Packing for San Diego Comic Con

Tomorrow I head out for the San Diego Comic Con, so it’s time for me to pack my bags and get ready for a ton of work (I’ll be at the Steve Jackson Games booth most of the time) and that means packing the right tools to survive the convention.

So what are my typical convention necessities? Well, I never head to a convention without packing:

• Kindle – I carry printed books on trips, but my Kindle is the best entertainment device since my entire electronic library is at hand. Plus, I frequently find myself buying and downloading a new book when I’m stuck in an airport. And the long battery life on this means I can go an entire trip without a recharge. Mine’s a few years old now, but it’s still a great tool.
  
• Shoes – Yeah, shoes go without saying, but at shows I always bring two or three pairs of shoes (and lots of extra socks) so that I can change shoes and socks in the middle of the day. A quick run back to the hotel room, a quick change, and I’m ready for hours of standing.
  
• Camera and Computer – Gotta have my camera and computer so that I can post pics and stay in touch. I’m still using my Acer Aspire One since it’s light, great for web work, and was amazingly inexpensive. After about a year with this machine I can say I’m very happy with it.
  
• Messenger Bag – I still haven’t found an awesome bag, so I keep using one of a variety of different bags I’ve picked up over the years. I always pack one of these in my suitcase so that when I get where I’m headed I’ve got a lightweight bag to carry my notebook, computer, bars, and business cards. Why pack it? Because my carry-on is a massive backpack so I can carry a ton of books and stuff on the flight.
  
• Bars – Gotta carry along some energy, and I think my favorite bar has to be the Snickers Marathon. High protein, calories aren’t bad, and one of these can fire me up when I’m stuck in the booth for hours. If you do any sort of travel you should consider carrying a few of these in your bag; they’ve been especially useful the times I’ve been stuck in the airport.

So there it is, my convention gear (not counting the usual stuff, of course). I’ve been hitting conventions for years and, after lots of travel, I’ve found these items to be the best tools for any trip. Hell, this is my standard gear for any trip, work-related or vacation. And those bars come in real handy on the international trips; the Essen trip a few years ago and the Hong Kong trip earlier this year were a lot easier on me since I was carrying bars in my carry-on.

Anyone else out there have convention packing suggestions?