Packing Tips for Festivals

As the new year gets underway, festival season “officially” opens. “But it’s still winter in North America, so festivals aren’t happening.” You’re right. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

We’re talking about the hype build up. By releasing lineups, festival organizers ensure that people everywhere get absolutely hyped.

What a lot of people don’t talk about when they mention their last trip to a festival, though, is the actual trip there. All that’s required in planning, packing, traveling, unloading, setting up, repacking, and driving back home. Sometimes, these things can be a blast and a breeze. Other times, they can be a huge pain to handle.

But we’re here to provide a few tips on packing your car to the brim the next time you drive 10+ hours to your favorite festival.

Check Reddit for lists.

Reddit almost always has a subforum for what you’re looking for. Festivals are no different. Check around to see what other festival goers recommend bringing and make a checklist to mark off items as you pack.

Boxes.

Whether you’re using a packaging box or cheap shipping boxes, fill boxes with different things and label them. This will make it easier to pack and plan ahead, first off, because you can put festival things in a box months before the actual festival without losing those things. Also, it allows you to pack things in your vehicle easier since everything isn’t strewn about haphazardly.

Take a truck.

Surely someone in your family or friend group has a truck that you may be able to borrow. Obviously if the festival is farther away, it’s tougher to convince someone to allow you to put a lot of miles on it, but still, having a truck is an absolute godsend because of how much extra room you’ll have and how much easier it is to pack a truck’s bed to the brim. (Note that having a bed cap is preferred to ward off rain when traveling down.) But if you’re unable to secure a truck from someone, taking a van or SUV still is far better than traveling down in a small car.