Packing for a convention is one of my biggest problems. I almost always overpack my suitcase with too many clothes and too many accessories for my camera. Everything is placed in the bag as an ‘I might need this’. This just leaves me with an aching back, arms, and legs trying to lug all my equipment around town and the convention. After every con, I find myself looking at gear saying, “I didn’t even use this, but I could have.” Noting that the convention wasn’t that far from home and I could just leave random pieces in the car, I kept bringing everything with me.
However for KatsuCon, I don’t have the convenience of bringing everything with me to the convention, since I’ll be flying all the way from Florida to DC not only to attend, but also run a photobooth. With all the stuff I have to carry with me for the photobooth, I can’t have my camera kit be too bulky or heavy, so I went from ‘whatever I might use’ to ‘whatever I need’. I feel like it might still be too much, but it have all the potential backups I may need should something fail.
Breaking it down to what I need.
That’s a lot of gear already. That doesn’t include what Elysia will be carrying in terms of her camera equipment, nor the stands and diffusers we’ll be carrying offhand. I’m trying to bring what I need and what I know I for sure won’t use. I’m not bringing any telephotos because I rarely get a chance to use them at a con. I dumped the 3rd flash because between the two of us we’ll have 4 available. It’s not much to get rid of but the extra space in my bag can be used to carry other things that we’ll need at the booth, not to mention the pack is a lot lighter without a 10 lbs lens sitting in the bottom pocket.
Anyway, I hope your packing is a little less busy than what I got. Don’t strain yourself too much and definitely have fun! We’ll see you at KatsuCon!
Lawrence
imPhotography
