Off-road office set up

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TravisLC

Member
Hey all,
New to off-road/overland camping and I'm getting my set up in order in advance of our OVRLND topper and Intech Chase. Part of the reason for getting an OVRLND camper topper is so I have a sheltered office space to work in during storms and/or cold climates.

I'm looking into office set-up possibilities and wondering if you have any suggestions? Need a good outdoor office set up that includes an outdoor room (3-4 season with no-see-um bug mesh), an ergonomic chair for laptop writing, and a table/desk. Weight is not a huge issue.

Thanks!
 
billiebob

billiebob

Well-known member
Could you set it up in the right side passenger seat?
Weather tight, AC and heat. Secure, use it anywhere.
What are you driving? In any van, ie E-Series, the right side seat would be ideal.
Full size pickups too.... anything smaller might be tight.... unless you are tiny.
 
T

TravisLC

Member
Thanks for sharing these suggestions. Somehow I missed these earlier.

I have a Chevy Colo Z71. Front seat is doable in a pinch but that ARB awning room is probably more suitable. It doesn't look very warm though. We'll be in high elevations in the Rockies in June, so it'll get cool. Something 3-4 season that can tolerate a buddy heater or similar.

The guys set up in the ARB is appealing! I'll probably end up doing something along those lines.
 
H

hg1027

Member
I'm aiming for Telluride in June, plans not really solid yet, but the goal will be to get work done from the road.

We got a Suburban to take 6 to Big Bend. I can work from the captains chairs, not sure if that will be sustainable for the 2-3 weeks I have in mind. Especially if there's a storm and the kids need a place to be as well. I'll have a second monitor hanging off the back of the drivers seat.

As far as the rest of the setup, will you be doing a hot spot, with or without a weboost? Do you need full time network?

I'm looking between campgrounds and cellmapper and places the kids and my parents will have a place to play all day.

Are you taking anyone with you? With the topper and the trailer, if it's really raining, wouldn't you just work from one of those? Not sure why you need a third place to be.
 
T

TravisLC

Member
hg1027 said:
I'm aiming for Telluride in June, plans not really solid yet, but the goal will be to get work done from the road.

We got a Suburban to take 6 to Big Bend. I can work from the captains chairs, not sure if that will be sustainable for the 2-3 weeks I have in mind. Especially if there's a storm and the kids need a place to be as well. I'll have a second monitor hanging off the back of the drivers seat.

As far as the rest of the setup, will you be doing a hot spot, with or without a weboost? Do you need full time network?

I'm looking between campgrounds and cellmapper and places the kids and my parents will have a place to play all day.

Are you taking anyone with you? With the topper and the trailer, if it's really raining, wouldn't you just work from one of those? Not sure why you need a third place to be.
.
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Well, since I initially posted I came to realize a slide-in fridge may not leave enough room inside our 6ft truck bed for an ergonomic set up, so we're trying to figure out what to do (get a portable fridge and set it up every time so I can use the inside during the day or find an outdoor alternative).

Your trip sounds awesome. We'll hopefully be in Crested Butte around that time or the Black Canyon area. It's just my partner, myself, and dog so relatively simple. I'm looking to get set up for 2-3 month trips with 1-2 week set ups in the same location and driving once a week. I'm trying to figure out the cell phone situation, but don't know how to do that. I need to look into the boosters for our T-mobile
 
T

TravisLC

Member
socceronly said:
I was considering this as a folding desk/chair. It's .... expensive.... I would like to see it and try it before I bought it.

The Edge Desk System D-1060 Black/White Top: Amazon.ca: Office Products
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Thanks for this link. Yeah, this is the other part of it. A good ergonomic chair and desk set up. This might work in combination with the folding table set up in the ARB video above. I've never used a chair like that. There's gotta be some kind of good purpose made chair for a camping office, but I haven't found one yet.
 
T

TeamDoty

Cpt. TeamDoty
Hi,

I've recently taken a new job that is really going to let me roam... so I'm in the same situation. I also require good ergo' as I need to do a lot of CAD and digital sketching while out and about. I found a company that makes steering wheel mounted desks. There are wood and molded plastic variations but nothing suited my needs exactly so I made my own. My driver's seat is the most ergonomic "chair" I own and it's fully adjustable... combine this with the desk that grabs onto the steering wheel at different angles + there's a tilt adjustment on the wheel itself and its a pretty nice set up. If I need heat or A/C, well, the cab is fully climate controlled if its absolutely necessary. I have an inverter so I can power the laptop for extended amounts of time too. Here I am with it for its first test. It worked great so now I plan to seal it / stain it / whatever.

TeamDoty_SteeringWheelDesk_MK_I.jpeg
 
D

dbhost

Well-known member
I do some remote work while camping. Part of the reason I got a bigger ground tent. So in my case I have an Ozark Trail, sorry I know cheap, Dark Rest 10 10x14 instant cabin tent. 2 double high twins make a king bed on one end, some foam floor block things for flooring, roll top table and folding chairs for office. Genny easily keeps the laptop and hotspot running.

It REALLY shouldn't be all that hard to set up office space anywhere you are as longa s you have enough reasonably waterproof / wind resistant shelter. Obviously a more weathertight shelter like a vehicle / van / camper would be more comfortable, but... Decent tent, table, chair, power supply, heater or AC if needed etc...
 
T

TravisLC

Member
TeamDoty said:
Hi,

I've recently taken a new job that is really going to let me roam... so I'm in the same situation. I also require good ergo' as I need to do a lot of CAD and digital sketching while out and about. I found a company that makes steering wheel mounted desks. There are wood and molded plastic variations but nothing suited my needs exactly so I made my own. My driver's seat is the most ergonomic "chair" I own and it's fully adjustable... combine this with the desk that grabs onto the steering wheel at different angles + there's a tilt adjustment on the wheel itself and its a pretty nice set up. If I need heat or A/C, well, the cab is fully climate controlled if its absolutely necessary. I have an inverter so I can power the laptop for extended amounts of time too. Here I am with it for its first test. It worked great so now I plan to seal it / stain it / whatever.

View attachment 648932
Click to expand...
Yup, this is exactly the efficient solution I was looking for. Now how to get one?
 
J

jhmoore

Well-known member
TravisLC said:
Need a good outdoor office set up that includes an outdoor room (3-4 season with no-see-um bug mesh), an ergonomic chair for laptop writing, and a table/desk. Weight is not a huge issue.
Click to expand...

I go through my "work from *not* home" setup at 1:21 in this video:

It worked great for me last fall in Utah and Wyoming. Granted by early November in Jackson Hole it was pretty cold, but nothing that appropriate clothing and a really good pair of boots couldn't handle.

Let me know if you have any questions about the components.
 
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