Tavel Gear Suggestions?

belligerent

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.

BouwsT

Hey belligerent, I've done some backpacking but it's usually overseas. I personally have just used good quality hiking backpacks in the past, because they handle/distribute weight very well for carrying. I think they are usually more lenient with bag sizes on international flights than domestic though, so a 70L pack might not fly (heh...) with a domestic carrier.

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!

teutonicbionic

Hey, Pennsylvania buddy! Check out your airline's website, but you'll typically be able to take a carry on bag and a "personal item". The personal item should be of lightweight material and be what you plan on having for the show floor. Pack your electronics and some essentials in this. Personally, I'm using a backpack from Outdoor Products that has a separate, padded laptop compartment and a dedicated boarding pass sleeve.

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!

whypick1

I use this as my luggage-replacement carry-on and the classic Bag of Holding for electronics and such.

Cennedi

One thing you should think about besides what kind of bag you get is HOW you pack that bag. Take a look at youtube and look up how the military rolls their shirts, pants, socks, even underpants. You will be surprised at how small you can get these items so they will fit inside of a smaller bag. Also, make one bag your gear bag, one bag your clothes bag, and make sure to cut out all non-essential gear that you're probably not going to play with while you're at PAX.

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.

adias.angel

Eagle Creek packing bags. These things are great and we each can get everything we need into just a bagpack on the plane. Then use your personal item for a poster tube with strap or stuff you bought at pax.

belligerent

I've been looking at several travel backpacks, from a timbuk2 aviator, to an osprey, to some other 40L backpacks. I was also thinking of taking a smaller messenger bag as my personal item. And thank you @cennedi I have seen several alternative folding methods, including the bundling method. I'll use whatever I need to to get there.

Artereis

LLBean makes a pretty awesome overhead bag. My wife and I each have one, and they've made our lives a lot easier.

Hingo

I highly recommend bringing a bag like this ( http://www.amazon.com/Under-Armour-Exeter-Sackpack-Graphite/dp/B009W8RFC2/ ) specifically to take to the con. Walking around with a full backpack gets annoying after 5-10 minutes, but I find with my bag like this it's easy to carry a bottle or 2 of water, a poster tube, and energy bars with no issue. Just be careful you don't throw it around like a normal backpack if you have a vita or DS in there, since there's no padding at all to it ;-)

OysterPrime

I bought this carry-on for PAX East last year: http://www.target.com/p/swissgear-zurich-22-wheeled-duffel-black/-/A-10882183#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=swiss+gear+carry+on

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.

DustyStarr

So, guys, it would be totally possible to fit 5 days of clothing onto a carry on with room for other things, right? I will be there for six days, but I realize that I will always have a set of clothes on me (hopefully X3 ), so I will only need to pack 5. ...Well, and Jammies... still... I will be using those army methods to roll stuff up tightly. I should be able to fit everything in with an alright amount of room to spare, right?

Zombicus

@DustyStarr There is a chance you'll bring back more than you came with (e.g. swag, merch). If you're flying, you might run the risk of not having your carry on fit in the overhead compartments as well. I'd do a test run by packing what you think you'll bring in a carry-on bag. Put those packing skills to the test.

I've always brought checked luggage as well as a carry on, but that's typically due to cosplaying or bringing back merchandise.

DustyStarr

That is what I intend to do, yeah. Practice packing, practicing rolling my clothes, and such. I do not really intend to bring much other than clothes and my 3DS, and maybe some games. I don't have a rolling bag yet, but I do have a duffel bag I can practice with.

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?

rahnawyn

DustyStarr wrote: »

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.

Rowwie

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.

belligerent

worse comes to worst, I'm just going to ship my swag home. lol. So does anyone have any recommendations about travel clothes, either? shoes and what not?

kestrelbee

belligerent wrote: »

worse comes to worst, I'm just going to ship my swag home. lol. So does anyone have any recommendations about travel clothes, either? shoes and what not?

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.

teutonicbionic

Vibram five finger shoes are great, especially if your fursona is a primate.

belligerent

uh, thank you for making me google fursona

jamsyarbots

Don't know if this'll help anybody but here's what I did last year. I packed all my clothes and my backpack into a suitcase small enough to be my carry-on and used my messenger bag to carry my electronics. When I got to Seattle I unpacked my backpack and used it for all of pax.
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.

IdiotPatrol

Same thing I did. Carry-on had all my clothes, backpack held my electronics, line games, etc. Worked very well and I will second the backpack over messenger bag.

Laird

A good 35L pack + compression travel cubes will get you through 7 days of travel with an outfit for each day.

belligerent

Since I have time to think about this, and I want something that will last for a while. To this end, I'm thinking higher end stuff vs low stuff. Since my needs are different than others, I know that some people are going to recommedn things that don't work for me. One of those things is anything with wheels. I am 6'5", and always have difficulty with roller luggage. Also, since my clothes are bigger than normal, I need as much space as possible.

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?

sacratoy

http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/ultra-light_bags/ozone_2246l

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.

CKing

I managed to get three blankets, four shirts, and three pairs of jeans in mine by rolling them. Then I put toiletries and socks in the zipper up front of a rolling bookbag. Then had a shoulder bag with crotchet supplies, books, wallet, and other as needed things. Then used FedEx for all our swag. Hubby used the rolling method too and used a bag of holding.

whypick1

belligerent wrote: »

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.

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).

Hoboking006

belligerent wrote: »

worse comes to worst, I'm just going to ship my swag home. lol. So does anyone have any recommendations about travel clothes, either? shoes and what not?

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!

Hoboking006

Oh, and get a poster tube.

adias.angel

Hingo wrote: »

I highly recommend bringing a bag like this ( http://www.amazon.com/Under-Armour-Exeter-Sackpack-Graphite/dp/B009W8RFC2/ ) specifically to take to the con. Walking around with a full backpack gets annoying after 5-10 minutes, but I find with my bag like this it's easy to carry a bottle or 2 of water, a poster tube, and energy bars with no issue. Just be careful you don't throw it around like a normal backpack if you have a vita or DS in there, since there's no padding at all to it ;-)

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.

ChargerHawk

Thanks @belligerent for starting this thread, I was wondering the same thing and all of these tips have been really helpful. Thanks everyone!

BadNews65

Best advice, get nice lite breathable yet comfortable shoes and start walking every other day to prepare of the convention. If you go from sitting around all the time to walking around hill ridden Seattle, it's going to hurt. A carry on bag and a back pack is what you can get away with. Get all the swag you want and ship it through fedex back to your home (there is a store in the convention building) Keep in mind though they are not open that Monday.

Mighty

Last year I didn't bring a portable chair, and I regret that. You are going to want to bring along a small foldable stool of some type, I can tell you the floors are not comfy at all.

Cennedi

Mighty wrote: »

Last year I didn't bring a portable chair, and I regret that. You are going to want to bring along a small foldable stool of some type, I can tell you the floors are not comfy at all.

Apparently this year those are going to be banned because they present a risk in cause of emergency evacuation

belligerent

where did you hear this? link?

YoungFrey

belligerent wrote: »

where did you hear this? link?

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.

Goddess of Madness

YoungFrey wrote: »

belligerent wrote: »

where did you hear this? link?

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.

zerzhul

You should apply for a medical badge then so you don't have to stand in line like that. The way medical badges work is that they go with your regular badge, but you can check in with lines that are not inside the Expo hall, as long as said lines aren't capped, and be given a place to sit and wait if you are not able to stand in line for the duration. You still have to show up for things before they are full, so they're not some special way to skip lines, but they will help out with folks that have issues with that.

The Word of Bird

Advice: roll your clothes up, to better fit in the bag. I know some people might think "duh!", but you'd be surprised how many people don't know this. Some people find mailing their stuff to a friend in the area a good idea. I don't know if you want to do it, but you could check it out at least, That way, you can avoid having your luggage get lost or stolen. If you bring luggage that's large, try getting something with wheels and an extendable handle. Saves your back ALOT!

Goddess of Madness

zerzhul wrote: »

You should apply for a medical badge then so you don't have to stand in line like that. The way medical badges work is that they go with your regular badge, but you can check in with lines that are not inside the Expo hall, as long as said lines aren't capped, and be given a place to sit and wait if you are not able to stand in line for the duration. You still have to show up for things before they are full, so they're not some special way to skip lines, but they will help out with folks that have issues with that.

Medical Badge reserved! Thanks

Cennedi

zerzhul wrote: »

You should apply for a medical badge then so you don't have to stand in line like that. The way medical badges work is that they go with your regular badge, but you can check in with lines that are not inside the Expo hall, as long as said lines aren't capped, and be given a place to sit and wait if you are not able to stand in line for the duration. You still have to show up for things before they are full, so they're not some special way to skip lines, but they will help out with folks that have issues with that.

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

bloatedhippo

.