What to Bring to Coachella: The Best Snacks if You're Camping Coachella

Are you one of those people who go to Coachella? Better yet, are you one of those people who camp out at Coachella? Well, there’s good news about spending a weekend sleeping in a dusty-ass desert in a sparkly crop top just so you can see BLACKPINK, Bad Bunny, and Frank Ocean: If you’re camping at Coachella, you’re permitted to bring food! Regular festival goers can’t bring outside food or drink onto the festival grounds, but campers get special privileges. Take advantage of your special snack privileges with this list of what to bring to Coachella (food-wise, that is).

Trader Joe’s Roasted & Salted Fancy Mixed Nuts

I mean come on, you’d be nuts not to bring these along. Mixed nuts are portable, salty, and packed with nutrients to get you through the long desert days and nights. And not only does this ~fancy~ nut mix from TJ’s seem like it would perfectly complement the nuts-ness of Coachella (I mean you get to see all your favorite artists live!!! How cool is that?!?), it also tastes great. Editor-in-chief Justine Sterling said this “platonic ideal of mixed nuts” comes with cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans, and all the nuts are crunchy and perfectly salted. This mix certainly made our top 40.

Derby City Bourbon Barrel Wood Smoked Turkey Jerky

Sometimes you want beef jerky but you want to feel a tiny tad healthier so you choose a turkey jerky. Trust us, this one is so good it flat out does not feel like the healthier choice one bit. Contributor Danny Palumbo said this stuff tastes like it was made by a real person, like that “homemade jerky that you’d get from a big plastic jar at a gas station or corner store on a road trip.” In other words, it has a “pleasantly tender and meaty texture with a sweet, slightly peppery, smoky taste.” The perfect salty treat to curl up with in your tent after a long day of interpretive dancing to Björk.

Buffalo Dill Vegan Jerky

This Vegan Jerky is a veritable festival in your mouth. It’s so much like a festival, in fact, that you might not even have to go to Coachella (but you will anyway because you paid for it and also this vegan jerky is no Bad Bunny). Justine described this bad boy (bad bunny?) as having “the butteriness of Buffalo sauce with lots of creeping heat that warms your face. Then there’s the tang of dill—almost like a pickle.” If you are a vegan who likes buffalo sauce and pickles, misses jerky, and needs a snack, this here is what to bring to Coachella.

Snyder’s of Hanover Snaps

Pretzels, man. You can take these things anywhere which is how they made it onto our list of what to bring to Coachella. They are simple, salty, not too bad for you, and great for munching without getting any grease or Cheeto-esque stains on your flowy white skirt made of tassels and moonlight. Also, these pretzels are positively buttery. Danny called them “the perfect little morsel of salty, crunchy goodness,” and if you are on board with that, pick up a bag of these on your way out to the valley.

Lemon Lime Liquid IV

Lastly, Liquid IV. Electrolytes, baybee! We get it, it’s a festival. Certain things might happen that cause you to get dehydrated and that’s okay. That compounded with the fact that it is a desert gives you all the more reason to make sure you have some packets of Lemon Lime Liquid IV on hand (as well as a LOAD of water). And this stuff is not horrible tasting either! On the contrary, it’s quite good. Senior writer Jordan Myrick described it as “Gatorade, but with more Gatorade flavor, which is perfect because I’ve always felt that Gatorade needed a stronger taste.” They also noted that “It’s one of the less salty of the Liquid I.V. flavors we tried,” so if you are a hydration gal who doesn’t want a strong saltiness to her electrolyte drink, then this portable little bad boy (or ten of them) will fit in your clear plastic festival bag like a glove.