The week before the week before DragonCon 2016!

This morning I opened the DragonCon app and discovered it had updated and the full schedule is available! Now I'm in excitement overdrive because as of this writing, we only have NINE days until DragonCon 2016!

Last year I posted some hopefully useful information about what to bring/do to make your DragonCon experience low-stress. One of the things I mentioned was that I had yet to find a con bag I really liked.

I also mentioned in my DragonCon 2015 wrap-up post that I had ordered a Bag of Holding from ThinkGeek for next year. I'd hoped to get to another convention or two this year but I've been busy and broke, a bad combination, so I haven't had a chance to try the bag out in a true convention setting. But I think it's going to work very well.

A few days ago I made a list of everything I needed to carry with me during DragonCon. To help you make your own decisions about what to bring, here's my list (and I'll probably end up adding some stuff):

phone and charger and cord
Thermos
wallet/keys/hotel key card
toiletries bag (including aspirin for headaches and moleskin for blisters)
contact solution and eyedrops
handheld fan and handkerchief (to mop my sweaty face so I don't have to use my shirt)
snacks and wet wipes
paper schedule and hand-drawn map of convention area
hand lotion
notebook and pens

I put as much of the stuff as I could into my Bag of Holding--and not only did it all fit, I have tons of room left!

(Note the little pocket exactly the right size for my awesome phone charger! I love that thing. I wish I'd had one last year.) (Also note that that notebook is not full-sized, which makes the bag look bigger than it really is.)

Not shown: the velcro-backed badges I've ordered for the bag's front panel (intended for badges). I ordered three from etsy and haven't received them yet, but hopefully I'll get them before DragonCon and everyone will know I am Team Valor, have B+ blood type, and really like Totoro.