My parental sports spectating bag.....

[Darrell KSR]

My guilty pleasure admission of owning stopwatches made me think about this. Do you have anything special you have/used to have/made sure you brought to spectating games with your child or a niece or nephew? Or even for spectating college sports, or whatever? Just curious what your "go-to" bag has in it.

For me, this is what I typically bring (depending on season). Most of my spectating is outdoors, and weather is sometimes a factor, so keep that in mind. Here's typically what I have:

1. Extra jackets in car. I will stuff them in my carry bag just in case. Birmingham area weather is silly sometimes. Sunny and warm and then by kickoff it's freezing. One of the jackets is always a rain jacket. I sometimes take rain pants, but not always.

2. Hand warmer. I have the regular sized Peacock platinum catalyst metal hand warmer. I fill it with lighter fluid and light it with a zippo. I don't carry the lighter fluid or zippo with me, as it lasts up to 24 hours (depending on how much I fill it).

3. Camera, camcorder, tripod and extra memory cards. There's an official videographer for the team this year, and he did it unofficially last year and did a great job for the high school team, so I don't really have to take the videocamera during high school season. For club, I'll be back videotaping all the games. But I bring it just as a backup. Who knows? I have taken a few photos this year, but mainly, I'm just enjoying watching.

4. Stopwatch. Duh. See above (below now). I need to know how much time remains. Mostly now it is shown on a scoreboard clock, but a) not always and b) rarely during club season. Sure I could use a phone or even my watch (I have one with a timer, and one with a rotating bezel), but nothing beats the stopwatch.

5. Walkstool. I LOVE this "chair." No, it doesn't provide back support. It's a tripod like stool. But it supports up to 550 pounds, it is extremely lightweight, and my height on it places me a good distance above what a normal chair would do. During club season--which is usually at venues with limited bleacher seating--I will stand and videotape, but have that right next to me just to sit for a minute and rest during a break. Stupid expensive (for my budget), but well worth it. Bought originally to use to carry with me while I followed my daughter during golf tournaments, and it was a Godsend there.

6. Stadium seat with back. I've been having some back trouble recently, so it helps to have some back support in bleachers. I don't carry this during club season when I am videotaping and standing/walkstooling.

7. Nike cap and Adidas cap. I have two of these, both very lightweight, dry-fit/moisture wicking type caps. I am follicly-challenged, and having something on top of my head is an absolute must. These are very light weight and in the hottest of weather they are very cool. In cold weather, they're fine as well.

8. USUALLY a Yeti-type cup. Very easy to fill, stays cold through the entire game, ice doesn't melt, etc. Don't really do that during high school spring season when it's cooler, but during summer and early fall season, it's really a great idea.

9. Bushnell basic GPS tracker. I have a "nice" GPS tracker with ten gazillion way points, but I wanted something that was super basic. This has 3 way points--a car, a house, and a star for something else. Nothing more than that. Easy-peasy to set, and battery lasts forever. Really not needed 99% of the time, but I just sort of carry that with me in the car just in case I attend some tournament or something where I have to park a long way away, they have a lot of different fields, and it's sort of a maze kind of thing. (It's been a Godsend when I attend college football games and have to park a long way away, finding my way back to the car, unless it's a usual place/school.)

I think that's about it. That usually keeps me warm (or cool) and dry; comfortable in seating/standing, and has my necessary gadgets.

Any things you take with you that might be a good suggestion?

[Darrell KSR]

I also should add that the Nike and Adidas caps are non-team specific. I will wear my UK caps if weather isn't an issue. Or a ULM cap I like on rarer occasion. But the go-to are the Nike and Adidas. Nike is black, Adidas is a light steel blue/grey kind of color.

[blueboss]

Holy moly!! Do you pull up in a motor home too? Just in case....



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[CitizenBBN]

lol, I was going to ask the same thing.

I think somewhere in there he surely has the combination knife/saw/toothpick/bbq smoker/porta-potty/satellite TV

[Darrell KSR]

Sounds like a lot, but it's really just a small bag. The walkstool and tripod, with both of them collapsing, are the biggest things, and collapsed, they aren't big.

Now, truth be told...I also have a light pole/tripod thing that is 10' long that I tried for awhile last fall and didn't like, so I discontinued using it. It came apart in sections, but it was still bigger than anything, and i'm glad I don't have to carry that anymore.

[MickintheHam]

I solved this problem fairly easily. I volunteered to work the press box working the PA and scoreboard. I was in a building with a great view and it had air conditioning and heat. It took the other parents a while to catch on. There was never a shortage of parents willing to help with the scoreboard or music.

[blueboss]

lol, I was going to ask the same thing.

I think somewhere in there he surely has the combination knife/saw/toothpick/bbq smoker/porta-potty/satellite TV

Don’t forget the 37 flash lights...


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