The Great American Eclipse Preparation, Part 3: What to Pack

• Water/water thermos
• Mini cooler to keep your water cold
• Coffee thermos
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses for sit/wait time
• Brimmed hat
• Bug spray
• Blanket
• Snacks
• Roll of toilet paper
• Cell phone & charger, though cell service will likely be jammed up
• Plastic champagne flute
• Solar glasses
• White towels to reflect sun of equipment during sit/wait time
• Portable chair with umbrella attachmed
• Book for sit/wait time
• Camera, fully charged with a HUGE memory card
• Back-up memory card
• Fully charged back-up battery for camera
• Camera charger
• Camera cleaning stuff (cloth, suction thing)
• Solar filter for camera (packed carefully)
• Wireless shutter release
• Back up batteries (AAA) for wireless shutter release
• Tripod and any related hardware
• Instructions books for all devices just in case & hopefully they stay stowed
• Spare camera for photos before/after event while your good camera is set-up for eclipse
• Black electric tape to cover cell phone and spare camera flash
• Portable external hard drive for easy back-up/freeing up memory afterwards

To do before:

• Freeze cooler’s freezer packs/water bottles in hotel fridge
• Check weather, change location if necessary
• Download Sun Seeker app (9.99 but will aid setting up correctly)
• Scope out where you’ll situate yourself during eclipse via Google Maps street view (have several back-ups)
• Then scope out locations in-person, if possible
• Locate 24/hr places to get coffee, last minute snacks (or ice if needed)
• Locate easy bathroom area for sit/wait time
• Fill gas tank
• Reserve a place to head to after very close by (traffic will be atrocious) and upload and back-up your photos onto your external hard drive
• Get there early and stake your space
• Patience, patience

Outtakes:
An eclipse! Just kidding. My umbrella got in the way of the camera.

This is the kind of picture you get when your tripod is jiggly.