Our “niche” hobby seems to be hitting a much larger audience in recent years. All of the larger U.S. shows are getting crowded and overcrowded. While there was a time when you could manage larger bags, now they are roadblocks at best and dangerous weapons at worst. Even messenger bags like the Rickshaw Bonzai/Bento bag can cause issues, especially when stuffed full.
Unfortunately, hotels that meet show requirements are — so I’ve been told — few and far between, which means many of the overcrowded shows don’t have other venue options. So, it falls upon the attendees to moderate how much extra space we take up with items that aren’t strictly necessary.
Is this how it should be? No. But this is the reality, at least for now.
