I am in a dilemma and was hoping that experienced FTers can guide me.

I am planning to backpack and I am debating whether to buy a tablet or a netbook.

My primary uses will be using Word, Powerpoint, Latex and if possible Photoshop.

Am I better off buying a netbook or a tablet with USB keyboard? Or should I consider something else?

It sounds like you're doing some serious creation. I'd say you'd be better off with a Netbook or a notebook computer.

Netbook if you want to do Office tasks, and if you really want to type.

1) All of the above except photo editing require a real keyboard, and real software. Tablet's out. Especially for LaTeX (or any other sort of coding); I've yet to see a tablet keyboard with a full array of symbol keys or a decent layout.

2) Depending on what you mean by "netbook," LaTeX and non-trivial use of Photoshop are going to be a stretch for the CPU on most machines sold as netbooks. If you're looking at the lower end of processors, you're much better off spending a bit more on a real subnotebook CPU (there are a few decent 11.6" consumer models and a few decent 12.5" business ones), or looking for a used one if cost of a new one is prohibitive.

I'd look for one of the following processors by preference
- Core 2 Duo with a minimum of a 1.8ghz CPU -- examples: used Lenovo X200 or X200s
- Anything i5 or i7 (including < 1.8ghz ultra low voltage models; with turbo the low clock isn't a killer) -- examples new: some equipment of Lenovo X220/X230, Dell Latitude E6220/E6320, MacBook Air 11" i5 models (mid-2011 to present)some specs of used: Lenovo X201, some equipment of Acer TimelineX 1830T
- i3 non-ULV with a clock speed of 1.8ghz or faster: some equip of Lenovo models above, Dell E6220/E6320, some models of Lenovo X120e

Marginal:
- i3 ULV (clock 1.6ghz or lower) - not sure of any of these out there
- AMD dual core models E-350 or E-450 (some equips of HP Dm1z, Lenovo X120e, some models of Lenovo X130e)
- Core 2 Duo ULV 1.6ghz - a few older subnotebooks such as the Dell E4200

Avoid:
- AMD dual-core C-50 or C-60
- AMD single-core (E-250, etc) - some equips of HP/Lenovo models above
- Anything Atom (even dual core!)
- Core 2 Solo
- Core 2 Duo 1.4ghz or below (Dell D420, D430, some equipes E4200, and the first-gen MacBook Air 11")
- Any of the current "Pentium" models

If I had to pick two models to look at, new and used, what I'd suggest are -
New:
* Lenovo X220 (or X230 if 220 is out of stock when you look)
* MacBook Air 11" (present model only, the 2010 one is a dog)

Used:
* Lenovo X200 (or X200s) -- plentiful on the used market, and quite durable, should be as cheap as a new netbook.
* Dell Latitude E6220 via http://outlet.dell.com/ -- same-as new warranty, should be around $500 if you wait for one of their coupons via https://twitter.com/DellOutlet/

Ultrabook

I love my E6320, but it's a beast for travel compared to the Dell XPS13Z -which is very easy to handle in and out of airport security. I second the Lenovo X200/X220 laptops - not pretty, but effective.

Thanks for the great suggestions.. Any idea on HP Folio?

Cost permitting, ultrabooks are certainly a more attractive option; the main reason I'd bring up the Dells is the very high degree of discounting relative to other competitors on the older E6220.

If the OP has the $800-$1200 budget for an ultrabook, it's a great option.

13"/13.3" ultrabook models are going to have a slightly bigger footprint, but be lighter than most of the 12.5" business models. They'll also be more expensive than base configs of the 12.5" business models, although adding options will quickly add them up to be about equal.

I've got no direct experience with it, but the specs on this one look very good for an Ultrabook; fast enough for almost anyone's definition of "real work."

One up side to ultrabooks is that they virtually all come with SSDs; this is a big plus when backpacking, as the hard drive is the most fragile part of any system, and often (depending on how often you upload content) the most important. SSDs are really, really durable -- anything that takes them out will take out the whole rest of the system in pieces.

One down side is that they aren't generally easy to upgrade the SSD on -- the 128gb or 256gb you get with the box is generally what you're stuck with (or will be a harder upgrade using an mSATA card than just swapping a full size drive.) With regular SSD prices well under $1/gb now for good if-not-stellar-speed drives it might be worth considering getting a rotational drive and replacing it it ($350 for 480gb, $329 after rebate.)

I took a netbook on a 3 month trip and here's my experence:
-Netbook has much better durability, this is the #1 reason I'd recommend it over a tablet to all users
-Netbook is much more versatile as far as being feature rich, especially for what you've stated you're doing
-Netbooks aren't cool...but when you're doing things the tablet people can't, then they shut up pretty quick.
-STORAGE...I assume you'll be taking a few photos, videos, etc....well tablets will fill up pretty darn quick and it's nice having somewhere to back up your SDHC cards to in case they get stolen/lost/damaged.

So yeah, ultrabook or netbook hands-down is the way to go!

Anyone solve the issues on the handheld device by accessing their devices back home?

http://slodive.com/freebies/android-...-desktop-apps/

if you are planning on backpacking I think you need something more rugged,
with long battery life,

except for Photoshop a tablet with a USB / bluetooth keyboard might work for you

Soarer

Macbook Air - size of a tablet, power of a notebook.

I hate Apple, but based on OP's requirement, the MacBook Air is the best choice. +1 here.

With the work you're talking about, forget the tablet. Find yourself a good small notebook. An Apple refurbed Macbook Air is probably your best bet.

I need a tablet/netbook for an upcoming extended travel. I'm leaning towards the Asus Transformer. Would you recommend it?
I want to use it to surf the web, check emails while I'm on the road traveling. Don't want to bring something too expensive like the iPad that might get lost/stolen or something too big or heavy like a laptop.