The music festival packing list you need, according to experts

As far as tents go, Stoic’s Madrone four-person model is roomy, weatherproof, fairly priced and brightly colored enough to locate it in the inevitable sea of camper chaos when you’re stumbling back to bed. Plus, with a small packed size of 22 inches by 7 inches, it’s easy to load into your trunk.

Want to protect your precious zzz’s? The Coleman Skydome Darkroom is a light sleeper’s haven for dozing well past sunrise. Not only does this baby block out 90% of the sun’s powerful rays but it’s a breeze to set up in just five minutes.

Alexander Polinsky, actor and lead singer for Make Magic, says he’s been a fan of this style of easy-set-up teepee tent for 10 years now, and the Vidalido model is his current favorite. “It comes with an extra tent pole to erect a shade awning, as shown and also does well in wind and rain,” he says.

Even if you’re camping alone, it can be pretty nice to sprawl out at night, just as you would at home. Exped’s MegaMat Duo 10 ensures that you can get a good chunk of rest amid the hustle and bustle of your festival experience, with both double and queen sizes available and an ultra-warm R-value of 8.1.

When it comes to backpacking, down is the lightest and warmest insulation you can find, but for car camping (especially with questionable weather, humidity and morning dew), synthetic is the way to go. It’s also more affordable than its animal-plucked counterpart. Nemo’s Tempo 20 sleeping bag has a wide shape to mimic the comfort of your at-home bedding and is rated down to 20 degrees to keep you safe and warm when temps dip.

“A good outdoor blanket is at the top of my list,” says Emmy-nominated travel and lifestyle writer Karim Orange, which is why she’s obsessing over Kelty’s Hoodligan top, which doubles as a colorful poncho. “It can get very cold at night in certain festival locations (especially in the desert), and sometimes you need something to sit on,” she says.

If you’re hell-bent on saving space or simply don’t mind catching some zzz’s on a twin-sized air mattress, Kelty’s self-inflating Waypoint sleeping pad is an excellent solution. Not only will you save time and energy not huffing and puffing to get your mattress blown up but you’ll enjoy its heavenly 3-inch thickness and toasty 5.6 R-value.

As I’ve entered my 30s, I’ve noticed that my neck doesn’t seem to enjoy sleeping in a tent as much as my brain does, so I always save a little space in my kit for an inflatable camping pillow. Nemo is, by far, my favorite brand, and the Fillo King is its most comfortable pillow yet, boasting premium foam and an ultra-soft, machine-washable jersey cover so you don’t dirty up your home pillows.

Trying to save money but still want an incredibly warm synthetic sleeping bag? Stoic has got you covered. Offering a water-resistant outer fabric, it fits campers up to six feet tall and comes in two radically different color schemes, Dark Olive and Gold Fusion.

Nova Han, creative director for Electric Forest festival, recommends tossing a set or two of collapsible food storage containers, like these, into your car before any festival, even if you intend on purchasing food from vendors. “They’re ideal for bringing food and snacks in or storing leftovers if you buy something at a stall,” she says.

Even the most sustainably minded music festivals leave a big footprint when you consider all the waste produced, and you can help reduce that waste (while avoiding flimsy, breakable vendor silverware) by clipping a set of easy-to-clean, biodegradable bamboo utensils, like these from To-Go Ware, onto your belt or backpack.

“When you wake up before the food vendors and need a nutritious smoothie quick, this is the item to get,” says Dayna Riesgo, producer and one of the founding members of Grand Artique, an immersive and innovative event production company. She adds that a portable blender, like this Hamilton Beach one, is great for whipping up afternoon slushies or a frothy coffee beverage.

When you know you’re going to be cooking at camp to save money or avoid long lines, you’ll still need a solid, easy-to-clean plate, bowl, cup and utensils set, which is where this kit from Australia-based Sea to Summit comes in. It’s made of colorful, reinforced polypropylene and the cutlery snaps together for easy transport.

Polinsky likes to cook his own gluten-free food at electronic festivals, which can leave a lot of dishes after meal time. He loves this collapsible silicone basin for easy clean-up when the time comes. “You can wash dishes, carry water or carry groceries. It’s light and folds flat so it can stash under the seat of your car,” he says.

Of course, you’ll need a portable camp stove handy if you want to boil water, sauté veggies or reheat leftovers back at camp, and Eureka’s two-burner Ignite model really delivers. Not only is it compact, affordable and easy to use but it offers a robust wind guard to ensure maximum fuel efficiency. Propane fuel is sold separately.

To keep your kitchen utensils and bowl handy throughout the day, you’ll want to clip them to your utility belt or to the back of your day pack with a sturdy carabiner so that they don’t go missing when you’re shaking your tail feathers. Polinsky says he likes this one because of its “handy lock,” so he keeps five or six of them attached to his gear. “You can latch your small tools and utensils to a bag or strap, then go,” he says.

“After staying up to watch the sunrise, this is the best trick for getting some much-needed morning and afternoon tent sleep,” says Riesgo. Ergonomically molded to fit your nose and eyes, Waoaw’s design makes sure you’ll get a totally blacked-out effect for maximum snooze time.

Porta-Potties are an unfortunate reality of every festival, and because biology is a cruel mistress, women often take the brunt of that discomfort. pStyle makes it easier for ladies to urinate in those plastic boxes of hell, by allowing them to stand up while doing it. Han says it’s “also great if you have a complicated outfit because you can use it through your zipper.”

“Because most summer festivals take place in environments where the sun wants to fight you, I take extra steps to maintain a cool body temp,” says Ian Shorr, who regularly performs at festivals as DJ Bamboom. “I start my day by soaking a Kafka’s Kool Tie in ice water and loop it around my neck when I leave camp,” he adds. Unlike a standard bandana, this cotton wrap is filled with polymer crystals that slowly release water to keep you cool for hours.

I got turned on to Vertra’s easy-to-pack sunscreen sticks when I was traveling the globe and wanted a good amount of sunscreen that didn’t require me to check luggage. Vertra’s Invisible Face Stick provides a solid and long-lasting (80 minutes of water resistance) SPF 45, and it can easily fit into a small pocket or fanny pack for reapplying throughout the day.

The main reason most of us attend festivals is to get our groove on to our favorite live music, and the Loop Experience Plus earplugs help you to do that without damaging your fragile inner ear. “These are the best for enjoying music and still being able to have a conversation, and there are different settings to adapt to your surroundings,” says Riesgo.

“My ADHD causes me to lose track of my stuff under normal circumstances, and that problem gets compounded when I’m at a festival and doing festival-y things,” says Shorr, “which is where the Chapstick leash comes in handy.” Coming in a variety of vibrant colors, these lip balm holders are stylish, simple and easy to clip on to almost anything.

Some days, I’m hit-or-miss on wearing sun hats to protect my eyes and skin because they often only come in basic trucker cap styles. Fortunately, Wallaroo has a huge variety of men’s and women’s hats that are rated UPF 50+. Plus, you can shove them into a bag and reshape them afterward, due to their specially designed travel-friendly weaves.

Polinsky is a huge fan of this collapsible, portable, color-changing light string. “It’s hella durable, rechargeable and it acts as a power bank as well.” The solar-charging functionality is a key feature for him as well. “It’s perfect for leaving out in the sun all day and then having a certain color to identify your tent for later when you’re stumbling back to your camp,” he says.

With temperatures rising and most festivals taking place in the summer and fall, it’s easy for dehydration to creep up at a festival. “Carrying a hydration backpack with H2O is essential,” says Orange. “This bag is made from sustainable materials and is big enough to hold all of your essentials and it’s light enough so you can travel comfortably,” she says.

Another key element to staying cool while hitting snooze in your tent is having a portable, rechargeable fan that keeps the air moving around. This one is “long-lasting and powerful,” says Riesgo, adding that it also acts as a tent light and phone charger, due to its included power bank.

Show a little skin (in moisture-wicking, four-way stretch fabric, no less) with Chubbies’ Movementum shorts, which are perfect for hot days spent sweating and dancing. “I basically live in these shorts now,” says adventure and travel writer Keith Langston. “With a 5.5-inch inseam, they’re perfectly above the knee and look stylish with some low-tops or flip flops. Plus, they’re moisture wicking and come in a variety of colors, from solids to patterns, perfect for building outfits of all kinds,” he says.

Trudging around from stage to stage just comes with the territory when attending a festival (I regularly hit 20,000 steps a day at my last soirée), which is why longtime festival performer Aryiel Hartman always brings moleskin with her to prevent blisters. “[This] sticks way better than a Band-Aid and provides better protection. You’re on your feet so much at festivals; make sure you treat them nicely,” she says.

The Nomadix Original Towel is “the only towel you will need,” according to the brand and Riesgo, thanks to its quick-drying, post-consumer recycled MicroTerry fabric. “[It] packs up small to fit in your shower caddy for festival wash-up time,” she says. Plus, the brand offers designs in loads of fun colors so you can show off your wild side.

Like Orange, Hartman feels that hydration is extra important when out and about at a music festival. “A CamelBak is a great and hands-free way to carry around your necessary fluids,” she says. “I recommend keeping it solely for water and replenishments rather than any sugary alcoholic drink, which will be hard to clean out.” The Light Bike Hydration Backpack is lighter in weight and smaller than the A.T.P. 26 that Orange recommended, ideal for hot days when you only need a snack and a thin layer for the evening.

If you want to ensure a killer night’s sleep, upgrading your standard foam earplugs to real-deal electronic noise-cancelers is a must. “We’ve all been there: You’ve just come back to camp after a big night, you desperately need sleep, but the hippie next door decides you really need to hear him playing the didgeridoo,” says Shorr, adding, “That’s when it’s time to put on some noise-canceling headphones. I connect mine to my phone and fall asleep to the Rain Rain app.”