So Coachella starts today and a little bit of my heart is crying right now. I attended Coachella on the infamous CADTOOL (Coachella and Disney trip of our lives) trip back in 2011 with Rachel, Courtney and Thea. And then last year I attended again with James on our Oregon/Cali Road Trip. Both times were amazing and both times I learned more about surviving Coachella. Let me be straight up with you, Coachella is very intense. I went in thinking it was a frilly dilly hippie festival but no. You need things to survive. And here my friends is my survival gear…aka festival faves. :)

1. Asos Kimono - Ok if you're going to a festival you need some cute trendy clothing. I'd be all up on kimonos because they serve not only as a beautiful covering when the sun goes down but also has a blanket to sit on when you want to sit back and enjoy the music from a distance.

2. Redoxon Vitamin Tablets - With being around so many people (and so many germs) it's best to be safe and pump up your vitamin c intake.

3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Bag - FYI you do not want to be carrying around a massive bag at a music festival. First of all, it's very annoying to be squished up near the front watching your fave band perform all the while getting bashed by the person's backpack in front of you. Secondly, you can't bring food or any cameras with detachable lenses into Coachella (the music part, not the camping part) so you don't really need a massive bag. I brought this bag last year and it was just perfect.

4. Gold Birkenstocks - You do A LOT of walking around and standing around so make sure you have super comfy sandals. I didn't wear the comfiest sandals, and it sucks. So if I ever go again, I'll be sure to bring some good quality sandals.

5. Clinique SPF 40 - It gets insanely hot in the desert so be sure to pack a good sunscreen!!

6. Cult Gaia Flower Crown - Your outfit isn't complete without a flower crown. (P.S. this one is on made sale!!!)

7. Baggu Fold Up Bag - Because it's boiling hot, you're obviously going to want to drink a lot of water. You can't bring any water bottles into the music part of the festival so you're forced to buy some (and then refill at their warm-ish water fountains). But to save money and avoid drinking the lukewarm fountain water, take advantage of the recycling program! For every 10 empty water bottles you collect you can exchange for one ICE COLD water bottle! And last year they introduced a whole lot more incentives (ferris wheel rides, posters, draws for VIP passes). It's actually super easy to collect empties because after every set people just leave their garbage everywhere. That is why a fold-up bag like this one comes in handy. Get your bag lady bottle collector on.

8. Bando Mobile Charger - Obvs you want to be tweeting, instagramming and facebooking all over Coachella. If that's the case, your battery is sure to run out at some point. They do have charging stations all over but who wants to sit around lots of sweaty people and wait for your phone to charge? Not me. Plug this bad boy into your phone and then instagram away.

9. Ray-Ban Sunnies - Self explanatory.

Extra Coachella tips-

Read the festival map VERY well and check out every exhibition. H & M has a magical tent where you get to drink water, charge your phone and freshen up at their beauty stations. I'm talking dry shampoo, wipes, sunscreen, the real deal. Also last year Fruttare had a tent where they just gave away free popsicles...ALL DAY. James and I didn't discover it until the second day, so be sure to read your map VERY WELL.

Plan your meals if you're camping! We ate amazing food because we planned out our meals and brought a camping stove. Festival food is amazing but very expensive so if you don't want to break the bank, plan some meals!

If you're camping onsite, bring a canopy with walls! The first year we went, we didn't bring a canopy and we were smoking hot by 7am. Last year James and I brought a canopy but only had mesh walls. It was better but could have been way better with solid walls. See you're VERY CLOSE to your neighbours and it can be a bit overwhelming. If you're like me and appreciate a bit of alone time then bring a canopy with solid walls or a tarp!