Originally Posted by Ozonation

Hmmm... odd... I've studied engineering for 11 years and have been a faculty member for 12 years. I've never heard of an "engineering laptop" as described either by my colleagues or any of the IT support staff. Maybe it's a field-specific term.

I'm a proponent of syncing between separate machines. But if you have no choice but to bring the laptop back and forth occasionally, I would invest a very good but lightweight case. Tom Bihn - a specialty bag maker out of Seattle (www.tombihn.com) - has a light but durable laptop case that would help if the laptop has to go in a backpack or a pannier.