87 Days Till GaryCon! What to Wear.

Ten days ago, I discussed some of the little things you might need to bring to GaryCon that you wouldn't normally think of. Today I'll discuss something you probably have thought of bringing, besides games of course, and that's clothing.

I am from the Midwest. I was born in Iowa, raised in the suburbs of Chicago, went to school in Milwaukee and lived for a few years just outside the campus of Notre Dame. I know Midwestern winters, and they are not what people expect if you're not from the region. Here's a bit of advice.


First of all expect two things: cold and wet. This is typical for March in the Midwest. It will be cold and if you're lucky there will be snow. If you're not lucky it will be freezing rain that will chill you to the bone. You best bet is to layer up clothing until you reach a comfortable level. That way if it gets warmer you can shed layers to keep yourself comfortable. Just don't shed too many in public, especially those of you that share my physique. Also, it just might get warm. Last year it was 86 degrees outside at the start of GaryCon and dropped to the 50s by the end. So make sure you have the option of lighter clothing just in case.

Now you may think, "Why bother? I'm never going to be outside." That may be true, but it can get stuffy in the downstairs area of the hotel, so you may find yourself needing some fresh air.

After you plan for the weather, the rest should be common sense. But just to be safe I'll cover that too. First of all, make sure you wear something clean every day. Nobody wants to sit next to someone that has three days of nacho cheese and B.O. on himself. If you spill something on your shirt, change your shirt. If you have an accident, change your underwear. Like I said, it will get stuffy and therefore it will get funky. In an ideal world, conventions would be set up with misters that spray Febreeze on everyone like supermarkets spray water on produce. But they don't, so you have to do your part to keep the smell at a tolerable level.

Also, there is worn and there is torn. Nothing wrong with a faded, comfortable shirt. But if it has holes in it, you look like a slob. Again, use common sense when picking out what you'll be wearing.

Outside of that, this is the day to let your geek flag fly. Wear your favorite gaming, comic or sci-fi T-shirt. Break out the buttons and badges. Hell, cosplay if you really want to (Mike from the Dead Games Society does for all the games he GMs, and it is awesome.) As long as you are comfortable and not making things uncomfortable for others, things will work out just fine.