Sports Kit - What on earth do you put it all in?

[PestoMonster]

Have just finished buying DD1's sports gear for Secondary School. However, as there's so much more stuff than she had at primary, I don't think we can continue using a standard PE kit bag.

What do you all suggest I use that will easily contain the following:-

Polo shirt
Rugby shirt
Shorts
Trainers
Soccer boots
Football socks
Other socks
Shin pads

Thank you in advance!

[PestoMonster]

Anyone?

A rucksack maybe?

All ideas gratefully welcomed

[Goober]

A sports backpack. They usually know a lesson in advance what equipment is needed and what to take, so they won't need it all. Seems harsh when they have all those books to carry doesn't it?

[PestoMonster]

Yes it does Goober. As dd hasn't yet started there, we are both of us going to have to learn the ropes. She's already got one backpack for daily use, and wanted something else for the sports stuff really. I have paid upfront for 5 years' locker rental though, so at least she will have somewhere to stash it!

[SqueakyPop]

A barrel bag

[roisin]

It depends on what their routines are, and how easily she can access her locker.

At my school most children keep sports footwear in (two separate) boot bags (indoor/outdoor) in their lockers. Then they just bring their kit (clothes) in on PE days, which they have in a regular drawstring PE bag. They usually know whether they need to bring indoor or outdoor kit, and so don't need to drag it all in on the first day.

Does she know whether she needs to take PE kit on the first day? DS1 is also starting this year and they've been told they won't need it on the first day.

The big change at secondary is hormones! At our primary school they leave their PE kit in school for an entire half term, or even half term. At secondary you'll soon find it needs to be washed every time it's worn.

[PestoMonster]

No, I didn't think to ask whether they needed to bring it all in on the first day. Bother!
I agree about having to wash stuff more frequently. Will have to remind her to bring dirty kit home.

SqueakyPop, what is a barrel bag?

[seeker]

In the special drawstring bag, costing £9.50 with her name embroidered on it in gold at a cost of £6.50. Grrrr. Bitter, me?

[PestoMonster]

Where did you get that Seeker?

[seeker]

From the school uniform shop. The shop that sold us the coat that cost £37 and which they decided half way through year 7 that they weren't going to have as part of the uniform any more. Grr again.

But enough of my gripes.

I suggest a drawstring gym bag for the clothes and a shoe bag for the boots and things. She'll probably have somewhere to leave it at school so it's only every couple of weeks (or if she's like my dd, every half term) that she has to lug it home.

[Trafficcone]

They don't use it all at once!!!! One term it'll be the rugby top and football boots, next term might be the polo shirt and trainers. It takes up no room at all and Ds uses one of those little drawstring bags. It's no more stuff than primary school uses at a time, just more stuff that's needed over a year. They can't leave it at school, even if they do have a locker the stuff gets covered in mud/sweat as they do actual sports unlike at primary school.

[LIZS]

We have a massive uniform sports holdall, everything has a designated pcoket !

[MaryAnnSingleton]

I was going to pose this very question too !

[roisin]

In most state secondaries they won't have a very big locker, certainly not big enough to store all their games kit and a large barrel bag. Added to that they may not be able to easily access it (ie in a large school they might not have time to walk to the other end of the school and back between lessons).

The result is many of them end up carrying it around for much of the day, so it really is best to stick with a small bag and just bring the minimum required each day.

In my school we each had a huge uniform sports holdall, and these were stored (unlocked) in the PE changing rooms. We simply took home individual items when they needed washing.

Alas in most schools those trusting days are long gone.

[WendyWeber]

A small backpack should do it for the winter - at ours, they need boots/shinpads/socks/rugby-type shirt for games, & trainers/polo for PE (one session of each a week in Y7 I think)

Even with a locker she will really need to bring the games stuff home every week - it will be muddy to start with, muddy and sweaty as she gets older

In the summer it's just trainers & polo so one of those skinny string backpacks (iyswim) would do.

[WendyWeber]

Oh, and a bootbag for the muddy boots (to go inside the backpack)

Sportsworld is great for this kind of thing

[ecoworrier]

Small drawstring-type sports/swim bag. No boot bag needed - just make sure muddy boots are rolled up in the towel (ours have to take towels for double lessons, which are 110 minutes).

The sports bag sits in the locker most of the day, and is only taken to school on the days it's needed. Full kit is never needed, the different things are for different sports which are always on different days!

So for example, in the autumn term it will probably be 'white kit' one day (white shorts, white polo top, sometimes trainers but often bare feet if it's gym), while the other day it will be rugby kit which is a bit bulkier but still fits in one of those drawstring bags.

So don't panic! They don't need it all at once, there's no need to buy expensive holdalls or boot bags, and they really do get the hang of managing it!

And our house rule is that if it doesn't make it home in time, it doesn't get washed!

[roisin]

Do they have showers then ecoworrier? We had showers at our school and always showered after games lessons (not after single PE lessons I think).

At our school I don't believe they even have any showering facilities any more!

[ecoworrier]

They have showers, both proper walk-through ones and foot showers, but don't use them after all lessons. Single lessons (50 mins) don't leave enough time, and often these are reserved for less 'dirty' sports like gym. For double lessons, they have to take towels, and will often either shower or use the foot showers.

Although I believe the age-old tradition of just rushing through or sprinkling a bit of water around and saying you've had a shower still goes on!

But it does mean a smallish towel comes in handy for wrapping dirty boots and other yucky kit in.

[PestoMonster]

Thank you all for this. Very helpful. I was out all day yesterday, so just catching up wtih thread

[Loshad]

have to say i disagree, for eg, say thurs is scheduled for double lesson hockey/rugby so need approriate kit, but if weather is truely vile tend to have half the year in sports hall for half the lesson, then second half in pool so swap over, so would need rugby/hockey boots, plus trainers, plus full sports kit, plus swim kit - no way would all that fit in a string bag - need any form of reasonable sized kit bag as stocked at sports shops (or school outfitters at ££+)
encourage them to put dirty boots in old carrier or boot bag - not sure why you would wrap them in a towel? (extra washing fetish)

[magentadreamer]

Ok DD's sports kit (thankfully) is a bit smaller than what others need - polo shirt logo'd, shorts, Logo'd pe sweat shirt Logo'd PE socks ( can't you tell these dam logo' are naffing me off! lol )Trackie bottoms, a towel -wasn't too sure if this was a sweat towel (- DD's school has a gym with threadmills etc in it) or a towel for showers so got an old small bath towel - no log on that suprisingly White pumps and White trainers. DD and I have actually managed to get all of this into a draw string bag! Which should fit into a small locker! Yay me!!!!

Ok so it's nicely folded and when DD trys to crush every thing in then arrrrrrrrrrrgh stuff won't fit arrrrrrrgh!

[chocaholic73]

I think it's crazy having so much sports gear. DD is not remotely sporty and while I am all in favour of keeping fit, so much seems ridiculous.