Aug 31 2009
What to Pack for a Convention
This weekend, I began the arduous task of packing for Dragon*con. We’re leaving in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and since my significant other and I both work during the day, Sunday was pretty much our last full day to finish getting everything together. And yes, we’re actually driving from Philly to Atlanta.
Pirate costumes had to be washed and ironed. World of Warcraft shirts had to be located. Our precious highlighted pocket program print outs had to be secured. When you’re traveling almost 12 hours to attend a convention, you can wind up with a pretty extensive packing list. And since this is a conventions blog, I’m going to share with you what’s on my Dragon*con 2009 packing list.
Note: This is list is somewhat geared towards Dragon*con specifically, but it can easily be adapted to any convention for which a hotel stay is required. If you’re trying to decide if a large convention like Dragon*con is for you, be sure to check out my articles on the Pros and Cons of attending a large convention.
The Convention Fans Dragon*con Packing List:
- Clothes for five days, and an extra of everything (don’t forget comfy shoes)
- Costumes (including all hats, belts, jewelry, accessories, make-up, and shoes)
- Autograph book (making sure there’s enough space for all new acquisitions)
- Camera and tons of extra batteries/memory cards
- Plenty of cash and photo ID, and a credit card for emergencies
- First aid kit (should include bandaids and basic pain meds at the very least)
- Bottled water (you don’t want to have to pay for that on location)
- Breakfast foods, protein bars, soda, and other snacks
- Costume repair items (needle and thread, duct tape, pins, hot glue, etc.)
- Our own bath towels (we’re sharing a hotel room with quite a few friends)
- Lanyard (for our badges)
- Highlighters/pens (to mark up the actual pocket program we’ll get)
- Convention Fans fliers for the fan tables
- Extra toilet paper (more important than you think!)
- Print outs of directions, confirmations, and maps
- Cell phone and charger
That’s what’s on my packing list. What’s on yours?
Did a road trip from Washington DC to Denver last year for Worldcon, and one thing we did is keep color coded folders for everything. This way we knew that we packed regular clothes, my costumes, maps/directions, party supplies, dodos, and other items for friends.
I also bring clothes for an extra 1-2 days since you never know if you’ll be stranded. Cars break down and planes/buses/trains get delayed or canceled.
I also suggest carrying traveler’s cheques, they’re as good as cash and easily replaced if lost or stolen. They are easy to buy at your local bank or via AAA.
Heh, glad its only a two hour drive for me. I’m amazed at some of the long trips a lot of you are making! I would also add to bring a backpack or some sort of item to carry the things you want on you at all times while you’re walking around, and, of course, your own alcohol!
Have an awesome time this weekend! I’ll be headed there in the morning.