I say go for it. I’ve taken thousands of dollars worth of electronics (mostly video cameras) on the river with me. A common practice for videoing commercial rafting trips on the New and Gauley Rivers in West Virginia. You will need to invest in a pelican box/case. Maintain the seals/gasket, custom cut the internal foam and your electronics will stay dry damage free.
Most of my camping is out an rv and I enjoy having a computer with me and a music server. The computer is helpful for processing stills and video footage. I usually have some summer inservice work (teacher) so when I stay at a place that has a good internet connection I get that done. I enjoy my quiet time and I enjoy my tunes. For me there is no conflict.
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I did, an iPad, a long time ago. It was for projects related to mangroves as well as water quality volunteer work. I stopped carrying it for two main reasons: it was nearly impossible to keep things dry while using them afloat, and because shifting sunlight made viewing the screen inconsistent and too difficult.
Sure, it would be easy enough to make a more water resistant digital workstation. And adding a shaded area to make screen viewing easier is possible, I suppose. But if that’s really necessary (iPad Pros/Macs CAN be pricey$)? Are paddle craft and larger electronics compatible?
I carry an iPhone velcroed to my PFD. It is there as part of my ‘float plan’. I paddle (and bike) alone in sparsely populated areas in and near and a large State Park - close to where we live. The ‘find my’ feature helps my wife know my whereabouts, or if I’ve stopped moving, or if I have deviated from the route plan. I use the phone for calls to Fish and Wildlife’s manatee, dolphin or sea turtle hotlines (unfortunately, too often lately). It’s nice to have the phone/camera - although the photo quality often disappoints (and reviewing them in bright sunlight often very difficult). Phone maps have been a disappointment as well. I carry paper, not because I’m lost, but to read lat longs or pinpoint nearby landmarks.
Cheers
Here… but just to keep notes on your trip.
And you won’t have to worry about the battery.
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You would need a battery pack that could power it, at least a 60+ watt solar pannel to charge the battery pack, and a pelican case or dry bag with a submersable zipper NOT a roll top to keep everything dry.
Battery packs that have an AC plug are generally kind of heavy and bulky, but most likely what you need. Your solar pannel will probably need to be at least 60 watts, but you would need to calculate the watts (volts × amps) for the input of the specific battery pack and then buy one that is at least that number. Lastly a way to keep everything dry. A pelican case(s) with meticulous seal maintenance is totally waterproof. Otherwise I have found dry bags with submersible/airtight zippers (YKK Proseal and Aquaseal, and Tizip Master seal) to be totally waterproof. Roll top dry bags and ziploc bags are not totally waterproof and will let some water in.
Goal Zero makes nice battery packs and solar pannels but they are pricey. Biolite is the same, but I don’t know if they make anything big enough to run a laptop. I have an Anker that I can plug a computer into that I like, and have had good luck with Anker products. Big Blue makes affordable solar pannels that work and hold up great. Otherwise Rite in the rain is a good alternative to all this, and probably the way to go.
Here is a review of tablets that have been rated IP67, which means that you can dunk your tablet in 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes and expect it to continue to function as normal. These would be much smaller than a square foot, which is larger that many computers.
There are not at this time any waterproof laptops that are waterproof or resistant. Maybe the military has one.
I’m sure that you can find a waterproof case that a laptop would fit in with a few spare batteries to use on land, but I wouldn’t recommend using one on the water.
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The biggest computer that I carry is my phone and GPS. Don’t leave the beach without them. Back up is the compass, with a chart, a sheet of paper and a pen in a map sleeve.
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What sensors and data are you collecting that you need the laptop? In college I did a lot of data collection on the water but we needed a bigger boat than a kayak to carry all our gear. Kayaks can get places motor boats can not. I changed jobs so now most of my water time is recreational not professional.
I always use a note book and pen for recording the journey, even if only going on an overnight paddle. Such a pleasure to look back on trips I went on 40 years ago.
I also take an iPad mini on longer trips. I have my Kindle loaded on to it and at the end of each day I back up the photos from my camera. This was a lesson I learnt after a 3 week paddle in Greenland, I left my camera in the seat back pocket on the flight back to Copenhagen and I never got it back. I lost all my photos!