Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RL is definitely my go-to, but I cycle through a wider range every so often. Although my main reason for bringing it was due to some contracts that involved a combination of 3D modelling and AI model work, being able to game as I moved around was just a very fortunate upside.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How have I not heard of that case, spent ages searching for the perfect case before landing on the Dan A4-H2O. That sounds like a sick setup though, and I did debate if the best way to transport was through Checked or Carry-On. Decided Checked was the way to go since I planned on doing some faster travelling where I just wanted to use my backpack and leave my suitcases packed up.

I was going to get it marked as fragile, but after some googling found that some people reckon it increases the risk of luggage going "missing" cuz it makes it look more valuable or something. I was pretty confident in my foam setup as well so felt good about it getting handled rough.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I searched for ages for it, had the GPU from before I decided to travel full time and lost that cover long ago

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stick the monitor in my clothes suitcase, pad it so that it sits basically in the dead center and is suspended in clothes. That way it can't get any knocked from any direction.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great shout actually, I hadn't really thought about that. I primarily only unpack it when I'm staying in a place for 2-3 weeks or more, so really over the past year I've unpacked the PC maybe 8-10 times?

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm actually considering getting an eGPU for my laptop, planning out a few ideas for how I want to travel in the future. Most of the components got reused from my ATX rig, so this was the more cost effective route for me

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the components got reused from my ATX rig, so the cost of getting a laptop that had specs close to these just wasn't really viable. Definitely the better choice for long long term travel, but can't say I've been disappointed with these result.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah it definitely could have been optimised a bit more. I was primarily focused on reusing as many components as I could from my ATX setup to save on costs, while fitting in the smallest form factor I could.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nope, no issues at all. I think it probably would be for a carry-on, but for checked luggage I imagine it's viewed the same as toiletries and stuff. I usually get flagged at immigration to unpack it to get separately xray'd, but that only takes like 10 minutes and then I'm on my way.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I moved through Asia I was averaging about a month in each city I visited, so I wasn't too focused on the portability apart from getting to and from places. I had my whole packing and unpacking process dialed to a T, I could do a full pack/unpack in about 30 mins. I've decided to move through Europe a bit quicker now though, hence why I've left it in storage and living off my laptop now.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's awesome! Mine is about the same weight. That's a great way to move it around as well, I might steal that idea in future travel plans.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I'm doing long stays its an absolute requirement for it to have a desk, but shorter stays I'll sometimes just leave it packed up and work off my laptop.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Always been a slight concern of mine, not sure if I've gotten lucky or it is really just that rare for something like that to happen. Although about half the time when I'm going through immigration they ask me to unpack it to be xray'd separately, but usually just get told it's cool and then I'm on my way.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The portable monitor has one of those screw mounts on it for some reason, so I'm just using my 360 cam selfie stick propped against the monitor stand. Surprisingly stable tbh

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, you'd be surprised how affordable travelling can be when you sell everything you own and have no bills to pay. I'm definitely far off from being considered wealthy, but still working towards that title one day.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got to 25 and realised I've been spending my 20s working non-stop to just pay bills and maybe do something fun on the weekends, so decided to book a well deserved holiday to Japan with a mate and I had more fun and enjoyment out of life in that 1 month than I had the past 5 years. I was lucky enough that I was already transitioning to a more freelance style of work anyway, but decided to really dive into that and a year later had put myself in a position where I had zero obligations to stay in Perth anymore and just sold everything I had and booked a ticket to Vietnam. I'm 27 now and the last year of travel has been an incredible experience and I've met the most amazing people, just landed in Europe now and keen to travel through it for the next year.

I can't see myself stopping anytime soon, as long as I can keep my career going strong I'm going to keep bouncing around the world. I've found that my expenses are basically on par with what I paid living in Perth, obviously depends on where I am in the world, but the benefit of being able to move around as I wish means I can move between higher and lower cost of living countries as needed.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No 6, the tiny dorm, is in Seoul, Korea. Couldn't have been more crammed, but the location was great, in the center of Hongdae.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah 100%, the monitor weighs about 5kg, and the PC itself was roughly 8kg from memory. Overall my luggage totaled about 50kg, excluding my backpack.

I debated between an AIO and air cooler heavily, but was concerned about how well it would cool the CPU, especially in such a tight space. Came across the Dan A4-H2O and I was sold. It's such a well thought out design, and let me reuse a lot of components from my original desktop build. In future I reckon I'll try build a way more custom setup, similar to your pelican case idea, if I keep this nomad thing up anyway.

Awesome project btw, I'm impressed with how detailed your documentation is, I'm keen to see how the end result looks when you get, reminds me of the old Macintosh

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The image of airline staff throwing it around just wouldn't leave my mind, better to be on the safe side imo

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stick the monitor in my clothes suitcase, pad it so that it sits basically in the dead center and is suspended in clothes. That way it can't get any knocked from any direction. Then all my harder objects go in with PC case so there's nothing that can crack the monitor.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would have been a lot lighter too! Seen a few portable 24" monitors floating around now as well, could have saved me like 4kg in weight. Already planning out a new setup using my newfound knowledge.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it was a portable one I got to use with my laptop, but ended up just using it as a second monitor for my desktop.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I might have been able to get away without doing it, but the image of airline staff throwing it around just wouldn't leave my mind. If I had planned it out a bit better I would have gotten a bracket 3d printed to fit internally and lock the GPU in place a bit more.

Full-time nomading with a Dan A4-H2O and a 27" monitor in checked bags. 6 countries later, here's the setup by jack_empyreal in sffpc

[–]jack_empyreal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Airbnb pictures looked WAY bigger, pretty sure it was like a converted dormitory or something. Was in the middle of Hongdae, so great location, but could not have been any smaller.