A marching competition is a fourteen-hour day that starts in August heat and ends in October cold, sometimes on the same Saturday. The kids who survive it packed for both. The parents who survive it packed for themselves too.
This list comes from band families who’ve worked the pit crew and chaperoned the buses. Printable version here.
The list, for the student
- Uniform: jacket, bibs, shako, plume in its tube, gauntlets if your band wears them
- Gloves, plus a backup pair
- Marching shoes and tall black socks, two pairs
- Show shirt or compression layer for under the uniform
- Shorts for under the bibs
- Instrument, obviously, but check anyway
- Instrument kit: reeds (three minimum), valve oil, slide grease, sticks, mallets, neck strap
- Flip folder and dot book if the band uses them
- Water: a half gallon jug, not a dainty bottle
- Substantial food: sandwiches, bagels, fruit, granola bars
- Sunscreen and a hat for daytime
- Warm layer and rain poncho for the night finale
- Phone charger and a portable battery
- Cash for concessions and the inevitable bake sale
The list, for the parent
- Stadium seat or cushion, because bleachers for ten hours
- Layers, the same August-to-October problem the kids have
- Binoculars if you want to actually find your kid on the field
- Cash for admission, programs, and the boosters
- Snacks and water, since competition concessions have lines like airports
- The schedule screenshot, saved offline, because stadium signal dies at finals
What band veterans know
The plume rides separately. Plumes crush, and a crushed plume is a uniform inspection problem. They travel in tubes, usually handled by the band, but the kid who brings theirs home is the kid who needs to bring it back.
Reeds break in threes. A squeaking clarinet in warmup arc is a fixable problem if there are spares in the case, and a long day if there aren’t. Three reeds minimum, always. The band gear guide covers the supply list by instrument.
The under-uniform layer does two jobs. It wicks the noon heat in prelims and holds warmth at the 9pm finale. Cotton t-shirts do neither; the show shirt or a compression layer does both.
Feed them like athletes, because they are. A marcher covers miles under a wool uniform carrying weight. The kid who ate a real lunch performs the closer; the kid who skipped it sits down in the lot.
Pack it all the night before, staged by the door, because call time is 6:45am and band directors count heads exactly once. New band parent this year? What band actually costs and band camp survival round out the education. Printables ship with the Friday Letter.