Don't forget your toothbrush and comb. And, let's face it, hotel soaps and shampoo bottles never last when you've got one bathroom being shared by you and your 4000 friends troweled into one room. Clean clothes are nice, too -- bring a nice shirt to wear to the dance, and you will stand out from the hordes who don't. Assign someone to bring a hair dryer to share. Use just enough deodorant and cologne. People will love you for it. (Keep toiletries inside zip-lock bags in case they split open inside your luggage.)

You lost the coin toss, so everyone else gets the beds. You can try zonking in the bathtub, but a sleeping bag is far more comfortable. If you bring an air mattress, then for gosh sakes bring an air pump, too. Inflating it the old-fashioned way means your roommates will have to either step over you all the time or drag you out into the hallway after you've passed out from lack of oxygen.

Keep them in your shaving kit. This is one of those items, that you never think about until you suddenly need it.

That lunch meat you brought with you won't stand up to room temperature for long, and warm Cokes are an insult. Also provides a place to stash wet swim trunks on the trip home. Bring plenty of zip-lock baggies.

Cokes, lunch meat, bread, mustard, peanut butter, potato chips & cookies. While we're at it, "brown-bagging" your munchies is a lot cheaper than trolling the fast food joints. You'll have more money to spend. Ice is available from the hotel. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; which do you think will be less expensive: your own box of cereal, or the hotel's restaurant?

Use it for keeping your dirty clothes separate from your cleans. Keep this in your luggage so the maid won't accidentally throw it (and your clothes!) into the trash.

Power does go out at cons, but even if it doesn't, not everyone in a room is always asleep at the same time. If you have to root through your stuff in the dark, turning on the table lamp just might get you tossed off the balcony. And if you get a Maglite, it's also good for defending yourself. Don't forget extra batteries.

If you drag a VCR/TV/boom box/computer along with you, these are a must. There are never enough electrical outlets in a hotel, and they are never where you need them.

Hey, the pool might be open and the most people don't wanna see you naked there.

Always bring your own towel. The hotel's are never big enough, and you can always identify which one you've used. Besides, it's a tough universe... you've always got to know where your towel is. I'm not fussy about pillows, although you may want to bring your own for comfort's sake. Extra tenants in one room may mean not enough pillows. Perhaps your own washcloth, too.

You'd be surprised how hard these can be to procure when you really need them. And even if you aren't holding any parties, do you really want to be swilling your Mountain Dew from the same bottle everyone else has been backwashing into? Some folks bring their own cola mugs, but I find those too easy to lose.

Important not only for pricing stuff, but also for identifying whose stuff is in what drawer in the hotel room. Identifying drawers also might keep you from forgetting and leaving your undies behind when you're rushing to get home. Also useful for taping up flyers and notices (if it's okay with the hotel, that is).

If they get broken or lost, what are you going to do? They can get sat on, stolen, or dropped off of balconies. Can you drive home without them? Same for contact lenses. At least bring a fixit kit that includes a small screwdriver.

Being trapped in a room with someone from the Olympic snoring team will be agony unless you can block out the noise or listen to your Walkman.

You're from out of town and not everyone will take your check without positive I.D. Keep your passport with you at all times. This is very important if you need help while visiting another country.

Can you remember what you had for dinner last night? Then how are you going to remember everyone you met and every place you went to over an entire weekend? You'll be glad you took some snapshots later. They're fun to pass around at room parties. (If you're flying, keep your camera inside your carry-on baggage, where it won't be out of your sight. Cameras of all types are prime targets for luggage thieves.)

If the convention is in different country, you may need a power converter.

You will be on your feet a lot, particularly when shopping in the dealer's room. Buying a new pair of shoes right before the con is not a good idea unless you have a high threshold of pain because the shoes break in your feet, not the other way around.

When you get to registration they're going to give you all sorts of flyers, pamphlets, con books, schedules and maps. Unless you have something to put them in, chances are you're going to lose one or two of them -- especially the most important ones. After you stash them all in a simple clip folder, jot down a list of times and places of panels and shows you want to attend, in advance. That way you won't forget any of them. Some cons give you tote bags, but take along your own, just in case.

Sounds obvious, I know, but watch the havoc begin if you forget it. You won't know when something's on without it. And its always annoying, to ask around every ten minutes.