12 Coachella 2025 Automobile Tenting Errors to Skip

Pageant season has formally kicked off with tons of of 1000’s 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—significantly the automotive tenting mishap. Like everybody who wasn’t in Indio, Calif., for the occasion, I watched the chaos unfold from residence as a flurry of footage confirmed what went down on the campgrounds. 

TikTok was awash with viral POV (perspective) movies from 12-hour site visitors jams and tales of being denied entry to ingesting water and loos throughout the lengthy wait to enter the Coachella campgrounds. Attendees who paid not less than $600 for tickets and one other $150-plus to camp referred to as it a Fyre Pageant-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 automotive tenting errors and the simple hacks to enhance your total expertise, whether or not it’s touring with your individual personal bathe setup or taking additional measures to make sure you get a full evening’s sleep. Think about these Amazon tenting gear hacks to your subsequent journey—some value as little as $8 and will change the whole lot.

Mistake: Automobile tenting with no backup lavatory plan 

Answer: Dibbatu Disposable Urine Baggage

Let’s simply begin with the nitty gritty. It doesn’t matter what, entry to a rest room is a fundamental 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 competition, 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 reduction in an empty soda cup or some harmless particular person’s privateness bushes.

Mistake: Being unprepared for decent temperatures 

Answer: Gaiatop Mini Moveable Fan

It’s commonplace for daytime temperatures to exceed 90 levels Fahrenheit throughout Coachella. One automotive camper on TikTok mentioned, “Each morning once I get up within the truck, the solar comes via 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.” Maintain your tent from getting stuffy on sweltering days with a transportable fan. This $16 choice prices 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 may set it up anyplace and level it precisely the place you need it.

Mistake: Forgetting that temperatures drop at evening

Answer: Kelty Catena 30 Sleeping Bag

Right here’s the factor about deserts: Whereas they are often excruciatingly sizzling throughout the day, nights may be really frigid. Be ready for wild temperature swings with a high quality sleeping bag like this one from Kelty—an reasonably priced artificial down choice “for any informal or first-time camper,” Journey + Leisure testers mentioned. It’s rated for temps as little as 30 levels Fahrenheit and may 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

Answer: Safego Moveable Protected

Although campground theft at Coachella is uncommon, although 1000’s of campers attend annually, you’ll wish to maintain your valuables safe in your automotive once you step away. When tenting at festivals (or anyplace, truly), I like to recommend sticking small valuables on this mini moveable lockbox and attaching it to your steering wheel or one other fastened object inside your automobile.

Mistake: Operating out of battery energy to cost gadgets

Answer: 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 energy banks lastly run out of juice. There are not any charging hubs the place I usually camp, so I am going completely nowhere with out my Jackery generator and photo voltaic panel. It’s not as cumbersome as one would possibly suppose: 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’s best to have a bottomless provide of energy all weekend.

Mistake: Ready in lengthy traces for showers

Answer: Kipida 5-gallon Photo voltaic Bathe Bag

The TikTok consumer @mayifancyyou provided 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 rather more my fashion. I can prop this moveable bathe on the hood of my automotive for hand washing or dangle it for a semi-warm bathe anytime I would like—no ready in line required. Some Coachella attendees used a privateness tent at their campsite to take showers in, too.

Mistake: Shedding your tent to a gust of wind 

Answer: 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 enable metallic tent stakes, so your subsequent best choice is the plastic type that screws into the bottom, which occur to be simply as safe and simpler to make use of than the type you pound with a mallet.

Mistake: Not bringing sufficient snacks

Answer: Yeti Tundra 35 Cooler

Shopping for takeout for each meal once you’re touring actually provides up, particularly at locations like Coachella (the truth is, a standard woe for Weekend 1 attendees was restricted entry to meals whereas ready within the lengthy campground queues). As an alternative, spend money on a cooler that truly stays cool and get enthusiastic about reduce fruit and campsite cooking. Yeti is extensively thought-about to be the finest 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 be sure you maintain it out of the solar.

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

Answer: EcoNour Reflective Windshield Sunshade

A windshield sunshade is essentially the most ignored, underrated summer time tenting must-have in my e book. Whether or not you’re sleeping within the automotive or simply utilizing it to retailer objects like meals and electronics, you wish to maintain the inside from changing into an oven. This Amazon reviewer-favorite sunshade with over 75,000 five-star scores supposedly blocks 99 % of warmth. Individuals who dwell in actually sizzling climates—like, excessive temperatures within the vary of 124 levels Fahrenheit—mentioned it really works wonders.

Mistake: Spending $10 on a cup of black espresso

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

TikToker @amanderz7 has a query for Coachella campers: “Why are individuals shopping for $20 coffees and matches?” She continued, “That’s what’s going to make it a horrible expertise—counting on the competition 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 espresso 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 

Answer: Loop Ear Plugs

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

Mistake: Operating out of water 

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

Tenting within the warmth means it’s additional essential to remain hydrated, however the fewer journeys it’s a must to make to the water filling station, the higher. I puzzled whether or not the collapsible five-gallon jug I take advantage of can be possible for automotive tenting at locations like Coachella. Seems, the competition has no guidelines in opposition to filling massive containers, and Reddit commenters confirmed it’s not in opposition to campground etiquette—no person cares. So, pack solely what you want for the automotive trip and maintain this monumental jug folded up within the again till you’re able to replenish for the weekend. Think about 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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