Nice build. For laptop power, I have been using the EcoFlow River 2. It is a bit heavier than the Sherpa but gives me a full charge on my X1 Carbon plus about 3 hours of runtime on the cyberdeck. The AC outlet is a lifesaver when you need it. For something lighter, the Anker 737 (24,000mAh, 140W) is solid for USB-C only setups.

I run a very similar setup to yours, u/arcadeghost. Pelican 1150 with a Pi 5, but I added a HackRF instead of the RTL-SDR for the wider frequency range. For power I use a Jackery Explorer 300 — it is bigger but the solar panel integration is nice for extended field sessions. Also, consider adding a Faraday bag for the whole kit when not in use.

Great kit. One suggestion — if you are doing any kind of radio work in the field, get a proper counterfeit detection tool. I have seen way too many cloned RTL-SDR dongles and fake HackRFs floating around the marketplace. A quick check of the FCC ID and USB device descriptors can save you a lot of headaches.

For a lightweight field kit, I use a Framework 13 with a 65W USB-C charger and a small Anker power bank. The modular design means I can swap modules depending on what I need that day. Not as rugged as a Pelican build but the flexibility is worth it for my use case.

I just finished a build in a Pelican 1510 (the carry-on size). It has a full mini-ITX board, a low-profile GPU, and enough room for a small 15" portable monitor. Heavy but everything is self-contained. For power I use two EcoFlow River 2 Pro units daisy-chained. Overkill? Yes. Does it work? Also yes.

New to the hardware scene but this thread is exactly what I needed. Been looking at building my first cyberdeck and the Pelican 1150 approach looks perfect for my budget. Quick question — does anyone know if the Pi 5 runs hot enough in the Pelican to need active cooling? I have seen conflicting reports about thermal throttling in enclosed cases.