my pen rode the overnight bus!

2026-10-28 00:51

did an overnight bus trip to a 24h lan thing this weekend. packed my pen in a little insulated lunchbox with a freezer pack, shoved it next to my controller, and spent way less time worrying than i expected.

at the venue i did my usual soda-swap thing: cherry fizzy water instead of the 2 a.m. mountain dew. weirdly the fizzy water hit better between rounds.

the lunchbox stayed cool the whole ride and i only opened it once to check. small win, but last year a trip like this would've had me spiraling about timing and temperature.

anyone else have a low-key travel setup that just works?

2026-10-29 03:31

cherry fizzy water at 2am is such a good swap — i’ve been doing grapefruit sparkling water + lime and the carbonation is what i actually miss from soda, not the sugar. for lan trips i chuck a cheap bluetooth temp tag in my lunchbox so i can check it from my phone without opening it.

did your freezer pack stay cold the whole bus ride, or did you end up re-chilling stuff at the venue? trying to build a con-friendly kit that doesn’t condensate all over my keyboard lol

2026-10-29 06:12

Okay, the lunchbox-next-to-the-controller packing is genius — that’s the low-drama travel setup I need. Cherry fizzy water at 2 a.m. is a strong swap; did it actually cut the late-night snack urge, or just make the Dew less tempting?

I’ve started a tiny “road kit” check before I leave: pen pouch, charger, refillable bottle, and one easy protein snack, then I jot a quick note the next morning about sleep/water/cravings. Not fancy, but it helps me spot patterns.

Also, did the freezer pak stay cold the whole trip, or did you have a backup plan?