If you’ve never been to an Anime, SciFi, or Video game convention before, you should know that they are a great way to meet new people who share your interests, spending the day attending awesome events and seeing some real characters! But you should also know that they involve long days on your feet, waiting in lines, and moving through dense crowds of people. Conventions can be an absolute blast if the properly planned, but they can turn into a flop if an individual is unprepared. Long tiresome days can even be dangerous without the necessary supplies.
Doom and gloom aside, there are different things that a con-goer will need depending on whether or not they will be cosplaying–that is, dressing up in a costume. So I have separated the survival kit into two sections; items that everyone should bring or have access to at the convention whether you are cosplaying or not, and items that cosplayers should remember to bring in addition to the basics.
Stuff Everyone needs:
Medication– Obviously if you are taking any daily medication, you should bring it with you to the convention. Bad things happen when people don’t take their meds, and ambulances can put a stop to the fun real quick.
Camera – There are going to be a lot of people dressed in costume at these conventions, as well as actors and stars from your favorite shows or games. A camera comes in handy for when you want to preserve the moment. It isn’t so much a necessity as it is added fun.
Money – Don’t go anywhere without some emergency cash or cards. You never know what you might want or need it for.
Identification – In order to pick up your convention badge, you are going to need some form of picture identification. Will will also need this ID later if you want to get into any of the 18+ events.
Comfortable Shoes – Unless you are at an artist or dealers booth, you are going to be doing a lot of walking. And even if you are at a booth, you will probably still be on your feet all day. A convention is three days long, and you don’t want your feet to be covered in blisters on the first day. So please, stay comfy.
Water and Food – Necessity. You need it to live and to stay conscious. And you need real food too. You cannot live off of that vending machine down the hall for three days. Please, bring food with you to the con, or at least have money and a plan for where to get some good food.
A Plan – Conventions are packed with events and panels, all of which overlap. It is very easy to miss something that you wanted to go to because you don’t have a schedule or because you haven’t decided on your event priorities. You don’t have to plan your day out down to the minute before hand, but it does help to say to yourself, “Okay, I know I want to go to the masquerade, so I’d better get in line at X o’clock and I will have to decide between panel A and panel B at 2.” Having a rough idea of where to go when will help you maximize your weekend.
Cosplayer Survival Kit: this is a list of added supplies to bring if you are attending the con in costume.
Glue – Maybe a good thing to leave in the car or the hotel room, but it is useful to have some craft glue handy incase anything on your costume falls off.
Scissors – Again, for fixing costumes which involves cutting thread. Another thing to keep in the car or room.
Tape – This is one I try to keep on me. If something is on the verge of breaking and I need to hold it together until I can get to the glue, having a roll of medical tape or duct tape in your purse is useful and saves you the walk back to the car if it can be fixed with tape. But obviously, this takes up a lot of space, and so many will decide to also, keep this one in the car.
Travel Sewing Kit – More and more conventions today have “Cosplay Repair Stations” where some materials are provided on-site to fix your broken costumes with. But, supplies are limited and if your costume breaks well into the con, there may not be any left of what you need to fix it. Having a travel sewing kit with you in your car or hotel room is a good idea.
Safety Pins – This is a must-have in your pockets or shoes or where-ever you can stick ’em. Safety pins are a life-saver for costumes that are getting their first wear. If there’s something that isn’t laying how you want it to, pin it down. If this part is feeling kind of heavy and you’re afraid the seam won’t hold, pin it up. If an elastic snaps and now your leg warmers are falling down, pin it back together. I keep pins on me all convention. Things shift and move with wear, and where you thought that piece might have fallen may not be where its falling. So pin it now, and later, tack it in place with your travel sewing kit.
Hair Pins – For securing wigs to your head! I also always have these on me in my pockets the whole time that I am wearing a wig. You may think that the wig is secure, but things shift throughout the day. Instead of taking all the pins out to re-pin the whole thing, just reenforce it to prevent a shift if you feel it, or to prevent further shift if its already moved a little.
Well, that’s it for my list. Sure, there may be other things that you want to bring depending on your costume or your plans for the day. A lot of people bring a sweatshirt, a change of clothes, and their gameboys, but these are what I consider necessities. Have fun at the con!
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