Bought a $300 portable monitor for my nomad setup, now it collects dust in my storage unit

I was in Chiang Mai last April and thought a portable monitor would change my whole workflow. Got the Asus Zenscreen from a shop near the Night Bazaar, figured I'd use it for spreadsheets and editing. Thing is, most coworking spaces already have big monitors you can plug into. After about two weeks I realized I never actually pulled it out of my backpack. Now it's sitting in a storage locker back in Bangkok, cost me like 60 bucks a month just to keep it there. Anyone else fall for gear that sounds great on paper but ends up being dead weight?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakeb251mo ago

$60 a month just to store a monitor? That hurts to read. I bought the same Zenscreen in Saigon for like $250 and used it exactly twice. Once at a cafe where the glare was so bad I couldn't see anything. Once in my room before I realized my laptop screen is basically the same size. Now it's sitting in my parents' garage back in Ohio, probably getting fried by heat and humidity. Feels like such a flex buying gear for a lifestyle that doesn't actually need it.

kim.xena1mo ago

Nah, buying gear you use twice is just a $250 lesson in knowing your real needs.

danielb431mo ago

Bro that "feels like such a flex buying gear for a lifestyle that doesn't actually need it" hit hard. I think we all get caught up in the fantasy version of ourselves who's gonna be this ultra productive digital nomad editing videos at sunset cafes. Real life is just me hunched over my laptop in a WeWork trying to find a plug that works. My portable monitor is basically a $300 stand for my coffee cup now. The worst part is I still see ads for the newer model and get that little voice saying "but THIS one might actually change things.