The Ultimate Music Festival Essentials and Must Haves
You’ve got your tickets to the summer music festival you’ve been looking forward to all year. What else do you need? Festivals are about freedom! Shouldn’t that mean freedom from possessions? When the shirts come off the flip flops go on, right? It’s all about brotherly love and sisterly love and listening to music in the open air.
That’s Day One before the deodorant runs out and you’ve spent the night trying to sleep using your backpack for a pillow. Freedom is great, but after days in the desert sun, the dates aren’t the only thing getting ripe. There are music festival essentials that you’ll want to pack, and that doesn’t include your marijuana supply. Here are some tips on how to enjoy your music festival like a VIP.
It’s all about the music
The main rock festival essential is a good time. In order to do that, you’ll want to make sure you have a few other essentials on hand to keep you reasonably comfortable and maintain at least some semblance of hygiene. Here are the essentials you should rock to keep your festival as festive as possible:
Trash Bag
Let’s talk trash (bags that is). Trash bags not only make good ponchos in the rain, but they also make good seats to keep your butt from getting wet.
Portable Phone Charger
What good is going to a music festival if you don’t have the Instagram photos to show for it? Not to mention, your mama’s gonna get worried if you don’t call her to check in every few hours. When it comes to festivals, portable phone chargers are an absolute essential. If you’re looking for a portable phone charger to keep your FOMO afflicted friends in the loop, we recommend the Fuse Chicken Universal. With:
- 2 output ports
- A 6,700 Ah charging capacity and
- Charging time of about three hours,
….you’ll be fully charged up by the time the headliner comes on.
A Refillable Water Bottle
We’ve all heard of having out of body experiences at music festivals, but hopefully, they’re not due to a lack of water. If you’re dancing your fanny off under the hot sun, you’re going to need water and a place to put it. For a festival-appropriate water bottle, we recommend the Camelbak “Hydrate or Die.” With its flip, bite and sip, no bending required, you won’t even have to take your eyes from the stage to guzzle.
Antiperspirant/Deodorant
Deodorant should really go without saying, but we’d be remiss if we left this one out. Show some respect for your fellow festival goers and pick an antiperspirant/ deodorant, rather than deodorant only. The antiperspirant fights the cause, the deodorant fights the symptoms. Guys check out natural Primal Pit Paste on Amazon with a lavender scent that keeps you smelling pretty even in the mosh pit.
What are the Music Festival Essentials for Guys?
Dress to shock or dress to rock? When it comes to music festivals, that is the question to be decided. While mankinis and loincloths will do for the former, they may not do as well for the latter. Man has been known to rock their loincloths off and it hasn’t been pretty. The best music festivals for guys are the real essentials, which means comfortable and fashionable clothes that are in no danger of wardrobe failures. Here are some essentials for guys who want to rock and shock at the same time.
Sneakers
For retro style meets festival survival try the Airwalk’s Men Throttle Skate Shoes Lace Up. Cushioned around the ankles and tongue with perforated paneling, you won’t get stuck in the mud when you should be throwing your hands in the air.
Sweat-Wicking Chinos and Joggers
No matter how good they make you look, your skinny jeans won’t be doing you any favors at a music festival. Sweat increases the chafe factor and even the lightest cotton can feel like bondage pants. Chinos wick sweat away from the skin and with the patterned choices, you’ll have all the festival goers raving. Check out Scotch and Soda on Amazon for cotton twill quality classics.
Bucket Hats
Let’s face it, we’ve seen a lot of strange headgear at festivals. But when the temperatures soar, your crowning DIY might make you feel like you’re about to D.I.E. With the True Religions Men’s Metallic Print Bucket Hat, you can keep your freedom of expression and bang your head at the same time. Available in two snazzy colors with gold print and channel stitched brim, this 90’s retro hat will elevate you above the crowd without blocking anyone’s view.
What Are the Music Festival Essentials for Girls?
If you look at Instagram, the answer would seem to be star-shaped pasties and cactus themed-manicures. To many girls, the definition of essentials can be interpreted loosely. But when it comes to mud and sweat, it’s time to separate the fashion victims from the festival survivors. Real essentials combine practicality with style. Here’s our Festival Checklist Girl’s edition.
Dry Shampoo
When Jayzee looks you in the eye from the stage to the lawn area seating, the last thing you want him to think is, “Wow, that girl has some greasy hair.” Not to worry if you have some dry shampoo in your backpack. Dry shampoo not only makes your hair look, clean it gives it a little volume as well. For a dry shampoo that will get you will make you smell like coconuts, even on Day 2, try Hair Food Dry Shampoo. Its sulfate free, paraben free and dye free and all about free love.
Disposable Razor
The music festival is one place where the ladies need the razors more than the men do. After all, a little 5 ‘o clock shadow is to be expected after a few days of roughing it, but hairy legs will never do. Fortunately, you can keep your legs hairless and careless by packing a disposable razor in your bag. You can pick one up at the 99 cent store on the way to the grounds.
A Few Pairs of Underwear
You know what your mama told you about keeping your underwear clean. When porta potty lines get long, there are things that even Victoria would have a hard time keeping secret. A word of advice, bring 3-4 pairs with you or check out the Ex Officio travel underwear for a fast drying alternative.
What Does the Best Music Festival Camping Entail?
If rock n rollers sleep at all, they usually don’t sleep in the great outdoors, unless they pass out on a park bench. Yet, for festival goers, setting up camp is a rite of passage. Whether you’re a full-time camper or borderline glamper, there’s a camping pro lurking in every festival goer. Here are some tips for helping you get in touch with him or her.
Arrive Early
Rockers may not be known for their punctuality, but the early bird gets the worm. Come to the festival early to get your pick of places to pitch your tent, we recommend somewhere uphill and away from the toilets and trash dumpsters. Also, look for level ground to keep the mud from coming in if it rains.
The Tent
You might hear a lot about bringing the roof down at music festivals, but the biggest challenge for you might be putting it up. The best tent for a rock festival is a mesh tent with a separate rain fly. This will allow for excellent ventilation while keeping the condensation from, well condensing.
If you’re one of the camping challenged, the Instant Coleman Tent is an excellent choice. It has assembled frame the thirty-second set and instructions so easy, they’re followed by an exclamation point. (Unpack, tent, unfold legs, and extend the poles until they “click” into position!) It also features:
- An adjustable air intake vent to draw cool air in from the ground
- A Mesh ceiling to allow hot air to escape
- Sleeps 3, fits one queen air mattress
The Sleeping Bag
When it gets chilly in at night a warm sleeping bag can be deluxe accommodations. Especially when it’s got a designer name on it. The Eddie Bauer Flying Squirrel Sleeping Bag is nothing short of festival ground luxury. The 40 Degree rated bag features include:
- 850 fill storm down insulation to retain loft in wet condition
- No zippers and self-packing design
- Storage Sack with open mesh for long term storage.
The Tarp
Even if you have your sleeping arrangements all figured out, there’s always a chance that the 3P tent size more accurately applies to three Lilliputians than three full-grown adults, or that someone gets kicked out for gaseous emissions, loud snoring or bad behavior in general. That’s when a tarp can really come in handy. Not only can tarps be used for makeshift tents, but they also can serve as a ground sheet for your tent. Tarps can add an extra layer of defense to your tent to protect against tears and punctures.
Grizzly Tarps will keep your investment protected, and your butt dry. They feature:
- A tight 8” x 8” polyurethane weave to provide durability
- Enforced border piping to ensure stronger ends and resist tears
- Built-in grommets every 36″ to allow for secure tie downs as well
One more essential – have a good time. Just bring the right stuff – the rest is up to you!
