Discussion on "What to Take to a Con"

A note about hotel's ice. If lots of people have coolers, expect the machines to run out from time to time.

Tiger kitty ready for AC, at your service,
Verdauga

An empty folder?!?

Does registration not provide a snazzy bag which says "Anthrocon" on the side?!?

I'm having this horrible OCD image in my head of leaflets, fliers and con books... EVERYWHERE!!!

Fine.
Here's my comments.
First of all, this is a good list and I don't disagree with it. I do have a few comments, however.

-Toiletries.
I have trouble taking Ziploc bags seriously, so I use less-efficient, but completely free, plastic shopping bags. I feel less like a drug-dealer then. (And they also serve to PAD the toiletries when I wrap them around.) But yes, all toiletries you expect to use or use daily should be packed away in large enough amounts to use, but small enough to pack.

-Sleeping bag.
Great if you're not sleeping on a bed. If you are sleeping on a bed, naturally, you won't need to pack a sleeping bag.

-cellphone.
For those of you WITH cellphones, you probably know to bring it. To those of you without, Call home once you make it to the convention in one piece so they relax. Make sure you coordinate with your friends in advance, and let them know you'll be checking the MESSAGEBOARD for notes at AnthroCon.

-creditcards/ATM cards.
Your discretion how much cash to carry vs credit cards.
Plan ahead if you'll need to find an ATM.
(There's a map with ATM locations in the convention packet.)

-icechest.
Great if you're driving, may not be so great if you're not. But there are bags that will HOLD ice and you can pack those.

-snacks.
Snacks that don't require refrigeration, IMHO, are better to carry if you need to pack food. (Or eat the others on the way to the convention.) The KWIK-E-MART and the soda machines all over the hotels are handy for beverages.
I forget if the hotel rooms have an ice-bucket- but I think they DO.)

-plastic grocery bags.
There's no limit to their usefulness. Besides wrapping my toiletries, I pack extra to stuff laundry into. Then I put the laundry back in my luggage. If you do that every day for a few seconds, you'd be AMAZED at how much less you will have to pack when it's time to pack up. Little bags of laundry, BTW, pad your luggage in case you need to pack fragile items like glass, electronics, and so on.

-medications- prescription, and over-the-counter.
I always carry an assortment of over-the-counters just in case I need them-ibuprofen, pepto-bismol capsules, etc. They sell all of them in small containers. One stop at a good pharmacy may net you all of them in one trip.

-powerstrips, swimsuit, extra glasses or repair kit, sewing kit.
Great if you need them. I don't plug in anything, plan on swimming, bring glasses or a fursuit. If I did, these would be good items to carry.

-artist want list.
Great for you art fans.

-ID.
Some kind of ID is a must, several forms of ID are better, if you have them. I've never heard of too much ID. OFFICIAL IDs, mind you-driver's license, passport, other government ID, etc.

-Camera.
Yes, I recommend bringing one. And remember to take it with you and take pictures! If it needs batteries, bring a spare set. If it charges, bring a charger.

-Good walking shoes.
An absolute MUST. Obviously, they should breathe and not be all-leather or something, since you'll be walking around IN SUMMER.

-Empty folder.
One with your name is not a bad idea. I also attach my badge name to my clipboard to make it a little easier to recover.

Condoms? ::shrugs::

Contact info. Stick it in your wallet. Print it out even. You want your name, address, and telephone numbers for getting ahold of people that can make medical decisions for you. If you are allergic to any medications or have a medical condition, make sure that's on a card in your wallet too.

The odds of you having a medical emergency are low, but if you do have one, that info may be really important. This isn't simply if you can't speak. If you've been injured, you probably aren't thinking straight and may not remember details, especially if its not something common like a penicillin allergy. That you'll remember. Having a reaction to a specific kind of dye used for x-rays, that you may not remember. Look it up, write it down.

This is particularly important for minors! Some medical treatment requires the consent of your parents or legal guardian. Your 18 year old pal that's chaperoning can't do it. They'll have to call your parents anyway. Make sure you have the information handy with every number they could possibly be reached at. Don't count on your cellphone having all the right numbers.

Stick the info in your wallet AND a longer copy in your bag, in case you lose your wallet. That covers worst case scenario.

If you have religious restrictions on what procedures may be performed on you, make sure you have that in your wallet too. (some groups prohibit blood transfusions, for example) Minors, ask your parents about this one. It may just never have come up.

Fenris has made some great comments there about contact info and medical needs.

In regard to comments about the usefulness of a cell phone: For $20 at the Tracfone website, they're currently offering a deal on a phone with 120 minutes of airtime. That should be plenty of cell service for those who are traveling in from far off and don't have a phone yet. No contracts, no bills. You can just let it expire if you don't use it, and buy a few minutes next year when you leave for the con again. I've been activating temp phones for convention operations for years now; Tracfone has been extremely handy.

On the subject of cell phones.. I have a version of tracphone called a net10 phone. You get the phone and 300 minutes with it. It's pretty nifty. and you get that for 30$

I have a suggestion to ad to the list:

Numbers.

Its a good idea to not only get Friends numbers who are going to the con, but Family and friends phone numbers in case of an emergency. Its also a good idea to give it to others for the same reason.

I know this seems like a basic idea, but it didn't occur to me until yesterday.

I have to add pens (bring a couple in case you lose one or one doesn't work) and a highlighter or two to highlight programs you want to do or items you see that you want to go back and buy.

also a good thing to keep in mind is the cost of food. i'm thinking that all i'll eat while i'm there is fast food >.< so bad, but so soo cheap x3
i say this because i'd imagine that it's easy to forget about something like that. "money for gas, registration, comissions, comics..." it's easy to overlook food :3

not a necessity, but always good to bring: Friends.

Stuff a whole bunch into a room for long enough under the influence of a con, and FUN is just waiting to happen!