Preparing for the weather is the BEST thing you can do for any camping festival to ensure you have the very best experience possible! On top of that, making sure to pack ALL of the essentials is going to help create the most comfortable & vibey living quarters for you and your festy fam during the weekend. 

Survival Tip #1: Check The Weather!

With ANY camping experience, you want to make sure that you’re prepared to face the elements. You do NOT have the everyday luxuries of running water, a roof over your head, or heating or air conditioning, so make sure to remember the basics. 

If the forecast calls for RAIN, these are your must haves:

• Tent with a rain cover
• Tarp for under your tent
• Canopy for your hang out area
• Extra tarps to go underneath and on the sides of your canopy
• Tapestries to hang on walls of your canopy
• Extra tent stakes 
• Poncho and/or rainjacket
• Rain boots/combat boots
• Extra layers of clothing
• Extra socks
• Extra blankets
• Zip ties and/or rope 

Now, when I say a tarp for beneath your tent, make sure it’s dimensions are BIGGER than your tent. If you have a tarp border before you enter the tent, water is less likely to pool into your tent and you’re less likely to track mud or water inside of it. It also gives you a place to leave those muddy shoes so you don’t cause more of a mess. To avoid your shoes getting rained on, you’ll want to place your canopy so the edge is covering your tent entrance. Doing this makes for a patio feel when you step outside of the tent without ever leaving your handmade shelter. 

Having an additional tarp to use as the floor of your canopy will create a clean area to walk around without shoes on. If you want to connect the rain fly to your canopy, you can use those zip ties or a good old fashioned knot with some rope. You can pack a couple more tarps to use as the walls of your canopy to avoid any sideways rain drenching your belongings. If you want to make it feel a bit homier, then you can use tapestries as your walls instead. They will hold more water, but still do the job. 

We don’t want to forget that rain usually equals wind so DO NOT forget extra tent stakes for your tent and canopy. Trust me, you do NOT want to be that person chasing their tent/canopy as it flies away. I’ve witnessed it on more than one occasion.

Rain can also mean cold, so make sure to bring extra layers and socks. When the pair you wore to the festival gets soaked, you want a nice dry pair to throw on for just hanging around the campsite. My first year at Elements Music Festival, I was NOT prepared for the weather that Mother Nature threw my way. Looking back I wish I had more long pants, more socks and more blankets. 

Rain also means MUD so bring shoes that can handle a miniature swamp. Boots are a must in my book when it comes to rain. Firefly Music Festival 2014 I went into the mud pits with flip flops on and neither of them survived the suction of my foot being yanked out of the mud. Those $5 rubber thongs never stood a chance and were never seen again. 

If the forecast calls for HIGH HEAT, don’t even think about leaving these at home:

• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Lightweight long sleeves
• Bucket hat or wide brimmed hat
• Pashmina or other facial covering like a bandana
• Tent fan (electric or battery powered)
• Canopy to stay out of the sun
• Extra tarps
• Tapestries 
• Hydration pack
• Water
• Blender Bottle or Hydroflask
• Raveraide hydration sticks
• Sandals or flip flops

When the sun is beating down on you and you can’t take shelter, your skin becomes your shelter. Your skin is the only thing between you and the sun, so make sure to bring sunscreen, lightweight long sleeve clothing, and a bucket hat or pashmina to cover your head/neck. The pashmina will also come in handy for covering your face anytime it starts to get dusty. Instead of the mud pits you’d experience from the rain, when it’s hot and dry outside tons of dirt can get kicked up from the crowd, making it feel like you’re walking through a cloud of dust. Unless you want to wake up with all of that coating your throat, you’ll want a pashmina or facial covering to protect you from the air you’re breathing. The good news is, it’s easy to get fun and fashionable with these things by making them part of your festival outfits! A cute pair of sunglasses will also come in handy to protect your eyes from the dust and the big bright yellow ball in the sky. I experienced this dust cloud effect at Firefly, Okeechobee and Bonnaroo so check yourself before you wreck yourself. 

Now when it comes to the campsite, you’ll regret it if you don’t bring a canopy to be your living room for the weekend. Tents get EXTREMELY hot when the sun is out so having another covered area with airflow is a necessity. Battery powered or electric fans will allow you to sleep in a little bit longer as the sun is beginning to boil you alive in the tent, but nothing compares to the airflow of the wide open space under your canopy. Having those extra tarps or tapestries to be your walls will also help to shade you from any light creeping in. Without putting up any walls, you have a square of shade that moves as the sun moves. You’ll find yourself having to relocate your table, chairs and your cooler all too often.  

If you’re planning on hitting the early shows you’ll definitely want a bucket hat or pashmina to keep your head and shoulders shaded from the sun. You also want to make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day, as you can easily ruin your entire weekend if you get too dehydrated. Make sure to bring a hydration pack like the ones GenZ makes, so that you can easily carry it around with you and refill it throughout the day. Water refill stations are scattered all around the festival grounds so make sure you take a look at the map so you know where the closest place to fill up is. It’s also important to remember that you need to be replenishing lost electrolytes throughout the day, not just drinking water. Raveraide makes all-natural, vegan friendly hydration sticks that are loaded with electrolytes, vitamins, and nootropics to help you stay energized & clear throughout the weekend. Be sure to stock up with plenty of sticks for you and your fam, and bring some sort of blender bottle or hydroflask so you can easily mix it up and drink it throughout the day. 

If the forecast calls for COLD WEATHER, grab your sweater!

• Pashmina
• Extra Blankets 
• Something to boil water – hot food & drinks are saviors!
• Hand warmers or gloves
• Thick, fuzzy socks
• Fuzzy rave coat
• Onesie
• Sweatpants 
• Sweatshirt/sweater
• Warm hats or beanies

A pashmina is great for shading you from the heat, but also defending you against the cold. On top of that, fuzzy coats, thick socks and long sleeves will trap your heat and keep you warm during the show. If you want to take it one step further, pack your favorite onesie to wear around the campsite and into the festival! 

Extra blankets and layers to throw on when you get back to the campsite are EXTREMELY comforting after a long night in the cold. Girls… I know we love to say “hoes don’t get cold”, but let’s be honest ladies, WE DO! Especially for the cheeks when we break out the ass-less chaps, having some warm sweatpants waiting for you at the campsite is a god send. When I went to Elements Music Festival, I was backing it up against my friends to soak up their body heat before we got back to the campsite. After all, sharing is caring!

Now, obviously some of these lists overlap so make sure you have the items YOU’LL need for your unique experience. Some weekends will have a little bit of everything when it comes to weather so again, just make sure that you check what you’re going to be up against. There won’t ever be bad weather if you’re prepared for everything.