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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

CV Packing Tips

Discussion in 'Star Wars Celebrations' started by MattDoc, Dec 13, 2009.

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  1. JediJustin

    JediJustin Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2006
    It may sound silly, but I recommend packing your pens/Sharpie markers in a few different plastic Ziplock bags.

    Don't want any of 'em leaking on your CV items to be signed or in your backpack.
     
  2. MattDoc

    MattDoc Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2009
    Not silly at all. I always put anything that could leak on something else in a ziploc bag and usually bring a few extra bags with me as well.
     
  3. wookieesrus

    wookieesrus Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 6, 2009
    That would be so horrible. I couldn't even imagine that happening after you just got your prized possession signed.

    You would just hear me scream....WHY!!!!!!!! :_| ...and then it would be like one of those old EF Hutton commercials...everyone in the convention area would stop and stare *cricket, cricket, cricket
     
  4. JedHead1

    JedHead1 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 20, 1999
    Hey, I do that! :) I'm glad I did, for one time, I had a paint pen that leaked. I also pack a small Post-It pad to let the ink flow from the paint pen.
     
  5. EnviousSerious-Rue

    EnviousSerious-Rue Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    May 4, 2009
    Packed the pens in plastic many times then wrap a wide rubber band around that to make it more secure.
    You'd be surprised what air pressure will do to some items on a plane in the baggage compartment.
     
  6. ksomm814

    ksomm814 Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 17, 2005
    Here's something that I've started: for those who have an ipod touch or something that can access documents, scan in your travel documents, itineraries or even lists I've created to have a digital copy of everything. I downloaded the GoodReader App from Itunes and I'm able to keep everything so I don't have to rely on a binder or folder with a mess of papers. It saves a lot of space.
     
  7. wookieesrus

    wookieesrus Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 6, 2009
    Also...don't recall seeing this anywhere yet, but for those driving down or renting a car while there, don't forget to bring a roll of quarters for any Toll booths you run across.
     
  8. Beretta911

    Beretta911 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2005
    Don't over pack! Be aware of your Airline's max weight & size limits per bag.

    It can also cause stress on the zipper of even the best luggage and cause a zipper to break. And that's a pain you don't want to deal with while out on a trip.


     
  9. echo-3

    echo-3 Former RSA star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Mar 11, 2002
    FedEx and the USPS were on site for CIV , I am sure they will be there this time too.
     
  10. EnviousSerious-Rue

    EnviousSerious-Rue Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    May 4, 2009
    I agree with the above statement.
    I invested into luggage straps. I tightened them down more as a precaution than anything else.
    Years ago, I saw how the luggage was "really" handled out of sight of passengers. So
    for me, the straps work. They're two inches wide. My character name is even sewn into the stitching and I always buy the yellow ones as a quick visual when it comes down the luggage chute.
    The company name escapes me at the moment but they run about $7.00 each.
    My zipper did come loose when I was on a cruise in 1980 and my good camera and a bottle of champayne[sic] was missing.
     
  11. ChewieTitan

    ChewieTitan Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 26, 2001
    My zipper came loose from overpacking during SWW last year. I lost a hasbro lightsaber and two umbrellas, but an airline worker did put two pairs of underwear in my bag. Weird?!
    I use the straps now and I put a small wire tie on the buckles to keep them together. Put extra wire ties in a small front compartment and fingernail clips to cut them. Also put them on the zipper instead of locks.
     
  12. Robonino

    Robonino Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2009
    I asked this elsewhere but didn't get a response... With regards to lockers / storage... will there be any available to rent? How much? I won't have much to store, but I'd like to be able to keep my hands free most of the time.
     
  13. echo-3

    echo-3 Former RSA star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Mar 11, 2002
    Im sure there will be at the con. I called my hotel ( Hampton Inn ) and they said they have a place to put my stuff until i can check in. Most of them wont allow check in till 3pm.
     
  14. Robonino

    Robonino Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2009
    Sounds good, and what about storage / lockers at the convention center itself each day?
     
  15. echo-3

    echo-3 Former RSA star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Mar 11, 2002
    They had them at Indianapolis and I think so for L.A. , so I am betting/hoping at OCC too.
     
  16. MattDoc

    MattDoc Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2009
    I hope so. There almost has to be at least on the first and last days. If you arrive on Thursday, yes, most hotels will hold your bags before check in. The challenge is if you are leaving on Sunday, like me. You need a place to keep those bags while attending the last day of the show.
     
  17. MattDoc

    MattDoc Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2009
    A couple of us here mentioned this tip earlier (and it was also mentioned on the ForceCast)...getting some basic business cards with whatever contact info you'd want to share with people you meet at the show. I'd been planning to do this for a while once I got back to the US.

    For those who don't follow me on Twitter, I got my cards and they came out awesome!

    http://twitpic.com/1rcqjj

    While I purposely hid the upper corner in this photo, it does have my email address and cell number. These cards are really good quality too with the raised printing you usually see on business cards.

    I got them for $29.99 with free shipping for 250 cards from officedepot.com and had them delivered in about a week.
     
  18. jedimomtosith

    jedimomtosith Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 2009
    I travel alot in my 42ft RV.
    You meet alot of people and want to try to meet up again at other camp grounds in the future.
    I bought cards at OfficeMax for about the same price for 250 cards.
    I put my name, cell, email on it.
    It's alot easier to have them printed up then having to look for a pen.
    That said, go to the Dollar store and get a little address book or note pad to have to write down those you meet their info if they don't have cards.
     
  19. MattDoc

    MattDoc Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2009
    Just thought of another one... a USB hub.

    Obviously this only applies if you are also bringing a laptop computer. They never seem to have enough USB ports these days.

    The time we spend in our hotel rooms on the computer will most likely be pretty limited (after all, there are much better things to do!) so you don't want to waste time swapping between devices the whole time. If you'll be pulling photos and/or videos from your cameras (or your friends cameras), charging ipods and iphones, using a mouse, etc. you'll run out of USB ports pretty quick.

    Just like above where someone mentioned bringing a power strip so you charge all of your stuff at once, bring that USB hub so you can connect everything at once.
     
  20. JedHead1

    JedHead1 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 20, 1999
    I'm bringing my business cards as well!

    [image=http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e385/JedHead1/Matt-RLcardfront.jpg]

    [image=http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e385/JedHead1/Matt-RLcard2front.jpg]

    [image=http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e385/JedHead1/GGGcardFRONTfinal.jpg]

    :)

     
  21. MattDoc

    MattDoc Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2009
    I don't think we covered this one yet, but you might want to think about having an extra battery pack for your phone, especially if you will be using it for photos, twitter, facebook, etc. while you are at the show. I'm convinced that my iPhone will not last the whole day if I'm doing all of that. We iPhone users don't have the luxury of being able to have an extra internal battery, but I just picked up a couple of these from Amazon:

    http://www.amazon.com/Lifestyle-Outfitters-DLA52527-17-JumpStart/dp/B002VPDM2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1278697344&sr=8-1

    They are $12 from this seller while Best Buy charges $50 for the same thing. Only difference I can see is that mine didn't have any instructions or retail packaging (no big deal). So far it seems to work great. This way I can have plenty of extra power all day to stay in touch.

    Find out what will work for your phone and bring a backup.

    Thanks to Eric (erier2003) for this tip on Twitter.
     
  22. ksomm814

    ksomm814 Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 17, 2005
    Just ordered one. Thanks for the tip!
     
  23. Taeriel

    Taeriel Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2003

    - A portable camping stool can be handy if you anticipate standing in line a lot. They are light and compact, carried by a strap. They aren't plush or large seats, but are a good compromise for those not wanting to carry around anything sizable. I brought one with me to SDCC last year, and it was great to have the option to get off my feet and sit somewhere other than the ground during the hours (and hours!) of standing in line.
     
  24. Eric Geller

    Eric Geller TFN Staff Emeritus star 1 VIP

    Registered:
    Mar 2, 2005
    In addition to getting an extra cell phone battery (which is a great tip from someone who is probably very handsome and intelligent), you might want to do the same for your digital camera or camcorder. I have extra batteries for my Canon point-and-shoot as well as my Kodak pocket video camera, and I anticipate these coming in very handy. I also have battery chargers specifically for these extras so I can charge the primaries and backups simultaneously.

    Another gadget that I recently bought and now consider essential is a portable USB power pack. I purchased this one and even though it's made by Kodak it works fine with any USB device. Just bring the USB charging cable for your phone/iPod/camera and this will juice it up using a built-in battery. This will come in handy at the show if you unexpectedly run out of power and you can't find an outlet. It runs off of two rechargeable AA batteries and gives you 40 hours of extra power. I foresee this coming in very handy as I cover the convention for TFN.
     
  25. MattDoc

    MattDoc Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2009
    Yeah, extra camera batteries are a must. If your camera has a proprietary battery (i.e. not AA or AAA) you can sometimes get an inexpensive "knock off" version of it here: http://sterlingtek.com/

    I've bought batteries from them before and they work great (if not better than the ones made by the manufacturer).
     
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