Pillar Article "how-to article"

How to pack for a festival adventure You want to be lightweight and move around with ease, but you also want to have everything you need right? This article will be your guide to successfully learning how to pack and pack correctly for the days adventure at the festival. First and fore most, you are going to need a camelback. Camelbacks are essentially a backpack with a big pouch for water. During blistering hot temperatures, and being on the move for 10+ hours of the day you are going to want to be prepared and have plenty water at the ready. Once you have your pouch of water secured, now it is time to think of other items you should place in the camelback. Secondly I would think to put some kind of tapestry or a blanket of some sorts along with you. Since there are not physical seats in the festival you are going to want to stay comfy instead of sitting on the dirt. Also, laying a tapestry or blanket on the ground will also let you claim some space in what will most certainly be a crowded stage when the show starts. After a blanket, you should look into bringing some kind of extra clothing. Especially if you do not plan on stopping back at the campsite, some extra clothing is essential when the sun goes down and the temperatures drop. The last thing you want to do is be uncomfortably cold and have to walk back to the campsite that is a half hour away. The last items to put in your backpack are small things such as your ticket, sunglasses, and possibly a hat to protect yourself from the sun. The next important piece you should bring with you for the day is a fanny pack. Fanny packs are a crucial part to packing for a festival that not that many people know about. Fanny packs allow access to very essential things that you will need throughout your day, that you are not going to want to take your backpack off for. (Especially during the headliner shows that make it difficult to take the backpack off due to the sheer amount of people). Not only is the fanny pack very fashionable in the festival world, it also carries great value. The maneuverability is very key, especially because one can just simply move the pack to their backside if it is every getting in their way. Key items that you should consider keeping in your fanny pack would be: chap stick, gum, candy, hand sanitizer, a bandana, cigarettes, lighter, wallet, ID, festival band, spare keys, and giving tree items. Now I know some of you are saying, that’s easy and I already knew most of that. But now we are going to move on to an aspect of packing for a festival that most people really slack in. This aspect is the camp site packing. I know what you thinking, I need a tent and poles to put it up, so what? But there is much more than that to think about when you get prepared to camp at the fest. Obviously the tent and poles are the first thing that you think about, but what’s next? The second thing you want to think about packing are canopies. The canopy is one of the most underrated festival item you can bring. Having a canopy protects you from the sun. Being sunburnt for the last three days of the festival because you didn’t bring a canopy is not a good time. Let me tell you from experience. And if your one of those “I don’t burn people” think again. Not only are you in the sun all day long while you are inside the festival, you are also in the sun as soon as you wake up, and before you go to bed without a canopy. Do yourself a favor and provide yourself with some shade and a safe place to get out of the sun and cool down. The next important piece of equipment you should bring are folding tables. May sound simple, but these things do much more than just providing a place to eat. Especially if you are with a good group of people, folding tables and chairs are a must in order to seat everyone and have everyone be comfortable after the festival lets out. After folding tables and chairs, one should highly consider bringing some protection….. For the campsite that is. I’m talking about bug spray, lotion, candles, lamps, and anything else you can think of. Even if you don’t think you will need it just bring it. Many of the festivals say that they spray for bugs on the festival grounds before attendees enter. But that is not always the case. Bugs can be a serious problem if you do not protect yourself and can be especially pesky at night when you are trying to sleep. Bring a form of light with you. It seems dumb to say but you would underestimate the amount of groups that do not bring anything to light up their campsite during the night hours. If your one of those people who prefers to be in the dark, then by all means don’t bring anything. If you’re someone that likes to see the person next to you when having a conversation then bring a form of light, or multiple forms. The last thing that you should consider bringing with you on your trip is a camp marker. A camp marker is something that separates your campsite from all others on the campground. In a crowd of 30,000 attendees you are going to want to bring something that differentiates you so that you can actually find your campsite again. Camp markers have a huge range, and can also be very creative. Find something that is sort of an inside joke for you and your friends and then run with it. If you can make something unique, you’ve found your camp marker, tie it down and then raise it high! If you do not bring one, good luck getting back to your campsite in one piece!