Good tools for syncing to another PC?

I use a (large heavy) laptop for my main home system. In the past I used a smaller laptop for frequent business travel, and I used a sync program to keep the travel laptop up to date with important files (work files, Thunderbird email state, things like that). I would sync main -> travel laptop before a trip, then sync travel -> main when I got back (to store and retain the changes I made while on the road) and put the travel laptop back in its travel case until the next trip.

That was kind of klunky but it worked well. I haven't done it for several years because the smaller laptop died and I never bothered to replace it. Now I've just bought a new and feather-light (comparatively anyway) laptop and I need to decide how to handle it: keep the portly laptop in my home office and take the svelte new laptop with me on the road? Or just retire the porker and use the new laptop as my new do-everything system? Or something else, if y'all have a better suggestion? The new laptop is has the same RAM, more SSD, and is faster than the old laptop, so it doesn't HAVE to be just a travel laptop.

In the past I used http://www.freefilesync.com to sync my systems. https://allwaysync.com/ and https://www.goodsync.com/ look similar. Should I use one of these tools like I did before, or is there a better solution? Note that I don't want an always-synced setup (I think?) -- I want to move from one active laptop to another, and back again. I don't think I want to try to sync the travel laptop back to the home laptop dynamically, since that might place a lot of load on iffy airport/hotel/etc wifi connections. It also seems like it would open security concerns. But it would be really handy to just grab the small laptop any time I wanted a computer outside of my office. Maybe the best way to do that it just to have it be my ONLY computer.

Just watch the bundled junk with FreeFileSync, plus defender quarentined the last update before I had a chance to decline the junk! said it contained Open Candy. Create Synchronicity (free) works well about as fast as FreeFileSync, Microsoft's Sync Toy works well but a bit slow. Been testing a few out.

Used FreeFileSync for years, not too happy that they are now bundling rubbish with it though.

Its so much simplier than all that save files to Google drive or onedrive have the apps on both machines and thats it it will sysnc all on its own no need to mess about and it gives you 33 gig of storage and you can get your files anywhere in the world

Samuria said:

Its so much simplier than all that save files to Google drive or onedrive have the apps on both machines and thats it it will sysnc all on its own no need to mess about and it gives you 33 gig of storage and you can get your files anywhere in the world

Yes, I figured someone would suggest that. But I often synced gigabytes of data back & forth, and I don't want to do that over a net connection. A one-step "sync home -> travel" operation (or reverse) is simple, and I don't have to worry about it syncing without my knowledge and maybe going the wrong direction. Maybe the Google/etc sync tools are smart enough for that to work transparently... not sure. I'm willing to be educated / convinced if that's really the best answer.

RolandJS said:

I finally simply got FreeFileSync pay-for version for all three computers; best small monies ever spent! No more rubbish, rather, auto-updates now. FreeFileSync works very well for me now.

Didn't realize there WAS a pay version. I guess that's the "donation" option. I'll do that if I decide to use FFS.

RolandJS said:

I finally simply got FreeFileSync pay-for version for all three computers; best small monies ever spent! No more rubbish, rather, auto-updates now. FreeFileSync works very well for me now.

Unfortunately the donation only lasted for a few months then it goes back to bundled rubbish again, I got one automatic update then it reverted again, gave up on that and just watch out for the tick boxes! Might get another donation next year from me not every couple of months though!.

OK, it sounds like other than @Samuria, everybody seems to think my spit-and-baling-wire solution is the best way to do this. Thanks folks!