The best festival gear enhances the whole experience. Here are our choices for the stuff that’ll keep you playing hard and having fun at multi-day music events.
The Tunes
JBL
Party Box Encore Essential
Keep the festival stoke going no matter where you go with this compact speaker that delivers exceptional sound for its size, pumping out 100 watts of power and broadcasting a personal, music-synched light show that you can control. But the real selling point for the BRO faithful is the splashproof design that can handle beer spills or light rain. $300; jbl.com
The Shoes
Chaco
Chillos Sport
A solid pair of festival shoes are essential for long weekends of grooving. Our favorites give your toes plenty of room to breathe. Light and sturdy, Chillos also have great arch support and a corrective footbed system that ensures feet won’t hurt after hours of dancing. They even hold up for quick hikes between sets. $60; chacos.com
The Shirt
Mountain Hardwear
Men’s Shade Lite Short Sleeve
Don’t neglect the importance of a good shirt. Made for the mountains, this casual top breathes, keeps stink away, and even provides a bit of stretch. Pro tip: Keep your ID and debit card in the button-up pocket. $65; mountainhardwear.com
The Shelter
Decathlon Quecha
Fresh Base Living Area
With enough space to serve dinner at a table while it rains outside and the room to sleep up to 10 bedraggled festivarians, this big shelter is a must-have for party weekends. It’s simple to set up, can handle a stiff breeze, and battens up and down for airflow and privacy. $299; decathlon.com
The HUCK Bucket
All-purpose performance bucket
It’s almost impossible to break a HUCK Bucket. It beats your typical five-gallon bucket with we engineered several design features: non-skid feet with finger indents on the bottom, “spaghetti-pot” side handles with finger indents, and a stay-put main handle system with finger indents It’s a dependable, purpose-built product for all things outdoors. thehuckbucket.com.
The Party
Elevated Craft
Hybrid Cocktail Shaker
Bring the art of a good cocktail on the road. This sleek, stainless steel, double-wall-vacuum-insulated shaker includes a built-in strainer and a nifty measuring cup top, so you can always deliver the perfect pour. $70; elevatedcraft.com
The Pants
Patagonia
Performance Twill Jeans
We cannot stress enough how much we love performance jeans. Stretchy and stylish, these babies—made from fair trade organic cotton and polyester—have the chops to dance, boulder, hang out with your guitar, or head off on a hike. You just need to pack the one pair. $99; patagonia.com
The Cup
Hydaway
Tumbler
Packing for a big festival requires a good dose of minimalism. Ergo, we recommend this collapsible (but quite functional) cup with its groovy fest-appropriate artwork. $28; myhydaway.com
The Wow Factor
GoSun
Sport
While the rest of the festival heads wait in long lines for corn dogs, you can impress that special someone by roasting a full spread in this portable oven in just 20 minutes. Compact and weighing in at 7.5 pounds, it’s light and easy to stash in the back of even, say, a Prius. $349; gosun.co
