Padel Camp: The Packing Checklist to Ensure You’re Ready, Travel Light, and Stay Relaxed

A quick checklist before closing your suitcase

Before we get into the details, here’s a checklist of essentials for a padel camp lasting about a week. The idea isn’t to bring your entire wardrobe, but to cover your actual needs: playing, changing clothes, recovering, traveling, and living comfortably off the padel court.

• Your main padel racket, a second racket if possible, overgrips, a ball can, and a court towel.
• Pre-worn padel shoes, performance socks, flip-flops, or sandals for the locker rooms.
• A sufficient number of breathable outfits, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, a cap or visor, and sunglasses.
• Water bottle, simple snacks, a small first-aid kit, sunscreen, and blister patches.
• Reservation documents, ID, insurance or licence (if required), chargers, and a power bank.
• Casual evening wear, a swimsuit if needed, a bag for dirty laundry, and a toiletries bag.

Think of it as a “camp,” not just a weekend of padel

A padel camp is nothing like a casual game with friends. Spanning several days, the sessions repeat, rest time becomes more important, and small oversights can quickly add up. Just one extra pair of performance socks can save the end of an afternoon. Conversely, the wrong shoes can complicate the entire week.

The best approach is to read the schedule before packing your bag. Two training sessions a day, an outdoor camp in Spain, an indoor program in France, or a trip with open matches in the evening don’t all require exactly the same preparation. The content should follow the planned tempo, the weather, whether there’s access to a laundromat, and the distance between your lodging and the club.

The key is simple: your suitcase should be reasonably sized, but your travel bag should be fully stocked. It’s the bag that accompanies the player day in and day out—from the padel court to the locker room, meals, and retrieval. A well-organized suitcase saves you from having to scramble to find a store on the second day.

Game Gear: Get the Essentials Without Overloading Yourself

Your main padel racket should be the one you’re already familiar with. A training camp isn’t the best time to try out a radically different model, especially if the days are long. A second racket isn’t mandatory for all players, but it becomes very useful if your current racket is getting old or if the camp includes a lot of matches.

Overgrips also deserve a spot in your bag. With the heat, sweat, and repeated practice sessions, the grip quickly loses comfort. Bringing two to four new overgrips ensures you can keep a clean grip without having to rely on the club pro shop. A ball can also come in handy for a casual warm-up, an extra practice session, or a few rallies outside of your schedule.

Another detail to check before you start: the wrist strap. It is one of the safety features of the racket, and its use is mandatory in competition. Even during a training camp, this safety precaution remains important, as the courts are narrow and rallies often take place at close range.

Padel shoes: the real sticking point when packing

Shoes are probably the most underrated piece of equipment. A brand-new, unworn pair may seem like a safe choice when packing, but it can become a problem as soon as the first sessions begin. Your feet need time to adjust, the shoes need to be stable, and the soles need to be suited to the intensity of the camp.

For an outdoor training session, especially on a sandy or semi-sandy track, you should choose a pair of shoes suited for lateral movement and short stops. For an indoor training camp, grip requirements may vary depending on the surface and the condition of the tracks. If in doubt, a second pair of shoes may be useful, especially if you have room for them or if your trip includes both indoor and outdoor sessions.

Socks are almost as important as shoes. If they’re too short, they can cause friction on the tendon or the back of the foot. If they’re too thin, they don’t provide enough protection during long days. The safest bet is to bring several pairs that you’ve already tested, and to keep a dry pair in your court pack.

Clothing: Think in terms of sessions rather than days

For a padel camp, bringing one outfit per day is often not enough. The real unit of measurement is the session. Two sessions on the court in a single day mean two sweaty T-shirts, sometimes two pairs of shorts or skirts, and at least one spare pair of socks. Therefore, you should opt for breathable, lightweight, and quick-drying clothing.

A wardrobe with good balance for a week might include about five to six technical tops, four bottoms suitable for playing during the game, a sweatshirt, a pair of sweatpants, and a lightweight jacket. Cotton can be a good option off the court, but it quickly becomes heavy and uncomfortable during exercise. It’s better to opt for items that dry quickly and can withstand several quick washes or hand rinses.

The weather also calls for adjustments. For a training camp in the sun, a cap, visor, sunglasses, and sunscreen should be within reach first thing in the morning. For a cooler or windier camp, a windbreaker and a sweatshirt become essential between sessions, when your body starts to cool down. This isn’t a luxury—it’s practical comfort that helps with retrieval.

The court bag for preparation every morning

Leave your suitcase at your lodging. Your travel bag, on the other hand, should serve as a small, portable wardrobe. It eliminates unnecessary trips back and forth and helps you stay focused on the training camp. Every morning, it should contain everything you need to play, change quickly, and handle common unexpected situations.

• Tennis racket, overgrip, towel, filled water bottle, and snacks.
• A dry T-shirt, a spare pair of socks, and a cap, depending on the weather.
• Blister bandage, sunscreen, a fully charged phone, and the day’s schedule.

This bag should stay simple. If it’s too full, it becomes cumbersome. If it’s too empty, you’ll have to improvise. The right balance lies in the items you’re almost certain to use during the day, not in the ones you’ve been carrying around out of an excess of caution for the past three years.

Skincare, Hydration, and Retrieval: Anticipating Minor Setbacks

A player’s first-aid kit for training camp doesn’t need to be huge. Above all, it should address common issues: blisters, sunburn, minor muscle strains, chafing, and fatigue. Standard bandages, blister patches, athletic tape (if you know how to use it), sports sunscreen, lip balm, and your personal care products are usually all you need.

Staying hydrated deserves a key place in your planning. A large water bottle—or two reusable bottles—means you won’t have to rely on the club between exercises. Snacks should be simple: dried fruit, fruit compote, cereal bars, or easily digestible cookies. The goal isn’t to turn your suitcase into a nutrition aisle, but to avoid hitting a slump between sessions.

Recovery happens off the court, too. A compact massage roller, a retrieval ball, or simply some dry clothes for after your session can make all the difference. Over the course of a week, it’s often these small details that help you stay fresh until the very last day.

Travel, Documents, and Practical Considerations

A padel camp sometimes begins with a train ride, a flight, or a several-hour drive. You should therefore have the following documents handy: identification, booking confirmation, accommodation details, the padel camp schedule, and insurance or a licence if the organizer requests them. For a trip within Europe, the European Health Insurance Card may also be useful.

If you’re traveling by plane with carry-on luggage, keep in mind the rules regarding liquids: gels, creams, and aerosols generally must be placed in appropriate containers. Large-size sunscreen, cooling gel, or certain skincare products are therefore easier to pack in checked luggage or to buy at your destination, depending on the nature of your trip.

To protect your racquets, avoid leaving them in direct sunlight inside a car or crammed into the bottom of an overpacked suitcase. A racquet bag or a dedicated compartment is always best. Temperature fluctuations, clashes, and humidity are rarely good for sensitive equipment.

Life Off the Court: Better Retrieval, More Enjoyment

A training camp is also a group experience. There are meals, conversations with other players, free time, and sometimes a trip to the pool, an outing, or a closing party. Packing two or three casual outfits helps you take a break from the physical exertion and gives you a chance to truly recharge mentally.

What swimwear to bring obviously depends on the location, but it takes up little space and can come in handy quickly. A pair of comfortable walking shoes, flip-flops for the locker room, and a light jacket round out your off-court gear. A bag for dirty laundry is practically indispensable: after two days of camp, it keeps clean clothes from getting mixed in with worn ones.

For those who want to arrive already in good physical shape, our 6-week padel training plan can serve as a starting point before your trip. The goal isn’t to overdo it, but to gradually get your body used to repeating short bursts of effort.

The “Must-Haves” to Avoid

A useful checklist should also specify what isn’t necessary. Three or four racquets for a recreational player, shoes that have never been worn, clothes that are too heavy, an overly large first-aid kit, or retrieval gear that’s never been used are likely to make the trip more cumbersome. The training camp requires organization, not a professional-grade suitcase.

The best way to sort through your belongings is to ask yourself a simple question: Will I really use this item during the week? If the answer is unclear, you can often leave it at home. A well-organized suitcase also makes your trip more enjoyable: you can find your things easily, dry your clothes more quickly, and prepare your bag in the morning faster.

Things to Keep in Mind Before You Leave

To pack the perfect bag for a padel camp, you need to address four key needs: playing with reliable equipment, stringing together sessions with appropriate clothing, taking care of your personal needs, and keeping logistics simple. Your checklist should be personalized: it depends on the schedule, the weather, the intensity level, and your mode of transportation.

The day before you leave, take ten minutes to go over everything one last time: make sure your shoes fit, your overgrips are in place, your documents are within reach, your water bottle is clean, your power bank is charged, your schedule is saved, and your first-aid kit is ready. It’s often this final control that prevents you from forgetting something simple.

Helpful Tips for the Preparation of Your Suitcase

• For rules and official documents related to padel: FIP documents.
• For general information about equipment: the French Tennis Federation’s padel equipment page.
• For French regulations on carry-on items and liquids: Service-Public.fr.