It’s my tenth time attending the trade show and I’m still carrying around a backpack full of mostly the same stuff as I did the first couple of trade shows that halfwheel covered.

Sure, technology has changed, and some of the stuff has been upgraded throughout the years, but year-to-year I seem to find myself packing the same items into a bag.

In fact, this list is so consistent that I pull up the previous year’s post when I’m packing to make sure I’m not forgetting anything at home. With the exception of a couple of items I chose not to haul around with me and a different pair of headphones, everything else has stayed the same.

  • PCA Badge
  • Nikon D500/Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens
  • Sennheiser AVX
  • Bose SoundTrue Ultra InEar Headphones
  • Monopod
  • A reporter notebook and a Lamy Safari Neonlime Special Edition pen
  • Dell Inspiron 15 7000 laptop
  • Business cards and my XIKAR business card case
  • Warped Series I Case
  • Elie Bleu J-14 Diamond Jet Flame
  • XIKAR MTX Cigar Multi-Tool
  • Snacks
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Ziplock bag with Boveda humidity pack
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Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.