What Every Padel Player Should Have in Their Bag

Walk into any padel club and you will see two types of player: the one rummaging through a carrier bag for a sweatband, and the one with everything ready in 30 seconds. Here is what separates them.

The Racquet (and a Spare If You Can)

Your main racquet, in a thermal cover if possible. Heat and cold both damage the foam core over time. A spare racquet — even a cheap one — saves the day when a string breaks or the frame cracks mid-tournament.

Three Tubes of Balls

One open, two sealed. Padel balls go flat faster than tennis balls. Bringing pressurised tubes means every set starts fresh.

Two Towels

One for your hands and racquet, one for your face and neck. The hand towel lives clipped to the fence. The face towel stays in the bag.

Spare Grips and Overgrips

A worn grip is the easiest performance loss to fix. Carry two overgrips and one base grip. Replacement takes two minutes between games.

Water and Electrolytes

A 750ml bottle minimum. Add an electrolyte tab if you sweat heavily — plain water alone does not replace what you lose in a competitive set.

A Light Snack

A banana, a flapjack or a handful of nuts. Padel sessions often run longer than planned. Hunger ruins concentration faster than fatigue does.

Plasters and Tape

Blisters from new shoes, a tweaked finger, a small cut from the fence. A few plasters and a roll of zinc oxide tape costs almost nothing and prevents a whole session being lost.

A Notebook (Optional but Recommended)

Two lines after each session: what worked, what did not. Read it back monthly. The players who improve fastest are the ones who think about their game off court as well as on it.