Festival Gear You Didn’t Know You Need

Imagine the following scenario: you’ve plotted your summeresque fest itinerary, so the time to tick off some items from your festival gear list has finally come. But we’re not talking about the ubiquitous sunscreen and indispensable dancing sneakers – we wrote about those here. 

This rodeo is about the festival gadgets that deserve a place in your backpack. Especially during a weekend of tent hopping, where daily cardio means running between the main stage and your soul stage. 

At the end of the day, fresh festival equipment is all about keeping your phone battery charged, your mental sanity (somehow) intact, and your body unharmed – six-pack beer belt, anyone?

Whether you’re roaming Coachella‘s polo fields, raving your way to the mosh pit at Untold, or getting covered in dust and sand at the iconic Burning Man, you need a trunk full of high-quality gear. As a matter of fact, festivals are the number one enemy of 4G data, phone battery, and hearing health. 

Use your chakras wisely if you want to focus on what matters (music, double gins, weather forecast and all of that) and put these troublesome responsibilities on festival gadgets’ shoulders. 

Without further ado, here is our selection of tech-related festival gear you didn’t know were essential until you added them to the cart.

1. The lusty power bank

Truth be told, you are going to spend your weekend snapping pics and trying to get rid of that spotty reception – we’re pretty much talking about the activities that will drain your phone’s battery to the last drop.

You need something the size of a Snickers bar that will give your phone a full charge (maybe even two if you pray nicely to the festival gods). Good thing the power bank‘s claw is there to catch you.

2. Keep up the tunes with a Bluetooth speaker

When the main stage turns the lights off and the DJ takes a bow, the party doesn’t stop – it just goes back to the tent.

Thank God Bluetooth speakers work with any smart device, so you can stream Lost Frequencies‘ Tomorrowland set from YouTube or any other music-orientated apps.

You need a compact, portable speaker that a) features an outdoor-friendly design (you don’t want to accidentally trip over it, right?) and b) looks very smart. 

Ideally, you will need one with an impressive life battery too – if you don’t want to charge it as often as you brush your teeth.

3. Did someone say 4G hub?

We already know – for some of you, the simple thought of going offline for the weekend fills you up with cold sweat and holy terror. But FYI, while the festival grounds are a hotspot for socializing, they aren’t exactly a hotspot for Wi-Fi internet. 

While there will always be a handful of free Wi-Fi networks, they will be unencrypted – which means you might get enough internet to post an Instagram #selfie, but you’ll make your device an easy prey for hackers.

If you can’t live without internet access, 4G hotspots are the perfect festival gear. Those dongles will ensure a smooth web surfing experience by allowing you to connect up to 20 devices to your own personal network. Well, doesn’t that sound like a dream? 

4. Dress up your phone in a life-proof case

While the itinerary of your next festival journey will remain shrouded in mystery until further notice, one thing is for sure.

Your beloved smartphone is going to take a wild ride on the trauma rollercoaster. 

Common ailments include: getting crushed under the feet of thousands during Diplo’s set, dropped on rock-hard surfaces, temporarily lost in the bar queue, and aggressively chucked around in your bumbag. Your phone has a heart, too. 

An AI-fueled heart, but who cares?

Your smartphone is your wingman for snapping pictures, finding your fest gang, and keeping your family members updated. It deserves a trendy, unbeatable case to protect it from anything – from a gentle drizzle to an apocalyptic earthquake.

5. Those are earplugs and yes, they are for you 

We hate to sound like a nagging parent, but if you don’t want your precious ears to be a collateral victim of hearing damage, we highly recommend you keep a pair of earplugs in the depths of your pockets. 

Although earplugs were initially designed with musicians in mind, they morphed into a staple investment for hardcore festies. If you feel like splurging on your inestimable hearing health, you can invest in a pair that does more than protect you.

Thanks to recent technology advancements, wireless earbuds allow their user to control the volume levels by tweaking the audio with an app. Fix the stoned sound guy’s clashing vocals, crank up the bass, throw on some reverb, and groove to a mix of your own making.

6. 2-in-1 torches will be your savior 

Stumbling around in the pitch dark hours of the night, searching for the port-a-potties? Using a feeble pocket torch to find your red tent in a never-ending sea of other red tents? Good thing there is festival gear for that.

Let a 2-in-1 torch lead – and illuminate – the way. It pretty much gives you the best of both worlds by featuring a torch AND a tiny lantern. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, so just make sure you won’t get one that’s likely to end up in a muddy puddle. 

7. Stand in ovation for the Bluetooth tracker

When you are at a festival, shit can hit the fan when you don’t expect it and (quite ironically) when you least need it. The scenario where your camping location slipped your mind is not hard to picture – especially when a questionable boozy blur monopolized the last 48 hours.  

We have some good tidings – Bluetooth trackers are the festival gear that allows you monitor the location of whatever they’re attached to. You can clip it inside your tent. You can leave it in the car. 

Damn, you can even put it in your friends’ pockets if they get lost ten times easier than a toddler in a supermarket.

8. Get print-out gratification with an instant camera

Sure, smartphone cameras are great, but something about the retro vintage-style polaroids won’t let us look away or keep our credit cards untouched. 

These cute pocket-sized devices are your go-to choice when squinting at your iPhone gallery in sunlight is amongst the top ten things you hate the most.

With one click of a button, this festival gear will give you a physical rendition of the image you just posed for at your fingertips.

There are a plethora of choices out there. From Fujifilm to Lomography, almost every photography-related manufacturer has an instant camera – so you don’t have to stop at one.

9. We all love a good GoPro moment

Recording a festival walkthrough that will wipe away the blues during the no-fest season is on the cards when you have a GoPro. This festival gear might be pricey, but does that really matter if you can record Nina Kraviz‘s set hands-free? 

These wearable cameras will ensure no deed need goes unfilmed – from the set’s end to the magical moment when the guy from the front row is mid-air vomiting. The best thing about it? 

Your first-person visual perspective of the festival is digitally safeguarded – you can cherish Ultra‘s wizardry and Rolling Loud‘s delicious vibe whenever you press the play button.

10. Fuel your selfie-related narcissism with a selfie stick

Acting as your third – and longer – arm, the mighty selfie stick extends your phone camera to a meter in length.

If this doesn’t sound like the perfect way to get the ‘it’ group shot, we don’t know what will. 

We all have moments when we willingly immerse ourselves in the strange selfie craze.

But it’s for all the good reasons – we’re at the fest, we’re not getting any younger, and we’re living the moment.

We want to capture it and cherish it forever.