What to Pack for a Camping Music Festival

When you’re planning to attend a festival, you want to make sure you pack the necessities to keep you comfortable the whole weekend. Whether you’re planning on going to Coachella, Burning Man, or any other music festival this year of any scale, you'll want to take a look at these summer music festival camping essentials.

Camera

Image Credit: MAGIX Magazine

It’s important to live in the moment, but you want to be able to capture your memories too! They say that the best camera is the one you always have on you. Luckily today’s smartphones have very high quality camera capabilities. Just make sure you have a good case to protect your device!

If you want to bring an actual camera, take note that many festivals have policies about what kinds of camera you can bring. You are usually you are not allowed a professional DSLR camera unless you are attending as press.

A great alternative to bringing your costly camera is an action-cam! Whether you have a GoPro or a cheaper Amazon alternative, an action-cam is by far the most convenient way to capture your festival moments. Set it on hyperlapse and strap it to your chest as you walk the festival grounds, and make sure your totem has a screw at the top so you can capture a bird’s eye view of the main stage!

Another fun tip is to bring a couple disposable cameras and distribute them among your rave crew. Make sure you get the kind that has a good flash for the best effect. There’s something so magical about printing out photos!

Fanny Pack


Image Credit: Festival Shred - Outer Space Fanny Pack
BUY NOW

Backpacks are great and all but we tend to fill them to the brim with stuff we don’t necessarily need. If you want to go more minimal but still want a safe place to stash your stuff, a fanny pack might be right for you!

No longer diminished as your uncle’s choice of bag to go with his socks and sandals, fanny packs are a convenient way to keep your important items close at hand. Plus, they come in fun colors and textures these days that are too cool for Uncle Bob’s closet.

Water Bottle


Image Credit: The Neptune Bottle

If you’re attending a music festival in the heat of the summer, you better make sure you’re hydrated! Most festivals have no problem with you bringing in an empty water bottle or camelback into festival grounds. You can avoid paying a premium on water bottles and refill at water stations instead.

Remember that self-care is important even when you’re away at a music festival! Take care of your body so you can last longer and recover easier and it all starts with staying hydrated and nourished!

We also recommend packing a first aid kit with all the regular stuff plus electrolytes, anti-inflammatories, a sleep mask, and ear plugs!

Portable Charger


Image Credit: Festival Threads - Portable Phone Charger

Surprise! Your phone battery didn't keep going as long as you thought it would, and now you’re stuck unable to capture photos and videos. Thankfully you can plan ahead and pack a convenient portable usb charger which can slip right into your fanny pack. These are a lifesaver!

Travel Towel


Image Credit: The Fowndry

You don’t need a hotel grade towel at a music festival, so why don’t you save some space and invest in a travel towel made of microfibre that dries quickly and folds up tiny.

Wet Wipes

Wet wipes come in clutch when you need to freshen up but you don’t really want to wait an hour and a half to use the showers! And for the ladies, make sure to pack make-up remover wipes so you can keep your skin clean and fresh with no hassle even lying down in your sleeping bag!

Easy Food

If you’d like to save some dollars by packing at least some food to the festival, we’d recommend a couple easy meals. If you have a camping stove, an easy, hearty, no mess meal is a can of chili and a bag of ready-made rice. Throw it all in the same pot, and eat from the pot, and you’re good!

Trash Bag


Image Credit: 6AM

It’s a shame when the morning after a weekend music festival comes and you see people leaving piles of garbage in their camp spot. We at Festival Threads love the environment  and always do the best we can to be as conscientious as possible and this includes cleaning up after ourselves.

Remember the mantra ‘Leave no trace.’ Lots of music festivals are set in gorgeous, scenic nature venues. We go there because it’s beautiful, so wouldn’t you want to keep it beautiful?

Bring a box of garbage bags so you can easily separate your recyclables from your garbage. Plus, you can use a trash bag as a poncho if it starts raining!

-

Remember – every festival is different. Make sure to check each individual festival website for specifics on what is allowed and prohibited.