What to Pack in Your 3-Day Bag

Walkers at the 2025 Dallas 3-Day.

Whether you’re reuniting with teammates, meeting new friends or experiencing your first Susan G. Komen 3-Day® being prepared will help you focus on what matters most — walking to help end breast cancer. 

From veteran favorites to newbie essentials, here’s what participants recommend for packing for a comfortable 3-Day weekend. 

The Right Gear 

When you wear what works for you, it’s easier to power through 60, 40, or 20 miles. 

  • Moisture-wicking clothing (T-shirts, shorts, sweatpants, leggings). 
  • Broken-in walking shoes (never wear brand-new shoes to the 3-Day!). 
  • Hat or visor. 
  • Two pair of socks per day (veteran walkers recommend changing into fresh, dry socks at lunch). 
  • Light layer jacket/waterproof jacket/sweater.
  • A comfortable backpack or crossbody bag with a water bottle holder or a waist pack for carrying on-route essentials with a water bottle holder. 
  • A lightweight rain poncho or shoe covers (if rain is in the forecast). 

The Little Things 

Inside your backpack or waist pack, you might want to carry: 

  • Chapstick or lip balm 
  • Band-aids 
  • Hair ties 
  • Hand sanitizer or wipes 
  • Tissues 
  • Bite-size snacks 
  • Electrolyte packets 
  • Portable phone charger 
  • Sunglasses 
  • Identification, money and a credit card 
  • Wide-mouth water bottle (easily fillable at water/ice/Gatorade stations along the 3-Day route) 

Toiletries: Event hotels tend to have toiletries available to you, but we strongly recommend packing everything you might need for your hygiene and comfort. 

  • Sunscreen 
  • Toothpaste/toothbrush 
  • Moisturizer, facial cleanser 
  • Shampoo, Conditioner 
  • Deodorant, Razor 
  • Hairbrush 
  • Body glide  

First Aid: On event, the Medical Crew will have supplies to tend to any major medical issues, but we recommend bringing your own supplies for treating minor medical and personal problems you might need along the route like band aids, petroleum jelly, antacid, pain relievers and any prescription medication you take regularly.  

If you develop blisters, the medical crew will help you take care of them and give you much-needed relief so you can keep walking. Just ask them for help! 

If you’re looking for a more detailed packing checklist, check out our hotel and camping packing guides before your 3-Day event weekend. We’ll see you on the route soon! 

Your Guide to Packing for the 3-Day

It’s almost time to pack your bags for the 2024 Susan G. Komen 3-Day®! Whether you’re driving in from down the road or catching a flight across the country, it’s imperative to bring the right gear with you. This includes everything from daily toiletries to on-route essentials. To help you remember everything you might need to show up in the Pink Bubble fully prepared, follow our packing checklists for hotels and camping

WHAT TO BRING 

CLOTHING Bring clothing appropriate for all types of weather — including cold, rain and heat. This includes shorts, leggings, socks, undergarments, a rain jacket/poncho, t-shirts, sweatpants, visor, sleepwear, and shoes. Be sure to pack a few outfits for each day since you’ll need to adapt to the forecast each morning and will likely want to change your outfit after returning to camp.  

TOILETRIES Though hotels tend to have toiletries available to you, we strongly recommend packing everything you might need for your hygiene and comfort. This includes sunscreen, toothpaste, toothbrush, moisturizer, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razor, hair ties, and a hairbrush. Also, don’t forget any prescription medication that you take regularly. 

FIRST AID While we’ll have supplies and Medical Crew to tend to any major medical issues at the event, you should bring your own supplies for tending to minor medical and personal problems along the route. This includes band aids, petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline®), antacid, pain reliever, or anything else you anticipate needing.  

MISCELLANEOUS Don’t forget to print and pack your credentials before showing up on event! (2-Day Walkers and 1-Day Walkers will receive your credentials when you arrive at the event.) In addition to these necessities, there may be some other things you want to bring with you. Our recommendations include anything you may use daily or to document your experience in the Pink Bubble. Consider a phone charger, journal, camera, and your Bank of America Pink Ribbon Banking card to secure a special gift in camp! 

CAMPING 

For those camping at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day, you will wrap up each evening in a 6.5’x 6.5’ tent. For maximum comfort, you’ll want to bring some camping gear such as a sleeping bag and pillow, air mattress or camping pad, plastic sheets or tarp to keep your tent and gear dry in case of rain, a headlamp or flashlight, and mylar blankets. Throw in some decorations for your tent and you could earn a Tent Flair legacy pin!  

ON THE ROUTE 

Aside from your main piece of luggage, we recommend bringing a waist pack for use on the route with a few essentials for the journey. We suggest packing this ahead of time so you’re sure to have everything you need out on the route. In this, you may want to place a portable charger, sunglasses, sunscreen, money/credit card, identification, and a water bottle to refill along the way. Keep it light yet complete with everything you found yourself using while training. We serve water and sports drinks from large containers, so you must bring your own water bottle.  

YOUR LUGGAGE 

Pack up everything in one piece of luggage that is clearly labeled with your name, participant identification number, and cell phone number. To ensure easy transport and identification, make sure it weighs no more than 35 pounds once packed and is marked with something such as a unique luggage tag to help you pick it out of a crowd.  

WHAT NOT TO BRING 

Though fundraising is a core part of the Komen 3-Day, please don’t bring any donations, cash or otherwise, to the event. Be sure to have all your dollars added directly to your personal fundraising page before arriving at the hotel or campsite. To prevent loss or theft of any kind, leave behind any valuables such as fine jewelry, designer goods, or large amounts of cash. For safety reasons, headphones or portable music players are not permissible while walking on event so, although you may use them while traveling, leave them in your hotel room before heading out on the route each morning.  

THE NIGHT BEFORE 

On Thursday night before the Opening Ceremony, be sure to charge your phone, print your credential, and plan for a morning snack/breakfast. Be sure your waist pack is stocked with everything you need (extra socks, lip balm, etc.) and don’t forget your water bottle. 

We can’t wait to see you in the Pink Bubble! 

Top 10 3-Day Blog Posts (You Might Not Know)

8-10 FB

During event season, and all year long, we are giving you the latest and greatest in 3-Day content on the blog. From training tips and fundraising ideas, to compelling participant profiles and sneak peeks, there is a lot of content to keep track of!

You can always search for what you’re looking for, or use our handy topics on the blog homepage to keep up to date with our posts. However, if you’re looking for the best of the best of 3-Day blog posts you might have missed, we now have you covered there too.

Here are out top ten 3-Day blog posts to read this week. You’ll find inspiration, information and all kinds of 3-Day goodness ahead…

8-31 Insta

Susan G. Komen 3-Day Fundraising Dollars: See Your Impact Locally with Our Infographics: For recruiting new team members, incentivizing donors, or just reminding yourself how much it means to fundraise, these infographics make it easy to see the 3-Day impact.

Fundraising Resources in Your 3-Day Participant Center: We provide as many fundraising resources and ideas as we can, including lots in your Participant Center. Here you’ll find letter, sample social media posts, quick links and a progress tracker to see just how much you’ve raised!

Learn More About the 3-Day Host Cities: Our host cities are the best! Learn more about them, and plan your next out-of-town 3-Day walk for 2018. If you’ve always walked in your home city, this year is the perfect chance to visit a new 3-Day and see the event from a whole new perspective!

Make the Most of the 3-Day Social Stars: Did you know that you can earn prizes for interacting with us on social media? Join our 3-Day Social Stars now!

8-22 Insta

Meet Jen B., a Preventative Mastectomy 3-Day Walker: We have so many inspiring participants, and she is one of them. Both she and her mom had the BRCA gene mutation, and both chose to undergo preventative mastectomies this past year to reduce their chances of getting breast cancer in the future. Then, they walked the San Diego 3-Day hand in hand.

Male Breast Cancer: Rare but Real. Meet the Gillers: Men can be diagnosed with breast cancer too, and one of those men, Lee Giller, made a large impact on our 3-Day community.

Route Hours, Cabooses, and Sweep Vans, Oh My! Behind the Scenes on the 3-Day Route: So much happens on our 3-Day routes! Use this post to recruit a teammate to walk with you, recruit a new crew member and learn more about your 60-mile journey.

Pick Your Pack: The Great Waist Pack vs. Backpack Debate: As our 3-Day season draws closer, this is a great packing post to help you prepare.

8-12 FB

3-Day Walking Hacks: This is an absolute must-read for any first-time walkers or those coming back after missing the 3-Day last year.

Susan G. Komen 3-Day Inspiration Gallery: We update this gallery all year long to provide our 3-Dayers with inspiring imagery, shareable social graphics and more! Bookmark it and save it to check back for updates.

What are some of your favorite blog posts? Link to them in the comments!