The Essential CES 2014 Survival Kit

Congrats! You made it to CES 2014. But any real tech blogger, journalist, or reporter knows all about the head-aching struggles that come with covering the Consumer Electronics Show. We’re talking over 3,000 exhibitors and a sea of tech nerds flooding the Las Vegas Convention Center, all looking to report the hottest announcements of the year’s biggest industry show—sharing the same air, space, and wireless bandwidth. It’s practically like being at a Jordan expo with tons of sneakerheads seeking the latest kicks, only without the rioting.

So if you're one of the numerous media reps in Sin City covering the all-week event, better come equipped or find yourself assed out in Nevada. These are the tech essentials you'll need to survive CES 2014.

Stay tuned for daily CES coverage from Complex Tech all week.

Price: $1,100 - $1,300

Essential No. 1: a light and powerful laptop. The MacBook Air still earns top billing with its ultra-slim and featherweight design, improved graphics performance, faster flash memory, and 15+ hours of battery life. End of dicussion.

Price: $100 (1GB) - $180 (20GB)

Good luck sharing mobile bandwidth with the massive tech crowd. Make sure your emails and tweets go out in a timely manner by investing in this portable hot spot. Karma’s pay-as-you-go wireless connector comes with 1GB of free data (up to 20GB available) and connects up to eight devices. Hold the team down, contract-free at that.

Price: $300 (w/two-year contract, AT&T/Verizon)

The benchmark crushing, multitasking savant known as the Galaxy Note 3 is the best smartphone option to have on-hand at CES. Utilize the phablet’s signature productivity features such as Action Memo, Scrap Booker, and Multi-Window to manage the absurd workload, all while keeping tabs on mobile notifications and social media feeds. AT&T’s LTE network and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip makes for a mean performance combo. A stunning 13MP camera completes the package.

Price: $80 - $130

Between using every ounce of juice to hold a 4G signal or share your hotspot with others, it’s only a matter of hours before your smartphone kicks the bucket. Granted any mobile charger will suffice, Mophie’s powerbanks are the sure shot. Power up two devices simultaneously via USB ports and procure extra battery life to get you through the day.

Price: FREE (Android, iOS); FREE (Android, iOS); FREE (Android, iOS)

Focus and organization is key for any major industry conference. Mobiles apps are the best way to stay on target. Benjamins will be dropped in Sin City, meaning you’ll have to prep expense reports and cover all tracks. Expensify can manage all personal funds. The official CES 2014 app makes for stress-free management by offering interactive maps, exhibitor directors, and a schedule creator. Then when it's time to put in an all-nighter on Wordpress, zone out to your Spotify playlists.

Price: $400

Designed specifically for all major creativists from journalists to musicians, the high-res portable recorder packs enough features to warrant solid on-location live recordings. The M6 features interchangeable microphone modules and a mid-side, along with several bass filters, dynamic-range compression, and peak-limiting modes that help dampen loud noise. We'll have it on deck during our interviews.

Price: $350

Swartwatches might still be considered novelty, but wearable tech has its perks. Enter the Qualcomm Toq. Compatible with all Google-operated smartphones (Android 4.0 and higher), the hi-tech timepiece offers universal notification support (calls, emails, SMS, social media updates) viewable on a beautiful Mirasol display that delivers great visibility and helps preserve battery life past 48 hours. Beats pulling out the mobile every few seconds to check messages.

Price: $175

Last thing anyone wants is their laptop slowing down due to low memory or USB cables tangling all over the place stopping the work flow. Spare yourself the torment by copping the wifi-ready portable hard drive in advance. Obviously, 1TB of memory is more than enough for a conference, but it’ll definitely come in handy for big crowds, especially those looking to share files and indulge in heavy video editing.

Price: $150

JBL’s mini blaster is loud enough to fill an entire hotel room with sound and invigorate tireless bloggers with energy through those late-nite writing sessions. Two 40mm full-range drivers and a 2x5-watt amp keep the Charge bumping impactful bass and solid clarity. Oh yea, it also carries a 6,000mAh battery to charge any secondary devices, serving as third power source for any iOS or Android smartphone/tablet.

Price: $300

Whether it’s recording interviews or bumping the Marshall Mathers LP 2 in the media room and knocking out news blurbs, a pair of noise killers remain a must. Bose’s critically acclaimed in-ears are one of the best audio solutions available, powered by the company’s patented noise-cancelling circuitry and new Aware Mode feature, which quiets music and enables a secondary mic to hear environmental sounds. It'll come in handy when you're looking to eavesdrop on other bloggers convos.

Price: $130

The centerpiece to every survival kit: an all-purpose backpack. ECBC's premium knapsack boasts enough compartments to store a laptop, tablet, water bottle/coffee thermos, several energy bars, and all major tech accessories necessary to survive CES. Ergonomic, padded shoulder straps add comfort to the upper body, plus its TSA-friendly compartments should speed up the security process at airports and Convention Center.