Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > Equipment, Travel > Communications
External Hard Drive External Hard Drive
Register FAQ Calendar Today's Posts
Communications Connecting - internet cafes, laptops, smart phones - how to connect, use, which one, and intercom/radio systems.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 29 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Posts: 360
External Hard Drive
Hi guys,
Sorry, i know i've seen a thread on this in the past, but i've been looking for quite a while and just can't find it again.
I'm just about to get a eee pc and am starting to think about an external HD,
if anyone can point me to the previous thread, or has any more current advice on a drive that can take the inevitable abuse on the road, i'd really appreciate it.
Happy travels
Sam
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 29 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Staffordshire. uk
Posts: 766
Have a look in this thread...

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...for-road-28378
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Posts: 360
Hi Flyingdoctor, thanks for the reply.
I ploughed all the way through that monster the other night......that took some time!!
Its possible i missed it, but i didn't see anything about external hard drives though. Lots of great stuff on the eee, it played a big part in my decision to get one.
I'm now trying to decide on the most vibration/dust proof external HD that i'll take with it.
Any ideas anyone? I remember Weston Digital being mentioned....BUT......i can't remember if it was because they were really good, or really bad!!!

Sam
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Philadelphia, US
Posts: 646
How much storage do you envision needing? You may be able to get by with a USB stick...they've gotten quite powerful.

Otherwise...
Consider making your own external hard drive...and it will be better than anything you buy as a complete product.

1. Buy a notebook sized hard drive with the Gb you need. $ depends on the size, speed, etc....make sure its SATA.
2. Buy am external enclosure. Anywhere from $10-$50...make sure its SATA to conform with your drive.
3. Unscrew external enclosure.
4. Insert hard rive in external enclosure.
5. Format hard drive...voila..you're done!

I'd recommend something from Hitachi...Travelstar series. WD's Scorpio Black has some nice ones to...

I know its sounds like some work but in the end, you'll have a better quality solution than you can buy off the shelf for the same $$s.
__________________
edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 30 Jan 2009
PocketHead's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Sucre, Bolivia
Posts: 535
just get an mp3 player, my ipod is 80gb, small and very robust (though I hate iTunes).
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Posts: 360
Hi,
Thanks guys, i hadn't thought of making one up. The work involved doesn't phase me in the slightest, its reliability i'm after. Thats the main reason i've discounted the mp3 player idea, maybe others are better, but i've heard of too many ipods dying in normal use, let alone being bumped along corrugated piestes for days on end.
It doesn't need to be massive, but i do shoot a lot of photos on a trip. Easilly over a gigs worth on some days (the vast majority of which get binned later) but even the good shots mount up pretty quick on a longer trip. The biggest sd cards i've seen are 32gb and not cheap. For example, it looks like i could get something like a 250gb freecom tough drive for about half the price of a single 32gb sd card.

Sam
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Staffordshire. uk
Posts: 766
My Western Digital 250GB passport HD rides in my topbox wrapped in bubble wrap inside a Peli case along with my Eee. It's an optical drive but it's survived ok. My plan was if I was on some serious off-road I'd just put it inside my jacket to protect it from any serious vibes. If it breaks someone will still recover the info for you, at a price. I thought it was worth the risk.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Xander's Avatar
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Back Down Under (WA)
Posts: 562
Hey Niva Say Never,

I am in the same boat I am looking to see which one to buy.
the 4 choices i have found are (all come in various sizes from 100 gig -500gig):
 Freecom ToughDrive, and its twin Transcend StoreJet
Buffalo MiniStation TurboUSB
eGo Portable Rugged Hard Drive from Iomega
and the
LaCie’s Rugged Portable Hard Disk.

Now I know nothing about any of them Except the Toughdrive survived a year in a field camp in Borneo (being used often, but i dont know about how it was treated).
So if you find out any better info please let me know.
__________________
2000 Africa Twin
http://two-up-ona-twin.blogspot.com
Last edited by Xander; 2 Feb 2009 at 16:05.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Estonia
Posts: 351
Yes, hard disk is cheaper than flash memory but the question is -- do you really need that much of storage space? How about 32GB flash disk or memory card?

Hard disk has moving parts which makes it much less reliable and it is also much bigger and heavier. You can easily slip USB flash disk in your pocket and keep your valuable data all the time with you, not talking about miniature memory cards you can easily hide in your underwear. This is very important, in my opinion.

I'd go with latter solution even it offers me less storage for amount paid. At home -- yes, hard disk is fast and cheap.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 30 Jan 2009
colebatch's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London / Moscow
Posts: 1,913
If you are storing digital video you take en route, you need a hard disk

(1) buy a 2.5 inch one not a 3.5 inch one... they are a quarter of the size and weight. Current 2.5 inch drives are just about the size and weight of an 80 gig Ipod ... and store 4 times as much for a less than half of the cost.

(2) buy one that that is USB powered. Ones that require an external power plug will double the weight and volume.

(3) spend up and get 320GB or 500 GB ... if you are going to bother with a HDD rather than flash cards, you might as well have the capacity to justify the decision

(4) I have never had a problem with Transcend products. Use them all the time. The 'StoreJet Mobile' is the "military drop test" tough product line. And remember that if worst comes to worst, you can almost always recover the data on the drive, even if you stuff the drive by forgetting to put it in a waterproof bag when you drop your bike in the river. You will just have to pay a data recovery mob to do it. But play it safe, buy a protective case, and always keep it in an ortlieb bag.

And also bear in mind that memory cards and USB pen drives are full of electronic circuits too ... they too can be ruined by dropping them in the river
Last edited by colebatch; 2 Feb 2009 at 15:25.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Posts: 360
Thank you all for your input, it's much appreciated.
The more i think about it, the more i am leaning towards a small (physical size not capacity) usb powered hard drive. I could pbobably get away with 2x 32gb flash cards/pens, but from what i've seen we are talking a pretty serious amount of cash there. I do like the idea of sticking to flash memory, but i think i'll have to wait a year or two before the capacity i need comes within my budget.

Xander - I was with a friend last night who's had a Buffalo ministation for a year now, he's very happy with it. No probs at all, but i don't think its had a particularly hard life. I can't remember where/who, but i'm sure someone here was slating LaCie drives for their unreliability. I've had a 250gb LaCie at home for 2+ years now without any problems, but it just lives on a shelf and is never moved/shaken. Its a big one that needs seperate power so would be no good for the road anyway. I'll keep scratchig around for info and post anything that may be of use to you here.

Colebatch - Thanks, i like the sound of the StoreJet Mobile. I think i'll be looking at them later.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 30 Jan 2009
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Philadelphia, US
Posts: 646
You can pick up a laptop(2.5") external 320GB with an enclosure for $100...
I used this on my recent trip and continue to still use it to this day...4 years...

They're tiny, and power themselves via the USB...as enticing as the Flash drives are...the competitive price points won't be there for 2-3 years.
__________________
edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 31 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Posts: 360
For the moment at least, it looks like that's the smart move.
I think its between the StoreJet and the Buffalo, i'm hearing good things about both from various people. Unless other brand options come to light in the mean time, i'll be picking one of them at the end of feb.
Thanks to all who've contributed

Sam
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 31 Jan 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,377
I've got one of the Lacie rugged external hard drive, took it on two month trip through china, russia, ukraine over some rough roads. put the hard drive in a case, didn't have any problems.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 4 Feb 2009
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 206
I saw Amazon advertising a 1TB external drive the other day which looked like value.

Is there any downsides to having a USB disk other than data transfer isn't especially fast when trying to copy 2GB worth of video and photos per day.
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Vstrom external fuel filter mod SKILLO Suzuki Tech 6 24 Feb 2014 13:43
external hard drive that takes a beating...? Todd & Christina Photo Forum 39 25 Feb 2009 13:03
Holographic hard drive Matt595 Communications 0 17 Oct 2006 00:20
mini hard drive Matt Cartney Photo Forum 5 21 Jan 2006 00:57
External fuel stowage LandRoverNomad North Africa 8 8 Nov 2002 22:43

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

25 years of HU Events
Be sure to join us for this huge milestone!

ALL Dates subject to change.

2025 Confirmed Events:

Virginia: April 24-27 2025
Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
CanWest: July 10-13 2025
Switzerland: Date TBC
Ecuador: Date TBC
Romania: Date TBC
Austria: Sept. 11-14
California: September 18-21
France: September 19-21 2025
Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

Your ad could be here, on EVERY page of the HUBB, or the whole website, or as many as you like!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 15:40.

Contact Us - Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Website - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top