I've done bathtub IRC and it works if your careful, I don't see why bathtub coding with laptop would be different.

It's not so much an issue of being careful as it is a departure from the *normal* routine. I will usually retire to the bathtub when I'm stumped and in need of new perspective. Maybe I'm a little weird, but to change my perspective (not only in regards to Perl stuff), I try to get as far away as possible from my normal thoughts and routine.