Key takeaways
- Milan Puskar Stadium runs a clear bag policy. A clear plastic or vinyl tote no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″, a one-gallon clear zip-top freezer bag, or a small non-clear clutch roughly the size of your hand are the three things that get through the gate.
- No outside food, no outside drinks, no coolers, no backpacks, no hard-sided containers. Concessions inside sell beer and food, so plan on buying once you’re in.
- Blankets, seat cushions without pockets or zippers, small binoculars, ponchos, and your phone are all fine. Umbrellas are not.
- Medically necessary items and diaper bags are allowed after screening at the gate. Tell the staff before you get in line.
- Tailgating lots have their own rules, and they’re much looser. Coolers, grills, and chairs live out there, not in your seat.
Updated July 31, 2026. Prime Day territory, hot weather, and the late-August opener is closer than it feels.
What’s in this guide
- What bags can you take into a WVU football game?
- Can you bring food or drinks into Milan Puskar Stadium?
- What items are not allowed at Mountaineer Field?
- What can you take in besides a bag?
- What are the rules in the tailgate lots?
- What should you wear to a WVU game?
- How early should you get to the gate?
- Frequently asked questions
You can take a clear bag no bigger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″, a one-gallon clear freezer bag, or a small clutch about the size of your hand. Add your phone, your keys, a blanket, a seat cushion with no pockets, and a poncho if rain is in the forecast. That’s essentially the whole list.
Everything else stays in the car or in the tailgate. Milan Puskar Stadium follows the same clear bag policy most Big 12 schools use, and gate staff enforce it with metal detectors and a quick look inside. Because policies get tweaked year to year, confirm the current version on WVUsports.com before your first trip of the season.
What bags can you take into a WVU football game?
Three bag types get through the gate: a clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, a one-gallon clear resealable storage bag, and a small clutch roughly 4.5″ x 6.5″ that does not have to be clear. You can carry one clear bag plus one small clutch per person.
The clutch exception is the one people miss. It exists so you don’t have to display your wallet, your medication, and everything else to 60,000 strangers. Keep the private stuff in the clutch and the snacks, poncho, and sunscreen in the clear bag.
What does not work: purses bigger than that clutch, camera bags, fanny packs that aren’t clear, mesh bags, tinted “clear” bags, and anything with a printed panel large enough to hide contents. Drawstring bags are out too, even the giveaway ones. If security can’t see through it at a glance, it isn’t getting in.
A regular backpack will not clear the gate, but it’s still the right call for the walk from the Coliseum lots and for hauling your stuff around the tailgate all afternoon. Just plan to leave it in the vehicle before you head for the turnstiles.
JanSport WVU Mountaineers Big Student Backpack
This one is for the lot, the shuttle, and the walk, not the seat. A licensed Mountaineers pack with a padded laptop sleeve doubles as a road-trip and campus bag the other six days of the week. Load it up at the tailgate, then move the essentials into your clear bag before you walk to the gate.
- Officially licensed West Virginia Mountaineers design
- Padded 15-inch laptop sleeve and two compartments
- Side bottle pocket and haul handle for game-day hauling
Can you bring food or drinks into Milan Puskar Stadium?
No. Outside food and beverages are not permitted, which includes bottled water, cans, thermoses, hydration packs, and anything in a hard container. Concessions inside sell water, soft drinks, beer, and food.
WVU has sold alcohol in general seating for years now, which is worth knowing if you’re used to schools where beer only exists in the club level. That also means the gate crew is watching for smuggled containers more carefully than you’d expect. Don’t try to walk in with a flask.
The one real exception is medically necessary food and drink. If you need juice for blood sugar, formula for a baby, or a specific medication that has to be kept with you, bring it and tell the staff at the gate. They screen it and let it through, and it’s a routine part of their day.
September games in Morgantown can sit in the upper 80s with the sun coming straight down on the aluminum, so hydration matters more than the crowd realizes. Buy water early instead of waiting until the third quarter when the lines are worst. A wet cooling towel on the back of your neck does more than a hand fan ever will.
FROGG TOGGS Cooling Towel
FROGG TOGGS Beach-Camp Microfiber Cooling Drying Towel with Mesh Storage Bag, Machine Washable, OD Green, 35”x 62”
An early-season noon kickoff on the sunny side of the stadium is a genuinely hot place to sit for three and a half hours. A microfiber cooling towel packs flat in a clear bag, re-wets at any concession fountain, and works on kids who are melting down by halftime. It folds into the tailgate cooler bag the rest of the summer too.
- 35 x 62 inch microfiber towel that re-wets at any fountain
- Packs flat enough for a clear stadium bag
- Machine washable with mesh storage bag included
What items are not allowed at Mountaineer Field?
The prohibited list covers coolers, backpacks, outside food and drink, weapons of any kind, umbrellas, noisemakers, and anything on a pole or stick. Strollers, hard-sided containers, drones, laser pointers, and selfie sticks are also out.
Umbrellas surprise people every year. They block sightlines and they’re a poke hazard in a packed row, so stadiums almost universally ban them. Bring a poncho instead and keep it in your clear bag from September on, because a Morgantown afternoon can turn over fast.
Banners, flags, and signs on poles are prohibited, though a reasonable handheld sign is usually fine as long as it isn’t attached to anything rigid and doesn’t block the view behind you. Air horns, cowbells, and whistles are out. So are professional cameras with detachable long lenses and any video recording equipment.
The stadium is tobacco free, vapes included. Fireworks, animals other than working service animals, and anything the gate staff judges to be a hazard round out the list. When in doubt, the answer at the gate is no, and there is no bag check to hold your stuff.
What can you take in besides a bag?
Blankets are allowed and they don’t count as your bag, which matters for November kickoffs. Seat cushions are permitted as long as they have no pockets, no zippers, and no arms or metal frame. Binoculars are fine if you carry them loose rather than in a case.
Your phone, mobile ticket, ID, cash, and cards go in the clutch. Small point-and-shoot cameras and phone cameras are permitted for personal use. Empty, soft, collapsible items give you the most flexibility, since anything rigid tends to draw a second look.
Sunscreen, hand warmers, and a poncho all fit in a one-gallon freezer bag with room left over. That freezer bag option is underrated for anyone who doesn’t want to buy a stadium tote. It costs almost nothing and it goes through the gate every time.
What are the rules in the tailgate lots?
The lots are a different world. Coolers, grills, chairs, canopies, and food are all part of the deal there, and tailgating around the Coliseum and the blue lot is half the reason people show up five hours early. Glass containers are generally discouraged, charcoal has to be disposed of properly, and you cannot leave a grill unattended.
Plan your day around the split: tailgate gear stays with the vehicle, stadium gear moves into the clear bag. Sort that out before you walk over rather than at the turnstile with kickoff twelve minutes away. A folding wagon makes the haul from a far lot much easier than three trips of arm-loading.
Lot opening times and RV rules change by season and by opponent, and the big rivalry games run tighter security everywhere. Check the game-day page for the specific week you’re going. Pitt weekends do not operate like a Saturday against a non-conference opener.
What should you wear to a WVU game?
Dress for the actual temperature at kickoff plus the drop that comes after sunset, because a September night game in Morgantown can start at 82 and finish in the low 60s. Layers you can tie around your waist beat a jacket you have to hold. Everything you wear has to work without a bag, since you can’t stash a hoodie in a purse you didn’t bring.
Early season means breathable and light colored, and honestly, sun protection matters more than anyone plans for in the upper deck. Once October rolls in, a fleece vest or light jacket over a long sleeve gets you through most afternoon kickoffs without overheating during the walk in.
By the November home stretch, aluminum bleachers pull heat out of you from below, and that’s when a blanket and a hooded flannel earn their keep. Wear shoes you can stand in for four hours on concrete and hills. Morgantown is not a flat town, and the walk from parking is a real workout in the wrong footwear.
If you’re the type who checks conditions all day, a watch that shrugs off rain saves you from digging your phone out in a downpour. And for tailgates that run into a cool evening, a pair of sturdy bootcut jeans handles gravel lots better than anything lightweight.
How early should you get to the gate?
Give yourself an hour before kickoff at the gate, and more for a night game or a ranked opponent. Metal detectors slow the line, and everyone arrives in the same twenty-minute window. Getting in early also means shorter concession lines before you’ve missed anything.
Have your mobile ticket loaded and screen-brightness up before you’re in line. Phones lose signal in a crowd that size, so download or screenshot per the ticketing app’s instructions ahead of time. Empty your pockets into your clutch while you wait instead of at the detector.
One more habit worth building: check the official policy page the week of the game, not the week you bought tickets. Bag dimensions and prohibited items do get updated between seasons. Five minutes on the athletics site beats a walk back to a car parked half a mile away.
Want more Mountain State game-day and outdoor gear picks as they come up? The current deals page gets refreshed regularly through the summer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you bring an empty water bottle into a WVU football game?
Outside beverage containers are not permitted at Milan Puskar Stadium, and that generally includes empty bottles. Some venues allow empty plastic bottles and some do not, so this is the single item most worth verifying on WVUsports.com the week of your game. Water is sold at concessions inside.
What size clear bag is allowed at Mountaineer Field?
A clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, or a standard one-gallon clear resealable freezer bag. You can also carry a small non-clear clutch of roughly 4.5″ x 6.5″ in addition to the clear bag. Anything larger, tinted, or opaque gets turned away.
Are seat cushions allowed at WVU football games?
Yes, as long as the cushion has no pockets, no zippers, no arms, and no metal frame. Stadium chairbacks that strap onto the bleacher are typically not permitted unless you have a rented chairback seat. A plain foam or gel cushion is the safe choice.
Can you bring a blanket into Milan Puskar Stadium?
Yes. Blankets are permitted and do not count against your bag allowance, which is why they’re the standard answer for cold November kickoffs. Carry it draped or folded over your arm rather than stuffed in a bag so security can see it clearly.
Is there a bag check or locker outside the stadium?
There is no bag storage at the gates, so anything that doesn’t meet the policy has to go back to your vehicle. That is the reason to sort your gear at the tailgate rather than at the turnstile. A long walk back with kickoff approaching ruins a good morning.
The short version: clear bag, clutch, phone, blanket, cushion, poncho. Buy your food and drinks inside, keep the coolers and grills with the vehicle, and give yourself an hour at the gate on a big weekend.
Policies shift a little each season, and the one thing worth doing before your first game is pulling up the official athletics site and reading the current list yourself. It takes five minutes and it saves the walk back to the car. After that, the only real decision left is how many layers you need for a 3:30 kickoff in November.
