Well maybe it isn’t news to you, but I’ve recently discovered how mobile a backpack is.  During a recent conference I changed my whole mobile plan once I was on site.  And to my surprise, it work out better than I could have imagined.

Right before my unannounced month and a half hiatus from posting here at TML, I may have mentioned that I was going to the Windows Connections conference in Orlando, FL.  I did go, and the conference was fantastic.  It provided a lot of information and insight and not just on technical matters either.

At the conference, they always give you some cheap, lame bag to carry their books and handouts in.  While considerate, they are always… well… CHEAP.  This time it was not the case.  The bag with the books was actually a fairly decent, functional backpack style.  With padded laptop compartment and all!

So instead of toting around my MDA, Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse, I ended up bringing my full Dell Latitude D610 with charger and wireless mouse.  I used it everywhere with the provided WiFi, and my T-Mobile Hotspot subscription.  The usefulness of a backpack style bag, where the laptop was out and powered up in seconds was a radical change to how I usually worked.  It changed my whole perspective on how to go mobile.

So while I’m a big proponent of the minimalist movement, and or using smaller, lighter hardware, this way of carrying everything changes how I work.  Since I’ve left corporate life to go out on my own – this is my new office.