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!

3-Day Camping Hacks

Last week, we shared some walking hacks for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, and if you thought those were good, wait until you see what tricks are up our sleeves for making your Komen 3-Day camp experience easier and better than you imagined it could be.

1. Everyone’s bags tend to look alike when you go to claim them at camp. Make yours stand out by tying on a colorful scarf or marking it with vibrant duct tape.

We might suggest a color other than pink; not that we don’t love pink, but if everyone uses the same color, it kind of defeats the purpose.

2. Pack each day’s clothes (including socks and underwear) in a separate 2 gallon Ziploc bag.

This makes it easy to find the day’s clothes in the morning darkness of your tent, and gives you a bag to put your dirty clothes in, keeping them separated from everything else in your bag. Pack your lounge wear for camp, PJs and extra undies in bags too, and bring a couple extras.

3. Instead of taking up space in your luggage with a pillow, just bring a pillow case filled with clean clothes you’re going to wear.

4. A yoga mat makes a great sleeping pad.

It also takes up less room (in your luggage and in your tent) than an air mattress.

5. Bring single servings of toiletries in straws. This hack takes a bit of work (see the how-to here), but every little bit of luggage space and weight counts!

6. Worried about travel-size shampoos and lotions leaking in your bag? Put some plastic wrap over the opening then screw the cap back on.

7. If you use the 3-Day towel service, instead of pitching your towels into the bin immediately after you use them, take them back to your tent and use one as a doormat.

Save the other to put on the floor of the shower stall tomorrow for a makeshift bath mat. Then put it in the bin.

8. If your feet/legs hurt at the end of your day of walking, you can use your duffle bag as a foot rest to keep your tootsies elevated during the night.

(This method works well if you’re sleeping on a flat camp roll or yoga mat…not so well on an air mattress.)

9. 1-inch binder clips are the perfect size to clip around the cross-poles of your tent.

Use them to secure the rain flaps open, to fasten a tarp or plastic sheeting over the top, or to attach tent decorations.

10. If you dread the thought of disrobing from your PJs in the cold morning air, get dressed in the next day’s clothes before you go to sleep. You’ll wake up toasty warm, and may even snag 5 extra minutes of shut-eye because you’re already dressed!

Got any good 3-Day camping hacks? Let us know in the comments

(Thank you to first time San Diego walker Kenzie D. for modeling these hacks! Oh, and here’s what happens when you leave your camera unattended with your teenage model… )

The 3-Day Blog

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