15 must haves for your festival campsite!

Top 10 Must Haves for Music Festival Camping

1. An easy-up Canopy If you are going to bring 1 thing, bring this. I was so jealous of other camper’s nice, cool, shaded camps. Having something you can stand or sit under in the shade is essential. It is much better than having to put your chairs in the shade from your car…..and having to move them every hour to follow the shade. (PS make sure you peg this down well! I saw many of these tumbeling across the campground from big gusts of wind!)

2. Rugs/mats/tarps. If you’re camping on grass, you’re lucky. The main reason I use mats is so I don’t have to roll out of my tent into the dirt…. Also, mats and rugs make your camp more inviting and comfortable!

3. Plastic Drawers. Assuming you’re camping with your car, these little guys are perfect for camping. I just take one. I store my toiletries in one drawer, snacks/food related items in another, and then random things like tools, first aid, flashlights and duct tape in the last one.

4. Hanging orginization. You can hang these on your canopy or even in your tent if its big/strong enough. There are tons of different options too. A lot of these are pretty common and you should be able to find in your home (or walmart)! Use this to store food, supplies, costumes, socks, whatever you want 🙂     5. Pre-made snacks that dont need to be chilled Before you leave home, make a little bin full of pre-measured snacks. Ideally you want something that wont go bad or melt and is easy and quick to eat! (PS this is a good way to make new friends)

6. Water jug with pump. This is a life saver. Way better than having to deal with those floppy water jug/bag things. And is easier than tipping over water jugs. Plus this can be put anywhere and is very convenient.

7. Foam mats. Remember these from pre school?! They’re the best for lining the floor of your tent, or even outside your tent in your camp. It’s comfortable, makes the ground more stable, cleaner, and makes everything more home-y.

8. Tables… You’ll want one. Whether if it’s for playing cards at, eating at, chillin’ at, or just having a place to put your stuff (speakers, snacks, etc). Tables are great! (don’t forget a table cloth for decoration!)

9. Solar lights. Awesome for finding your camp at night and also good for making sure you (or others) don’t trip on cords, pegs, etc… Plus, they look sweet!

10. Pop up laundry hamper/garbage bin. You can buy these things and they are actually made to be garbage bins for camping or garden waste, etc… but if you’re like me and have a laundry hamper that looks just like this, throw a garbage bag inside and bam = clean camp. (Having this on the last day, during tear-down is awesome and everyone in your camp will be using it!) Oh! and really don’t forget to bring tons of garbage bags. You won’t beleive how much garbage gets produced over the weekend.

11. Air mattresses or cots.  Walking around in the hot sun, being intoxicated all day and dancing all night isn’t exactly great on your body….so having a nice, comfortable place to come back to crash on is something you won’t regret.

12. Tarps/sarongs/tapestry/blankets/sheets. Basically anything that you can hang that will provide shade, privacy, and decoration. If you can find ones with cool designs, even better! (Tip: you can use a reflective, emergency blanket over your tent to reflect the sun/heat. And/or hang a tarp off your canopy and peg it out on an angle and place your tent underneath it. This way you can leave the fly off and can get air flow into your tent.)

13. Flags! More than just decoration! Make a tall, unique camp flag and fly it as high as you can! You will use this as a landmark to find your camp in the giant field of tents! (Helium balloons work too, however the hot sun does not make them last very long)

14. Campsite decor Little banner flags, lights, toys, lanterns, blow up/pool toys, etc. Going to dollar stores or Asian markets is a good place to find cheap, fun and colorful things!

15. Caribiner. These have tons of uses and bringing a bunch won’t be a bad idea, you’re sure to find a use for them so better safe than sorry. But the main reason I say to bring one, is to put a spare car key on it and then attach it to a hidden place on the outside of your vehicle. I have seen lock smiths driving through festival campgrounds before and I would HATE for that to have to happen. If you do lose your key, then at least you will have a spare set hooked onto the underside of your car. (Obviously make sure it is hidden and no one sees where you put it)

(none of the above pictures are mine)

DIY: Manifesto

1. First do some research to understand what a manifesto is and what it can look like. Manifestos are something everyone should write for their lives. A manifesto should be a guide to your life, a compass pointing you in your true north, a source of motivation, something to remind you of your priorities, and a foundation to building your life. Good examples are the lulu lemon poster, The Holstee manifesto, and my favorite, Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen.
2. Once you have an idea of what manifestos are, figure out and write down your core values, try to narrow it down between 5-10. Core values are the values we try to install in our children or look for in others when finding a spouse. Core values are the beliefs we have, whether it is about a faith, our health, our family, our work, etc… Core values should define who you are (or who you want to be). You can find lists of common core values online to help you out.
3. Next make a list of statements, quotes, wishes and/or advice. Write it all, you can narrow it down later. One thing I kept in mind while writing was ‘what do I want to be remembered by?’ or ‘what would I tell my grandchildren?’. Some things you may want to include are: dealing with failures, opportunities or daily interactions, asking yourself what you stand for, what you’re willing to die for, how you want to live your life, or changes you’d like to make in your life. (This step took me days to do). And like I mentioned before, you can find worksheets online to help you figure out what’s important to you.
4. Now that you have your core values and your list, start to narrow it down. Use your core values to remind you of what is truly important to you. I printed my list off and highlighted the things I really liked and then got rid of the rest. I did this several times until I was left with about 35 items.
5. Time to edit and review! Go thru your list and re-word or add/subtract words to make it sound awesome! You want to use strong language, keep it positive and uplifting, and write it in present tense.
6. After completing the last step I realized I had a few items that were a bit redundant so i deleted them. for example I had 2 different quotes about travel, but they were both about travel and I didn’t need 2. After doing this I was left with about 30 items.
7. The fun part! Now you get to organize and design it! If you know how to use Photoshop, awesome! If not, you can find cool typography makers online. Or you could even just type them out.
8. Once you’re finished, print it off and put it somewhere you can read every day. You could frame it or even get it printed on a canvas to hang as decor in your home!

                                                                  Here is mine!!        

                      

| sidnee