You know that you want to spend at least part of your day standing while working, but what if you work in more than one location? Whether you move from your workstation to a conference room or a colleague’s office — or you’re a road warrior who’s always in a coffee shop or hotel, you can still enjoy the benefits of a standing desk.
In fact, there are a variety of options, depending on your budget and your work style. If you don’t move to a different location very often, you should consider a standing desk conversion. These typically have more features than a laptop stand—but their weight is usually in the 20-pound range. If you travel constantly for work, you can use a lightweight laptop stand.
Standing Desk Conversions
Looking for an alternative to a traditional standing desk that’s cheaper, smaller, and portable? A standing desk conversion is essentially a fancier portable standing laptop desk. These adjustable standing computer desks are a great way to position your laptop, keyboard, and/or monitor at the height you need for standing. They are adjustable in height, so they can also be used while you’re sitting. Many of these portable standing desk options have an integrated keyboard platform that can adjust the height of the keyboard along with the height of the screen.
The best part is that they are placed on top of an existing work surface, and usually have a footprint size that will fit even the smallest, narrowest workstations. There are many options to choose from these days, because a variety of manufacturers have seen the value in lower-cost, portable ergonomic desk options. Remember that although you can move a portable standing desk from place to place, some of them can be a little heavy—so if you plan to move around a lot, check out the item’s weight before you purchase.
Portable Standing Laptop Desk
A great way to help improve the ergonomics of using a laptop is to use a height adjustable laptop stand. You’ll be able to raise and lower the height of your laptop to maintain better ergonomic posture while you use it. Most laptop stands are quite versatile: depending on the type you choose, you should be able to use it at your desk, on a coffee table, or in bed—and anywhere in between.
Many laptop stands are as lightweight and portable as the laptop itself, so you can move your laptop stand as you relocate from place to place. And, if you don’t use an external keyboard, and type on your laptop, a laptop stand will help you position your laptop to be at a height that is somewhere between the ideal monitor height (center of the screen at eye level) and the ideal keyboard height (elbow height).
Why Choose a Portable Standing Desk?
If you want to test the waters with standing while you work, you can raise your computer components—your laptop or monitor and keyboard—by stacking them on boxes or books. However, that might not be a sturdy, long-term solution. You don’t want to bump your desk and send your expensive equipment tumbling to the floor…not to mention it’s isn’t particularly stylish.
Most portable sit to stand desk conversions are large enough to hold a laptop and a monitor, or two monitors—accommodating most people’s work style. Be sure to take the measurements of your existing workstations to determine how a standup desk conversion will fit—especially if you or your team members use two monitors. No matter which option you choose, you’ll find one that costs considerably less than a full-sized standing desk.