PCA 2022: What’s In My Bag — Brooks Whittington

After 10 years of covering this trade show in multiple cities, multiple states and under multiple names, I imagine that all four of the writing staff here at halfwheel have the whole “packing just what we need to get the job done so that we don’t have to carry around useless weight” thing down pat. This means that for the past couple of years at least, consistency is the name of the game unless it becomes necessary to change out an item due to issues somewhat out of my control (as is the case with my notebook change this year.)

Here’s what is in my rolling bag:

• Sony A7rIV Camera with 16-35mm f/2.8 lens — The old workhorse combination returns.
• Apple Watch 3 — It is another year older, but it still works and is just as indispensable.
• Pelican 1510 — It seems I go back and forth on this every year—I used a Tom Bihn backpack last year—but this is a solid case to keep everything in, and wheels around easily.
• Monopod — Light enough to carry around, but heavy enough to be more than slightly annoying when I am carrying it around.
• Sennheiser AVX Microphone — It still looks dorky, but it still gives amazing sound…when it is used correctly.
• Hand Sanitizer — COVID, perhaps you have heard of it?
• Credentials — Instead of crappy paper that rips and tears, the PCA upgraded the Credential holder in a very significant way, so kudos to them on that. Eagle-eyed viewers might also notice we have halfwheel branded lanyards.
• Apple iPhone X — The screen is cracked, but I honestly can’t tell if it is the actual screen or the screen cover my wife installed.
• Cell Phone Charger — It has a (built-in) lightning cord that fully charges my cell phone in about 45 minutes. I don’t think I have used it very much over the years, but I would hate to be without it if I needed it.
• Moleskin Notebook — Due to me not being able to access a drawer where my normal Reporter’s Notebooks are kept—due to a little house remodeling that has gotten out of control—I had to buy one of these at Target when we got to Vegas.
• Boveda Event Humidor Bag — Because who wants to smoke dry cigars after a hard day’s work?
• Snack Bars — Just random food in case I don’t have time to stop at the bunker.
• Craftsman’s Bench Cutter — Read my review to find out why I carry this around.
• S.T. Dupont Minijet Lighter — Small, light and works like a charm.