I buy a new pack of socks and underwear for every pax. It's great having constant fresh undergarments available all the time.
YES. I don't usually get the underwear, but fresh socks for PAX is a MUST. I usually buy new shoes 2-3 weeks out, too. Just enough to break them in.
If you're rooming with multiple people, bring a power strip and/or a multi USB so it's easier for people to keep all their gear charged. Don't risk having someone knock over and break your 3DS because the only open plug was on the bathroom counter. (Happened in my room once. Thankfully, me and my 3DS were not involved.)
Alright I got a new one, forgot about this until I went back to the gym after a few weeks and two days later moving an inch is agonizing.
Physically condition yourselves.
Last year, about two months before SDCC, I twisted my ankle bad. So obviously I stopped going to the gym for a month. Well after I could walk easilu I thought, "I should skip legs so I don't hurt myself more for a while longer"(I still did deadlifts, clearly I just wanted an excuse to slack off). Well SDCC comes around and walking around and standing was murder on my calves.
Not the day of mind you, the day after, when you have to do it all over but now your legs are all tight and sore.
Unless your a nurse or a park ranger, most of us aren't used to standing and walking for hours, and if we're being honest most of us who think they'll get a foldable camper stool never will, so do your legs a favor and condition them. Take a backpack, load it with a bunch of heavy books, and just walk around the block for an hour or so everyday(whatever you can manage). Once your done (or if you don't want to go outside in the first place), do some squats with that weight, the extra spring In your step can mean the difference when you bum rush the expo hall lines.
Alright I got a new one, forgot about this until I went back to the gym after a few weeks and two days later moving an inch is agonizing.
Physically condition yourselves.
[...] Well SDCC comes around and walking around and standing was murder on my calves.
Not the day of mind you, the day after, when you have to do it all over but now your legs are all tight and sore.
Unless your a nurse or a park ranger, most of us aren't used to standing and walking for hours, and if we're being honest most of us who think they'll get a foldable camper stool never will, so do your legs a favor and condition them. [...] the extra spring In your step can mean the difference when you bum rush the expo hall lines.
tl;dr: Don't skip leg day.
Also, remember Seattle, particularly around the convention center, is hilly. Even if you are used to walking/standing all day, the hills can be murder on your legs. So do some of your conditioning on hills or incline treadmills if you can.
DashD on
"Brilliant! Oh wait, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with little bags of nuts."
Alright I got a new one, forgot about this until I went back to the gym after a few weeks and two days later moving an inch is agonizing.
Physically condition yourselves.
[...] Well SDCC comes around and walking around and standing was murder on my calves.
Not the day of mind you, the day after, when you have to do it all over but now your legs are all tight and sore.
Unless your a nurse or a park ranger, most of us aren't used to standing and walking for hours, and if we're being honest most of us who think they'll get a foldable camper stool never will, so do your legs a favor and condition them. [...] the extra spring In your step can mean the difference when you bum rush the expo hall lines.
tl;dr: Don't skip leg day.
Also, remember Seattle, particularly around the convention center, is hilly. Even if you are used to walking/standing all day, the hills can be murder on your legs. So do some of your conditioning on hills or incline treadmills if you can.
Some of those hills can be avoided to some degree. Like one of the streets down to Pike Market is brutal, but you can walk a block over and it's much milder.
Alright I got a new one, forgot about this until I went back to the gym after a few weeks and two days later moving an inch is agonizing.
Physically condition yourselves.
[...] Well SDCC comes around and walking around and standing was murder on my calves.
Not the day of mind you, the day after, when you have to do it all over but now your legs are all tight and sore.
Unless your a nurse or a park ranger, most of us aren't used to standing and walking for hours, and if we're being honest most of us who think they'll get a foldable camper stool never will, so do your legs a favor and condition them. [...] the extra spring In your step can mean the difference when you bum rush the expo hall lines.
tl;dr: Don't skip leg day.
Also, remember Seattle, particularly around the convention center, is hilly. Even if you are used to walking/standing all day, the hills can be murder on your legs. So do some of your conditioning on hills or incline treadmills if you can.
For us, it is lunch. We get up and eat pretty early which results my son needing to go eat lunch about an hour after the hall opens. We always go to Westlake for falafel and while the early lunch makes for nice lines, I feel like we barely have time to do anything before we already have to leave and eat. I always say I will bring some snacks so we can hold off on lunch until a little later, but I never remember to on Friday, the hardest day for me to leave the expo hall right after entering.
This year, I already have a calendar reminder to pick up snacks on Tuesday and to pack them Thursday night.
As someone who has attended PAX Prime for the past 12 years, here are some things I have learned.
1. Always bring your own water, get a nice water bottle and refill it regularly.
2. Buy new shoes a few weeks before Prime and break them in, just that weekend can destroy shoes.
3. Try to attend parties, and don't overdo it on the drinking you will regret it the next morning.
4. Do the Paint your own Mini setup
5. If you can't think of something to do, expo hall is closed etc head down to the PC area and hop in line to play some games with other PAX'ers.
6. A big thing that I've learned and have been doing the past 3 years, rather then getting a hotel find a vacation home near WSCC. Will save you money, and gives you a kitchen.
As someone who has attended PAX Prime for the past 12 years, here are some things I have learned.
1. Always bring your own water, get a nice water bottle and refill it regularly.
2. Buy new shoes a few weeks before Prime and break them in, just that weekend can destroy shoes.
3. Try to attend parties, and don't overdo it on the drinking you will regret it the next morning.
4. Do the Paint your own Mini setup
5. If you can't think of something to do, expo hall is closed etc head down to the PC area and hop in line to play some games with other PAX'ers.
6. A big thing that I've learned and have been doing the past 3 years, rather then getting a hotel find a vacation home near WSCC. Will save you money, and gives you a kitchen.
A minis company (reaper minis I think?) does a paint your own mini thing where you get a mini, learn to paint it, then you keep it, all for free I believe. I've been to a whole lot of paxes and still haven't managed to do this yet, but it's on my list each pax.
A minis company (reaper minis I think?) does a paint your own mini thing where you get a mini, learn to paint it, then you keep it, all for free I believe. I've been to a whole lot of paxes and still haven't managed to do this yet, but it's on my list each pax.
Yep, that's all correct. I learned about it last year but didn't manage to go. This year I'm going to make it a priority.
A minis company (reaper minis I think?) does a paint your own mini thing where you get a mini, learn to paint it, then you keep it, all for free I believe. I've been to a whole lot of paxes and still haven't managed to do this yet, but it's on my list each pax.
I bet this is true for a bunch of folks. I see it, say "I would enjoy that" I'll do it later, repeat several times, PAX ends.
A minis company (reaper minis I think?) does a paint your own mini thing where you get a mini, learn to paint it, then you keep it, all for free I believe. I've been to a whole lot of paxes and still haven't managed to do this yet, but it's on my list each pax.
I bet this is true for a bunch of folks. I see it, say "I would enjoy that" I'll do it later, repeat several times, PAX ends.
I managed to finally do it at South last year
I recommend not waiting until the end of the last day to paint your mini. Many of the paint brushes may be less than pristine and difficult to get any detail. (I don't know how often/if they put out new brushes.)
A minis company (reaper minis I think?) does a paint your own mini thing where you get a mini, learn to paint it, then you keep it, all for free I believe. I've been to a whole lot of paxes and still haven't managed to do this yet, but it's on my list each pax.
I bet this is true for a bunch of folks. I see it, say "I would enjoy that" I'll do it later, repeat several times, PAX ends.
I managed to finally do it at South last year
I recommend not waiting until the end of the last day to paint your mini. Many of the paint brushes may be less than pristine and difficult to get any detail. (I don't know how often/if they put out new brushes.)
It's something that if I just went and did it first thing. It'd be fun and done. I guess a rule I should follow more is, "try anything with no line".
As someone who has attended PAX Prime for the past 12 years, here are some things I have learned.
6. A big thing that I've learned and have been doing the past 3 years, rather then getting a hotel find a vacation home near WSCC. Will save you money, and gives you a kitchen.
Where do you go to find these vacation homes? I usually stay in the Sheraton and have always loved the convenience of it being right next door, and have around 6 to 8 people staying in a 2 bed usually. So how far away are the vacation homes normally from the convention center because we love the convenience of the sheraton.
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Nathan WindColorado Springs, CORegistered Userregular
LOL all the reminders about getting in shape for PAX. You guys are making yourselves sounds like a bunch of basement dwellers who never get any exercise the rest of the year. Step away from the XBOX and go for a walk once in a while.
PAX Prime 14, 15
PAX West 16, 17
My Rig: I7 7700K, Aorus K5, 32GB RipJaws V, Samsung 960 PCIe 256 & 500, Zotac 1080Ti
zenprimeThat Cat that ain't a CatT-Town, WARegistered Userregular
Bring extra USB charging cables.
You never know when one will go bad, nothing worse then a dying phone, a fully charged back up battery and a bad cable.
This happened to me one year, and I was lucky enough that a fellow PAXer carried extra cables to give out. I do the same now!
PAXing till I Plotz
PAX Weast 2017 Status: Badges [X] Room [X] Fried Rice [X]
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bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
If you have the room, bring a small power strip. Outlets in the centre are few, and having something to allow more than two people to charge up their phone/gameboy/vita/etc will go a long way.
PAX Prime 2022 Checklist:[ ]Hotel [ ]Time Off [ ]Bobcats [ ]Challenge Coin [ ]Forum Badge
You could also take the next step and invest in a portable battery pack. I keep one in my bag and it lets me charge my devices no matter where I am, then I just top off the batter over night. Haven't run out of power at a PAX since I picked one up. I highly recommend the Anker batteries.
If you have the room, bring a small power strip. Outlets in the centre are few, and having something to allow more than two people to charge up their phone/gameboy/vita/etc will go a long way.
Seconded thirded etc.
Regardless of destination I always always always travel with a power strip. Airports and hotels are total bastards and having a dedicated travel power strip has saved my ass repeatedly.
If you have the room, bring a small power strip. Outlets in the centre are few, and having something to allow more than two people to charge up their phone/gameboy/vita/etc will go a long way.
Seconded thirded etc.
Regardless of destination I always always always travel with a power strip. Airports and hotels are total bastards and having a dedicated travel power strip has saved my ass repeatedly.
Same, and I don't share a hotel room. A powerstrip is still essential because of how many devices I use.
If you have the room, bring a small power strip. Outlets in the centre are few, and having something to allow more than two people to charge up their phone/gameboy/vita/etc will go a long way.
Seconded thirded etc.
Regardless of destination I always always always travel with a power strip. Airports and hotels are total bastards and having a dedicated travel power strip has saved my ass repeatedly.
Same, and I don't share a hotel room. A powerstrip is still essential because of how many devices I use.
I share a room with multiple people, and I've got 2 of these to help with charging:
If you have the room, bring a small power strip. Outlets in the centre are few, and having something to allow more than two people to charge up their phone/gameboy/vita/etc will go a long way.
Seconded thirded etc.
Regardless of destination I always always always travel with a power strip. Airports and hotels are total bastards and having a dedicated travel power strip has saved my ass repeatedly.
Same, and I don't share a hotel room. A powerstrip is still essential because of how many devices I use.
I share a room with multiple people, and I've got 2 of these to help with charging:
You could also take the next step and invest in a portable battery pack. I keep one in my bag and it lets me charge my devices no matter where I am, then I just top off the batter over night. Haven't run out of power at a PAX since I picked one up. I highly recommend the Anker batteries.
Last year my boyfriend and I brought his portable pack charger and a power strip. We also have an assorted collection of connectors for our devices. We were never without power. Multi to usb converters are also really nice.
I have been going to PAX since 2009 and last year was the first time I couldn't make it. Luckily I am able to this year, but it'll be the first year I don't cosplay! So this year I will take in as many sights and panels without being interrupted for photos! Lol
A bit off topic, but do people actually collect the hard copy plastic PAX badges?
I see a lot of folks get their badges signed by Jerry and Mike. I kept mine from South and made it a part of a shadow box to commemorate my first ever PAX.
Thought of a new thing I'd do differently: never be afraid to take a nap or a rest.
Last year during Prime I totally zonked out because I started feeling terrible. I gave myself a lot of garbage for napping during a PAX, but I honestly felt 1000x better (and may have been fending off a con bug).
So yeah, listen to your body. Take rests when you need to. Going hard 100 percent of the time may lead you to burn out midway through the convention.
I've been going to PAX for a while now (editing my signature is starting to give me feelings of "oh god why?" every PAX), and one of the things that I learned from PAX South is to just do more stuff. I went to my first Pre-PAX crawl (where my House Targeryens at?), got to go to some really neat and interesting panels I wouldn't normally go to, and spent a tonne of time in indie titles. I spent more time in indies at last year's last Prime too, and I've found some stuff and studios that really, really speak to me as a consumer.
"Doing more stuff" seems like a somewhat weird statement, but really it's the best thing to do. You can stand in line for 3+ hours to play a 30 minute demo every day (I haven't done this since the largest lines were 3 hours... Mass Effect 3 killed me!) and wreck your chance to really experience PAX, or you can get out there. PAX has so much to offer that isn't in the gaming hall, and it is worth it to get out there and explore it. Go to a panel that isn't run by a big company. Go to a community run event. Go to one of the parties, if you are up to it. Don't overdo it with the drink, stay hydrated and remember to eat - the hangries are real by midday on Monday - and most of all remember that everyone is there to have fun too. Don't be a dick. Do be polite, if you have to ask for help respect that the enforcers are working all weekend and sometimes are having to deal with their own hangries. If you need spaces that are quiet, the Diversity Lounge and the Take This AFK Room are wonderful safe spaces. Get some fresh air over the weekend - Freeway park is great if you're not in a cloud of smoking folks.
That became more of an advice list... Oh well. Those are all things I've learned to do differently over the past 10 PAX's I've been too. Being open to new experiences, whether that's saying hi to someone in line near you and asking what game they're rocking, or simply going to a new part of the building to discover something new is probably the best advice I gave to myself. You see and explore so much more just being out there.
My constant thing to do differently is "do more stuff." Maybe "more varieties of stuff" is better.
I am going to hunt down the AFK room this time instead of taking a nap in a chair at the base of an escalator in the annex... Haha. Still, pretty awesome that I felt safe enough to do that without fear of being messed with in any way (I had my backpack arranged so no one could take anything).
Alternately, I am a local so I won't be afraid to just bug out and go home if no one's having a good time anymore. No sense in forcing a good time if people won't get over the funk. "People" = a 10 year old daughter, mostly.
Posts
YES. I don't usually get the underwear, but fresh socks for PAX is a MUST. I usually buy new shoes 2-3 weeks out, too. Just enough to break them in.
If you're rooming with multiple people, bring a power strip and/or a multi USB so it's easier for people to keep all their gear charged. Don't risk having someone knock over and break your 3DS because the only open plug was on the bathroom counter. (Happened in my room once. Thankfully, me and my 3DS were not involved.)
tl;dr: Don't skip leg day.
PAX. PAX. PAX. Boom.
Also, remember Seattle, particularly around the convention center, is hilly. Even if you are used to walking/standing all day, the hills can be murder on your legs. So do some of your conditioning on hills or incline treadmills if you can.
"Brilliant! Oh wait, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with little bags of nuts."
Some of those hills can be avoided to some degree. Like one of the streets down to Pike Market is brutal, but you can walk a block over and it's much milder.
Stairs, the hills of the office.
This year, I already have a calendar reminder to pick up snacks on Tuesday and to pack them Thursday night.
Seriously, don't.
1. Always bring your own water, get a nice water bottle and refill it regularly.
2. Buy new shoes a few weeks before Prime and break them in, just that weekend can destroy shoes.
3. Try to attend parties, and don't overdo it on the drinking you will regret it the next morning.
4. Do the Paint your own Mini setup
5. If you can't think of something to do, expo hall is closed etc head down to the PC area and hop in line to play some games with other PAX'ers.
6. A big thing that I've learned and have been doing the past 3 years, rather then getting a hotel find a vacation home near WSCC. Will save you money, and gives you a kitchen.
....wait WHAT IS THIS?
I bet this is true for a bunch of folks. I see it, say "I would enjoy that" I'll do it later, repeat several times, PAX ends.
I managed to finally do it at South last year
I recommend not waiting until the end of the last day to paint your mini. Many of the paint brushes may be less than pristine and difficult to get any detail. (I don't know how often/if they put out new brushes.)
It's something that if I just went and did it first thing. It'd be fun and done. I guess a rule I should follow more is, "try anything with no line".
Where do you go to find these vacation homes? I usually stay in the Sheraton and have always loved the convenience of it being right next door, and have around 6 to 8 people staying in a 2 bed usually. So how far away are the vacation homes normally from the convention center because we love the convenience of the sheraton.
PAX West 16, 17
My Rig: I7 7700K, Aorus K5, 32GB RipJaws V, Samsung 960 PCIe 256 & 500, Zotac 1080Ti
You never know when one will go bad, nothing worse then a dying phone, a fully charged back up battery and a bad cable.
This happened to me one year, and I was lucky enough that a fellow PAXer carried extra cables to give out. I do the same now!
PAX Weast 2017 Status: Badges [X] Room [X] Fried Rice [X]
Regardless of destination I always always always travel with a power strip. Airports and hotels are total bastards and having a dedicated travel power strip has saved my ass repeatedly.
Same, and I don't share a hotel room. A powerstrip is still essential because of how many devices I use.
I share a room with multiple people, and I've got 2 of these to help with charging:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJ79UK6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
better than a power strip as it takes less space, and its a smart charge so it doesn't care what the device is.
Except I don't have a USB changer for either of my 3DSes or my PSP. But that device seems pretty legit.
Last year my boyfriend and I brought his portable pack charger and a power strip. We also have an assorted collection of connectors for our devices. We were never without power. Multi to usb converters are also really nice.
2015 PAX Prime Omeganaut (I will forever hate Katamari)
I never finish anyth
"Pictochat? No. Dicktochat!"
Many people keep all their old ones, but I don't think people collect them for PAXen they didn't attend.
Yup. I keep mine and hang them with their respective lanyard and forumer badge when I get home.
I see a lot of folks get their badges signed by Jerry and Mike. I kept mine from South and made it a part of a shadow box to commemorate my first ever PAX.
Thought of a new thing I'd do differently: never be afraid to take a nap or a rest.
Last year during Prime I totally zonked out because I started feeling terrible. I gave myself a lot of garbage for napping during a PAX, but I honestly felt 1000x better (and may have been fending off a con bug).
So yeah, listen to your body. Take rests when you need to. Going hard 100 percent of the time may lead you to burn out midway through the convention.
Hahahaha Love this Zerz!
Also, looks like Karma got him back
PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXXXXXXXX!
"Doing more stuff" seems like a somewhat weird statement, but really it's the best thing to do. You can stand in line for 3+ hours to play a 30 minute demo every day (I haven't done this since the largest lines were 3 hours... Mass Effect 3 killed me!) and wreck your chance to really experience PAX, or you can get out there. PAX has so much to offer that isn't in the gaming hall, and it is worth it to get out there and explore it. Go to a panel that isn't run by a big company. Go to a community run event. Go to one of the parties, if you are up to it. Don't overdo it with the drink, stay hydrated and remember to eat - the hangries are real by midday on Monday - and most of all remember that everyone is there to have fun too. Don't be a dick. Do be polite, if you have to ask for help respect that the enforcers are working all weekend and sometimes are having to deal with their own hangries. If you need spaces that are quiet, the Diversity Lounge and the Take This AFK Room are wonderful safe spaces. Get some fresh air over the weekend - Freeway park is great if you're not in a cloud of smoking folks.
That became more of an advice list... Oh well. Those are all things I've learned to do differently over the past 10 PAX's I've been too. Being open to new experiences, whether that's saying hi to someone in line near you and asking what game they're rocking, or simply going to a new part of the building to discover something new is probably the best advice I gave to myself. You see and explore so much more just being out there.
My constant thing to do differently is "do more stuff." Maybe "more varieties of stuff" is better.
Prime: '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15
West: '16, '17
East: '14, '15, '16, '17
South: '15, '16, '17, '18
Alternately, I am a local so I won't be afraid to just bug out and go home if no one's having a good time anymore. No sense in forcing a good time if people won't get over the funk. "People" = a 10 year old daughter, mostly.
I don't collect them so much as I just keep all my stuff from cons I go to.