Even the festival faithful need some swag. It’s an art to know what to bring to survive the show. Here we share our favorites to help enjoy the event in style.
Alite Designs Monarch Chair
The most important piece of festival gear is your seat … but lugging that lawn chair from tent city to the festival is a drag. Fear not, festivarian. This comfy, light, two-legged, rocking camp chair packs down to fit in your pack.
$60; alitedesigns.com
ENO Launch Pad Festival Blanket
Built with a rip-stop nylon bottom to withstand hours of grooving and including a mandatory stash pocket for, um, keys and stuff, this big blanket is a far cry from granny’s old moth-eaten wool relic you keep pulling out of the trunk.
$65; eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com
Gibbon Fun Line
Gibbon’s new Fun Line was designed with less bounce, wider webbing and grippy graphics so that kids and newbies could latch on. Those properties also make it ideal for wobbly festivarians who have been partaking but want something more challenging than that hula hoop.
$100; gibbonslacklines.com
I/O Bio Merino Track Jacket
With just enough hipster style to make it in hippieville, this wool track jacket is the ideal piece for when the sun goes down in festival land. Sustainable merino by its nature adapts to both heat and cold, making it quite versatile. It’s also naturally odor-resistant so it will even repel several days of that patchouli stink.
$130; io-bio.com
Nemo Asashi
The three-season, four-person, Asashi is our favorite car camping and event tent. It’s roomy at a total 63 square feet, yet packs down small enough (at 9.6 pounds) to stuff in your rocket box. And one feature that will keep you up after a day full of festival antics is the attached star chart of the constellations.
$399; nemoequipment.com
Osprey FlapJill
This pack offers the rainproofing and quick opening flap top of a trendy messenger bag—but with padded, airy backpack straps and ventilating back suspension. It’s the perfect size for hauling a day’s worth of stuff from tent city to the show. Back in the real world, it’s ideal for Denver bike commuting. (The FlapJill is designed for a lady’s geometry. The men’s version is the FlapJack).
$89; ospreypacks.com
Teva Forge Pro
Birkenstocks? Sreiously? Try a shoe that can dance all day and then head off for a core hike into the hills. It came as no surprise that the multitasking Forge Pro is the official shoe of the Teva Mountain Games.
$110; teva.com
Brunton BrewFire
Want to be the most popular folks in camp? Be the ones with fresh coffee every morning. Sure, this pot is probably more expensive than the one you have at home, but it’s also fueled by propane and so portable you can even carry it along to the show with you to ensure a constant supply of the coveted and powerful black liquid.
$161; brunton.com
ENO Hi-fi Speaker Case
When the show is over, the music can continue thank to this sturdy little MP3 player speaker system meant for anywhere from camp to the back of your crash pad van.
$25; eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com
Smartwool PhD Socks
Socks. We can never praise socks enough. Especially these merino wool masterpieces designed to give your feet some stability and repel the sweaty stench of a day spent dancing.
$13-20; smartwool.com
Wenger Ranger Grip 179
Swiss Army’s hot—the brand’s flagship retail store is about to open in downtown Boulder. And, hey, a multi tool is always handy (usually for cracking open a cold one from the comfort of your camp chair). Plus, this knife was designed for athletes in the Wenger Patagonian Adventure Race.
$70; wenger.com
