WIRED updated its best festival gear guide in July 2026, refreshing picks and checking prices and accuracy across a field-tested list aimed at the usual festival failure modes: blisters, dehydration, dead phones and bad sleep.
The guide is billed as tested by a longtime festival attendee, with Lost Lands and Electric Forest named in the headline. WIRED says its editors choose featured products independently, though it also discloses that it may receive compensation from retailers or purchases made through its links. Translation: useful field notes, with affiliate plumbing attached.
What festival gear should you pack?
WIRED frames the answer as conditional: the right kit depends on the festival, weather and sleeping setup. Its core packing categories are less glamorous and more practical: hydration, charging, hearing protection, camp comfort, sun protection and a way to find friends when cell service gives up.
For electrolytes, WIRED names Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier as its top pick. The guide says the packets have concentrations high enough to help with hydration in hot, sweaty conditions, taste good enough that a group will actually drink them and take little room in a pocket or bag. Retail listings shown in the guide include $23 for a regular 16-serving pack, $21 for a sugar-free 14-serving pack and $23 for an immune-support 14-serving pack.
The Rumpl Backcountry Puffy Blanket is WIRED’s outdoor blanket pick. The guide says Rumpl blankets pack and unfold easily, can seat multiple people in many sizes, include hooks that let them work as a cape and clean up after dust, grass or spilled drinks. The Backcountry Puffy Blanket is listed at $148 on Amazon, while a Rumpl listing shown in the guide marks it down from $150 to $90.
For charging, WIRED picks the Anker 737 Power Bank at $110. The reviewer says festival phones may drain faster because poor service keeps them searching for a signal, or because they overheat in a bag. The Anker unit is described as neither the thinnest nor lightest option, but capable of charging quickly and topping off several devices per charge. WIRED’s reviewer says two of them kept a phone, speaker, Apple Watch and other essentials running through four-day festivals.
How does the Totem Labs Compass find friends without cell service?
The Totem Labs Compass, listed at $89, uses satellites and Totem’s proprietary mesh network, according to WIRED. After setup, users can walk toward a friend group by following a corresponding light color on the device, instead of hoping delayed texts arrive in the correct century.
WIRED says the Compass worked reliably for the reviewer’s group and added a sense of safety when going to stages alone. The caveats are also clear: setup can be tricky, battery life could be better and a multiday camping festival requires a way to recharge the trackers overnight.
For hearing protection, WIRED recommends Loop Experience 2 earplugs, listed at $35. The guide says they reduce volume without making the music sound muffled, come with a convenient flip-open case and are visible enough that friends can tell when the wearer is not taking dance-floor questions. It also lists Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs, described as comfortable but prone to getting dirty over years of use, and Loop Quiet 2 Ear Plugs for sleeping in a tent near noisy neighbors.
The guide’s other named and sectioned picks include the Fancii Abigail lighted mirror, plus categories for a camping stove, an inflatable couch, sun protection, more recommended festival gear and items described as fun but not necessary. Sensible hierarchy: water, power and ears first; vibes after the basics stop failing.
This story draws on original reporting from WIRED.
