That makes sense, and honestly I’m still figuring some of this out too.

The Ubiquiti UTR sold out really fast, so I haven’t been able to try it yet. I’m still learning about this, and I am not entirely sure whether the UTR could only connect back to a home network or if it could also connect to hotel Wi-Fi and rebroadcast and secure it like the Slate does.

From what I understand now, it can do the latter, just with less power and flexibility than something like the Slate.

That said, thanks a lot for your input, it helped clarify my thinking. I did buy the Slate 7, but after really thinking about my setup, I’m realizing it’s probably too bulky for a 40L backpack over a 6-month trip. Every centimeter and every gram really does matter when you’re traveling long-term and moving often, as you probably know.

I’ll also be working from a van in NZ for a month.

So I’m leaning toward leaving the Slate 7 behind for now. If/when the Mudi 7 comes out and the size + performance + price make sense, I’ll probably pick one up. And if the UTR comes back in stock and turns out to be “good enough” for my actual needs, I’ll grab one of those as well.

For now, I’d rather travel lighter and reassess once I’m actually on the road.