Portable Outdoor Workspace

In the early days of spring, when the weather first changes from cold to warm, from dreary to cheery, most people start wanting to spend more of their time outside. It doesn’t take long for people to start devising ways to do just that. I remember plenty of times in school when the weather would be absolutely beautiful and there was always someone who would ask the teacher “Can we have class outside today?” Of course the answer is almost invariably “no.” Apparently having class outdoors was not seen as conducive to learning.

The idea never really goes away. I remember times in my office when I would look out the window and wish I could be working outside. And now that I no longer have an office I have much more flexibility with how and where I work.

Wireless internet access and laptop computers have made workplace portability incredibly easy in recent years. People can take their computer to a café or bar to do work, write papers, or surf the net. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to accomplish much while working outside.

Between the glare of the sun and the possibility of wind, it can be very difficult to actually have a productive outdoor office experience. It can be very difficult to see a laptop screen in the sun. And if your work involves papers of any kind, one gust of wind can blow your plans for the day. A tent or umbrella may prevent the glare from the sun, but it also prevents the worker from getting any sun. A heavy objects laid on top of your papers may prevent wind from destroying or scattering your work, but who wants to carry around heavy objects?

To make working outdoors more enjoyable, someone should invent a portable office kit. I picture the kit looking similar to a briefcase that workers could easily carry around and look professional. The kit should have a place to store a laptop of course, but it should also have handy solutions to the wind and sun scenarios I presented above. (The sun problem is a particular nuisance and whatever handy solution someone comes up with for that could be a thing that should exist in its own right.) Those are the mandatory things that should be included in the kit, but I’m sure there are other handy items that could be included.

Do you know someone who would like this? Are there any other working outdoors issues I haven’t mentioned? What else would you include in this kit? Does something like this already exist that you know of?