Part and parcel of shindigs like this is waiting in line. I mean, unless you can find a venue here that doesn’t clear out the room for the next event, you may find yourself sitting in the broiling sun (we ARE in July, we ARE in Los Angeles) and those stupid tents or awnings or projecting roofs are of zero help. And even if you get in line for an evening event, that concrete is unfriendly to back and legs and whatnot.

Since you HAVE to do this (as you can’t always hope to kind of slide in to the hall at the last moment, thus avoiding the line), I want to give some tips to make it, at least, less unpleasant. So, get out your notepads, as this WILL be on the test. It’s just you may not have a full grasp on what is required or that ‘it won’t be that bad.’ (Psst! It usually is.)

My first suggestion is some kind of stool or collapsible seat. I am thinking those triangle campsite stools. (I used to own a pair, but the wife hated them and they disappeared). It’s just that they can fold up in a flash and can nestle inside your backpack. (Look, you can only have so much hanging from you, until you look like Russell from “Up”).

I would also recommend an umbrella. Sure, a big floppy hat is nice, but you need something for the back of your neck. If you have the courage to wear a brocca-brella (it is basically a hat umbrella), go for it. I mean, it seems kind of hypocritical to mock someone wearing a brocca when you are garbed as Kirito (in full black!) Anything to keep the sun off, right?

I personally used a huge umbrella that I got from the NFL Shops two decades ago. Aside from being big enough for two, it can be seen for miles and miles. I had no real problems carrying it around, but certainly a smaller umbrella would do the trick and it can easily fold up to put inside the backpack.

I would also invest in a spray bottle fan. You can keep cool and moist. If you want to go for those neck fans, the ones you wear about your neck and have two fans on either side, so you get stereo cooling, that works as well, as I assume they can easily fold up and go into your backpack.

I cannot stress enough a good pair of sunglasses. If I could wear Ray-Bans, I would, but they do not make over-glasses glasses (or if they do, I haven’t seen them). I also saw a person who was wearing ski goggles. I assume that he could swap out the lens for protection from that more intense sunlight.

Fluids. Unless you are in a tag team, where someone can run off to the café or the Ralph’s (“Where no prices…”) for drinks, you need to port your stuff with you. Now, I have previously mentioned the Celsius energy drink, but those things get pricey. You can always stock up on Gator Ade or SportsAde or even old-fashioned water, but you will consume a lot. And along the lines of consuming, portable snacks help as well, as you may not have the wherewithal to be able to sit and eat as you might desire.

Now, waiting in line, especially by yourself, is as dull as dishwater, so some caliber of entertainment is needed: e-books, Nintendo Switch, an iPod. Perhaps you could do some whittling. I spent a lot of time going over the schedule for the day, as I had to adapt, in case I got shut out of the “Made In Abyss” premiere (I got shut out of the “Made In Abyss” premiere) and had to spend some time in the Entertainment Hall (which wasn’t what I thought it would be) until the next thing of interest came around or I just pooped out and it was back at the hotel.

And then there is the Big Unanswered Question is: How soon should I get in line? The answer was usually: never soon enough. It is hard to decide what might be a monstropacious line. Generally speaking, any anime premiere episode or movie will be huge. “Trash Taste” was massive from the get-go. Taiko drums was potentially a surprise for them (are people that interested in drums? Presented like this, yes). ANYTHING ecchi or 18+ will be a wait. Even getting into the Quiet Room required a wait.

Oh, forget eating there, in that there is always a line, even for the Speedi-Out Lane. The snarky response about when the line wait start is “As soon as you decide you want to go in.” I personally feel that about an hour before it starts would be a good compromise. True, you’re not at the head of the line, but you aren’t at the tail end, in the sun.

This also holds true for the 18+ booths in the Exhibit Hall. That line circled around the wall of the hall and you could easily wait two to three hours to get in and drool at all the ecchi and hentai you can consume. I decided against that, as I wanted a bit more flexibility in what I wished to do.

I know that I have forgotten a key idea, (like bathroom breaks and I have no answer for that if you go solo. You do NOT want a “Here’s Johnny”) but, for the most part, this covers it. “Fortune favors the brave”. No, Matt Damon, actually, fortune favors the prepared. Be a Boy Scout. Be Prepared!