What to Pack in Your Backstage Bag
Show day is one of the most exciting days of your competing season. It's also one of the longest — and a lot can happen between walking through the venue doors and stepping on stage.
The difference between a stressful show day and a smooth one often comes down to what's in your bag. This isn't about overpacking. It's about being prepared — so that if something does go wrong, you're ready for it.
Here's what we'd put in every female competitor's bag, regardless of experience level.
Shoe essentials
Detachable ankle straps or a back-up pair of heels — in the unlikely event something goes wrong with your shoes, it's always good to have one or the other. If you're bringing detachable straps, make sure you also have scissors in your bag — you'll need them to cut off the broken strap cleanly before attaching the replacement.
Suit essentials
Safety pins and Gorilla Glue — for bikini emergencies. Connectors can come loose, straps can snap. Both take up almost no space and have saved more than a few competitors over the years.
Bikini Bite — if you notice your bikini isn't staying secure backstage, go straight to the tanning team and ask them to help you apply it. They'll know exactly what to do and will make sure it goes on without affecting your tan.
Tan essentials
Show Tan Saver — when you need to go to the toilet on show day, this is what saves your tan. Sounds unglamorous, but it's one of the most useful things in your bag on a long show day.
No deodorant — worth flagging here rather than at home. Deodorant reacts with competition tan and turns it green. Leave it out of your bag entirely on show day.
Pump up
Resistance bands — a few minutes of banded work backstage gets blood into the muscles and makes them pop under stage lighting. Ask your coach ahead of time exactly what to pump up and how much. And don't do it too far in advance — pump up too early and you can end up looking flat on stage rather than full.
Getting ready
Hand mirror — for checking your tan, your suit, your hair. A compact mirror works but a hand mirror gives you a much better view. We stock one specifically for show day use.
Lip gloss — lips can get dry over a long show day. Top up just before you go on stage.
Hair grips and pins — not for your show day hair, but for keeping it off your face while you're getting ready, eating, or waiting backstage. Pull it back, keep it out of the way, then do your show hair when you're ready to go on.
Two pairs of earrings — not just a backup pair of backs, but two full pairs. We've seen girls accidentally sit on their earrings backstage and break them. Having two complete pairs means you've got a proper backup if the worst happens.
Comfort and fuel
Something to sit on — a towel, a mat, or a pillowcase works well. Venue chairs are not always tan-friendly and you'll be backstage for a long time. A pillowcase is particularly useful for longer show days — it's lightweight, packs flat, and protects your tan while you rest.
Mini bottle of water and salt — show day is depleting. Sipping water with a small amount of salt helps you hold your conditioning and stay comfortable through a long day on stage.
Snacks and food — plan this in advance with your coach. Show days often run from early morning through to evening, and you need to fuel properly between prejudging and finals without undoing your prep.
Portable phone charger — show days are long and your phone will die. Enough said.
One final thought
Pack your bag as early as possible — days before if you can. The last thing you want is to be running around trying to find scissors on show weekend when you've already got your tan on.