OPINION ON USEFUL ITEMS TO TAKE TO COMPETITION AND THINGS YOU CANT LIVE WITHOUT
Well the first and foremost you need a robot 
, then some tools and spare parts would be good, also buttons or giveaways…
Brian
Make sure you know where your colored lenses, operator badges(FIRST provided) and safety glasses are at all times. Those are the most important things that are required during the matches, well… besides a robot and a good attitude!
Safety glasses are a must. They are required in the pit area at all times.
If you are talking about the National Competition, then required items include:
- sunscreen
- hat
- sunglasses
Optional, but highly useful, items for the pits include:
- blender (for smoothies)
- microwave oven (for popcorn)
- lounge chairs
- umbrella (in case it rains in the pits again this year)
Oh yeah, you might want to bring a robot and the rest of your team with you…
-dave
Awesome! Totally awesome!
- Jeff Spicolli
Yea, your robot is usually a good thing to have… as Dave said before, sunglasses and sunscreen are also a must-have at Nationals… Along with knowing where your operator badges and saftey glasses are, know where your Leatherman is (if you have one) at all times. DO NOT set down a tool you are using, even for two seconds because it WILL DISAPPEAR 
Oh, but anyway- the most important thing to bring to the competition is good spirit. It doesn’t matter if your robot is in first place, or last place, as long as you are having a good time! And the more fun you have and the higher the spirit of your team is, the better your robot will do (really, I swear that works!) Again, having fun is one of the most important things for any competition. So make sure you bring your robot, safety glasses, sunglasses, sunscreen, operator badges and your spirit!
- Katie
One thing to add about tools, when you are done, dont put them in your pocket, cause nobody will be able to find it, and chances are that you won’t either…trust me, happens all the time 