Festival Must-Haves, Field-Tested at Lost Lands and Electric Forest

The perfect pageant gear, in fact, is dependent upon which pageant you’re attending, the climate, your sleeping preparations, and a ton of different elements. However as a longtime pageant veteran, I’ve field-tested sufficient gear (and made sufficient errors) to have strong suggestions for stopping blisters, dehydration, a lifeless telephone, and different frequent pitfalls in most conditions. You may discover my prime picks beneath.

You’ll want to try our different associated shopping for guides, together with the Finest Tents, the Finest Sleeping Baggage, and the Finest Bluetooth Audio system.

Up to date July 2026: I’ve reformatted this information with refreshed picks and a brand new look. I’ve additionally checked costs and accuracy all through.

My Favourite Pageant Gear

Finest Electrolytes

Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier

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Finest Outside Blanket

Rumpl Backcountry Puffy Blanket

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A Devoted Buddy Finder

Totem Labs Compass

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Finest Electrolytes

These electrolytes are my favourite usually, and I particularly like them for festivals as a result of the ingredient concentrations are excessive sufficient that they really assist with environment friendly hydration if you’re sizzling and sweaty. And the flavors are tasty, too, so I can go them out to my crew and know they’ll really drink them. Hydration is of utmost significance with regards to stopping hangovers and “wook flu,” and this combination can assist. Plus, the packets don’t take up a lot area in your bag or pocket.

Finest Outside Blanket

Rumpl

Backcountry Puffy Blanket

I’ve but to strive a blanket from Rumpl that I dislike. They pack up and unfurl simply, and most of them have sufficient area for seating a number of folks. In addition they have little hooks to transform the blanket right into a cape, which is sweet if it will get chilly at camp however you aren’t able to go to mattress but. They’re additionally simple to scrub, whether or not they’re coated in mud or grass blades or spilled White Claw.

For only one or two folks, this smaller blanket is ideal. It’s skinny, so it’s greatest for summer time or as an added layer.

My Favourite Energy Financial institution

I’m unsure what it’s about festivals that appears to make my telephone die twice as quick, but it surely’s virtually a legislation of the universe at this level. (It’s probably that the shortage of cell service means my telephone is consistently trying to find a sign; learn our tips about the best way to save battery life right here.) Or perhaps it is simply overheating in my backpack. In any case, a power-bank telephone charger with a big capability is admittedly useful. This Anker energy financial institution isn’t the slimmest or the lightest, but it surely expenses up shortly and may quickly prime off a number of units per cost. Added bonus: You gained’t be overpaying for the posh of a charging locker. I deliver two of those to four-day festivals they usually preserve my telephone, speaker, Apple Watch, and different necessities charged the entire time. You may also desire a MagSafe energy financial institution round as a backup, although I choose the effectivity of a bigger brick.

A Devoted Buddy Finder

The Totem Compass was designed with festivals in thoughts. It makes use of satellites and its personal proprietary mesh community to allow you to discover your mates with none cell service or Wi-Fi. No extra manually time-stamping your textual content messages or waving your telephone round within the air attempting to get a sign. As soon as these trackers are arrange, you can navigate to your good friend group with ease, simply by trying down and strolling towards their corresponding mild shade. Setup is a bit difficult, and the battery life might be longer. You may additionally want a approach to cost them in a single day for a multiday tenting pageant (the ability financial institution I advisable above is an choice). However they labored reliably for my buddies and I to hunt one another down, and I felt safer going to phases on my own with one other layer of safety. And sure, they give the impression of being cool when you’re dancing, which actually isn’t a detractor.

My Go-To Earplugs

The Loop Expertise 2 are my favourite earplugs total. They’re a part of my day by day carry, which is made simpler by the handy case. They defend your listening to with out muffling the sound, they usually look visually hanging which additionally helps my pals know I’m sporting them so they do not try speaking to me on the dance ground. I like how the case flips open, so I am not jostling to unscrew a steel case in a crowd.

A Lighted Mirror

{Photograph}: Louryn Strampe

If you happen to aren’t staying in a lodge (or if you’re however your room is cramped), a lighted make-up mirror is invaluable for preparing. I take the Fancii Abigail with me to each pageant. Having a base station helps loads with elaborate make-up seems or braided hairstyles, and the sunshine is vibrant sufficient that you can see what you are doing, even in the event you’re preparing in a tent. It is massive sufficient to provide the full image, however sufficiently small that it’ll slot in your backpack or duffel bag, even in the event you’re a power overpacker like I’m. Simply be sure to’re not breaking any guidelines about glass on the venue. I additionally like that it offers me a spot to place all of the random stickers I’m gifted.

A Tenting Range

There are a ton of nice camp stoves, however this MSR range is my favourite for festivals, as a result of I’m not normally making full-size meals (although I’ve efficiently used it to warmth up a skillet and make a complete steak dinner). Usually my website is simply boiling water for pour-over espresso (talking of espresso, we have now a information for rugged French presses proper right here) or warming up meals we ready at house. The PocketRocket 2 twists onto gas canisters and heats up the whole lot lightning-fast. When my group was stranded at a raceway in Ohio, we whipped this range out and made espresso on prime of our automobile trunk. It’s extraordinarily compact and light-weight—a lot in order that my solely gripe is that I’ve a tough time discovering it between pageant journeys.

An Inflatable Sofa

This inflatable sofa is clutch in the event you don’t thoughts toting round a carrying case. Nowadays, I preserve my on-person carry fairly minimal, so I choose to solely use one if I’ve a wagon the place I can chuck it when not in use. Absolutely inflated, it will possibly assist one to a few folks (supplied everybody’s alright with getting cozy). When there’s restricted seating, otherwise you’re on day three with two extra days to go, an inflatable sofa can present respite with little effort. I additionally like that it is available in a ton of enjoyable colours. Simply be sure to’re conscious of your environment—in the event you’re at a music pageant, it’s unhealthy manners to arrange a sofa in the course of the group. Think about chilling again by the sound cubicles as an alternative.

Professional tip: A folding hand fan makes inflation tremendous simple in the event you don’t wish to run round to fill the sofa with air (sure, that’s actually the way you inflate it). It’s additionally cheaper to purchase certainly one of these forward of time than from a vendor on the pageant.

Solar Safety

This tender solar hat is simple to pack and convey alongside, because it folds up, but it surely nonetheless retains its form to guard your head. It is a good massive dimension to maintain your scalp, brow, and neck protected with out feeling too suffocating or offering an excessive amount of protection to be cute. It’s reversible, too; I like flipping between brown and beige relying on how sunny it’s exterior and which one matches my outfit higher. —Nena Farrell

{Photograph}: Louryn Strampe

Trip

Basic SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion

If you happen to choose lotion sunscreen, I like the whole lot I’ve tried from Trip, and this large jug is the right dimension to maintain at camp. It incorporates sufficient product for me and my pals, and it absorbs shortly with out feeling greasy or sticky.

Extra Pageant Gear I Advocate

Enjoyable, however Not Crucial

{Photograph}: Louryn Strampe

Kandi-making kits: Buying and selling beaded bracelets is a trademark of the digital music scene, however because of the Taylor Swift Eras tour, followers of extra music genres are becoming a member of in. Any beads will work, however I extremely advocate Stretch Magic elastic—a budget stuff falls aside means too simply.