Blew $1,850 on a 'nomad-proof' laptop riser setup in Chiang Mai, and my neck was fine the whole time
Two years back I dropped $1,850 in Chiang Mai on a fancy standing desk converter, an external monitor arm, and a portable tripod setup, all so I could work 'ergonomically' from Airbnbs. It took 25 minutes to set up at every new place, weighed 14 pounds in my bag, and half the desks were too wobbly for the arm anyway. I ended up just propping my laptop on a stack of books and my back never complained once. Anyone else haul gear across borders that they quietly stopped using after month two?
My "must have" gadget was a $200 Roost laptop stand that folds down to the size of a burrito. It lived in my backpack for six months, got used maybe twice, and once I tried it on an actual Airbnb desk that thing slid around like a hockey puck. So yeah, I feel you on the wasted cash. Now my whole setup is a cutting board and a rolled up hoodie, and my neck has zero complaints.