The running addiction is real, and if you’re a keen runner it’s likely that you’ll want to carry this on wherever you go. No matter, whether you’re going on a business trip, city break, a week’s holiday or a long-term backpacking adventure, running no matter where you are is the perfect way to stay active, healthy and even see new places! After all, there are some truly beautiful places around the world where you can go for a run. One morning you could be on the beach, the next you could be in a national park.
So, if you want to run whilst you’re away, you’ll need to take your running gear with you. But what you pack will depend on where you’re going and how long you plan to be away for. You’ll want to take into consideration how you’re going to fit everything in and how to stop your gear from stinking up the rest of your bag. In this guide, My Baggage teaches you how to pack your running gear for traveling and holidays, ensuring you keep up the motivation to get moving is up to you!
1. Check the weather
If you’re only going away for a couple of days to a week, it’s a good idea to check the weather before you go. This helps you to get a better idea of what you need to pack. If you’re going somewhere where it could be raining or cold, you might want to pack a waterproof or some more layers. Alternatively, if you know it’s going to be very hot you might want to take shorts. If you can, take a look at the weather beforehand as this will help you when you start packing.
2. Pack only the essentials
You might have collected a pretty awesome range of running gear over the years, cute slogan tees or your favorite trainers. But as with packing for any trip, you don’t want to go overboard – you only need to pack the essentials. Below are some of the items you might want to pack depending on where you are going, the weather and how long you’ll be away:
- One or two breathable tops
- Running shorts
- Leggings
- Running tights
- Long sleeve base top
- One or two pairs of running socks
- Running jacket/waterproof
- Comfortable trainers
- Water bottle
- Suncream
- Cap and sunglasses
- High vis jacket
- Armband
Use this list as a basis for choosing your essentials. If you’re going somewhere cold or you plan to run at night, there will be some additional items that you need. Just take into consideration where you’ll be running, and this will help you to decide what to pack. Just be sure to keep it to a minimum.
3. Pack smart
When it comes to actually putting your gear in your bag, you need to make sure you pack it in properly. Rolling your clothes can be a helpful way to save space, and of course, making sure you’re not taking any more than you really need to! If you’re taking smaller items like sunglasses, armbands or music players, keep these in a small bag for safekeeping or in the side pockets of your chosen luggage.
You might want to use packing cubes or a separate smaller bag that can hold your running gear. You can then keep this inside your main suitcase or holdall. You can even buy smaller bags designed to hold just your shoes and keep them separate from the rest of your clothes. It’s also handy to pack an empty carrier bag or small drawstring bag in your case as well.
4. Remember to separate your clothes
On a similar note to the above, you want to make sure that your running gear is separate from your everyday clothes. This is not such a problem on the way out when your clothes are clean, but once these have been used you don’t want to put your potentially soggy and smelly running gear back in your bag next to your fresh clothes. This is where the carrier bag or draw string comes into play, you can use this to hold your used clothes on your journey home.
5. Don’t forget your shoes
You can pair your trainers up nicely to fit them in your bag, you can even put them in their own separate bag, but you don’t want to forget about the fact that they’re potentially a little on the smelly side. If you’ve got well-loved and well-used trainers, you might want to pack these with odor eaters or other shoe deodorizers to stop the smell being transferred to your bag or any of your other belongings. Putting these in a sports bag as mentioned above also ensures you stop any mud or moisture transferring. After all, if you run in the rain, mud or on the grass it’s likely that they’ll be some residue left on your shoes.
6. Cleaning your gear while you’re away
If you’re going away for a few days, you might be able to take enough gear to see you through. Of course, this depends on how much you plan on running. If you’re going away for a longer period of time, it’s likely your gear will all have been used within a day or two, even if you’ve taken more than one top with you.
In these instances, you’re going to want to give your clothes a quick wash so you can wear them again. This is simple enough to do in your hotel room. You can either take the clothes into the shower with your post-run and give them a scrub, or you can wash them in the sink. Soap or shampoo will do the job, but you can also buy small travel detergent to take with you if you know you’ll be washing your travel gear a few times. To allow your clothes to dry you also have a number of options. Hang these from your balcony if you have one, or you could hang them up over the bath or shower. Better yet, if your room has a vent you could hang them up over that to help them dry quicker.
