Packing for Fanime

[lady_tomoko]

I thought this would be a interesting thread, seeing as Fanime is next weekend. How do you guys pack for Fanime? Do you bring everything but the kitchen sink? or are you a minimalist? I'm trying to downgrade my luggage to at least one large bag, but I doubt that's gonna happen XD

[obliviousedward]

I usually try the minimalist approach, but it tends to vary each year, depending on my cosplay(s). XD

I do tend to manage to keep everything to a "one bag" minimum: packing only my cosplay and a few extra "essentials" in terms of clothing, otherwise surviving with just the clothes on my back, LOL.  Of course, I also remember to bring the bathroom essentials and stuff.

...Ooooh, I wanna make a list now.  I LOVE MAKING LISTS BEFORE FANIME. 8D

[lady_tomoko]

I made a list months ago XDXDXD I've tried to trim it down, but it's still really long ><

[Kaycea]

.....Honestly the day before I just grab random things out of my closet(whatever stands out at the time), throw them into a bagpack(or trash bag), toss random snacks and goodies into it and barely manage to get it closed because I refuse to take more than 1 bag....Then I remember that I still need to put in my toothbrush/mouthwash(VERY IMPORTANT!!) in and have to repack it all over again. Sooo as you can see i'm very prepared and already have it all planned out(.^_^.)b

[lady_tomoko]

Most definately  :D

I'm really glad that most of my cosplays this year aren't very bulky; it will make the "one bag" goal a bit easier to achieve ^-^

[Moonblossom]

I'm not cosplaying but I'll be in the bay area for nearly two weeks so I've got a lot of clothes for varying weather, gifts for friends, and medical supplies to drag along with me so that takes up a ton of room.

I've got one full-sized rolling suitcase, one small duffel for the medical stuff, and a backpack for my carryon ><'' I've packed about as efficiently as I can, but unfortunately I don't really have the luxury of just tossing a few shirts and pairs of pants into a bag and being done with it.

[Mango Bunny]

My roomie and I share one bag.

I make a giant list of everything that could possibly be needed (asprin is great to remember!)

I pack it all and plan out ahead. I like packing.

I already bought a big bag o' snacks to bring.

I'm not worried about space though, since if needed I could fold down the back seats of my lovely hatchback!

Seriously though, asprin is great to bring, any medications, eye drops if you are going to be doing a lot of late nights, mints for on-the-go freshness, my friend brings pepto-bismal (sp?) just in case. Also any chargers for cameras or phones! SERIOUSLY. BRING THEM.

I also bring extra clothes in case of weather changes or someone spilling a whole container of nacho fries on you.

I bring band-aids since I'm clumsy.

Most of all, folks, please bring a good deoderant.

If I was a guy I wouldn't pack so much, but I have to bring all my make-up, accessories, hair care products.... I'm pretty darned typical that way. I bring three kinds of lotion! Regular, face and nice-smelling! Also different pairs of shoes.

....I think I should go make my list.

Anyhow, nothing is worse than forgetting something really important and not being able to have it all weekend. I forgot my shampoo/conditioner a year or two ago and the hotel only had really really terrible stuff that made my hair smell like cleaning products and it was really dry and weird. Arrgh.

[M]

I usually end up packing close to 20 boxes of FanimeCon stuff along with my suitcase and duffel bag (full of clothes and toiletries), "Tech" backpack (laptop and other electronics I will need), two Marketing storage bins full of misc. stuff that I use year round to do FanimeCon stuff, and usually a few boxes of other people's stuff (since I drive a van).

Thankfully, the 20 boxes are normally stuff that won't be returning home with me. :X

[Edit: When I do go on vacations, I normally get made fun of for packing too heavy.]

[tenton]

I try to limit myself to one suitcase/duffel bag, plus something to walk around with (messenger bag, or back pack). I start packing my clothes a little early (like right around...NOW); I try to carry 1-2 days of extra clothing. I then carefully consider what I want to bring (camera/camcorder, laptop, etc.) and then carefully plan out what critical thing I will forget to actually pack and bring with me. Sometimes it's a charger. Sometimes it's the thing I wanted to get autographed. I won't know until I get to my destination; it's a mystery game!

[pokkypok]

I usually end up overpacking... but then I'll realize I forgot like one thing.
Like one year I brought extra clothes, my cosplays, all my makeup, clean thingys (like shampoo), chargers, food, and things for last minute repairs. Then when I was there I realized I forgot normal shoes. So if I just wanted to walk around for a little in normal clothes I had to wear my cosplay shoes XD

[kookiekween99]

I have my list written on my mirror in whiteboard marker. :D

I'm planning on having one small bag for toiletries and accessories, though I might need to bring two if I'm bringing all my kandi, and one large bag for all my clothes.

I'm gonna go start packing now.  ;D

[Melly]

pew pew.

i ended up last year bringing uhhh ... 4 bags? 3 pretty big ones and one smaller one >__<;

/girly girl :(

and i left with a ton of shopping bags. LOL;; on top of what i already had XD;;

[xichisex]

Oh, I'm horrible with packing. Even if I am just going overnight to my boyfriend's house for a night and a half I bring a damn suitcase!

This is what I bring:
♣ ENTIRE MAKE-UP COLLECTION {You never know WHAT you may need. Something could come up and suddenly you don't have something because you left it at all. ]:}
♦  All costumes and maybe some extra accessories in case something comes up or I get an idea for an added piece to an already existing cosplay.
♠ Bath supplies like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste/brush/floss/retainers/rinse/mints/gum, facial cleansers {It can get hot and sweaty sometimes walking all day at a convention and you don't want to break out. So make sure you clean all you make-up off before bed and in the morning too. You want to be fresh!}
♥ LOADS OF MONEY! In a safe travel pouch that I have that I took to Europe with me. I don't trust my wallet and I don't want to be carrying a huge purse around with me all day. :3
♣ I bring a camera for pictures and it's battery charger.
♥ REMEMBER PHONE CHARGERS AND REMEMBER TO TAKE THEM BACK HOME WITH YOU TOO!
♦ I bring a lot of different shoes with me and in my car I keep a spare extra in case, say, I am wearing heels and my feet get tired.
♥ My friend has a little first aid kit she carries with her in case sometimes happens which something always does. I am the clumsiest fool ever to live. Or soon die.. ]:
♣ Music players, headphones, contacts [for eyes], wigs, pencils and notepads for notes if I attend a panel, a list of people I follow on DeviantArt that have booths in the artist alley. They won't tell you in the alley where someone is located, so if you go there and you know an artist you adore is going to be there, be sure to write down their name and booth numbers. 
♣ Sunscreen, jewelry..

In general I just kind of throw everything I THINK I need into my suitcase. The big one.

[Armored-Heart]

Last year my suitcase was nicknamed "The House" due to its massive size. Example: "We'll be okay for food. After all, she brought her entire house, there's gotta be a kitchen in there." Oh, and one time it was early-ish and I needed something out of my suitcase, but someone had turned it on its side and was sleeping on the floor right next to it, so I had to lift it and put it on the bed without disturbing anyone. But it was heavy and slipped. I caught it right before it smashed the dude's face. o___o;

...This year I'm hoping to downgrade the amount I pack. xD;;

I've been mostly packed since the end of March, actually. </DEDICATION> See, I'm away in college in Oregon, and all of my cosplay stuff/the majority of what I need for Fanime is at home. Knowing I wouldn't be home again until Day Zero, I made sure I packed the bulk of my stuff during Spring Break. Otherwise I would've only had a few hours to pack and go food shopping before my group left for San Jose; additionally, due to my flight home being at 5:20 am, I'm obviously going to be dead tired and am prone to forgetfulness even when I'm NOT tired, so it wouldn't be the best day for me to frantically pack. xD

I'll probably packing the rest of my stuff that I'm flying home with this weekend. I need to pack my hot pot (for cooking ramen and mac and cheese!) as well as various food (only things I can take on the plane and won't get crushed/destroyed of course; I'm only bringing a carry on) some spare non-cosplay clothes that I don't already have at home, my cosmetics bag with my makeup/contacts/toothbrush/etc, pajamas, basic stuff. I wonder if airport security will question why I have a hot pot... >3>;

[venus_ivy]

I think I average 5? or 6 bags for con- then again, I do wear 4 outfits a day, so...

[Himeno]

I haven't needed to make a list of things to pack for anything in years. I just automatically grab what I need for whatever trip I am packing for. It will take me about 30 minutes to pack for Fanime.

[lady_tomoko]

Last year my suitcase was nicknamed "The House" due to its massive size. Example: "We'll be okay for food. After all, she brought her entire house, there's gotta be a kitchen in there." Oh, and one time it was early-ish and I needed something out of my suitcase, but someone had turned it on its side and was sleeping on the floor right next to it, so I had to lift it and put it on the bed without disturbing anyone. But it was heavy and slipped. I caught it right before it smashed the dude's face. o___o;

...This year I'm hoping to downgrade the amount I pack. xD;;

I've been mostly packed since the end of March, actually. </DEDICATION> See, I'm away in college in Oregon, and all of my cosplay stuff/the majority of what I need for Fanime is at home. Knowing I wouldn't be home again until Day Zero, I made sure I packed the bulk of my stuff during Spring Break. Otherwise I would've only had a few hours to pack and go food shopping before my group left for San Jose; additionally, due to my flight home being at 5:20 am, I'm obviously going to be dead tired and am prone to forgetfulness even when I'm NOT tired, so it wouldn't be the best day for me to frantically pack. xD

I'll probably packing the rest of my stuff that I'm flying home with this weekend. I need to pack my hot pot (for cooking ramen and mac and cheese!) as well as various food (only things I can take on the plane and won't get crushed/destroyed of course; I'm only bringing a carry on) some spare non-cosplay clothes that I don't already have at home, my cosmetics bag with my makeup/contacts/toothbrush/etc, pajamas, basic stuff. I wonder if airport security will question why I have a hot pot... >3>;

That would've really sucked if you hit that dude in the face >.<   

I thought about bringing some sort of food with me, or some kind of cooking device (similar to the hotpot) but then that's more to pack and I'm also lazy XD. If I bring anything, it will non-perishable so I can easily store it in my hotel room without an ice chest.

In general I just kind of throw everything I THINK I need into my suitcase. The big one.

That is why I pack so much stuff XD  I know I will leave something at home cause I think I don't need it, I will end up needing it, and then I'll be pissed the whole weekend that I left it at home.

[abcbadcat]

I usually bring a big duffel bag and a messenger/bag backpack. Usually I pack at the last minute but finals and last minute cosplay things (FIRST YEAR COSPLAYING) are making me pack stuff earlier for once.


NECESSITIES:
Glasses, Wallet, Phone, Keys, Phone Charger, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Q-Tips

PLEASURE:
Replacement Phone Battery, Playing Cards, Yugioh Deck, Longboard, iPod, Headphones, Glowsticks, Notepad, Sharpie, Bag of Quarters, Chapstick, Hand Sanitizer, Camera, Camera Charger, Thumb Drive


There is probably a bunch more I'm not thinking of right this second but hopefully my little list helped someone remember something they might have forgot otherwise :X

[Charis]

I am an OCD preplanner, and part of that means that I have a spreadsheet with tabs for each cosplay and what I pack for each one, so it's easy to eliminate what's not relevant to a given con.  My friends laugh at me, but it works.  I also tend to pack more than should be possible into my roller bags (which then weigh a TON), but I'm driving, so that's okay. XD  Last year I think I came up with two rollers (one at the upper end of carry-on size, one small), a rather packed garment bag, two decent-sized tote bags, a laundry basket of Other People's Stuff, a sword bag, and Minazuki (giant manta ray plush XD ), plus the food bag and one of those 2.5gal water jugs.  It could conceivably have been less, except I think I brought six or seven cosplays and it's rare for me to have less than ten yards of fabric in one. XD

I tend to pack a lot of stuff into ziplock bags or containers of some sort -- cosplay accessories and makeup in boxes, socks in a bag to compress them smaller, etc.  The garment bag is mostly because of my Trinity Blood costume, which is enough of a beast to iron when it's been hanging; I dread to think what it'd be like if I had to fold it up.  Thirty-five yards of fabric or so in the dress and two skirts.  I think Minazuki's probably the biggest space-eater, but he's comfortable.  The tote bags work really well for things like shoes and wigs and whatnot, in my experience.

Some of the less typical things I consider necessities: a Tide pen.  A press cloth for ironing.  A smaller surge protector that has two USB charging outlets.  A hand fan, because I tend to overheat in most cosplay.  Smaller bills for tipping hotel staff.  Cosplay repair kit.  Painkillers (and the rest of a basic first aid kit).  A notebook and pen that will go everywhere with me.

I wouldn't say I bring everything and the kitchen sink, and I'd say for a cosplayer I'm fairly minimalist, but ... I'm a cosplayer.  That automatically multiplies the luggage by a LOT.

[Armored-Heart]

Last year my suitcase was nicknamed "The House" due to its massive size. Example: "We'll be okay for food. After all, she brought her entire house, there's gotta be a kitchen in there." Oh, and one time it was early-ish and I needed something out of my suitcase, but someone had turned it on its side and was sleeping on the floor right next to it, so I had to lift it and put it on the bed without disturbing anyone. But it was heavy and slipped. I caught it right before it smashed the dude's face. o___o;

...This year I'm hoping to downgrade the amount I pack. xD;;

I've been mostly packed since the end of March, actually. </DEDICATION> See, I'm away in college in Oregon, and all of my cosplay stuff/the majority of what I need for Fanime is at home. Knowing I wouldn't be home again until Day Zero, I made sure I packed the bulk of my stuff during Spring Break. Otherwise I would've only had a few hours to pack and go food shopping before my group left for San Jose; additionally, due to my flight home being at 5:20 am, I'm obviously going to be dead tired and am prone to forgetfulness even when I'm NOT tired, so it wouldn't be the best day for me to frantically pack. xD

I'll probably packing the rest of my stuff that I'm flying home with this weekend. I need to pack my hot pot (for cooking ramen and mac and cheese!) as well as various food (only things I can take on the plane and won't get crushed/destroyed of course; I'm only bringing a carry on) some spare non-cosplay clothes that I don't already have at home, my cosmetics bag with my makeup/contacts/toothbrush/etc, pajamas, basic stuff. I wonder if airport security will question why I have a hot pot... >3>;

That would've really sucked if you hit that dude in the face >.<   

I thought about bringing some sort of food with me, or some kind of cooking device (similar to the hotpot) but then that's more to pack and I'm also lazy XD. If I bring anything, it will non-perishable so I can easily store it in my hotel room without an ice chest.

Oh my God I know, I was like "HOLY EFF, THAT WAS CLOSE. .______.;" xDD;

Bringing other food/things you can use to cook food is a great way to save money. c: My friends and I usually bring a cooler or two; luckily the Fairmont has ice machines, and we'd rather not pay extra for a mini-fridge so it works out pretty well.