If you're really serious about getting a job done right, you get the right tools. Plastic baggies around a laptop is not the right tool for a field job any more than pry bar used as a hammer. Not only does it look unprofessional, there is still a chance of malfunction - despite your experiences, my experiences have told me otherwise.
For instance, my "carelessness" was more necessity. Hopping in and out of a helicopter and downloading data (via a cable.. ) would be impractical with a bagged laptop. With gloves on, and the frigid temps I don't need another barrier between me and my computer. Not to mention in the other extreme of heat. A bagged consumer grade laptop would over heat.
I have coworkers who travel back and forth to russia. The HDD failed in their laptops due to altitude (thinner air, head crash). Where on a remote mountain in kyrgistan are you going to get a replacement?? thats right, nowhere. Contact head office? well better hope the satallite phone is working.. Bring a spare? you may as well have bought the one that would have worked the first time. Buy the right equipment you mitigate these problems.
Finally,
Drill rigs do not always have shacks. Its dependant on the length of the hole and duration of setup (for holes <50m nobody sets up a shack..). We don't drill for oil or water, we're sampling the ground for design parameters. A long hole [400-1000m) would definately require a shack as the drill would be there for a couple weeks for drilling, and geophysics.
Nothing against you Fubar, but like i mentioned before. I'm a firm believer in the right tools for the job. You're right though when you say that most people would never need a ruggedized computer.
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