Author Topic: Useful items to take to SDCC  (Read 153905 times)

Offline chaosdreamer

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #60 on: June 05, 2013, 11:02:02 PM »
Broad spectrum sunscreen!  (Sunglasses and a hat wouldn't hurt either) Just remember, even if you're somehow lucky enough to never have to stand in one of the lines that end up outside, all that glass that makes the Convention Center so beautiful means you may very well end up getting totally fried indoors if you're not careful.

Offline dogberry

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #61 on: June 11, 2013, 12:13:10 AM »
I wasn’t sure whether to post this in the Cosplay section, but since this is the general thread for things to take to SDCC, I thought I would contribute a checklist for people intending to cosplay at the con (especially for first timers):

COSTUME RELATED
1. If you don't want your badge lanyard to clash with/distract from your costume, try pinning your badge to your costume instead. It's easier to photoshop out of pictures and more discreet. That being said, bring pins for that!

2. Yes, 70% of the time your costume will fall apart at the seams, literally. SDCC is chaotic and the push-pull of the crowd can be especially vicious - I've had my costume dragged apart from the throng of people squeezing against me.
Emergency repair materials:
Safety pins
Double-sided tape in thin and thick widths
Super glue
Blue tack
Scissors
Needle and thread

3.  If you are wearing a revealing/precarious costume, fashion tape is important in preventing nip slips and other accidents. If you perspire a lot, it can cause your tape to lose its adhesive quality. Do not that fashion tape is very different from the regular double-sided tape you get from craft stores. It’s more gentle and effective on your skin.

Braza has pretty good waterproof flash tape: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

4. Stain remover pens. You don't want to lean on a dirty surface or drip food on your costume by accident and then have to worry about it showing up on photos. This one by Tide is compact and pocket-sized!  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

5. If you have a costume that has multiple embellishments/beads/appliques, you might want to bring extras in case they fall off. Actually, they WILL fall off (and sometime you won’t be able to find them), so don’t take any chances unless you’re planning to wear a crown or accessory with one of the stones missing or something.

HAIR/WIGS
1.  Hairspray and hair glue. Hair glue is AWESOME for repairing delicate spikes or stylised bangs and works well on both natural and synthetic wig hair.
Personal recommendation: Got2b Hair Glue - does wonders on wigs without making the synthetic texture clumpy or oily-looking. This is the stuff pro cosplayers use for styling Cloud Strife hair, trust me! :P
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2. Loads of hair pins (try to get those that match the colour of your wig - it is a little unsightly when you see black bobby pins against a blonde wig)

3. Extra wig cap. I used to scoff at this idea, but what do you know, some people actually end up misplacing their wig caps (even though it’s supposed to go under your wigs!) at cons. Maybe they take it off for a break and get careless with it.


MAKE UP & MISC

1. Always bring make-up remover. Perspiration or rain (god forbid) can ruin your painstakingly applied make up, and it’s best to clean off the existing layer before re-applying than just painting/coating over it.
 
2. With that, you’d need facial tissues, wet wipes, cotton pads and cotton buds.

3. If you're wearing contact lenses, bring rewetting drops or saline solution. Getting your wig hair flying into your hard coloured contacts on a breezy day is one of the most excruciating feelings ever.

4. Oil blotters, because you honestly don’t need to contribute to the camera flash.

5. Chapstick — in windy or dry weather, your lips are going to crack, which makes the re-application of lipstick difficult and revolting.

6. Bandages! You may end up with blisters and chafing — not just on your feet — because of your costume. Don’t let it fester and become prone to infection, protect yourself from further skin damage.

7. Needless to say, bring along all the other makeup you would normally apply to go with your cosplay. Essentials would include:
Foundation
Primer
Eyebrow pencil
Eyeshadow
Rouge
Lip gloss/ lipstick

That's all I've got from the top of my head, so it anyone has any other suggestions it would be great! :)

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #62 on: Today at 09:06:53 AM »

Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #62 on: June 11, 2013, 08:59:04 AM »
Dogberry, that's an awesome list! I would just add one small thing for the badges: a couple of paper clips. If you get photographed often, then you don't want your name to be visible on your badge. You never know where these pictures end up (on the internet) and you don't want some weirdo tracking you down from your real name on your badge. I use a paper clip to cover my name with a piece of white paper. The paper clip is best because occasionally a CCI/security person may want to look at your name, so you need something easily removable. Here's an example of what I did for my daughter's badge.

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Offline jasonsmith

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #63 on: June 15, 2013, 01:12:40 AM »
Can you keep your badge under your shirt or in your pocket?

Offline Vapors

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #64 on: June 15, 2013, 01:17:41 AM »
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Can you keep your badge under your shirt or in your pocket?

A friend of mine doesn't wear lanyards and prefers to have the badge clipped to his belt.  When he enters a room with a guard, he just lifts his shirt and points to the badge.  According to him, he rarely gets asked about his badge while roaming the exhibit hall.  Usually happens like once a day at most.

I would say go for it as long as it can be accessed easily without you stopping to hold up traffic or making you rummage through your pockets.

Offline jasonsmith

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #65 on: June 15, 2013, 01:26:56 AM »
Generally I like to keep those badges tucked away like in my backpack. As they could fall off or someone steal it off of you, and then you're screwed for the rest of the con.

Offline Khaaaaaaanh!!!

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #66 on: June 15, 2013, 04:23:46 AM »
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Generally I like to keep those badges tucked away like in my backpack. As they could fall off or someone steal it off of you, and then you're screwed for the rest of the con.

Not too big a deal if you make sure to have it out at all the usual places like entering the building, floor, panel rooms. rare to get stopped once inside but still possible.
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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #67 on: June 15, 2013, 08:16:08 AM »
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Can you keep your badge under your shirt or in your pocket?

Yes. I keep mine pinned inside my costumes. I have to flip open my cape to show it when I enter the convention center or go up the escalators. That's usually about it.

Oh yeah, and going into the exhibit hall on preview night.

Offline mynamehere

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #68 on: June 20, 2013, 07:06:20 PM »
Coming from overseas and travelling around before comic-con, some of these items aren't really practicable to take with me

I'm thinking specificaly of a foldable chair- is there anywhere in SD that you could buy one?

Offline shuhbonkboo

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #69 on: June 20, 2013, 09:59:08 PM »
I know some people just like to refill one or two water bottles but I like to bring two or three new bottles each day.  With that in mind, for those of you who are flying in, fill any extra space in your suitcase with water bottles.  I've been doing this on all my trips and it saves me time and money.

Offline Chris Hagish

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #70 on: June 21, 2013, 01:51:07 AM »
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Coming from overseas and travelling around before comic-con, some of these items aren't really practicable to take with me

I'm thinking specificaly of a foldable chair- is there anywhere in SD that you could buy one?

There are many sports shops in the area if you tell me what city your hotel is in i can give you a list
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Offline retired

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #71 on: June 21, 2013, 11:39:14 AM »
I used to take a camelpack backpack with me and fill it with ice and water. Id keep snacks or sandwiches next to the water pack to keep everything cool. Its nice to have ice water that lasts all day. Not sure why I stopped, maybe because my ipad 2/3 wouldnt fit very well in the small backpack. Ive never not had enough room for swag in the camelpack backpack. Any exclusives i buy wouldnt fit very well or at all even in a full size backpack anyways.

I just picked up a used ipad mini, so ill probably take the camelpack with me again this year. or maybe ill just buy a camelpack insert for a regular backpack (if they have ones that are insulated so they dont get everything else wet.)

The ipad Mini is so light, and good battery life that Ill probably use it as my map/schedule/todo-list/twitter/forum/exclusives device this year over my iphone (which will be downgraded to my text/phone/camera this year). I recommend an ipad mini if you can find a used one. I think 300+ for it is way overpriced. People are selling them for 200-250 now that rumors of the mini2 are popping up.

I was going to bring my Surface Pro so i can play diablo III or WoW while in line, but with only 3-4 hours of battery life ill probably just leave it in the hotel room. I think watching live neardHQ streams or other youtube/forums stuff, i should be plenty busy while in line on my ipad mini.

I just picked up this Anker 13000mAh battery pack from amazon. Its on sale for $47. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

I opted for this over others because I want one with enough power to charge my ipad mini & my iphone. It is kind of heavy though. it has a 2amp and 1amp USB connectors. (2amp is great for quick recharging)

Also good to bring is your own Mobile Hotspot. I have a verizon one thats $45 a month for 5GB of 4G LTE. Very fast and not too expensive (I called pretending to cancel so they gave me a 5$ discount for the next 10 months lol). This way you have a nice stable connection no matter where you are (I hope).

Besides electronics, i think the next most usefull is sunscreen. I have gotten burned and it wasnt fun being in pain while hanging out with friends after the con.

All the big lists have most of the essentials so i wont repeat.

Offline retired

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #72 on: June 21, 2013, 11:43:16 AM »
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Coming from overseas and travelling around before comic-con, some of these items aren't really practicable to take with me

I'm thinking specificaly of a foldable chair- is there anywhere in SD that you could buy one?

I wouldn't bring a chair. Unless your camping overnight or have a health reason for sitting down. Thats a lot of weight and youll probably get more tired of carrying it than being glad to sit on it. Just bring a towel or just sit right on the ground if you have to.  Thats my opinion anyways.

Offline Pyramid

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #73 on: June 22, 2013, 04:47:03 PM »
Here are some must haves for me:

Comfortable shoes - save the flip flops for the beach.  130,000 people attended Comic Con that's 260,000 feet on the con floor stepping where they can including toes.  Wear shoes.  Your feet will thank you.
Deodorant - yes, I am one of the considerate con goers.  :)
Wallet - duh.
Backpack -  bags are always tearing, a backpack stops all of that and ensures my NM issues stay NM!
Poster tube - great for swag, original art, posters, knocking some bozo on the head for cutting in line: jk.
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Offline Alvetica

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Re: Useful items to take to SDCC
« Reply #74 on: June 22, 2013, 05:01:26 PM »
Actually, flip flops are nice for the pool.  Don't leave em at home.