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Tavel Gear Suggestions?
belligerent
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
in PAX West
Hello, all.
I've got my tickets and badges. I don't fly often because I'm very large, but since I'm coming from Pennsylvania, driving is out of the question. That being said, I want to do this correctly.
I hate checking luggage. I was thinking of only using carry on luggage. That being said, I would defer to more experienced travelers.
So, does anyone have any suggestions for a great carry on bag? I've been looking at sites like onebag and whatnot, but I wanted to know if anyone had any personal recommendations. Also, if there's any other travel gear you cannot do without, let me know.
I've got my tickets and badges. I don't fly often because I'm very large, but since I'm coming from Pennsylvania, driving is out of the question. That being said, I want to do this correctly.
I hate checking luggage. I was thinking of only using carry on luggage. That being said, I would defer to more experienced travelers.
So, does anyone have any suggestions for a great carry on bag? I've been looking at sites like onebag and whatnot, but I wanted to know if anyone had any personal recommendations. Also, if there's any other travel gear you cannot do without, let me know.
+1
Posts
Anyone have any experience with a US domestic situation like this?
My pack of choice was an Osprey Aether 70, I got used from a friend. It doubles as my hiking pack though, so you might not need something that heavy duty. Lots of space in it though!
your carry on bag will be heavy with whatever clothes and gear you won't need to access while in flight, so make sure it has wheels. My personal preference is 2 wheels, just because I feel they handle uneven terrain (like tile floors at airports with deep grout grooves) better than the 4 wheel variety. You can't go wrong with the brands that your grandparents used like Samsonite and American Tourister.
See you in Seattle!
Also remember that whatever you buy at PAX has to be able to fit inside your suitcase or get mailed home if you don't want to check it.
Between domestic and international flights I've experienced the full spectrum from checking nothing to taking 4 bags about my size with me.
Your best bet is to choose a good bag, pack things as tightly and small as you can, and don't take anymore than you will absolutely need.
[ X ] Badge
[ X ] Hotel
[ X ] Plane
Wish me luck!
2015 PAX Prime Omeganaut (I will forever hate Katamari)
I don't travel a whole lot so I can't speak for how the bag holds up for heavy use, but it has been fine so far. It fits everything that I need for a 5 day trip, and I will be using it again for Prime. A nitpick that I had for a lot of carry-ons that I tried was that the metal handles were flimsy, but the one on the Swiss Gear is pretty solid.
And I definitely agree with Hingo: bring a smaller drawstring-style bag for the convention itself. A lot of the booths give them out free as well, so I'm using the Corsair one I got at Prime in 2012.
PAX East: 2013
PAX East 2016:
[ X ] Badge [ X ] Hotel [ X ] Plane Ticket
I've always brought checked luggage as well as a carry on, but that's typically due to cosplaying or bringing back merchandise.
pinnypals.com/pals/Zombicus
Speaking of, would it be a bit heavy to pack everything into a duffel bag? Should I invest in one of those rolly things?
Speaking of! Is there a weight limit on carry ons usually, and what is the price of checked bags, generally?
Duffel bags can get reaaaally heavy, really quick. Especially if you're going to be carrying it for long periods of time (to hotel, on crowded buses, whatever). I'd advise investing in a good carry-on bag, because you'll be able to use the same one for years if you get a decent one.
There's no weight limit for a carry on, you just have to be able to fit it in the overhead bin. The price depends on what airplane you're flying, really. It's easy enough to find that on the company website though, once you figure out who you're flying with.
Every year I find myself scrambling to cram swag into my suitcase. My only piece of advice, if you are looking to minimize the amount of luggage you want to bring there and back leave about half of the space you're bringing in for swag you're taking back.
Last year I brought home about 15 shirts, a few lanyards, stuffed animals, pins, badges, etc just in swag... and 2013 didn't even compare to 2012, or the two year prior. But there's also all the stuff I bought.
You could easily get away with not bringing any shirts except the one you wear to travel in because you could commit to wearing what you receive at booths, lots of people do this. Don't really like any of your free shirts? Buy a sweet shirt at Sanshee or Fan Gamer (or any other retail booth)... If a booth gave out pants we'd all be set, amirite?
...This year I'll pack smart. Probably.
Prime 2012- Melisandre (GoT)
Prime 2013- Regular nerd attire
Prime 2014- Aurin Esper from WIldstar + Vintage Chell
Prime 2015- Splatoon Inkling + Dream Sequence Bee + Aurin Esper + Vintage Chell
Prime2016- Handmade nerdy dresses (cosplay break)
Definitely wear very comfortable shoes that have been broken in (do NOT wear new shoes). I would also suggest a light jacket or sweater for evenings and if it rains - something that doesn't weigh much so you can have it in your bag during the day. Maybe also bring an empty water bottle so you can save money on buying water bottles. Granola bars or some sort of small snack can also really save you when you're stuck in line for a panel and can't get away to grab lunch - but those you can pick up when you get to Seattle. I would also recommend bringing some sort of small game that you can play in line (lots of people bring Munchkin, Zombie Dice; I brought We Didn't Play Test This last year and it worked great). It's a great way to meet people while in queue for panels.
If nothing else I highly recommend using a backpack during pax. As anybody who's carried a messenger bag can tell you, carrying the weight of a bunch of swag on one shoulder gets tiring very quickly.
I always laugh when I hold up one of my Tshirts next to my wife's. You could make 3 of hers from one of mine.
anyways, here are the three or so I'm looking at:
Tortuga Travel Backpack $199.00
http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/products/tortuga-travel-backpack
pros- Designed for one pack travel. lots of internal space. functional hip belt.
cons- out of stock. can't try it out.
Minaal Carry on Bag $299
http://www.minaal.com/products/minaal-carry-on-bag
cons expensive as heck.
pro super nice... I mean, look at it.
Timbuk2 Aviator
http://www.timbuk2.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Timbuk2-Site/en_US/Search-Show?cgid=duffel-travel-bags
cons looks smaller inside.
Condor assault 3day backpack $79.96
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VRKWR4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1U0L3X51EG07J&coliid=IGB0V7JY9Q6M0&psc=1
Cheaper than most.
So, what do YOU think?
I spent 2 months living out of this bag in Europe, and I love it.
Fits in an overhead, extremely light, rolls well (w/ rugged wheels), and carry's a lot of stuff.
It's expensive, but if you pick a neutral color (grey, like I did), it could be the last carry-on you buy.
PAX Prime 2014 Preparations Complete
I have this (see: my other post). Just using packing cubes I can get 4 changes of clothes, my carry-on liquids bag and my other toiletries just fine. If I didn't have my other bag I could probably squeeze in my tablet and a few essentially accessories as well. You are right though, not cheap (yay Kickstarting it so it only cost me $230).
For shoes I find combat boots are your best friend, all that time on your feet means you need shoes designed for allot of walking and standing, I like my belvilles that i've had since my more punk days. Nurse shoes work to and you can get them easily at work world. If your in a pinch though you can't go wrong with just getting some good inserts if you don't want the paramilitary look, in general I find that regular sneakers just hurt my feet, though good running shoes might do the trick as well.
As for cloths I like my cargo pants, both from casual wear and cosplay. They're great for holding important things like snacks and hand sanitizer, don't want that convention flu.
This isn't clothing nor is it really travel packing but when you need to hold stuff on the convention floor you can't go wrong with a messenger bag, mine has served me well through Pax and SDCC. Since you only need to carry enough for a day it is both sufficient in size and easy to maneuver. Another plus is because of how thin they are you can pack them into your luggage bag for when you fly in and save on carry on space.
Hope this helped!
Seconding the light weight bag. I tried a full bag but it just cut into my shoulders after a few hours. My drawstring one I never even notice I am carrying. I keep my travel light and carry my DS, small card/line game, platypus water bottle, snack and a light jacket.
Apparently this year those are going to be banned because they present a risk in cause of emergency evacuation
[ X ] Badge
[ X ] Hotel
[ X ] Plane
Wish me luck!
They didn't allow them at East this year, right? Also, didn't East see a lot of pushing waiting people in pretty close and making them stand (which would have prevented the use of chairs anyway)? The feedback thread for it had a good number of complaints about that if I recall correctly. But that might just be a venue issue and wouldn't necessarily happen at Prime.
What about itty bitty camping stools? I have recently been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and standing in line is going to murder my ankles.
Things I need to learn: To properly knit, speak Klingon, and speak/read Japanese so I can play Final Fantasy games in their original language.
"S.o.o.n." : "'Severe Obligation to Observe' Neurosis". This Neurosis impels the subject to constantly observe an object, waiting for a change they are certain must come "Soon".
Hotel [x] Pax Badgers Fri [x] Sat [ ] Sun [x] Mon [x] Just need 2 Saturdays, and then our sets will be complete! And then...waiting for Pax.....F5F5F5F5F5F5F5....
Medical Badge reserved! Thanks
What are the requirements to get a medical badge. I won't be needing one, but I think its a good thing to post in here
[ X ] Badge
[ X ] Hotel
[ X ] Plane
Wish me luck!