Best Summer BJJ Gear: What to Wear When It's Too Hot to Train

June 3, 2026

Summer Training Is a Different Animal

If you've ever trained BJJ in July, you already know. The gi weighs twice as much when it's soaked through. The mats are slippery. Your grips are gone by round three. And the gym's air conditioning, assuming it has air conditioning, is fighting a losing battle against thirty bodies generating heat in a confined space.

Summer BJJ is still BJJ, but the gear requirements shift. What works in January doesn't work in July. The fabrics need to be lighter, the fits need to breathe, and anything you can do to manage heat and moisture becomes a training advantage rather than a luxury.

Here's a breakdown of the best summer BJJ gear: what to wear, what to bring, and what to buy when it's too hot to think straight but you're showing up to train anyway. For those wondering how often to train during the summer months, our frequency guide covers adjustments for hot-weather sessions.

Best Summer BJJ Gear for Hot-Weather Training

Lightweight Rash Guard

A lightweight rash guard is the single most important piece of summer BJJ gear, especially if you train no-gi. It wicks sweat, reduces skin-on-skin friction, and dries faster than a cotton shirt ever will.

For summer, go with a thinner rash guard than what you'd wear in the winter. Brands like Sanabul, Hayabusa, and Fuji make lightweight options that breathe without sacrificing durability.

Holiday BJJ's rash guards come in seasonal designs for men, women, and kids. Men's and women's rash guards run $69.99, kids' at $54.99.

No-Gi Shorts

Summer is no-gi season at most gyms. Scramble, Venum, and Hayabusa all make durable grappling shorts. For summer specifically, look for designs with mesh panels or lighter-weight materials that dry quickly between sessions.

Spats

Spats serve double duty in summer. They protect against mat burn (which gets worse when the mats are wet), provide compression support, and add a layer of hygiene. In warmer months, lighter-weight spats in thinner compression fabric are more comfortable.

Tank Top or Muscle Shirt

For the gym, for the BBQ, for the post-training errand run, a tank top is the unofficial uniform of summer BJJ life. Holiday BJJ's muscle shirts at $34.99 come in seasonal designs that work on and off the mat.

Lightweight Gi (If You Must)

Some gyms train gi year-round. If that's your gym, a lightweight gi in the 350-450 GSM range makes summer bearable. The Sanabul Essentials and Elite Sports lightweight gis are affordable options. Not sure about sizing? Check our BJJ gi sizing guide.

One tip: a white gi stays cooler than a dark one.

Extra Towel

Bring two. One for your gym bag and one for your face between rounds. Microfiber towels work best.

Electrolyte Supplement

Dehydration is the silent killer of summer training performance. Products like LMNT, Liquid IV, and Nuun tablets are popular in the BJJ community for a reason.

Gym Bag with Ventilation

Summer gym bags smell worse than winter gym bags. That's just physics. Datsusara and Tatami both make gym bags designed for martial artists.

Sport-Specific Sunscreen

For outdoor sessions, beach training, or park open mats. Grapplers already deal with enough skin concerns.

Cooling Towel

Cooling towels activate when wet and provide a noticeable temperature drop. At $10-15, it's one of the cheapest comfort upgrades available.

Summer Training Tips for BJJ Practitioners

Hydrate Before, During, and After

Start drinking water well before you arrive at the gym. If you show up already dehydrated, you're playing catch-up the entire time.

Drop the Ego on Intensity

Summer sessions are not the time to go 100% every round. The heat adds stress to your cardiovascular system. Dial back the intensity slightly and focus on technique over power.

Wash Everything Immediately

Summer sweat plus a closed gym bag equals a science experiment by the next day. Wash your gear as soon as you get home.

Final Thoughts

Training through the summer separates the committed from the casual. But the right gear makes a real difference in how bearable and productive those hot-weather sessions are.

Whether you need a lightweight rash guard, a summer tank top from Holiday BJJ, or just a reminder to buy electrolytes, this list covers the essentials. Gear up, hydrate, and keep showing up.