Are rollers cases recommended?

Just wondering, i always been a roller fan since i have to carry heavy laptops, and over time, you can feel it, while a roller has really been the best solution for my heavy traveling (airports, hotels, visits, etc), but today someone warn me.

Now i never really even though about it, but maybe some can share their insight on this subject, as i was planing on buying another roller case soon, but i might change my mind if this is true.

 

i've never been a big fan of the added weight and bulk of the roller type cases...
but as for vibration... nothing a sleeve or a rolled up tee shirt can't compensate...

 

If you're worried about vibrations, get a sleeve for the laptop and put that into the case.

Remember, you can always replace a laptop. You can't replace your back. If a roller makes it easier on you physically, keep using it.

 

*IS* there a roller case with suspension? It's something I've wondered from time to time when I was dragging a heavy backpack / shoulder bag on a trolley around places other than smoothly/evenly paved airports. I mean granted, you could get something like the Pelican 1620 and leave plenty of foam around the notebook, but it seems to me that just fairly rudimentary suspension on the wheels would make a regular roller case a lot safer on notebooks.

 

I have to wonder if this person was running around with his computer on, because I can't really imagine significant hard drive damage from just the case rolling if it's spun down with the heads parked. Now, if it's being tossed around like some luggage, it's a little more understandable, but I don't see how a roller case would be more susceptible to that than any other case.

 

Well - think about it. You're not carrying a roller case, but rolling it. Assume you're not doing it across smooth surfaces and what the contents are subject to is pretty strong vibration. Let's assume even a couple of mini-kerbs, so that's not just vibration but jarring impacts too. Unless you have giant amounts of foam inside the contents are nowhere near isolated from the effects of that.

 

Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't entirely clear. I wasn't actually quibbling that you wouldn't have more vibration from a rolling case, I was more wondering specifically about the hard drive damage. I would think that if there was enough vibration damage to damage a non-operating hard drive like that, there wouldd likely be other betraying damage as well.

 

Well - loose connections, etc will also be a factor - but HDD's aren't immune to damage when powered down, especially when it's sustained vibration. They are quite resilient to being tossed around, but that's not what necesarily happens in a roller bag.

 

Switch to SSD?

Aside from that, I agree with pitabred. Laptops come and go, but if you break your back, well...there's no upgrade for that.

Aside from that, I would make sure the laptop's powered down before moving it in the case. While HDDs can sustain damage while off, it's much harder compared to when they're actively spinning and seeking.

 

I don't like rolling cases because they make my back hurt much more and much sooner than backpacks. I'm not exceptionally tall (6'1") but I have to lean slightly over in order to pull the suitcases that I've got that are rollers. That becomes fatiguing. I've never even considered the vibration issue since putting my laptop in a rolling case has never been a desire of mine.

As for the vibrations and hard drive damage, I'd believe that there probably is some degree of correlation between frequent hard drive failure and a rolling case being the primary mode of transportation. I would also believe that it probably is not the only cause. Definitely check that it's all powered down before moving it around, as outlined many times in posts prior to this. Any hard drive that is abused will fail, eventually, regardless of what kind of case it was in. That's a pretty scary thing to consider.

Notebooks are fragile machines by nature, regardless of what they're being carried in. Use whatever works well and is comfortable for you, but always exercise caution when going over rough patches. It's like having a 4WD truck during the winter months; you may be able to get around and feel safer, but you still aren't invincible. Living in Iowa, I see a lot of people that seem to think otherwise, though.

 

Well, a lot depends on the model of roller case too, in terms of needing to lean over. If the handle is long enough, there would be less need for you to lean over.

 

Rolling causes sustained vibrations (no such thing as a perfectly flat surface), but walking with it in your backpack or shoulder bag is probably just as bad - every step you take causes a jarring impact. If the bag bounces, it's likely worse.

 

No, not really. The roller judderiness is a more sustained, high-frequency impact which is undoubtedly worse for any piece of electronics than being hoisted in a backpack.

 

True. Just wanted to make sure that the conversation didn't assume there was no impact at all from being in a backpack. I see plenty more laptops go into a shoulder bag in sleep state than a suitcase. Rollerbags/suitcases tend to get the hibernated or shutdown machines, but easier access tends to mean not really off.

 

now roller cases with air filled wheels would be sweet...

 

Which is why I suggested a padded sleeve inside the roller case. Extra shock absorption and vibration dampening.

 

Thanks for the opinions,

I think you sold me on this, i already ordered a sleeve, gona be extra work to put in and out, but hey as you said better to save my back than the laptop.

 

Depends on how far you're rolling it, too. As with ANY laptop, make sure you back things up often, and you'll be fine. As an anecdote, I've got coworkers who use roller packs for their machines traveling 2-3 times a month and they don't have separate sleeves, but I haven't seen a hard drive die yet.

 

The reason I asked about suspension for a roller was for user impact as well as to the contents. Less judderiness coming through handle + less bucking = better travelling experience. I was thinking since there are wheel-suspended baby strollers, similar tech - and it's not particularly sophisticated - could be applied to rollers, but I guess the price sensitivity is different. Still, I'd have expected someone to introduce one.

 

A suspension like that is expensive, as well as being physically large and adding weight. When you're talking about a travel bag, those downsides will greatly outweigh minor comfort issues (fit it in the overhead, anyone?). A stroller is already much larger, so it doesn't change the overall function and form nearly as much.

 

Well - that's it you see: What needs suspension is reduced, and so is complexity. You're literally talking about maybe adding a hinge and a piece of rubber in one type of design. True, it's not quite as simple as that for it to last but you're talking about maybe 150-200g per wheel. 400g on top of a roller? That's not much.

 

Looks like you need to find some investors and a manufacturer

 

We're not really in the consumer space. There are great stories of people finding gaps in markets and going onto conquer it, but it's not really my style - I'm stretched thinly enough as it is. If a bagmaker wants to contact us and we get something out of the deal I'm all for a quick chat and an input into the design and engineering - but many projects like that tend to be more trouble than they're worth for us.

Dunno. I might hack away at the Pelicans / Hardiggs when I have a spare couple of days and come up with a suspended trolley pan / case. I've got a picture in my head, doesn't strike me as ultra-hard.

I just couldn't quite believe I'm the only one thinking this way. Usually with something like this, someone has invariably thought of it first. And for something like this, I'd rather buy than re-invent the (trolley) wheel - because I have a tendency to over-spec / over-engineer once I turn my full attention to something.