The Toughbook computers by Panasonic are among the few consumer-oriented computers that are “ruggedized” to resist drops and the hazards of travel.

Toughbooks have magnesium alloy cases and dent resistant lids. A shock-mounted hard drive insulates and protects data from the bumps and knocks of the road. Toughbooks also have good battery life, Panasonic says it is “up to” 5.5 hours, Wired magazine says it averages 3.4 hours, which is quite good.

In a recent review Wired’s Test Magazine chose the Panasonic Toughbook Y2, as their Editor’s Choice for Ruggized Laptops — see the PDF file of this review guide here. (Thanks to Cool Tools for this link). CNet gave it a Very Good rating. PCWorld gave it 4.5/5 stars.

Panasonic has now released the “E-Lite” Toughbook model which is similar to the Y2, but is lighter (2.8 pounds) and has great specs too. It sells for around $2400. Available only from Panasonic’s web site.

Available from: (Search for Toughbook Y2 Retailers)

Most notebooks aren’t really built tough enough. They get scratched and
break if you drop them. The Toughbook
W2 has a lot going for it. It’s rugged (it has a magnesium alloy case & shock
mounted hard drive), ultralight (2.8 lbs), thin (about 1.2"), has
a long battery life (5-6 hrs), and is relatively inexpensive for an ultralight. It is also made with lead-free solder has reduced toxic BFRs (brominated fire retardants).

Laptops are also energy efficient and can be used in off-grid power systems.