Music festivals should be all about the music. However, if you don’t have the right gear, your time after a festival might be all about sunburns, strained feet, and recovering from days of discomfort. There is a certain rite of passage when it comes to attending music festivals, and each festival has a certain level of knowledge you’ll need to obtain to make the most out of it (while often having similar acts, Lollapalooza is far different from Bonnaroo). To make sure you’re ready for the elements though, here are several must-have music festival gear items you absolutely need to have prior to heading out.
Ground Cover Style
Tarpestrys are water-resistant versatile music festival gear goodness. A Tarpestry works as a picnic blanket, ground mat, sun shade, privacy tarp, and more! Tarpestrys designs range from classic prints to epic styles designed through artist collaborations. In fact, our Epic Collection was designed specifically for festival-goers.
Grab The Sweater
Most of the time you’re probably not thinking of cold weather gear when going to a music festival. Sure, it’s typically tank top weather, but sometimes it can get pretty darn cold at night. Perhaps you’re at a music festival in Michigan in the late parts of summer and there’s a sudden cool spell. Or perhaps you’re at an early year festival and the warmer temps just haven’t hit yet. Whatever the reason, you want to be prepared.
Of course, you probably don’t want to just grab the old pull-over and head out. You want to look good while rocking out. Thankfully, there are some fun LED sweaters out there. The sweaters will cover your torso to keep you warm, while there are lights built into the sweater to make sure your friends (and everyone else) can see you.
Sure, there’s probably a stand inside selling sweaters (or at least long sleeves), but you’ll end up dropping far more for an inferior quality piece of clothing.
Portable Phone Charger
Let’s face it. You’ll be on your cell phone for a good chunk of time. Even if you’re not actually talking on your phone, you’ll be taking pictures, posting to social media, and texting friends. Well, when the shows all over and you’re heading back to camp, a hotel, or you need to book an Uber from the park back to the city, you’re going to need a cell phone that works. But if you’ve been using your device all day the battery may be all but dead. That’s where a quick charging portable charger comes in to play. It’s easy to use, can be tossed into just about any bag, and it’s there when you need it. Some of the smallest portable chargers can fully reload your phone in minutes.
Grab The Fanny Pack
Sure, you might have made fun of your mom for the fanny pack she wore back in the day. But guess what. Fanny packs are back in. It’s also one of the easiest ways to have the same amount of on-person storage as a purse, without walking around with a bulky purse or backpack. The fanny pack allows for optimal movement and there’s still enough room for an extra cell phone battery, sunscreen, and whatever odds and ends you might need. Plus, with so many styles of fanny pack, there’s an option perfect for you.
The Water Bladder
Water is crucial at music festivals. You’re typically in the sun. You’re dancing. You’re walking and running and skipping all over the campgrounds. Whatever you’re doing you’re moving a ton. That also means if you’re not drinking water, you’re becoming dehydrated.
Yes, there is water available inside the festival. But do you really want to drop $8 for some 16-ounce piece of plastic? You’ll need a few of those over the course of the festival and, before you know it, you just dropped $100 plus on water.
Skip that kind of a problem and go for a water bladder. This is a backpack like contraption that sits on your back, so it’s out of the way. This is the kind of device avid bikers and hikers have on hand. Yes, the water may not be the coldest, but it’s there when you need it. And hopefully whatever festival you’re going to has a refill station. This way, you’ll never run out of water and you won’t be forced to lug around a water bottle throughout the day (which is easily lost).
The Tent
If it’s a camping-based music festival you need a tent. While you should always check with the festival to see what the requirements are, the tent is critical. This is basically your home for several days. The wrong tent will fold under pressure and take on water if it rains. It won’t ventilate air so you end up waking up sweating in the middle of the night, or it might not lock up, which leaves all of your gear exposed to whomever wants to pillage it.
Your festival tent is an investment. So, while it’s great to get the hand-me-down from dad, you should think twice about taking an old tent and investing in one specifically for music festivals. Yes, the old tent is likely built solid, but those tents can be extremely difficult to put up, not to mention it might have developed holes over the years. Pick up the right tent for you and your gang before you head out.
Gear Up For Festival Season
These are just several of the items you need to have on hand to make the most out of your music festival experience. From staying hydrated to remaining comfortable in all weather. So whether you’re shopping for a music festival coming up this year or you’re prepping for next year, make sure to check out Tarpestrys for additional pieces of music festival gear to help improve your experience.