8 JULY 2025
Amazon Prime Day starts today - giving you the chance to retroactively fund the most elegant and tasteful wedding of the century. (Yes, I know Bezos isn't CEO anymore but he's still Chief Shareholder.) If you felt your stomach lurch on reading that, other stores are launching sales - Target, WalMart, other big box titans. You can't deny that the timing is perfect for we Comic-Con warriors heading off into battle.
Hopefully you already know a lot of these sales are bogus, with retailers sometimes hiking up prices just to bring them down for the "sale." But there definitely are deals to be had - so as you're shopping, consider throwing these SDCC weapons in your cart.
#2. Backup batteries and power supplies. Comic-Con is a vampire that sucks the power from your devices - and it can be hard to get a good charge within the convention center. Bring all the extra power sources you can.
#3. GoPros, cameras, and phones. If you're going to upgrade anyhow sometime this year, do it now. Give yourself enough time to play with the camera and recorder and other features so you're smooth when it counts. Also, if your current film gear is heavy and cumbersome, consider getting some smaller, Con-friendly devices.
#4. Air hammocks and portable chairs. Brag time: A few years ago, I bought an incredible chair on Prime Day with a little canopy. I felt kind of ostentatious unfolding it in line. But it was a life saver as everyone else burned in the sun.
Incredible advances have been made in the world of camp and portable chairs, so go ahead and invest. Those collapsible stools might look cheap and silly, but you will be grateful for one when you're waiting hours in line. Same for air mattresses, if you're cramming a bunch of people in one hotel room.
#5. Earplugs and sleep masks. Roommates creep in and out at all hours at SDCC and some hotels are really noisy, especially Gaslamp hotels with rooms close to street level.
#6. Braces, splints and other supports. It's easy to aggravate your plantar fasciitis, bad knee, slipped disc, etc. at SDCC. If you have any kind of structural weak spot, give yourself support before it starts hurting.
#7. Cosplay components. It's always a good idea to buy back-up wigs, props, theatre makeup, fixative sprays, and sewing kits, just to be safe. If you're banking on your cosplay carrying you through every day of the Con, take a few everyday outfits just in case. It's not uncommon for people to get sick of their cosplay by day 3 and sometimes you just want to hunt the Exhibit Hall without being asked for a picture every 30 seconds.
#8. OTC drugs. At some point in SDCC, it's a safe bet you or someone in your group will have sunburn, constipation, a hangover, blisters, a surprise period, a surprise hookup, a headache, a stiff neck from a terrible hotel pillow, eye strain, or some other ailment. And hotel gift shop prices are pure robbery. Bring your own mini-pharmacy.
#9. Good water bottles, coolers, and lunch packs. It's amazing to think of how we all used to bake in the sun for hours in line with just a small plastic bottle of water for hydration. Now insulated lunch packs and tumblers can carry us comfortably through a long day of panels and lines.
#12. Totes, poster tubes, sketchbooks, sharpies and other transactional supplies. The Exhibit Hall can take you surprising places. You might plan on not buying much, but then spot a favorite piece of art, a favorite artist, a favorite out-of-print book. Having a sharpie on you for a signing or a poster tube to protect a free flyer is smart. You'll also want to bring a bag of some type to carry everything in - the massive backpack bags you'll receive with your guide are just too big to let you quickly get to your money or other items.
How ready do you feel?
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