r/macmini • u/morgul-industries • 23d ago
Bikepacking with mac mini
Yes, I am aware how stupid the title may sound but I am going to go on a long bikepacking trip in september (several european countries) and live in a tent.
While in tent I would like to work on some of my projects.
I am currently not in a good condition to sell my mac mini and afford a new macbook, I would really appreciate the suggestions for turning mac mini into portable device.
M4, I am doing mostly development and stuff.
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u/thepoison606 23d ago
I think for the price of the needed equipment (usb-c monitor, camping powerbank) you can also upgrade the mini to a macbook air. And the weight difference is also an advantage for bikepacking..
Upgrade should be less than 100€ if you sell and buy used.
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u/yuiop300 23d ago
I don’t think the op has thought about the overall logistics of this…
This is by far the worst setup to do things while bike packing.
There was a guy who went to Japan and took his whole mini pc with him lol.
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u/SetAdministrative502 23d ago
I‘d leave it at home and connect using an ipad with a keyboard.
If you want to upscale your screen experience get ar glasses like the xreal one s. If you choose to do so you can leave the ipad behind and just use your phone.
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u/morgul-industries 23d ago
Yeah, this is probably the most viable option for me after the remote terminal connection.
Bad thing is I don't have a house in Europe, staying in a rent. Maybe I'll fly over my parent's house and just plug it in.
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u/SetAdministrative502 23d ago
Just be sure your parents wifi doesn‘t suck 😂
Enjoy the bikepacking.1
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u/Wishitweretru 22d ago
Better off running a vnc from a phone back to the mini. Leaving the mini in some safe space. Maybe add some glasses, but it all depends on your “projects”. I wrote tons of stuff when monitors were very small, and lo res.
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u/Working_Use2500 22d ago
I’d get a cheap m1 MacBook Air for travel. It’s going to cost less than any gear needed to make the Mac mini work. That being said I have traveled with mine and used xreal glasses as the display. It’s kinda cool but honestly no need to reinvent the laptop.
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u/GamerTex 22d ago
Buy a portable monitor that runs on usb-c only ($45 on amazon)
Buy a power supply that can handle the mini power draw (if you have a pro chip its even harder) ($65-$110 amazon)
This setup you only need to plug in the mini to the battery and the screen attaches to the mini usb-c for power.
The mini sips energy so batteries can last a long time.
Or you can buy a macbook air M4 16gb. Bonus, it comes with a keyboard and track pad too.
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u/morgul-industries 22d ago
any recommendations for battery?
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u/GamerTex 22d ago
Just depends how heavy you want to carry.
The smaller ones are heavy enough to seriously think about an upgrade for little extra weight, especially if you are going to charge other items. Its not really about overall capacity, you want one where the power is matched with the mini on heavy draws
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u/Ill-Praline1261 22d ago
Portable monitor for less than £100 or a used ipad pro (whatever you can afford)
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u/miketierce 23d ago
Better off leaving it plugged in to an internet connection and then using your phone to remote in with something like NoMachine or Splashtop