebay has always got a healthy supply of used CF-28s and CF-29s.

The full notebook versions are much heavier, but feel even more robust than the tablets.

Backlit Keyboards

Now these are an amazingly cool feature. Being able to see the keyboard at night is extremely useful - working on the laptop in a tent is pretty tough when you can't see the keys! However, there are two types - one comes as a rubberized keyboard and one is a standard chicklit style keyboard. The rubberized models are better for durability and are waterproof, but they are a lot harder to type on. The chicklit style can break like any other keyboard but they still are reasonably watertight, just not as much as a rubberized one. On the tablet models (CF-18 and CF-19) backlit keyboards only come as rubberized. The backlit is an option on all Toughbooks - not every model has them. See the photos below for the different styles of keyboards.

Memory

Don't worry about how much memory is installed in one of these things. Currently you can find a 512 MB chip on Ebay for about $40. It's an easy upgrade, just a panel to unscrew from the bottom and replace the memory.

Hard Drive

Hard drives range from 40 GB to about 80. However, you can easily purchase a standard hard drive from any computer supply store - current laptop drives are about $100 for 120 GB. Don't worry about the special protective case - it's a separate piece from the actual drive. Just open the box and replace the existing drive with a new one. It's an easy install, and should be no problem.

Built-in Bluetooth and Wireless

If you plan on using Bluetooth, say for communicating with a GPS, or wireless, you need to think about it a bit. If it isn't built-in you can always buy a PCMCIA card, or a USB style add-on. However, because the ports are sealed with dust covers, the cover lies open while the accessory is plugged in. Eventually it will break off. My preference is to get them built-in.

Existing Model Numbers

Panasonic has a great on-line tool for checking the features that a Toughbook came with. Go to the Toughbook Configuration Site - you need to use Internet Explorer - to see what the model you are looking at really comes with.