So what are good computer options, if you need something you can easily evacuate, and can easily set up without a desk, without a desk in a dark room, etc.?
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I managed to bring my desktop + monitor out to California. But I don’t have a good place to set it up. So I’m using an older laptop, and plugging in usb disks with most of my data.
It’s a pain, the search system is broken, some of my apps aren’t working, Calibre isn’t working, etc. I’m having trouble doing any work at all, and haven’t been able to do any writing and/or game design since the move.
I think a Linux laptop with much more disk space should work better. Maybe I can deduplicate some files, deduplicate my various mail folders, etc.
I know “the cloud” is also supposed to help with storage, but I’ve never trusted it or used it.
If a Linux laptop would work better, I don’t know how to find hardware accessibility and driver compatibility info. For example, sellers often advertise maximum brightness, but never minimum brightness. Notebookcheck has test results for some builds of some models, but other builds might vary.
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I’ve had decent luck with ThinkPads and Linux over the years, most recently getting one of my kids going last September. I never bother with dual boot. Last I used Windows for a contract, I put it on a VM (but that was 10 years ago) but my applications don’t need great graphics.
I’d suggest an NVMe drive, RAID 1 if the machine has two slots.
If you’re nervous about leaving data on the computer itself, I’d suggest an external, encrypted USB 3 connected 2x NVMe SSD for data. I see that StarTech makes such an enclosure and I’ve had good luck with their kit in the past. Having RAID 1 on two drives saves you from at least one class of failures; I like Kingston, Crucial, Samsung for NMVe drives. I’ve been using WD with no problem lately.
USB keys aren’t great, long term.
My machine is set up to have only certain user partitions encrypted, and that works well.
Generally speaking, I search for a given laptop model and “Linux”, and if there’s one version or distro that works, then that’s usually got the tips to make the others work, if you even need special treatment.
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I’m more concerned about hardware trouble. For example, most monitors, most tablets, and at least some laptops are exceedingly bright, and don’t let users turn them far enough down. I want something where I don’t have to put a couple sheets of paper in front of the screen, or use a privacy screen, to dim it enough to see the screen.
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I’ll admit that’s a new one for me. I normally have a dark, textured background that’s set to the KDE Activity I’m on, and Linux lets me all but eliminate anything active on the screen other than my task at hand, but low-light isn’t something I’d thought about.
I’ll keep it in mind; I’ve got some hardware shopping in my near future as well.
I wonder if displays for medical equipment, such as CAT scan machines that are often in dark rooms, might have some options. They won’t be focused on portability, though… 
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You know, that might be why I could find a dimmable desktop monitor-- the same company also sells medical and air traffic control monitors.
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