CES Day 1: Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Smartphones

The heart of Snackfight Mobile One is my Mission Workshop Sanction. This backpack has been to numerous CESes and SXSWs, and it's my bike commuter bag. Slim, tons of zipper pockets, indestructible. I love it. On top of that is my MacBook, and on top of that is an infinity scarf from Lulu Lemon my wife just bought me. It's super-comfortable and it has snaps to adjust how tight or loose you want it. Sadly, it is not see-through.

I always pack the reporter's essentials: camera (Fujifilm X100S) notebooks (Moleskin, the small kind with the pocket in the back for storing receipts), and a pen (Fisher Bullet).

Next to that is all my data stuff. I am not participating in Smartphone Thunderdome, but I'll be herding cats, editing, and sending lots of email during CES. To that end, I'll need a Verizon 4G hotspot. We use these (or the Karmas) pretty much every time we go on reporting trips. Next to that, an SD card (SanDisk Xtreme, 32GB) and a USB stick (LaCie Porsche, also 32GB). In the corner is a mobile battery, an ibattz Mojo. It's not one of the huge ones, just enough for about two charges to an iPhone. But it works in a pinch (twice!). I actually may not even need this, so my plan is to sell it to Mat Honan for $20 when his Moto X conks out mid-day and he's forgotten to charge his own reserve battery pack.

Other stuff: Ray-Bans, because it's Vegas. Etymotic earphones because I like to rock out. My beat-to-shit Jambox because atmosphere. Hand sanitizer and floss because I'm a gentleman. Kindle Paperwhite because ha ha ha, I will never find the time to actually read anything. And my string of mala beads to keep my chi properly aligned. Namaste.

Las Vegas here we come.

Slight delay in getting to CES. JFK is iced over.

An icy start to our CES journey both on the west coast and in New York, where a plane skidded off an icy runway this morning. Wishing everyone heading to Vegas (or anywhere) today safe travels.

CES is the land of swag. Which is all the more reason you need to keep your bag organized so it doesn't get totally crazy. Everyone has a different strategy. Here's mine. Let's start at the top.

My bag itself. It's a waxed canvas laptop messenger from Timbuk2. I've had it for years and years. I love it. A fanny pack! Yeah, baby. A handout fanny pack from CES of bygone years. Because sometimes I may want to ditch the full set and scramble somewhere quickly with just a pad and a pen and a phone and a plan. You don't like it? Whatever. You carry my crap. A flashlight. Not just in case I get stuck in the dark, but also to peer intently at some gadgets, my man. But mostly for the dark. Hand sanitizer! Omg yes. And a Wet Wipe too. You shake a lot of hands at CES. Not all of them are clean. Cold medicine. And I hope I don't have to use it. Sunglasses. I have sensitive eyes and like to look cool. Notebooks and pens. One big one, completely new. College rule. Plus a three pack of Field Notes. (The purple one is from the first XOXO.) Also, pens. And a Sharpie. Chargers. One of these goes in a wall, the other one goes in a car. Why would I have one that goes in a car since I won't be driving? Because you spend some serious time in taxis at CES. Ask the guy to plug in your charger. Mints. Don't let your breaf smell. Two gift cards. I got these for Christmas and I'm gonna spend them in Las Vegas. Love you, mom. Voice recorder. For recordin' voices. Two power packs. One Mophie Juice Pack and one Duracell thingie. If I end up needing the Duracell, I'm in trouble. Nexus 7. Because I like to read things that are bigger than phone-sized. This is basically a downtime device. I probably won't use it until the flight home. Moto X. This is gonna be my main reporting tool. More on that later. Cables. USB mostly, but also two Jawbone cables and (not pictured) two Fitbit cables. I'll hand the bones and bits along with the cables out to some of the other GadgetLab teamsters once I get there. But for now I'm carrying them. A scarf. In case I get cold, need to wrap something, or want to look cool. Karma hotspot. For internet. I bought this sucker a few months ago and it is lovely. Blynx time lapse camera. For fun. Macbook Air. I probably won't even use it. Not pictured: in-ear earheadphones. I'm hoping to find my B&W C5. They are missing. And it is distressing because I can't really afford to replace them right now. But one way or another there will be some headphones in there. Probably shit ones.