The Nomad Desk Is a Go-Anywhere, Super-Versatile Solution for the Digital Nomad

This is how the Nomad Desk came to be. The idea for it came about in 2019 and took a more concrete shape in 2020, with the initial wave of lockdowns around the world. Richard Heng, a Paris-based entrepreneur, felt understandably isolated during the lockdown, so he dreamed of building something that would help him take his work into the great outdoors, but without the extra financial burden, the discomfort of a poor posture, or having to haul heavy gear with him.

He designed the Nomad Desk as the perfect match for an itinerant life, but it goes just as well for those who want to experience the great outdoors while still working. Forget about tiny houses and the Insta-popular vanlife because this little thing boasts of being able to bring that sense of freedom to you, or something similar, in a smaller and cheaper form factor.

And “little” it is. In fact, this is one of the highest selling points of the Nomad Desk: the fact that it’s so small it can fit inside a backpack. Folded down, it is about the same size as an 18-inch Macbook, according to its maker, who is now running an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign to bring it into production. This is the third prototype for the desk, and Heng is hopeful that he will be able to launch it into production with the campaign, with an estimated timeline for a June 2023 delivery.

The desk is made with an aluminum frame with a clear plexiglass surface. The gist is that the whole thing folds down and stays that way thanks to powerful magnets and that you can adjust it to whatever situation: as a sitting or standing desk, on an incline or on uneven ground, for work or leisure purposes. Adjustable, 180-degree, anti-slip ABS feet and a tilt mechanism ensure the same kind of stability regardless of the ground it stands on.

Folded down, the desk is 37.5 x 27.8 x 7.5 cm (14.8 x 10.9 x 2.9 inches) and weighs just 3.5 kg (7.7 pounds). It can be easily fit and carried into a backpack or a trolley, and at this dimension, it will certainly not be a pain having to carry it around.

In use, the desk provides a working surface of 75.8 x 27.8 cm (29.8 x 10.9 inches) that can sit as low as 25 cm (10 inches) and go as high as 1.10 meters (43 inches). The campaign mentions 15 levels of adjustability, which makes this a super-versatile product.

Accessories can be attached to it, like a cup or phone holder, or even a pen holder, if you’re still one of those old-fashioned guys (gals) who still write down stuff on paper. Maximum payload on the desk in fold-out mode is 7 kilos (15.4 pounds), so enough to hold all your work stuff or light snacks and drinks for two, as the promotional video below shows.

“Long hours in a closed space, in the same spot. Sometimes without even seeing the daylight,” Heng writes of the long workdays of yesterday. “Today, our technology (laptop, smartphone, and 4/5G connection) allows us to work in ways that have never been possible. Are we taking full advantage of it yet? Until now, our main spots to work from were: at home, the office, or in cafés/coworking spaces. The brave ones who try the exotic places usually get poor postures, leading to possible long-term consequences.”

Perhaps this sounds a tad too dramatic, but anyone with a desk job who has been fantasizing lately about the digital nomad lifestyle can probably relate. This desk is good for those who have no intention of becoming nomads, too, Heng says, since it can be used indoors just as well.

Should the Nomad Desk reach production, MRSP is estimated at €319, which is approximately $329 at the current exchange rate.