Whether or not you got a ticket this year — or are just going — WWDC is five days of being insanely busy and struggling to keep your electronics charged. I’ve created a quick checklist of things that I’ve picked up or wish I had for previous events. You don’t want to get to San Francisco and realize you forgot to bring something you really need, and you really don’t want to try and buy anything once you’re there.
Tech Items
Don’t plan on picking any of these up while you’re there. There’s going to be a rush on the local Apple Store and you won’t be able to find it.
Mophie Juicepack (or similar)
It seems like a full iPhone battery is enough for about two thirds of a day at WWDC. These generally claim to double your battery life (or better), so that should be just right. The worst thing is having to abandon your friends to go find a plug, or trying to charge off of your laptop the entire day. You will not regret this purchase.
Apple USB Ethernet Adapter for MacBook Air
If you have a MacBook Air you’re going to want one of these in order to plug in and download whatever Apple has for you.
iPad and iPhone Wall Chargers
Don’t plan on charging anything off of a laptop at night. You’ll forget one time and it will be a nightmare. Bring a wall charger for each separate device you bring.
Extra Dock Connector Cables
Bring at least one more than the number of devices you have that use it.
Personal Items
Travel Toothbrush and Toothpaste
I usually count on the hotel I’m staying at to provide these. Last year they didn’t and it was a total pain in the ass.
Lightweight Jacket
It gets cold in San Francisco at night, not frigid, but cold enough to need something. Don’t get stuck wearing your WWDC jacket the entire time.
Backpack Travel Bag
I recently upgraded my travel bag to an Archival Clothing Rucksack and it’s a great improvement over the roller bag I’d been using before. I can fit everything, it’s not a pain if I need to carry it around part of a day and I won’t be asked to check it at the gate if the plane is full.
Extra Clothes
Bring two more than you think you need of the following: socks, underwear, shirts and pants.
Miscellaneous
Data Plan for Your iPad (if 3G or LTE)
If you can offload some of the mapping and messaging you’ll be doing during the day to your iPad you’ll have a much better chance of your iPhone battery making it through the day. I did this at Macworld and it was a great decision; completely worth the twenty or thirty dollars.
