Ultimate Music Festival Packing Guide + First Festival Tips
Lordy, lordy…the time is certainly upon us. It’s festival season (AKA Splendour Season) – a time to don floral headpieces, spritz on far too much eco friendly glitter, get absolutely totalled…and try to catch an act or two in the process. How good.
The Modern Gay’s Guide To Splendour
Camping
Brave. We love it. Camping is part of the quintessential Splendour in the Grass experience, and a part that will most likely become your absolute fav – here’s our top tips!
GET A GOOD TENT.
For the love of all things holy, get yourself a decent tent. We’ve all been there, you’re standing in Kmart, staring at those $30-40 dollar two man pop-up tents thinking ‘How Good! Too good to be true!’, well honey, that’s because it is. When it’s night two, and your trying to sleep in what feels like sub-arctic temperatures, you’re going to be feeling like a right idiot when you look over at your pal who’s splashed out that little bit extra and gotten themselves, what in comparisons will resemble the Taj Mahal. Don’t fall for the cheap tent trick.
PRO TIP: We recommend Kathmandu’s Retreat 80 3 Person Tent. This bad boy is small, durable, compact, WARM and truly is the perfect festival tent! It’s also on special just in time for Splendour #Thrifty, so grab one now!
SHOWERS.
Let’s face it, camping is gross. You’re gonna get muddy, sweaty, glittered and quite frankly, everything in-between. Mark our words, showering is going to be vital for your Splendour survival. As far as showers at a 3-day music festival go, the Splendour Showers are actually alright.
PRO TIP: Even though you’ll most likely be 110% wasted, showering in the evening/early hours of the morning is your best option. You’ll absolutely freeze on your walk back to camp, but you’ll save yourself 45+ minutes waiting hungover in the sun, lining up to the shower the following morning. Trust us, it’s your best option.
MARK YOUR TERRITORY.
If this is your first SITG, then you’re probably not accurately envisioning the Splendour camping grounds. Get ready for hundreds on hundreds of rows of tents, all of which making up the aptly named Splendour camping ground, ‘Tent City’. As we’re sure you can imagine, after a couple too many bevies, stumbling back to camp at 2am, and trying to find your camp site can be a h-u-g-e challenge.
PRO TIP: Get yourself a novelty foil balloon, that you can fly high above your camping ground, to help both you and your #SplendourSquad make it safely back to camp. It sounds redic, but you’ll thank us later.
ERECT A TOWN (CAMP) CENTRE.
This might sound obvious, but one that definitely leaves many a camp group in the lurch every year. Make sure you’ve organised a communal marquee or shade shelter (and chairs – obvi) to keep you and your pals both cool and shaded whilst getting your day drank on!
PRO TIP: Get your hands on a Retreat Compass Hub – you’ll pay a little more for this one, but let us tell ya’, it’ll be some of the best dollars that you’ll ever spend… it really is the Ritz-Carlton of communal marquees.
Festival Packing
Festival packing seems pretty straight forward, right? Everyone knows to pack their tops and their jeans, so we’re not going to dive into the trivial, but we do have a couple of ‘easy-to-forget’ items, and Modern Gay’s Guide top tips that we’d thought you’d ought to know!
- Chapsticks – Loose lips may sink ships, but dry lips can leave you questioning your will to live. Pack ya’ chapsticks…this is top of the list for a reason.
- Portable Chargers – If you forget these bad boys, you can forget checking your phone, uploading fab insta shots and/or calling your friends 400+ times when you lose them mid-set, deep in the mosh. You’ll want a reliable charger, because alike trash men, cheapies have a tendency to burn out v quickly.
PRO TIP: We recommend the Goal Zero Flip 30. Just like a hard to find man, it’s strong, reliable & absolutely no fuss! - A WARM Jacket – You’re probably thinking ‘derrrr’, but we’re not talking a cute little throw-over. You need, and this is no word of an exaggeration, a big bad jacket that will treat you well. Temperatures get sub-arctic in the evening, so you NEED a decent jacket.
PRO TIP: If you love yourself, you’ll be snatching up a Federate Men’s Stretch Down Hooded Jacket from Kathmandu. Honestly Kathman-do-it! - Socks – This sounds obvious to the absolute max, but if you don’t have socks galore, you’re the real idiot. You’ll need day socks, no-shows, night socks and more. You’ll never have too many pairs, because they’ll get wet, they’ll get lost and they’ll live a wilder ride than you’ll ever know.
PRO TIP: Pack stacks of socks. - A HAT – The evening may be brisk, but that doesn’t mean the daylight sun will be kind. You’ll want to think practical, but also look cute – it’s a delicate balance!
PRO TIP: Look cool, calm and collected in the fashion conscious Batu Cap. - A Decent Backpack – Again, this sounds redic, or maybe just obvious, but when you’re slugging your huge 2014 Euro trip hardshell suitcase across the dirt, opening and closing that huge case just to grab one little thing, you’ll be absolutely kicking yourself.
PRO TIP: Treat yourself, and grab a Federate Adapt Pack– you will not regret. - PrEP – If you’re planning on getting jiggy with it after the acts end, then play it safe, and play it responsibly. We all know that PrEP is a game changer in preventing HIV, but remember it doesn’t prevent from other diseases, so play it safe! Your pals from Durex will be floating around with free condoms, so don’t be a stranger!
PRO TIP: PrEP is less effective when left in the heat, so keep those bad boys out of direct sunlight.
Okay, well there you have it. Your last minute Modern Gay’s Guide 4-1-1 to ensuring you get the most out of Splendour. Have a ball, get wild, stay kind and have an absolutely splendid Splendour…and don’t forget to grab an incredible shot for the ‘gram!
