Packing the right gear can make or break your festival experience. Come prepared with these tent city essentials.
1. Chaco Men’s Nikolai and Women’s Raja Flips
Get around the festival grounds in the open-air comfort of Chaco’s flips. The Men’s Nikolai has a laid-back leather look up top and a sticky performance-minded sole below that’s made with 25 percent recycled materials. The Women’s Raja is a little sportier, featuring the similar gritty sole with the added durability of double-strapped webbing through the toe. $85 (Nikolai) and $60 (Raja); chacos.com
2. Yeti Roadie
This beast of a cooler will keep your favorite libations chilly for days. Yeti’s super-thick insulation and freezer-modeled seal offer bear-proof protection and storage longevity well beyond the average plastic cooler. The Roadie is a compact, portable model, just right for a long weekend in Tent City. $249.99; yeticoolers.com
3. Mountain Hardwear Optic 2.5
During festivals, you need the right tent to be your setbreak sanctuary. Mountain Hardwear’s new Optic 2.5 features a high, airy design that offers a little extra breathing room. The easy-pitch two-pole tent also features full-size doors that zip away to give you big open views of the surrounding landscape. $240; mountainhardwear.com
4. Smith Mastermind ChromaPop Polarized
Slipping on this incarnation of Smith’s Mastermind shades offers a vivid awakening for your eyes. It sounds like hyperbole, but the company’s relatively new ChromaPop technology delivers some serious advances in visual clarity. The lenses filter light in specific areas to optimize color, resulting in an unprecedented level of vibrance. You don’t need to understand the science; just enjoy the view. $208.95; smithoptics.com
5. Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed 600 3-Season
After long days of revelry, you need a comfortable night’s sleep. Snuggle into Sierra Designs’ new Backcountry Bed, which features wide shoulder design and an oversized integrated comforter that won’t hinder your natural sleeping position. The bag is stuffed with innovative DriDown filling—fluffy 600-fill goose down treated with a hydrophobic polymer to keep moisture to a minimum when the festival skies open. $399.95; sierradesigns.com
6. Patagonia A/C Shirt
Patagonia’s loosely woven organic cotton allows maximum airflow—a must when you’re wandering through a festival during the stifling Southern humidity. The performance-minded wicking fabric also dries fast, so you can quickly regain confidence when your pores start leaking. $79; patagonia.com
7. Patagonia Arbor Pack 26L
This old-school summit pack has been updated with modern details, so you can organize the small essentials you need to bring from stage to stage. Behind the generous main compartment a laptop sleeve doubles as a hydration reservoir, while the small zippered stash pocket is perfect for a phone, wallet, and sunscreen. $99; patagonia.com
8. Selk’ Bag
Yes, this is a sleeping bag with arms and legs. Yet it’s surprisingly functional and a fun way to stay warm. Wear your sleeping bag around the festival bonfire. And thanks to the reinforced nylon soles at the bottom of the bag, you can wander around the campgrounds like a sleepwalking mummy. No need to bring extra layers when you have the Selk’ Bag packed. $159; selkbagusa.com
