The Ultimate Competition Day Gear Checklist

You don't want to find out your grips are shredded, your rope is cut wrong, or your belt is sitting in the garage when Heat 1 gets called.

Competition day isn't about luck. It's about preparation.

At RBST, we've spent countless weekends on competition floors, coaching athletes, running vendor booths, and competing ourselves. The athletes who perform their best aren't always the fittest—they're usually the most prepared.

When the nerves hit, the clock is running, and every rep matters, your gear should be the last thing on your mind.

Pack the gear that protects performance

Start with the essentials.

Grips

If pull-ups, chest-to-bar, toes-to-bar, muscle-ups, or rope climbs show up, your grips aren't an accessory—they're a weapon.

A good pair of grips protects your hands, preserves your grip strength, and keeps you moving when everyone else's palms start to fail.

Bring your primary pair and, if possible, a backup.

Your hands are your connection to the bar. Protect them.

Wrist wraps

Heavy barbell cycling, jerks, front squats, handstand push-ups, and overhead work can punish your wrists.

Bring the wraps you've trained in—not the brand-new pair you bought the night before.

Competition is a time to trust your training, not experiment.

Belt

Whether you wear a nylon belt or a traditional lifting belt, bring what you're comfortable in.

The best belt isn't the most expensive one—it's the one you've built confidence in through thousands of reps.

Knee sleeves

Squats, lunges, wall balls, cleans, snatches, and fatigue all have one thing in common: your knees feel them.

Sleeves provide warmth, compression, and confidence when the workout gets ugly.

Pack them.

Never leave home without your jump rope

Even if double-unders aren't listed.

A jump rope is one of the most personal pieces of equipment an athlete owns. Length, cable speed, handle feel, and rhythm all matter.

Borrowing someone else's rope during a competition is like borrowing someone else's shoes before a race.

Don't do it.

Apparel should work as hard as you do

Competition day isn't a fashion show.

Wear gear you've tested in training.

Shorts that stay put.
Shirts that breathe.
Socks that don't slide.
Shoes you've already put through hard workouts.

Bring extra clothes if you're competing all day. A dry shirt between heats can do wonders for your mindset.

The small things save weekends

Most competition disasters happen because of small details.

Pack:

Tape

Chalk (if allowed)

Nail clippers

Extra socks

Sweatbands

Hair ties

Towel

Phone charger

Recovery snacks

Electrolytes

None of these items are exciting.

All of them become important when you need them.

Organize your bag like an athlete

A good competition bag isn't just storage.

It's a system.

Your grips should have a place.
Your sleeves should have a place.
Your rope should have a place.

When your heat gets moved up unexpectedly, the last thing you want is to dump your entire bag onto the floor searching for tape.

Chaos wastes energy.

Organization protects performance.

Fuel and recover between events

Competitions are usually hours of waiting followed by a few minutes of all-out effort.

Bring foods you know your body tolerates.

Hydrate consistently.

Use the same supplements and recovery tools you've already tested in training.

Competition day is not the time to try a new pre-workout, energy drink, or miracle supplement.

Keep it simple.

What not to pack

Don't bring every piece of fitness equipment you own.

Don't bring gear you've never used.

Don't bring six pairs of shoes.

Don't bring equipment because social media says you need it.

Bring the gear you've earned confidence in through training.

The gear that has already proven itself.

The RBST mentality

The strongest athletes aren't always the most talented.

They're usually the most prepared.

Pack your bag the night before.

Check your grips.
Check your rope.
Check your sleeves.
Check your fuel.

Then stop thinking about it.

Because when the workout starts, your focus should be on the work—not on whether you remembered your gear.

Train hard.
Prepare harder.

And when it's time to compete, show up ready.

No excuses.
No surprises.
No wasted reps.

That's the Badger mentality.