The Travel Sports Weekend Packing List
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The first time my oldest played in a club basketball tournament, we brought the whole family to watch.
We walked up to the gym and I was shocked to learn that after paying for him to play, I also had to pay for myself and my entire family to come watch him compete.
What?!
That was a lot of sports ago, and I've learned a lot since then. Every sport has its own gear and its own list of things you absolutely can't forget, but these are the things that come with me no matter what we're playing. After four kids and more weekends on sidelines than I could ever count, I've pretty much got this part down to a science. So I figured it was worth sharing.
My detailed lists for each sport are linked at the bottom.
Print it, screenshot it, or keep it in your notes app.
🎒 FOR THE ATHLETE
This is generic, the sport will dictate the specifics.
Uniform, every piece, checked before it goes in the bag
Home and away, if the team issues both
The shoes. Whatever sport it is, the shoes.
Warmups or a layer for before and after
A dry pair of socks for each game if your athlete is prone to blisters
A dry shirt to change into
An extra pair of dry underwear (they probably won't take the time to change, but there may come a weekend when they are very glad they had them)
Odor balls for the shoes
A large water jug, we use gallon Yetis, but I wouldn’t go smaller than the half gallon
Any other required equipment for his/her sport (see my detailed lists linked below)
👜 THE MOM BAG
Because if you don't need these things, someone will.
A tote you can throw in the washing machine- This Rothy’s bag is ALL I use
A soft cooler bag, The Monti Socialite Cooler bag is my fave!
Wet wipes
Hand sanitizer
Small first aid basics
Advil and Tylenol
Hair ties
Lip balm (my favorite is EOS)
Ziploc bags for wet or muddy things
A few grocery bags for trash and dirty shoes
🥤 HYDRATION
Gatorade for the kids
Electrolyte tabs for you. I use Nuun because it isn't sugary, and H2 tabs the rest of the time.
More water than you think you need
🥨 THE SNACK STASH
Plenty of protein and energy snacks for the athlete, whatever gets you through the day for you.
Meat sticks- Chomps are the stick of choice here
Protein bars, my kids prefer Barebells- the peanut butter is their favorite
Protein chips- Quest is the favorite brand in our house
Something salty
Nerds Gummy Clusters. Yep, I went there, and no, I'm not going to justify it
🧸 IF YOU'RE BRINGING LITTLE SIBLINGS
Help them pack their own backpack, it will make your days easier.
Plenty of snacks
Small cars or action figures
Markers or colored pencils and a coloring book (notice I didn’t choose crayons- it gets hot and wax and sun don’t mix)
A bracelet making kit or other time-consuming craft
Fidget toys or a travel size doodle board
Or, if you have given up on parenting during sporting events, an iPad and headphones
🪑 SIDELINE SETUP (OUTDOOR)
Portable chairs that collapse down small. Mine are CLIQ and we swear by them!
An outdoor waterproof blanket. I lay it on the ground to sit on, and it's there if a storm rolls through. It earns its space twice.
A shade umbrella, if you're an umbrella person. Get the UV protection, heat repelling kind. Small, packable, collapsible.
☀️ IF IT'S HOT
Cooling towels. Get enough for the whole team if you're feeling generous, and throw them in a cooler with ice water.
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Sunglasses and a hat
🥶 IF IT'S COLD
Rechargeable hand warmers. One of my favorite purchases.
Layers
Waterproof blanket (see above)
Gloves and a beanie
🏟️ IF IT'S INDOORS
Different problem entirely.
A stadium seat. Bleachers are unforgiving and this changes the whole day.
A sweatshirt. Gyms and convention centers are kept cold for the athletes, not for the people sitting still.
📱 LOGISTICS
All of this lives on your phone, because who prints things anymore.
Tournament waivers
Insurance cards
Parking passes
Whatever app the tournament runs on, downloaded and updated before you leave
Travel reservations flagged and easy to find
One warning. Venues are famous for dead zones, and when they aren't, three thousand people are on the same overworked cell tower. Screenshot or download everything so it still works with no signal.
💳 MONEY
Budget for this before you go, because it adds up faster than anyone tells you.
Gate fees, usually per person, per day
Parking
Photo and video packages
Concessions, if outside food isn't allowed
Most of it is digital payment now. Sort that out before you're standing in line.
🚫 WHAT NOT TO BRING
I learned the hard way, save yourself the grief.
Big heavy coolers
Old school bulky folding chairs
A heavy bag
Anything you'll have to lug across a half mile of parking lot
So much stuff that you need a wagon to haul it all around
If it doesn't collapse, pack flat, or fit in a suitcase, leave it home. A wagon might be great when they're tiny. Mine carry their own things now.
Before you go
Four things to check, every time:
Can you leave and come back? Some venues have no ins and outs. If you leave, you may be paying again to get back in.
Is outside food allowed? Many places don't allow it, which changes your whole plan.
What's the weather actually doing? Check it more times than feels reasonable. It has no respect for the outfit you packed.
Is there a clear bag policy? If you're going to an indoor venue, check before you pack. This could make or break your packing plan.
The first time we went to Sandstorm, a massive lacrosse tournament in Palm Springs, it was held at the Empire Polo Club, and the place is positively huge. To get from where we parked to where we played, you could walk, take a shuttle bus, or ride a pedicab.
If you didn't want to pay for the pedicab or wait for the shuttle, you walked. And you carried everything you thought you needed for the day.
I made the choice to leave the heavy chairs in the car. Before the next travel tournament, we had invested in our CLIQ chairs- easy to collapse and reassemble, fit in a carry-on and even come in a bag you can throw over your shoulder.
What are your must-haves or must-leaves for sporting events? Please share! :)
Now find your sport
The gear on top of this list is different for every one of them, and that's where the real detail lives.
abide & flourish
