What to Bring to Warped Tour

I’m gearing up to go to Warped Tour tomorrow, so I thought I’d share some tips on what you should pack.

A tote bag or backpack
Some people go bag-less but if you plan on bringing food or buying any merch, it’s good to have a bag. A cheap tote will do, though I prefer a zippered tote so that you can swing it around without anything falling out. A lot of kids bring backpacks as they are much easier to mosh with! Definitely don’t bring your fancy leather purse.

Plastic bags for your electronics
On my first Warped Tour, I put my digital camera in my bag next to my water bottle…Big mistake! The perspiration from the water bottle got on the camera and it was ruined. So put all of your electronics in ziplock bags. Double bag it to be safer.

An empty or unopened water bottle
No matter what the venue rules are normally, Warped Tour will make sure that you can bring in an empty or unopened water bottle. They don’t want you to die. And I’m not being overdramatic here, people really have died of dehydration at Warped Tour so please do not be that person — keep hydrated! There are free water fill-up stations, but the lines can be long so I recommend you stop by a gas station on your way and pick up a full disposable water bottle. Just make sure you don’t open it! The venues don’t want you bringing in alcohol so they won’t allow any open beverage. A lot of venues will open it and toss the cap so bring an extra cap if you can.

A sandwich
As with water bottles, normal venue rules don’t apply here. You can’t bring a cooler or a giant stash (I’ve seen boxes of cheese-itz get trashed), but you shouldn’t have any problem with a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Bringing food saves you money and saves you time spent waiting in lines.

Sunscreen
It’s not absolutely necessary to bring it with you, but you definitely want to cover yourself in sunblock.

Toilet paper
I’d seen this tip floating around the internet for a long time and I never needed it until recently, it all depends on the venue. But you don’t want to find yourself in a porta-potty with no toilet paper so play it safe on this one. Stash some tissue or toilet paper into your bag.

An eyeglass case
This is only if you wear glasses, of course. I’m always nervous about breaking my glasses at shows, but if you can put them in a hard case in your bag then you know they’re safe.

Cash
This should be pretty obvious, but be sure to bring some money to buy merch, food and water. Some bands will accept credit cards, but everyone takes cash!

That’s all that I plan on bringing. Leave a comment if you have any other tips you’d like to share.