Travelling and Competing: Hygiene on the Road

Camps, comps and seminars mean training with people you've never met, often far from your own shower and washing machine. A bit of planning keeps you fresh and lowers your exposure when your usual routine goes out the window — I've learned most of this from forgetting it at least once. General information here, not medical advice, and not about any product we sell.

Pack a hygiene kit

• Spare clean kit for each session — you can't wash on the road as easily, so bring enough.
• Your own towel — never borrow one.
• Wash bag, plus flip-flops or sliders for communal showers and changing rooms.
• Nail clippers and a small first-aid kit for covering grazes.
• Sealable bags to keep dirty, damp kit away from clean clothes — see gym bag hygiene.

On the day

Shower as soon as you reasonably can after each session — the post-training shower routine still applies, even in a budget hotel bathroom. Don't sit around in damp kit between sessions, and keep your hands and nails clean. Communal shower floors are a classic spot to pick up athlete's foot, which is exactly what the flip-flops are for.

Competing

Expect a skin check and prepare for it — see pre-competition skin checks and IBJJF rules. Check your own skin in the days before you travel so nothing's a nasty surprise at the venue, and sort out anything questionable with a clinician before you go rather than hoping it passes on its own.

Drying kit away from home

Hang damp kit to air rather than leaving it balled in a bag overnight — a hotel hanger, a shower rail and an open window beat a festering holdall every time. If you're away for several days with no laundry, packing more kit is far easier than trying to truly dry and de-funk a gi in a hotel room.

Sharing rooms and space

Training trips often mean sharing a room or an apartment with teammates. Keep your own towel and toiletries to yourself, give damp kit somewhere to air that isn't the shared floor, and bag up dirty gear. It's the same no-sharing logic as the gym, just in closer quarters — and your roommates will thank you for not turning the place into a swamp.

When you get home

The trip isn't really over until your kit is sorted. Coming back from a camp or comp with a bag of damp, balled-up gear is how a good weekend turns into a week of funk and a lingering problem:

• Unpack the bag the moment you're back — don't let it sit in the boot of the car for two days.
• Wash everything, even kit you "only wore once," and dry it fully before it goes away.
• Empty and air the bag itself; a wipe-down and an open zip beats sealing the smell in.
• Give any cuts, mat burns or new marks a proper look now you're back under decent light.

It's ten minutes of admin that saves you the job of rescuing a musty gi later — and catches anything you might have picked up while you were away.

Common questions

How much kit should I actually bring?

A clean set for every session you expect to train, plus one spare, is a safe rule. Washing on the road is unreliable, so it's better to over-pack kit than to end up re-wearing a damp gi all weekend.

Can't I just spray a gi between sessions?

Sprays might mask a smell briefly, but they don't replace washing or proper drying, and a damp, sweat-soaked gi is still a damp, sweat-soaked gi. Airing it out thoroughly is better than masking it; bringing enough kit is better still.

What's the one thing people forget?

Flip-flops for communal showers, closely followed by sealable bags for dirty kit. Both are tiny, cheap, and save you the most grief.

Hotel room or apartment — how do I dry a gi?

Hang it over the shower rail or a chair near an open window or the heating, turned so air gets to the thick bits like the lapel and skirt. It won't dry as fast as a line outside, so the real fix is bringing enough kit that one damp gi isn't a crisis.

Is it rude to skip the post-session social to go shower?

Not at all — and most people will respect it. You can be sociable in clean, dry clothes just as easily as in a sweat-soaked rashguard. The shower is the priority; the chat can wait ten minutes.

Should I bring my own first-aid bits?

Yes — a few plasters, some tape and a small pack of antiseptic wipes weigh nothing and mean you can cover a graze or mat burn straight away instead of training on it open or hunting for the venue medic. Covering broken skin promptly is good for you and considerate to your partners.

This article is general educational information and not medical advice, and it isn't about any Combat Sports Hygiene product. If you're worried about your skin, contact a GP or pharmacist.