With SDCC less than a month away, It might be good to revisit some SDCC preparation posts.
Comic-con edition #02 and its educational! It goes without saying that there are some things "everyone" brings to Comic-con; backpack, cellphone, camera, comfortable shoes (that's a big one). But there are some accessories that could REALLY save the day that you may, or may not even think about. Think of this 4LIST as a "shopping list" -but without eggs......... nobody brings eggs to Comic-Con.
4. SKETCH PAD
Most people don't know this but the artists in artists alley prefer to sketch on sketch pads. Some of them are new artists and there to get their names out while others are there to meet their fans. A lot, if not all, will do quick sketches.. but guess what?. They don't bring any good media to do these on. It would be too expensive for the artists to do so. So they usually do them on plain paper or scraps. What they prefer? a good sketch pad with quality paper.
Not only do artists prefer to do sketches for you in these, but if you're inclined to, you can do some drawing too while you're waiting in the Hasbro line to buy a My Little Pony! The sketchpad also doubles as an autograph pad!
Ebay and Amazon have good selections for great prices..... go with an A5 or A6. They're good quality and don't take up much room, or weight, in your bag.
-Prices vary
3. FILTERED WATER BOTTLE
You're probably thinking "why do I need a filtered water bottle?"
I'll tell you why.... the water fountains at SDCC taste like cat anus, so we can only assume there's something in the water making it taste funny. It's probably not cat anuses but you know what we mean. You can go ahead and bring a plain water bottle and drink it, but it won't taste good. A filtered water bottle from Brita will keep you hydrated and keep your taste buds from hating your lousy guts for 5 days. You can find them at Walmart, Target or most retail stores.
-Prices range from $9.99 to $21.99
2. SEATING
Comic-con is not for the lazy. It's days on end of walking, walking and walking some more. But there are times when you're just waiting in line. Why just stand there like an idiot? Your feet need to rest for all the walking they're gonna do. Why sit on the hard ground?....people spit there. That's why you need to bring a seat. You could just go out and buy any old camping chair and lug it around, but then you're negating your "sitting" with extra weight being carried around during all your "walking". What you need is something compact and lightweight. We have a few options..
Our top choice is the REI Flex Lite. This chair weighs a little over 1 LB and fits in almost any bag. It's extremely comfortable. Similar to the Flex Lite is the Alite Mantis. It's a little lower to the ground but cost about the same. Another option is the Packseat by GCI. It's similar to the portable stools you can buy at Walmart, but the legs are collapsible making it more compact and more portable.....(i.e. easier to fit in your bag). They're instant seats for the hundreds of times when there are no seats.
-Prices range from $19.99 (packseat) to $69.99 (Flex Lite/Alite)
1. POWERBANK
Everyone needs power. You're gonna be using a lot of juice and will most likely be nowhere near an outlet. If you are, do you really want to sit by it for 2 hours while you charge your device? You'll miss the damn Con!. We HIGHLY recommend you invest in a 50,000 mAh Powerbank. There are tons of backup battery options out there but most are tiny. Your cell phone battery runs between 2000-3000 mAh. The backup batteries out there are overpriced and give you about 1 charge. That's not gonna cut it. Since hundreds of thousands of people are carrying cellphones in downtown San Diego, the cellphone towers can't keep up with the overload. This creates "cell site traffic", weather you're using your phone or not. If your cellphone is having a tough time fighting to stay connected to the tower, it will kill the battery 10 times faster. The 50,000 mAh powerbank holds 20 TIMES the the juice as your average cell phone. You do the math, Einstein. That's a lot of charges. It's portable, about the size of a Nintendo DS. Its rechargeable. It's USB, so all the cables you already own will work. It has 2 USB outlets for 2 separate devices....charge your iPad, charge your 3DS, charge your electric razor, charge your LED cosplay lights,charge anything USB.....plus its CHEAP. You will NEVER be without power at the Con... EVER!!!
Prices $22.99!!!!!!!!! NO WAY, JOSE!!!!
