Martini Paddock Kit: Bags, Backpacks and the Chair You Will Actually Use
Nobody's first track day goes wrong because of the bag. It goes wrong because the helmet is loose in the boot next to a tin of brake fluid, the suit is in a supermarket carrier, and there is nowhere to sit between sessions so you spend the whole day standing on tarmac in the sun.
This is the unglamorous half of the Martini collection, and it is the half that gets used every single weekend rather than once a season.
Bags, by How Long You Are Staying
 |
 |
| Bag | What it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Tour Bag | The big one. A full weekend with gear, or a gear bag that lives in the trailer. | $289 |
| Travel Bag | A weekend away. Also the sensible airline bag if you fly to events. | $209 |
| Super Stage Backpack | Bigger daypack. Laptop, helmet bag, lunch, the lot. | $159 |
| Stage Backpack | Standard daypack. One day at the track. | $145 |
| Sportbag Duffle | Simple duffle. Suit, gloves, boots, done. | $105 |
| Sportsack | Drawstring sack. Twenty dollars, lives in the boot, endlessly useful. | $20 |
If you are buying one bag and you do not know which, take the duffle. It holds a full set of driver gear, it is the cheapest thing here that does that properly, and nothing in it rattles around loose in a boot.
The Chair Is Not a Joke Purchase
A track day is maybe ninety minutes of driving spread across eight hours. The other six and a half you are waiting, and there is generally nowhere to sit that is not a kerb or somebody else's chair.
The Martini paddock chair folds, costs $89, and will get more hours of use than anything else on this page. Buy it before you buy the third t-shirt.
Umbrellas and the Rest
| Item | Note | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Replica Umbrella | Full size. | $65 |
| Umbrella | Full size. | $59 |
| Water Bottle | Hydration matters more in a suit than people admit. | $32 |
| Foldable Umbrella | Lives in the bag rather than being forgotten at home. | $27 |
The honest case for the umbrella. A paddock has no shelter. You are either in the sun for eight hours or in the rain for eight hours, and both are worse than they sound when you are also trying to keep a helmet dry. The foldable one at $27 is the one that actually ends up in the bag.
What to Buy First
- Very first event: the duffle and the chair. About $194, and both get used immediately.
- You already have a bag: chair, then water bottle, then foldable umbrella.
- Flying to events: Travel bag, and check your airline's dimensions before ordering.
- Trailer or full race weekends: the Tour bag, and let it live in the trailer permanently.
- Buying a present for someone who tracks a car: the sportsack or the water bottle. Cheap, in the livery, and genuinely used.
Browse the full Martini Bags & Paddock Kit range.
Part of our Martini Racing series. See the complete Martini Racing guide, or the off-track style guide for the apparel side.