I am not sure if it's worth all the trouble, but you can create a local FTP account on your laptop.
Download XAMPP and install it.
Download FileZilla Client.
Go to the folder with xampp (C:\xampp\FileZillaFTP) and create a user in the Filezilla server. You'll also have to specify a folder. I used Downloads because I only had a couple to choose from.
Start xampp and enable Filezilla server. Under Admin, you can get the IP address and ports for Filezilla.
Start Filezilla Client and use the IP address, Port 21 or 14xxx, and your username. Password if you created one.
Pray.
https://voucherschool.com/classes/web-developer/118-thank-you-for-the-opportunity-and-goodbye
This is basically the same as when you have a host, with your dedicated folder (Downloads for me) representing the folders on the host. Here's how it looks when it's connected to a real host:
