How do you work without multiple monitors? I can only carry a MBP 15"

I have been working remotely since 2004 so been able to test various approaches. My stays in any one location tend to last 2-3 months. So it gives me a bit more flexibility than someone who travels more frequently and might have less luggage. I have done 3 different things:

1. Buy a monitor locally - and then sell it when you leave. If I buy new, it tends to be $150-300 to buy. Sometimes I find a good used one. This is what I have done the most in my travels. It was great when CRT monitors started disappearing from places I visited about 6-7 years ago.

2. Carry two laptops. For part of my travels, I had two 13" Macbook Pro laptops. One was for backup, PC testing, and a second monitor.

3. I just started this, but I am finally seeing monitors that you might be able to bring with you. Starting to see a trend toward bezel-less monitors which will maximize viewing area and minimize monitor size. And I found one that has a detachable stand which has been the big issue fitting a monitor flat in luggage - HP Pavilion 22xw. I kept half of the styrofoam protection to prevent any damage to the edges during transit.

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I spent loads of money trying to solve this problem, and only recently found something that results in a productivity boost similar to what I get from using a pair of Thunderbolt displays vs. my 15" Macbook Pro.

I started with the GeChic 1502i, which has a couple of things going for it

Pro:

• It’s lightweight
• It can be powered entirely by USB – meaning it draws power from the Laptop’s battery, and optionally can be plugged into the wall.
• It’s a true 1080p display

Con:

• It doesn’t have an internal battery
• The display is dim, relative to the amazing MBP retina display
• It’s substantially bigger than the MBP, and thus doesn’t fit in to a lot of cases that are designed for “laptops + extras” (i.e., my Saddleback Leather briefcase)
• An ordeal to set up, particularly if you want to plug it into the wall
• The screen is quite fragile – it’s not glass, but rather a soft plastic that can be easily scratched

Over the past month, I’ve been using an iPad Pro w/ the “Duet Display” app. It’s truly a game changer. The video signal being sent over a lightning cable instead of WiFi makes a big difference (no noticeable lag at all), and of course the iPad is a useful thing in and of its self (compared to the GeChic, which was useless on its own).

Here’s what my setup looks like:

Gotchas:

• Still a bit of an ordeal to set up. I get some looks in coffee shops when I go “full nomad” and break out the second display
• The iPad seems to still lose battery while being used as a display. I’m not sure if this is because it consumes more power than it can draw from the laptop, or whether it can’t charge at all while being used as a display. In either case, you’re limited by two batteries now – not just one (your laptop).
• The OS X app and iOS app are not flawless. Sometimes you have to quit/restart in order to get a particular set of resolutions working properly. With a little fiddling, everything works and you can leave it alone

I’ve traveled with an Asus MB168b+ for almost two years now and I love it.

No it’s not as glorious as my 15" rMBP’s screen, it’s not great in bright daylight (like sitting outdoors) but it’s totally serviceable as a second monitor and it does not pick up indoor glare from a window or office light.

I’m passing through the US next week for WordCamp US and I just ordered an MB169b+ delivered to a friends house in Philly. I’ll be publishing a side by side comparison of the two for anyone interested.

FWIW, specs say the MB169b+ is it’s IPS and slightly dimmer, but also higher contrast. I would love it if it got brighter, but we’ll see what it really looks like.

Like @levelsio, I do find 1 laptop more productive due to focus.

But for those days when 2 screens just rocks it - tax time, invoicing/billing, anything that needs a big spreadsheet on one side and a browser on the other… I default to 2 screens.

Here’s my setup.

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• Macbook Air
• Macbook Pro
• ShareMouse KVM to tie the clipboard, keyboards and mice together
• Apple Wireless Keyboard + SwiftPoint BT Mouse
• The Roost Laptop Stand
• Dropbox & Sync.com to sync up my folders
• All my apps are cloud connected e.g. Evernote, Chrome

Why 2 laptops?

• It’s surprisingly compact What started this off was that I couldn’t find a portable USB monitor as thin, let alone as rugged as a 13" MBA. I travel with just a single smallish carry-on bag, believe it or the extra laptops is so thin that I don’t really notice it apart from the extra weight when moving between cities.

• Redundancy: I always have a backup laptop. Working like this also forces me to be backed up. Always.

• Multi-Platform and Multi-processor: Especially for devs / software testers, you can shake it up by running Windows on one and Mac OS on the other (VMs just bog your host machine down). On that note, I’m finding it handy to have an extra compute resources, on design days (I use Adobe Fireworks which is resource hungry), I’ll push off Chrome which sucks too much juice onto the other laptop.

• Versatility: On any particular trip to a cafe or coworking space, I can pick the Air for lightness, or the Pro for speed. I can also run the screens in a vertical layout to save carrying a keyboard and mouse (which is same bulk as a third laptop when you think about it)
  

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##Loving it!
I’ve only just starting using this setup for a month and loving it, still fine tuning it. Most days I just take one laptop, and it’s usually the Air. In future, I’m thinking to migrate to two Airs, an old cheap one, and a fast uber pimped out one, especially if the rumoured 15" Air comes out.

I use two Surface Pro 3s and connect the screens into a multi-display setup using Mouse Without Borders. Weighs 3.5lbs total, doesn’t take up much space… and I say that as someone traveling with a single 26L backpack. It doesn’t quite replace the 27" screen I had before I started traveling, but the resolution on the Surface Pros is very high, and they fit much much more than you’d expect.

I think the simple answer is: cut yourself off, you’ll find ways to make do.

For me, I’m a UI designer, but switched over from Mc to a Surface Pro 3 (which I love).

Both Mac and Windows have different ways to compensate, but they both involve a lof of hot keys, gestures, etc…

Mac:
Spend some time learning and customizing all of the swipe gestures. Magic Mice are wonderful (I miss mine dearly) because the swipes are built into the surface so you can use Expose to quickly switch between programs and three-finger swipe to keep things on multiple (virtual) desktops.

Windows:
Windows FINALLY has multiple desktops and there are hotkey combinations to switch back and forth and I use Alt+Tab a lot to switch between applications.

There are a lot of tips and tricks for each, but at the end of the day you’ll never learn them unless you have to, so just cut the rope and plan to be miserable for a week or so - it’ll get better.

As so posture, I don’t usually travel with a stand because it takes up to much space, but I’ve learned that I can usually find ways to get my “monitor” up to where I want it in most places.

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I always remind myself that you can’t have both - which would you rather have, screen real-estate or a lighter suitcase?

This is my first Nomad excursion - Medellin. I downsized from a 15 inch lappy to a 13 incher. But I brought along an AOC 15 inch usb monitor. It is cheap, super light and indestructible, After using this setup for 6 weeks, I would not travel without the 2nd monitor.

Checkout Slide 'n Joy for up to 2 extra screens for your laptop. This is what I would get to use on my 17 inch laptop, yes 17 inch. I have tried to work on a 15 inch but it just doesn’t work for me and since I travel with a big ass camera bag that can hold a 17 inc laptop the decision was pretty easy.

Wow. Just wow. Thank you all!

I’ll update this thread when landing in Bangkok in January - with how I end up setting up.

I’ve already preordered the Roost2 (Of course). That sound as a must-have for traveling lightly.
The ASUS-addon I’ll have a closer look at.

hahahhah so there are others like me that feel the pain

Personally I need 6 monitors. Well need is a strong word lol, but the other monitors are for things other than coding. That being said though, levels raises a great point. Focus, constraints and not screwing yourself over with context switching is a huge thing. That being said, 2 monitors is about the sweet spot so you can have web + work open at the same time.

I need that home base purely because of this factor

That 15" screen though will be pathetically tiny. I dont think I could ever fully adapt.

Im getting a asus potable mon un the next couple of weeks.

https://www.asus.com/us/Monitors/MB168BPlus/

I am anxiously waiting for THIS: Portable Rotating Dual Monitor for Laptops

I’ve given this subject a lot of thought. I used in the past a 15" with an external 27" screen for a while and then switched to a 13" only for the last 3 years. In the past year, I’ve tried couple things to increase my screen real estate. Here is my experience.

As mentionned by @levelsio I think that multi screen is often a disctraction but there are some tasks that are really nice with two screens. A common one for me is to have the web inspector on one screen while previewing how the design really look fullscreen in the browser. All that to say that I learned to not depend on multiple screens but appreciate it once in a while.

I think there are two things that matter when using external screens. 1/ The posture and 2/ the screen real estate.

1/ The posture

I decided not compromise on the posture because when I only have my laptop, I tend to work a lot in the couch which is terrible for my neck and back. Even when I work on a desk, I have to look down. And anyone that worked on a standing desk with only a laptop knows how terrible it is.

So I currently travel with a stand and wireless keyboard/trackpad. It is heavy (~700g) but is totally worth a healthy back (except when you carry them). You also have to know whether you will be always on the move and backpacking or traveling slowly and stay longer in every place. I tend to do the second, making the extra weight totally acceptable.

For the stand, I currently have a cheap one from Amazon. It works decently well but is not very solid and must be handled with care. I also backed the Roost 2 on kickstarter, I should have it by the end of the year but haven’t tried it (or the first one). For the keyboard/mouse, I have the apple ones. You might want a mouse if you do some cad, retouching or gaming though.

What I like is that i can reproduce a desktop-like setup anywhere, both on a sitting or standing desk. Talking of which, I tend to alternate between the two when I can. If possible I buy a Yoga Ball to sit when I arrive in a new place (they are rather inexpensive, 20-40$). I then give it to someone that wants it.

2/ The screen space

The first thing here is to have a retina display. I used it for a long time with the “more space” setting but it is rather small and recently switched to a slightly lower resolution. I have an iPad mini that I use as a second screen once in a while, attached to the screen with a Sidecar. I tried the Mountie, it is nice but I recommend the Sidecar over it. I sometime also simply drop it on the keyboard like that:

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What I can say is that the iPad mini is really small and even with Duet Display (the best option I found), there is a slight lag and you really need to focus to see what’s on the screen. I don’t find that to be a viable option if you need a permanent second screen. I only plug it when I really need it. It might be better with the iPad Air but I haven’t tried. I’m also thinking of trying with the new iPad Pro since it would be both a wacom tablet and a second screen. But it adds even more weight and is pretty expensive for a second screen!

Update: I forgot to say, I like Better Touch Tool for window management, and it is free. Another tip for mac user is to disable screen reordering based on usage since it gets in the way of maintaining a mental map of your screens.

I hope it will be helpful to some of you. Happy travels!

If there’s a tiny piece of advice I can offer you is install a window manager, like Spectacle. It will save you so much time…

As other commenters have said above, the key is virtual desktops (and, I find, especially the “Assign To” function which constrains certain apps to a particular desktop, allowing you to stop different tasks from overlapping visually) and then mastering all the keyboard shortcuts to switch between apps and desktops effortlessly.

Kantong knows whats up. 13" retina pro is the ideal travel computer. Dial the scaling down and you have plenty of real estate. Learn your shortcuts for changing screens and switching between windows. Use a program like Divvy to quickly split the screen. You don’t need extra screens to do the work. They are just a crutch.

Resolution is king. I’m currently using a 13" MBP Retina with the Retina display scaling turned on. Using the display scaling you can almost get a 1080p resolution on the tiny 13" screen. Great when you need a lot of screen real estate. I’ve found using the retina display scaling with spaces/virtual desktops has replaced the need for 24" dual screens. When using dual screens, you’re only ever looking at one screen at a time anyway. Instead of turning your head, you’re switching your virtual desktop. Ctrl+left and right arrow keys makes it quick and easy to switch. I’m also using hyperdock (similar to sizeup levels mentioned earlier) to snap apps to either the left or right half of the screen using keyboard shortcuts.

A few companies (among them: Asus, Lenovo) offer portable external displays using the DisplayLink technology - have a look at the Asus MB168B+.

Man I think some of you have been spoiled haha

Been using 15 inch laptop screens for the last 8 or so years. Before that I had a 17 inch CRT monitor back when I had a desktop. Never really experienced anything larger except for a few times using a school computer, and have never used a dual monitor before. So to me 15 inches is pretty normal.

I have a friend who has a 13 inch laptop and that thing is tiny!!! I feel like you lose soo much space and had to squint to see stuff haha. Must be how some of you feel losing your dual 24 inch monitor setup.

Man, I feel that pain. I have a 13 inch Air (I7, 8G RAM) as a mobile coding solution, and it works well (with an external mouse, preferably). But when I’m back at the base (currently Calcutta), I’m on a Mac mini with two 1080p 24 inch LCDs. The Air is higher spec’d than my old mini, but there’s no comparison in terms of productivity. I’d add a third screen if I could.

I recently broke one of the LCDs. Even following online tutorials is a pain when you have to switch workspaces or switch apps to toggle back and forth between the two. I can squeeze an open browser and two terminal windows into one LCD, but adding, say, Sublime either means making everything microscopically tiny or switching to another workspace.

I may give Duet a shot one of these days. I’m also thinking seriously about picking up a stand-alone 13 or 15 inch external screen for laptops; I suspect I can squeeze a very thin one in with the laptop in the Pelican backpack.

Super great question.

Until 2013, I had been working on multiple monitors on a huge self-built PC tower with 24GB RAM, 6 hard drives, two graphic cards, an external audio DAW card (I was making music back then), like as maxed-out as you can go. It even had a backup battery, like completely insane:

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Then I wanted to travel and replaced all of that with a maxed-out MacBook Pro 15".

It was a very lucky timing because since then most of the stuff on that big PC, you can now do easily with a MBP 15".

About the multiple monitors, here comes to the crazy part: I’m a lot more productive on one screen than two or three. Why? I think it’s because I’m forced to focus more on what I’m doing. Before I’d have lots of different apps open because the multiple screens LET me do it. Now I have to choose what to open and it’s a constraint.

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I think constraints are GREAT for creativity and productivity.

When I first switched for a year I would maximize all windows and use the 3/4-finger swipe to move from screen to screen. You kinda then have multiple monitors again. But that swiping takes a second or so which is too long for me. So now I have everything on one screen again.

I use one app to make it similar to multiple screens called SizeUp, it lets you resize windows to 25% or 50% of your screen and lock it to the left and right. Really useful.

Anyway, I’d recommend it. A great example is @mengto who’s a great UX designer and switched to a 15" screen too: Hi, I’m Meng To, author of Design+Code and world traveler. AMA!

By the way I tried Duet Display to have my iPad as a second screen with Mountie, honestly it worked great. There’s 0 delay and latency. It’s just that I ended up being more productive on one screen, that might be personal. I also like simplicity and sold my iPad to carry less.

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You would be in for a treat with a dual-monitor-setup ;-).
I really can get more done this way. I just hope this changes in a couple of days

Using a HDMI with a TV or my iPad as second monitor are good tricks! Thanks.

suck it up buttercup. I’ve yet to work with more than one monitor or on a screen larger than 13" and clearly the world didn’t end as a result.

Google Avatron Software Air Display — turn your iPad or Android tablet into a computer monitor as I can’t post URLs.

I do web design & development too. I used to have a set up of a desktop and 3 monitors back home, but now the only things I have are a 15" Macbook Pro and a Logictech G602 mouse. It wasn’t so comfortable but I got used with that just after a few days, still gets work done perfectly. I’ve been even thinking of changing to a Macbook Air to even travel lighter. If you want yourself to be mobile then you must mobilize everything you have first.

However some coworking spaces have external monitors and you can rent one to use if you need it. You can also use the TV’s in hotels, just remember to pack a HDMI cable. I personally work fine with only the laptop.

Time to say goodbye to your comfort zone!