The VidCon 2026 creator starter pack: 5 essentials to bring to content creation's biggest meetup

Read our full review of the DJI Mic Mini.

The camera quality on iPhones these days pretty much guarantees you have at least a decent camera on you at all times. A decent microphone, however, is another story, especially if you're in the echoey Anaheim Convention Center with the many other VidCon attendees trying to capture content. DJI's Mic Mini is especially great because it's compact enough to reasonably carry around all day, isn't too expensive (compared to other pocket mics from DJI and Rode), and delivers on clear audio quality, even in less forgiving environments. Case in point: Mashable's social team used the mic to interview the Hall of Fame inductees during VidCon 2025, and even in the acoustic nightmare that was the empty, cement-floored hall, with several interviews happening at a given moment, the DJI Mic Mini had no issues only picking up sound from the intended speaker.

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Is there a scenario more horrifying than a dead device at VidCon? Though you could probably borrow a charger from anyone within arm's reach, it's best to come prepared. And if you don't want to be tethered to an outlet, a portable power bank is the way to go.

The Laptop Power Bank from Anker allows you to charge up to four devices at once, including a laptop (as you could probably guess from the name). It has two built-in USB-C cables, with one doubling as a carrying strap. Among the four ports, there are three USB-C ports and one USB-A port for maximum compatibility, no matter what your charger situation is. The smart display also keeps things simple, telling you at a glance the remaining recharge time, as well as the remaining battery on the power bank. It's not the cheapest option, but it's certainly one of the most versatile, and will take you from VidCon to vacation to any remote work setup.

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Read our full review on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is one of the most common tools creators cite to us as a personal essential, and we saw plenty of folks using it during VidCon last year. That's because this tiny vlogging camera is about as close as it gets to a filming setup that has it all.

The camera itself shoots in 4K at 120 fps, features three-axis mechanical stabilization, two times zoom, and 166 minutes of battery life. Oh, and it's about five and a half inches tall and less than a pound. It can film horizontal videos for YouTube and vertical videos for social, and it features face detection so the camera will easily track your movements. The Creator Combo, which costs about $130 more than the camera on its own, comes with the DJI Mic 2 and a tripod that doubles as an extra battery pack, so you can film with great video and audio quality, no matter where you are.

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Read our full review of the Shark ChillPill.

Yes, you can just bring a $20 portable fan and call it a day — and we saw plenty of people do that at last year's VidCon. But if last year was the start of the portable fan trend, this year is the perfecting of it, as evidenced by the release of the Shark ChillPill.

The handheld fan dropped in March, offering an upgrade to a standard model: With digital controls and three interchangeable heads for staying cool in different ways, this is the most versatile fan available. There's the standard bladeless fan, the cooling plate attachment that essentially serves as a mini ice pack on the go, and the misting head, which is exactly what it sounds like. With 11 hours of battery life, it'll power you through long days in the California heat. At $149, it's not cheap, but it's also meant to last you far beyond a single sweaty convention — which, when you think about the climate change of it all, could very well be worth it. Not for nothing, the dual-barrel design means it's a great addition to a desktop, making it as versatile for taking out and about as it is for giving yourself an air conditioning alternative (or additive) at home.

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If you're a content creator, you probably don't need us waxing poetic at you about the usefulness of an external hard drive. Still, this list wouldn't be complete without an SSD.

Unfortunately, like basically every other tech product that requires memory out there, external hard drives have been hit by price hikes over the past year. That's why we recommend the SanDisk 1TB portable SSD, which is still relatively affordable (if not quite at the sub-$100 price point it once was), while offering plenty of storage space for any of your VidCon content needs, all in a sleek portable package.

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