So you are headed to SXSW in a bit over a week? Great. While there are plenty of posts out there on best parties to attend, restaurants to hit or bands to see, I’ll take another route – outlining the four things that you probably haven’t thought about packing or buying.

Portable energy – Our smart phones have a million and one things that they can do for us, with that said, the one thing that they suck at is keeping a full charge. With all the panels, parties, etc. you will more than likely be faced with a phone in need of a charge. With outlets in short supply and constant movement, a portable charging pack is a must. For the past few years, I have used a PowerGen and it has given me ~2 full charges when plugging into my phone and walking between venues.

Hydration – Sure there is plenty of free beer and soft drinks round Austin, unfortunately, they really don’t keep you hydrated. Before leaving be sure to pack a water bottle that will fit in your bag, you’ll thank me for the suggestion when hiking back to the Convention Center from the Long Center or Guierros. Since you can’t always trust the taste of the water in fountains and sinks, I always travel with a Camelback that has a filter in it.

Comfortable shoes – if this is your first time headed to Austin, you should be prepared to walk. Cabs are scarce and you may get killed in a pedicab. So with that said, you want to make sure that you take care of your feet. Sure it might sound like a great idea to buy a brand new pair of boots from Allen’s, but do you really want to deal with breaking them in when you’ll be walking for 5-6 days?

Friend maker – as mentioned earlier, outlet space is scarce. One tip I picked up from my buddy Doug Haslam years ago was to bring a small multi-strip adapter. It makes friends instead of enemies when vying for a spot to power up your devices.

Have a safe trip to Austin and enjoy it. One more thing, remember to pack a bag to carry your swag and also to not be THAT GUY or THAT GIRL if you are, I will point and laugh.

So you are headed to SXSW in a bit over a week? Great. While there are plenty of posts out there on best parties to attend, restaurants to hit or bands to see, I’ll take another route – outlining the four things that you probably haven’t thought about packing or buying.

Portable energy – Our smart phones have a million and one things that they can do for us, with that said, the one thing that they suck at is keeping a full charge. With all the panels, parties, etc. you will more than likely be faced with a phone in need of a charge. With outlets in short supply and constant movement, a portable charging pack is a must. For the past few years, I have used a PowerGen and it has given me ~2 full charges when plugging into my phone and walking between venues.

Hydration – Sure there is plenty of free beer and soft drinks round Austin, unfortunately, they really don’t keep you hydrated. Before leaving be sure to pack a water bottle that will fit in your bag, you’ll thank me for the suggestion when hiking back to the Convention Center from the Long Center or Guierros. Since you can’t always trust the taste of the water in fountains and sinks, I always travel with a Camelback that has a filter in it.

Comfortable shoes – if this is your first time headed to Austin, you should be prepared to walk. Cabs are scarce and you may get killed in a pedicab. So with that said, you want to make sure that you take care of your feet. Sure it might sound like a great idea to buy a brand new pair of boots from Allen’s, but do you really want to deal with breaking them in when you’ll be walking for 5-6 days?

Friend maker – as mentioned earlier, outlet space is scarce. One tip I picked up from my buddy Doug Haslam years ago was to bring a small multi-strip adapter. It makes friends instead of enemies when vying for a spot to power up your devices.

Have a safe trip to Austin and enjoy it. One more thing, remember to pack a bag to carry your swag and also to not be THAT GUY or THAT GIRL if you are, I will point and laugh.

So you are headed to SXSW in a bit over a week? Great. While there are plenty of posts out there on best parties to attend, restaurants to hit or bands to see, I’ll take another route – outlining the four things that you probably haven’t thought about packing or buying.

Portable energy – Our smart phones have a million and one things that they can do for us, with that said, the one thing that they suck at is keeping a full charge. With all the panels, parties, etc. you will more than likely be faced with a phone in need of a charge. With outlets in short supply and constant movement, a portable charging pack is a must. For the past few years, I have used a PowerGen and it has given me ~2 full charges when plugging into my phone and walking between venues.

Hydration – Sure there is plenty of free beer and soft drinks round Austin, unfortunately, they really don’t keep you hydrated. Before leaving be sure to pack a water bottle that will fit in your bag, you’ll thank me for the suggestion when hiking back to the Convention Center from the Long Center or Guierros. Since you can’t always trust the taste of the water in fountains and sinks, I always travel with a Camelback that has a filter in it.

Comfortable shoes – if this is your first time headed to Austin, you should be prepared to walk. Cabs are scarce and you may get killed in a pedicab. So with that said, you want to make sure that you take care of your feet. Sure it might sound like a great idea to buy a brand new pair of boots from Allen’s, but do you really want to deal with breaking them in when you’ll be walking for 5-6 days?

Friend maker – as mentioned earlier, outlet space is scarce. One tip I picked up from my buddy Doug Haslam years ago was to bring a small multi-strip adapter. It makes friends instead of enemies when vying for a spot to power up your devices.

Have a safe trip to Austin and enjoy it. One more thing, remember to pack a bag to carry your swag and also to not be THAT GUY or THAT GIRL if you are, I will point and laugh.

So you are headed to SXSW in a bit over a week? Great. While there are plenty of posts out there on best parties to attend, restaurants to hit or bands to see, I’ll take another route – outlining the four things that you probably haven’t thought about packing or buying.

Portable energy – Our smart phones have a million and one things that they can do for us, with that said, the one thing that they suck at is keeping a full charge. With all the panels, parties, etc. you will more than likely be faced with a phone in need of a charge. With outlets in short supply and constant movement, a portable charging pack is a must. For the past few years, I have used a PowerGen and it has given me ~2 full charges when plugging into my phone and walking between venues.

Hydration – Sure there is plenty of free beer and soft drinks round Austin, unfortunately, they really don’t keep you hydrated. Before leaving be sure to pack a water bottle that will fit in your bag, you’ll thank me for the suggestion when hiking back to the Convention Center from the Long Center or Guierros. Since you can’t always trust the taste of the water in fountains and sinks, I always travel with a Camelback that has a filter in it.

Comfortable shoes – if this is your first time headed to Austin, you should be prepared to walk. Cabs are scarce and you may get killed in a pedicab. So with that said, you want to make sure that you take care of your feet. Sure it might sound like a great idea to buy a brand new pair of boots from Allen’s, but do you really want to deal with breaking them in when you’ll be walking for 5-6 days?

Friend maker – as mentioned earlier, outlet space is scarce. One tip I picked up from my buddy Doug Haslam years ago was to bring a small multi-strip adapter. It makes friends instead of enemies when vying for a spot to power up your devices.

Have a safe trip to Austin and enjoy it. One more thing, remember to pack a bag to carry your swag and also to not be THAT GUY or THAT GIRL if you are, I will point and laugh.