I decided to do a weekend experiment in preparation for a working and exploring trip. I was curious to see if my kit was ready and to get some ideas about what new gear or updates we might need.
One of the possibilities for future trips is driving around the UK. The idea is to combine campervan life with the occasional Airbnb or similar accommodation, all while getting work done.
Today, I wanted to simulate a workday, take a look at the supplies, do some measurements and identify possible changes to our kit.
I quickly put together my kit: a laptop bag, the two phones I use with different SIM cards, battery packs for extra power, the laptop, the tablet, charging cables, headphones and the laptop power supply. That was pretty easy and not too disruptive to my setup at home.
I drove to a spot in Wales outside of Abergavenny.
My partner was with me, so there were two of us in the van. It was raining, but we were able to get into office mode without even leaving the van. She went first, and then we were able to swivel the passenger seat around. I definitely recommend having at least a swivel on the passenger seat. It made it easier for me to get my boots off. I’m noting that if I were wearing my typical large boots, I could use something to make removing them a bit easier.
It was great to be able to get into a working mode without having to get out of the van.
There was no mobile signal for either Three or O2, so the redundant mobile network option didn’t work. I do have a third option, which is Starlink, but I opted not to bring it on this trip. Next up was an offline session for work.
I have a Jackery power system. Plugging in two laptops and charging all of our devices drew down just a few percent over a couple of hours. It seems like we could get 50 to 100 hours of laptop work out of the Jackery. I probably need to run a more intensive test at some point.
We discussed other kit topics as well.
A desk mount such as the Lagun model is something to look at. I typically like to have multiple monitors, so we talked about options like adding a flip desk with another monitor or getting a stand for an additional screen. I’ll also need a video camera setup; I already have headphones, like AirPods or Bose.
Awnings are another topic we discuss regularly. We usually use an awning with a tent, and it’s a great extension of the van. In a work situation like this, where being flexible and not setting everything up is important, quick access to the restroom. When it rains, do we have a good setup for someone to quickly put on their waterproofs to provide privacy? And when it’s time to hop back in the van, do we have somewhere to clean and dry the waterproofs so we can get back to work without much fuss?
We talked about how the Jackery 2000 currently has a power problem where it doesn’t automatically reconnect to solar. Today, it actually worked, so maybe the problem is being fixed. That said, it makes a noise when it gets dark and goes into this mode. A fuss-free power setup will give us a lot more storage space. Right now, making sure we have easy access to the power unit has meant giving up some storage.
Doing these day-trip experiments has proven to be a good test and a fun reason to get outside and explore a bit.
One of our next experiments is going to be how to handle bathroom breaks when it’s raining. We have ponchos but need to figure out a mudroom-type situation.
We have smaller tents and awnings and want to do an experiment to test those out. We’re thinking of the grey tent, as we’ve found insects are really attracted to the blue ones.
Looking forward to getting out there again soon!