When you’re camping at a music festival, the best tunes at any given moment aren’t always coming from the festival stage. Sometimes, the campsite is alive with the sound of music. But only if you take the time to queue up your own music or setlist – and the means to play it. We’ve previously blogged about upgrading the (often lousy) audio gear that RV manufacturers install in their rigs. Our friends Kris and Nick did a pretty bad-ass job in that regard. We also blogged about companies like JL Audio in our South Florida backyard, who have broadly targeted the RV sector – and AirStream in particular – for next-gen RV audio.
Audiophiles who RV have complained for years about the lack of quality in RV stereo systems. Manufacturers have tossed together lackluster systems. But you can’t expect some $2 speaker to deliver hi-fi sound. But beyond hard-wired audio systems, how can you power up some sick or simply pleasant sounds in the campsite – regardless of whether you have a tent or an RV? Between Bluetooth systems, power sources, the tunes you play, or just a little ambiance, a little planning can have you singing sweet sounds to rock your soul.
Check out these five tips to make music an essential part of your campsite.
Bring your Bluetooth. The standard-issue Bluetooth-connected RV stereo has limited range and quality. You can step just outside – with literally a few yards and the camper’s wall between the smartphone and the receiver – and the Bluetooth can “skip” or struggle to stay connected. Here at RoadtripMojo, several Bluetooth devices that comprise our “sound system.” One is a Harman Kardon Onyx Studio. The disc-like speaker has full, rich sound and can be set atop a table or cooler inside or out. Our JBL Flip portable Bluetooth speaker (read our take on Bluetooth sounds here) is a full and rich and much smaller option. There’s a host of ruggedized and powerful stereos with long battery life that are great for the outdoor scene. Some even have built-in LED lighting – even flame-style lights – for a more full A/V effect. Sonos also has a nice line-up of indoor/outdoor products; we’ll check those out in a future review. We’re not going to dive into it here, but if you’re tenting, consider a solar panel to juice up your device batteries. (Just remember to stash your electronics when leaving the camp site)
Set your playlist. Having a go-ready stereo system is only as good as the tunes playing through it. Create or search for playlists in advance and have friends contribute. Create, curate, and share a playlist of different acts performing at upcoming festivals. Share the list(s) with the friends traveling with you, or with festival social media groups you’re part of, or on your own social media. Not interested in all that work? Let other festival goers and intrepid list makers do the heavy lifting. The 2019 Lockn Festival Playlist had 95 songs. Less than 12 hours after the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park announced the event, someone had posted a 2020 Suwannee Rising Festival Playlist of more than 60 songs on Spotify. A Peach Music Festival playlist had more than 120 songs.
Queue up your roadtrip playlists. In weeks leading up to the festival or your roadtrip, you might want to listen to the music to get comfortable with the acts and their most popular tunes. What about for the roadtrip itself? The music services have numerous playlists, or you can create your own.
Download them before you go. Ever tried to stream from a campground or music festival site? They both can be notoriously fickle with their wifi and cell service. You could be in the boonies – or have hundreds or thousands of fellow guest clamoring for the same meager bandwidth. Aside from the greater issue of how (or whether) to stay connected while at a festival, assuming you can’t, you’ll probably still want music (especially if you’ve read this far in this article). And if you use a streaming service, your stream won’t even trickle out any tunes. So whether a few songs, an entire playlist, or several playlists, download them for “offline” listening. They’ll be there when you want, and you can remove them when you’re done. Of course, if you have traditional iTunes, your music will always be there.
Make your own music. Whether you play music or just love it, become your own music venue. With a campfire going, invite guitarists to help form a pickin’ circle. You can bring percussion or other instruments for people to join in, or fashion your own bongo or cajone from a cooler, box, or some other drum-sounding accessory. We’re also fans of wind chimes for some ambient melodic sounds doing their melodic thing in the background (we always have our chimes on board, and two more permanently hung outside our home).
Watch the volume. Your sounds may be sweet as Tupelo honey. But that doesn’t mean your neighbors want to hear your chimes, Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, or Willie Nelson. We’ve had people complain about music from the outdoor stereo and even our wind chimes. And it can be a major buzzkill when the campground manager shows up in the golf cart after hours to say, “Tamp it down.” Be a conscientious fellow camper. Watch the volume – day or night. Maybe ask your neighbors if they’re cool with your music (if they seem chill, invite them over to hang out). And when you leave the campsite for a show, a hike, or just some time away, or you’re bunking down for the night, turn off the tunes outside.
Turning off can be a good call almost any time. After all, sometimes nothing beats the sound of birds or crickets doing their forest fauna serenade. So even if you have your Bluetooth speaker or Spotify playlist or windchimes hung up and ready to play, the best tunes might not be coming from the stage OR your rig.
They might be what Mother Nature’s providing.
And those are some pretty sweet sounds indeed.