Once again, it is time for What’s In My Bag, Brooks Whittington Edition. Quite a number of these items might look a bit familiar, it seems like I have hit a sweet spot on what to take around during show days with very little wasted space, actual cigars notwithstanding.

  1. Lowepro Pro Roller x300 AW — The workhorse is back, although Patrick has switched to a backpack. Traitor. Works great either as a place to hold things or to prop your feet on if you are sitting down.
  2. Canon 5D MKIII with 16-35 f2.8 lens — I switched to the wider 16-35 f2.8 this year instead of the 24-70 f2.8 for most of the booth photos. Editor’s Note: Brooks also damaged it on day one. #photogfails.
  3. RØDE Stereo VideoMic X microphone — I broke the hotshot connector two years ago, but this one seems to be a bit more sturdy. I will probably still break it, which is why we have screwdrivers, tape and an extra one.
  4. iPhone — The connection on the floor is quite good, and this is obviously essential.
  5. Credentials — I have no idea what the extra tag is for, but they don’t look twice when I walk in, so I got that going for me.
  6. Hand sanitizer — Because not everyone washes their hands. In fact, only about 66 percent of people do according to studies by people who actually study that kinda thing.
  7. Warped Serie I Case — I carry this around every year, and I have yet to actually pull a cigar out of it to smoke while on the floor.
  8. Ziplock bag with Boveda — Quick and easy way to make sure the samples remain smokable, at least humidification-wise.
  9. Apple MacBook Pro — One year older, but still awesome.
  10. Lamy pen — I am honestly shocked I have not lost this in the past year. Writes great, but yeah, still just a pen.
  11. Reporter’s notebook — Charlie bought us some different pads that look like they are used by people in an Anthropologie ad, but these are still the best I have ever used. The fact that they remind me of my glory days as a photojournalist shooting game photos of the Dallas Cowboys, which is completely beside the point.
  12. Business cards — Still wood, still not safe to light your cigars with unless you are already high, which is now legal here in Las Vegas.
  13. 5 Hour Energy — This is really not something I usually take, but it is there if I need it.
  14. Cigar Cutter — This happens to be the cutter I am reviewing at the moment, so I carry it everywhere. Light, easy to use, and sharp as hell. Probably still won’t use it to actually cut a cigar while on the floor.
  15. Illusione Branded Djeep Lighters — See #7.
Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2017 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
Avatar photo

Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.