Gear Patrol

Ah, the music festival. Concert after concert under the hot sun, huge fields of camping fans, available yet astronomically priced food, and port-a-potties stretching to the horizon combine for a strange breed of “roughing it” with large doses of civilization mixed in. Prepare properly and you’re in for the weekend of a lifetime; shirk the prep and you’ll be poor and plenty grumpy come Sunday night. Here are ten pieces of gear — appropriately fitting the chaotic and not at all fashionable atmosphere you’ll come to know and love — to get your music festival experience on track for “Epic!” status. We’ll leave the collapsible peace pipe to you.

Packing for three weeks of travel could easily balloon into roller bags, laptop cases and fanny packs. If you’re staying in luxury hotels and somebody else is handling your gear, fine. Bring the sheepskin robe. But if you may have to spend full days carrying your luggage on your back, then you’re limited to the essentials. Here’s what I stuffed into my GORUCK GR2 for three weeks in Cuba.

Jack Rudy Co. Tonic Water You dropped a boatload of cash on the gin and vodka inhabitants of your liquor cabinet, so why are you mixing them with mass-produced swill? This tonic is small-batch made, blended with botanicals, cane sugar, and of course, quinine (suck it malaria). $22 (17 ounces) Snow Peak Lapel Torch Fifty-five…

After a rough day of solo backpacking and exploration, nothing rejuvenates like a good meal. Unfortunately, going it alone out in the field doesn’t always lend to the best of creature comforts. The Snow Peak Ozen Solo Table ($50) provides a level surface on the ground or in your tent and should at least make…

The Japanese are known for minimalist design and intelligent engineering; Snow Peak embraces those values in its new Mini Hozuki Lantern ($40). Styled after a traditional Japanese paper lantern just like its larger sibling, the Hozuki Lantern, the mini Hozuki is an elegantly simple battery-powered camping light that weighs all of 2.4 ounces, lasts up…

Here’s a new twist on an old dictum: dissatisfaction is the mother of all invention. This illustrates well what set accomplished mountaineer Yukio Yamai on the path to a superior stove that could meet all his needs without unnecessary clunkiness. His Baja Burner LI ($160) is simplicity and humbleness made tangible. Composed of stainless steel,…

Camping requires plenty of tradeoffs, but your morning routine is one area where you shouldn’t have to sacrifice. Highly functional and highly stylish brand Nau felt your pain and collaborated with Snow Peak to create the Nau luxe cafe kit ($125). It’s a lightweight set that provides most of the comfort of a typical brunch…

A lamp that utilizes the forces of gravity? Sounds gimmicky. But don’t judge a bud (sorry) by its cover. Instead of using E=MC2 for power, the Snow Peak Tulip Lantern ($150) relies on gravity to determine its method of light distribution. Inspired by the natural shape of a tulip bulb, the operation is deceivingly simple….

Titanium, the wonder metal, is used for a variety of things, from surgical screws to watch cases to bicycle frames. It is known for its resistance to corrosion, its incredible strength to weight ratio and its bio-compatibility. It is also difficult to machine and fairly expensive. But forget all that. Titanium just looks cool, which…

We’ve seen headlamps and we’ve seen hanging lanterns, but worthy combinations of the two? Not as many. Usually because of cumbersome operation. The Snow Peak SnowMiner ($50) headlamp solves that problem through its patent pending design, which involves a unique lens that quickly removes to transform the headlamp into a wide, 180 degree ambient light…

Consider the humble straw. Jabbed into a juice box or fast food beverage, discarded without a thought, it is a useful but overlooked tool. How else would you get that last bit of chocolate malt out of the bottom of your glass? But plastic is a four-letter word these days and straws suddenly seem wasteful….

Used on everything from the space shuttle (hat tip to you Atlantis) to golf clubs, titanium is an element that requires little explanation. It’s both lightweight and stronger than steel, and here in the form of the Snow Peak Titanium iPhone 4 Case ($120), totally bewitching. The ultra-thin case is made entirely in Japan using…

Since 1958, outdoor gear company Snow Peak has created outdoor gear that strikes a near-perfect balance of beautiful design and purposeful construction. The Japanese company, based in Sanjo City (locally known as “hardware town”) is renowned for applying lofty standards to all their products while “inspiring” a passion for the outdoors. One of their latest…