If you’re signing up to be a Dasher for DoorDash, it’s important that you have the right DoorDash gear.
When I talk about gear, I’m not necessarily talking about DoorDash branded shirts or things like that. While those are things you can get, what’s usually more important is getting the right gear so you can be a more efficient Dasher and make more money.
The type of gear you need will depend on the mode of transportation you use. If you use a car, you’ll need different things compared to if you use a bike. I do all of my deliveries using a bike, so I have a lot of experience in how to make delivering on a bike easier. But I can also recommend gear for your car too.
In this post, we’ll look at all the DoorDash gear you should get to make dashing easier for you.
Where To Get DoorDash Gear
At the outset, if you want to get specific DoorDash gear, you can do so via the DoorDash store. The DoorDash store has the following types of gear you can buy:
- DoorDash branded clothing (shirts, hats, jackets, gloves, socks, etc).
- DoorDash branded delivery bags, including bike delivery backpacks, regular insulated bags, pizza bags, and large catering bags.
- Car kits (includes DoorDash magnets, window clings, and car signs).
- PPE (things like face masks and hand sanitizer).
For the most part, I think that almost everything in the DoorDash store is overpriced or not worth the cost. You can typically find similar items on Amazon. The only thing I’d consider getting is a DoorDash branded t-shirt – and that’s mainly because I enjoy collecting shirts from different tech companies.
One question you might have is whether you need to wear DoorDash branded gear or whether dashers have uniforms they need to wear. The answer is that they do not. Remember, when you’re a dasher, you’re working as an independent contractor, which means you can wear anything you want and use any equipment to complete your order.
Of course, I recommend dressing professionally. Ideally, you don’t want to look like you just rolled out of bed. Still, so long as you can get orders to customers on time, you can dash wearing whatever you want.
What Free DoorDash Gear Do You Get?
One good thing about DoorDash is that they do send you some free gear. When you sign up to be a dasher, DoorDash sends you a DoorDash activation kit, which includes an insulated delivery bag and your DoorDash red card.
The insulated delivery bag is a basic food delivery bag with the DoorDash logo on it. It has some insulation on the inside to keep food warm and has a zipper so you can close the bag. This bag is pretty good and one I often use. It makes a great grocery shopping bag too, so leave it in your car for when you need it.
The DoorDash Red Card is a prepaid debit card that you may need to use to pay for orders that aren’t already prepaid. The good news is that most orders on DoorDash are prepaid, so you usually won’t need this card. However, you do need to activate it to be able to dash, so activate it, then set it aside for when you need it.
What DoorDash Gear Is Required?
There is no required DoorDash gear. Again, because you’re an independent contractor, you can use any equipment you want so long as you can complete the deliveries you accept on time.
That being said, some restaurants do require you to bring a delivery bag before they’ll hand you an order. You can understand why from the restaurant’s point of view. They want their food to get to the customer warm, so they may refuse to give you the order if you don’t have an insulated bag to put it in. You don’t need to use the DoorDash branded bag, though. If you have any insulated bags, that works.
The only “required” gear you need is the DoorDash Red Card. This is the card you have to use if you need to pay for an order yourself. However, most orders are prepaid, so you usually don’t need to pay for the order.
Recommended Gear For Drivers
If you’re driving for DoorDash, you’re going to want to get some gear to make your deliveries easier. Here’s the most important gear you’ll want to get if you’re Dashing using a car.
1. Delivery Bag
This is probably the number one thing you should get if you’re working as a Dasher. Luckily, DoorDash sends a free delivery bag in the activation kit, so you don’t need to spend money on this. If you want, you could buy extra delivery bags or a pizza delivery bag, but I don’t think those are necessary. If you use the free delivery bag that DoorDash gives you, you should be in a good shape.
2. Phone Holder
When you’re driving, you’re going to want something to hold your phone and make it easy for you to access your phone. That way, you can see incoming orders, as well as follow directions on Google Maps.
A phone holder that you can stick on your windshield is your best bet. There are a lot of affordable options you can choose from, but with cheap phone holders, remember that you get what you pay for.
One particularly good option that I recommend is the Quad Lock Car Mount. This is a phone holder that requires using the special Quad Lock case that can then easily snap on and off the holder with a simple twist. I use a Quad Lock bike mount for my bike, but the car mount is great for drivers. You can see how the Quad Lock Car Mount works in the below video.
3. Phone Charger
When you’re doing deliveries on DoorDash, you need to make sure your phone has plenty of battery power. Make sure you have a way to charge your phone when you’re in your car. A simple charging cord for your car should work fine.
If you want to get fancier, you can also use something like the Quad Lock Wireless Charging Head, which works in tandem with the Quad Lock Car Mount.
4. Drink Carrier
This is not a necessity for drivers, but it can make things easier if you have to carry a lot of drinks. You don’t need to get fancy here. Any simple drink carrier will work. You just need something that can hold a lot of drinks without spilling.
5. DoorDash Car Kits and Travel Kits
DoorDash sells car kits and travel kits in the DoorDash store. These include some DoorDash magnets to indicate that you are a Dasher, as well as a sign you can stick on your car that indicates you are in the middle of a delivery and will return soon.
The price of these items in the DoorDash store probably isn’t worth it since you’re essentially getting a few magnets and a sign you could easily create yourself. I’d probably skip these items or make them myself if I was worried about getting tickets.
Recommended Gear For Bikers
Doing DoorDash deliveries on a bike is the only way I do DoorDash. It’s way more fun than doing it in a car. And if you live or work in dense areas, you’ll move faster than a car and make more money too (plus you won’t have to worry about parking or all the expenses that come with cars).
Here is all the gear I use when I’m dashing using a bike.
1. A Bike or Electric Scooter
Of course, the most important thing you need is you’re doing DoorDash with a bike is a good bike. You can use a regular bike, but if you want to be even more efficient, consider using an electric bike or an electric scooter. I do all of my deliveries using either option. If you want to be even more creative, you can even do deliveries using an electric skateboard.
Using an ebike or scooter to do deliveries is far more cost-effective than a car. You won’t have to worry about gas or parking. Your maintenance costs will also be far lower than with a car.
The nice thing about doing deliveries with a bike or scooter is that you can think of it as an investment too. If you spend $1,000 or $1,500 to buy an ebike or scooter, you can probably make your money back by doing deliveries with it.
2. Food Delivery Backpack
The next must-have item if you’re doing deliveries on a bike is a food delivery backpack. I use an Uber Eats delivery backpack that I bought on sale for $10. The bag holds plenty of food and has space to hold drinks too.
Unfortunately, Uber Eats stopped selling this bag, so you’ll likely need to buy a food delivery backpack. You could theoretically use the DoorDash insulated delivery bag that comes in the activation kit. It’s a fine option if you want to go that route – especially if you have a front or rear basket on your bike to hold the bag, but I think it’s more comfortable to use a food delivery backpack.
You can find some good options on Amazon. I’ll also have a post coming out with some of the best food delivery backpacks you can use.
3. Phone Mount For Your Bike
Another important piece of DoorDash gear to get is a phone mount for your bike. You attach it to your handlebars, then you can put your phone on it. It’ll make it easier for you to see incoming orders and get directions. It’s inconvenient and dangerous if you’re biking with one hand looking at your phone or reaching into your pocket to grab your phone.
Without a doubt, the best bike phone mount option has to be the Quad Lock. You’ll need a special Quad Lock phone case to use these mounts, but I think it’s worth it because of how well the mounts work. The Quad Lock phone case twists into the bike mount, and then you can easily remove your phone by twisting it again.
Here’s a video showing how the Quad Lock bike mount works.
There are three different types of Quad Lock Bike Mounts – the Stem Mount, the Out Front Mount, and the Out Front Pro Mount. Get whichever one works best for your bike. I have multiple mounts because I have different bikes and scooters I do deliveries with.
4. Portable Phone Charger
The last thing you’ll want to have is a portable phone charger. The dasher app uses a lot of battery, so being able to charge your phone on the go is a must.
You can get any portable phone charger that works for you. I’ve always had a good experience with Anker portable phone chargers, but I don’t think it matters too much which one you pick. Just make sure it has enough power to keep your phone charged.
Final Thoughts
Having the right DoorDash gear can make your delivery experience much better. Hopefully, this post will help you get all the gear you need so you can have a good experience as a Dasher and make more money too.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022. As long as you get your account opened before October 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($350) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $300 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Fifth Third Bank ($250) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- OnJuno ($100) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $250 or more. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements. Even better, the bonus posts immediately after you meet the requirements. If you can meet the direct deposit requirements, OnJuno is an easy bank bonus that’s worth snagging. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
- Varo ($50) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $50 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Spiral ($50) – Spiral is a fintech bank that's currently offering new customers a $50 signup bonus after opening a free checking account with them. The Spiral referral bonus is especially good because it's a free checking account and doesn't require a direct deposit to earn the bonus. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Spiral Bank bonus.
- One Finance ($50) – One Finance is a fintech bank that’s currently offering a $50 signup bonus if you open an account using a One Finance referral link and have a direct deposit of $250 or more. This is a completely free bank account with no minimum balance requirement, so if you can meet the requirements, it’s worth doing. Check out my One Finance referral bonus guide here.
- Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
- Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- Upgrade Bank. Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Note that it’s now scheduled to end on October 31, 2022.
- Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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