Competition season has formally kicked off with tons of of hundreds of individuals flocking to the desert for Coachella 2025. Whereas festivalgoers are already prepping for the following massive occasion, Stagecoach, I am nonetheless not fairly over Weekend 1 of Coachella—particularly the car camping mishap. Like everybody who wasn’t in Indio, Calif., for the occasion, I watched the chaos unfold from dwelling as a flurry of footage confirmed what went down on the campgrounds. 

TikTok was awash with viral POV (point of view) videos from 12-hour visitors jams and tales of being denied entry to ingesting water and bathrooms throughout the lengthy wait to enter the Coachella campgrounds. Attendees who paid at the least $600 for tickets and one other $150-plus to camp known as it a Fyre Competition-esque journey nightmare. The organizers have apologized for the occasions, however there’s a lesson for campers right here, too. 

As somebody who lived full-time in vans and tents for 3 years, together with lengthy stints within the desert, I do know a factor or two in regards to the significance of being ready when tenting. Forward of peak tenting season, I’ve laid out the most important Coachella automobile tenting errors and the simple hacks to enhance your total expertise, whether or not it’s touring with your personal private shower setup or taking further measures to make sure you get a full evening’s sleep. Take into account these Amazon camping gear hacks to your subsequent journey—some price as little as $8 and will change every part.

Mistake: Automobile tenting with no backup toilet plan 

Resolution: Dibbatu Disposable Urine Baggage

Let’s simply begin with the nitty gritty. It doesn’t matter what, entry to a toilet is a primary human necessity—and but, it is one which festival-goers didn’t have entry to for hours forward of Coachella. Earlier than pitching a tent at a music pageant, within the backcountry, or at a campground which will have a damaged bathroom, you want a backup plan. Mine—buckle up, it’s not glamorous—is a disposable urine bag. Get your self a 12-pack for $8, and also you received’t have to hunt emergency aid in an empty soda cup or some harmless individual’s privateness bushes.

Mistake: Being unprepared for decent temperatures 

Resolution: Gaiatop Mini Moveable Fan

It’s common for daytime temperatures to exceed 90 levels Fahrenheit throughout Coachella. One automobile camper on TikTok mentioned, “Each morning once I get up within the truck, the solar comes by way of and I actually can’t even assist [that] my eyes simply begin crying. I simply begin crying the second I get up” as a result of it’s so “unbelievably sizzling.” Hold your tent from getting stuffy on sweltering days with a transportable fan. This $16 possibility expenses by USB cable and lasts eight to 10 hours earlier than working out of battery, in keeping with reviewers. It additionally has versatile legs so you’ll be able to set it up wherever and level it precisely the place you need it.

Mistake: Forgetting that temperatures drop at evening

Resolution: Kelty Catena 30 Sleeping Bag

Right here’s the factor about deserts: Whereas they are often excruciatingly sizzling throughout the day, nights will be actually frigid. Be ready for wild temperature swings with a quality sleeping bag like this one from Kelty—an reasonably priced artificial down possibility “for any informal or first-time camper,” Journey + Leisure testers mentioned. It’s rated for temps as little as 30 levels Fahrenheit and will be unzipped and used as a blanket, or zipped along with one other Kelty Catena to make a two-person bag.

Mistake: Leaving your campsite unsecured

Resolution: Safego Moveable Secure

Although campground theft at Coachella is uncommon, regardless that hundreds of campers attend every year, you’ll wish to preserve your valuables safe in your automobile while you step away. When tenting at festivals (or wherever, really), I like to recommend sticking small valuables on this mini transportable lockbox and attaching it to your steering wheel or one other mounted object inside your automobile.

Mistake: Operating out of battery energy to cost gadgets

Resolution: Jackery Photo voltaic Generator 240 v2 and 40W Mini Photo voltaic Panel

Festivalgoers warn on TikTok that the charging hubs at Coachella get packed by the final day, when everybody’s power banks lastly run out of juice. There are not any charging hubs the place I usually camp, so I’m going completely nowhere with out my Jackery generator and photo voltaic panel. It’s not as cumbersome as one would possibly assume: the mini panel weighs simply 2.6 kilos and folds as much as about 12 by 10 inches. The generator can cost an iPhone 12 instances, and with all of the sunshine hitting the photo voltaic panel out within the desert, it is best to have a bottomless provide of energy all weekend.

Mistake: Ready in lengthy traces for showers

Resolution: Kipida 5-gallon Photo voltaic Bathe Bag

The TikTok person @mayifancyyou supplied a glimpse into the bathe scenario at Coachella. Ready in line for the free showers for an hour and a half? No, thanks. Ready in line even longer for a $10 “Tremendous Duper” bathe? Completely not. Spending $15 on a 5-gallon bag with a hose is way more my model. I can prop this transportable bathe on the hood of my automobile for hand washing or dangle it for a semi-warm bathe anytime I need—no ready in line required. Some Coachella attendees used a privacy tent at their campsite to take showers in, too.

Mistake: Shedding your tent to a gust of wind 

Resolution: Fstop Labs Screw-style Tent Stakes 8-pack

Wind can actually upend a tenting journey. A single gust can catch the nylon partitions of your tent and ship your hard-earned setup hovering. However Coachella doesn’t even allow metallic tent stakes, so your subsequent most suitable choice is the plastic sort that screws into the bottom, which occur to be simply as safe and simpler to make use of than the sort you pound with a mallet.

Mistake: Not bringing sufficient snacks

Resolution: Yeti Tundra 35 Cooler

Shopping for takeout for each meal while you’re touring actually provides up, particularly at locations like Coachella (in truth, a standard woe for Weekend 1 attendees was restricted entry to meals whereas ready within the lengthy campground queues). As an alternative, put money into a cooler that truly stays cool and get enthusiastic about lower fruit and campsite cooking. Yeti is broadly thought of to be the best cooler model on the market, and its Tundra is the top-rated on Amazon for ice retention. For one of the best outcomes, drain the water from it earlier than including extra ice, and you’ll want to preserve it out of the solar.

Mistake: Letting the solar flip your automobile right into a sauna

Resolution: EcoNour Reflective Windshield Sunshade

A windshield sunshade is probably the most ignored, underrated summer camping must-have in my ebook. Whether or not you’re sleeping within the automobile or simply utilizing it to retailer gadgets like meals and electronics, you wish to preserve the inside from turning into an oven. This Amazon reviewer-favorite sunshade with over 75,000 five-star scores supposedly blocks 99 p.c of warmth. Individuals who dwell in actually sizzling climates—like, excessive temperatures in the range of 124 degrees Fahrenheit—mentioned it really works wonders.

Mistake: Spending $10 on a cup of black espresso

Resolution: Stanley Journey All-in-one Boil + Brew 32-oz French Press

TikToker @amanderz7 has a query for Coachella campers: “Why are folks shopping for $20 coffees and matches?» She continued, “That’s what’s going to make it a horrible expertise—counting on the pageant for meals, water, loos, all that.” The following time you want a pick-me-up, seize a pre-stocked chilly brew from the cooler or brew your self a cup of espresso on the campsite with a French press. This Stanley mug that boils and brews is the best, quickest answer to campsite coffee I’ve discovered. Professional tip for iced espresso lovers: brew within the morning and put it within the cooler for a day refresher.

Mistake: Making an attempt to sleep with out earplugs 

Resolution: Loop Ear Plugs

It may be laborious to get high quality sleep—or any sleep—in a packed campground, particularly one at a music pageant. A pair of earplugs may actually prevent from being drained and grumpy the following day. Loop makes them further cozy and with top-notch noise discount with out muffling an excessive amount of. You’ll be able to even put on them contained in the pageant to deliver the loudness down just a few notches. 

Mistake: Operating out of water 

Resolution: Umetass Collapsible 5-gallon Water Container 2-pack

Tenting within the warmth means it’s further vital to remain hydrated, however the fewer journeys it’s a must to make to the water filling station, the higher. I questioned whether or not the collapsible five-gallon jug I exploit can be possible for automobile tenting at locations like Coachella. Seems, the pageant has no guidelines towards filling massive containers, and Reddit commenters confirmed it’s not towards campground etiquette—no person cares. So, pack solely what you want for the automobile experience and preserve this huge jug folded up within the again till you’re able to refill for the weekend. Take into account additionally bringing a pal to the water station as a result of every of those jugs weighs over 40 kilos when full.

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