Travel Tournament Packing: Bring Both Uniforms
Tournament weekends fail on logistics, not equipment. Both jerseys, enough socks for four games, and a plan for who brings the team cooler.
Most tournaments assign home and away designations game by game, which means every player needs both uniform sets in the bag. The second most common tournament failure is socks — four games in two days needs four pairs, not one.
A tournament list is a different document from a season gear list. The equipment question was settled in August. This is about a weekend away with four games, a hotel, and eleven families trying not to duplicate each other's coolers.
Game day, times four
| Item | Quantity for a 2-day, 4-game weekend |
|---|---|
| Home uniform | 1 complete set |
| Away uniform | 1 complete set |
| Game socks | 4 pairs |
| Practice/warm-up shirt | 2 |
| Undergarments / compression | 1 per game |
| Deodorant | 1, non-negotiable |
| Towel | 2 |
Both uniforms is the line worth bolding on your own list. A team that shows up with only white jerseys for a game designated away either forfeits the colour match or plays in whatever the tournament director improvises.
The bag that isn't the gear bag
Tournament weekends need a second bag that nobody thinks to list:
- Refillable water jug, large
- Electrolyte drinks or powder
- Real food — tournament concession stands are expensive and run out
- Sunscreen for outdoor events, layers for cold gyms
- Folding chairs for sideline sports
- Phone charger and a portable battery
- Cards or a book for the three-hour gap between games
- Any medication, with the coach or team parent informed
Recovery, between games
Four games in two days is more load than these athletes carry in a normal week.
- Ice packs or instant cold packs
- Foam roller or massage ball, shared across the team is fine
- Extra socks, again, because dry feet matter
- Flip-flops for after the last game
Who brings the team stuff
This is the part a group text handles worst. Shared items — the team cooler, the first aid kit, the canopy, the scorebook, post-game snacks — get either four duplicates or none.
A shared list with assignments fixes it in one pass. Put the shared items on the same page as the personal items and note who has each one.
ClassGear works well here because it's one link everyone opens on a phone, and changes appear immediately. Add the hotel address and call time as notes and the whole weekend is on one page. It's free and families don't need an account to view it.
Building yours
1. Create a list at classgear.co named for the tournament and dates. 2. Add personal items with quantities, not categories. 3. Add the shared team items with a note for who's bringing each. 4. Send the link with the tournament schedule.
Copy it for the next tournament and change the dates.
Frequently asked questions
Why do players need both uniforms at a tournament?
Tournaments usually assign home and away by game, and you often don't know until the bracket is set. Bringing both sets avoids a colour conflict at check-in.
How many pairs of game socks for a tournament weekend?
One per game — four for a typical two-day, four-game event. Dry feet prevent blisters, and wet socks are the most common avoidable complaint of the weekend.
Is ClassGear free for tournament lists?
Yes. Creating and sharing is free, and families open the link without an account.
How do I stop four families bringing the same cooler?
Put the shared items on the list with a note naming who's bringing each one. A group text can't hold that information where people will find it later.
Can I reuse a tournament list?
Yes. Copy it and change the dates and location — the packing content barely changes between events.
Can a team parent edit the list too?
Yes. Lists can be shared with other editors, which suits the usual split where a team parent handles logistics.
Do families need to install anything?
No. The list opens as a normal web page on any phone.
Build your tournament list
One link with the schedule, and nobody arrives with the wrong jersey.