LARP Packing List – The Ultimate List for Live Action Role Playing (with Printable List for Download)

Some LARP events offer sleeping facilities in the style of youth hostels. Most multi-day events, however, take place outdoors. Here, you will camp.

Many attendees of a LARP event own an IT-compliant tent, which is decorated in a medieval, fantasy, or post-apocalyptic style. Most of these are linen tents or yurts with guy ropes.

Important: Check the website of the event you want to attend. There is often the option to come with a regular modern tent as well. This is especially worthwhile if you are attending a LARP for the first time. Proper LARP tents with the corresponding look are quite expensive.

No matter what kind of tent you choose, it should definitely be wind- and waterproof. It might pay to buy storm-proof pegs. On top, you should also check whether your tent fits in the camping space calculated per person for the event – including guy ropes.

If you decide on an IT-compliant tent, you can choose from various shapes. Here are a few of them:

• Single-mast tent: These are good for one to a maximum of two people, as they have little overall space.
• A-tent/Wedge tent: So-called A-tents look flat from the front like an A and have a wooden frame over which a linen tarp is stretched. Depending on how cozy you make it, plus/minus three people can fit in here.
• Saxon tent: These are elongated tents with round ends.
• Knight tent: This often refers to a square tent with walls and decorative flaps.

Dedicated shops include larpzelte.com, Mittelalter-Zelte24.de or LARP-Zelte.com. Often, other players also sell their tents on Kleinanzeigen, Ebay or privately within LARP groups on platforms like Discord.

If your tent can accommodate it, I always recommend a cot. This way, you won’t be lying on the potentially cold and/or wet ground. You can also store items underneath it.

If you want to make the inside of your tent IT-compliant, you can of course dress up the cot or build yourself a wooden bed. But that is already advanced LARPing.

A high-quality air mattress is worth its weight in gold for LARP. Along with the cot, it forms the basis for your sleep. And good sleep is half the battle at LARP. The more comfortable you lie, the better.

I asked around in my LARP group and a sleeping bag for all seasons is essential for most. Yes, such a sleeping bag can be expensive. But if you can’t sleep because you’re too cold, you won’t get anything from the next day.

By the way, the same rule applies to your outfit: Layers. If necessary, also take pillows and several blankets with you. If you get too warm, you can simply slide a blanket off. But if you’re cold and already have all the blankets over you, it becomes difficult.

My bedding is my duvet from home plus a pillow and another two to three cozy blankets. In my first year at the Dragon Festival, I froze quite a lot and I don’t want to repeat that.

It gets bright quickly in tents. In group sleeping areas, someone always turns on the light sooner or later. To continue sleeping, I recommend a well-fitting sleep mask that keeps the sun away from you for as long as possible.

In 2025 at the Dragon Festival, I didn’t have one with me and even slept in a yurt with a larger hole in the roof. I was sometimes in bed until four in the morning, and at six in the morning the sun was up. Because I forgot my sleep mask, I was accordingly awake. Not cool.

No matter if you go to bed early and want to shut out the nighttime activities or if you want to sleep late and not roll off the cot with the families at 7 AM. Just like at a festival, ear protection is worth having at LARP.

I have had good experiences with ear plugs. Just check out what your local drugstore offers.

A seat doesn’t have to be an elegant Viking wedge chair, no worries. That’s just one option. It’s perfectly fine if you can just sit down on a picnic blanket. Alternatively, a cheap or used camping chair will suffice – just throw a blanket over it.

But one way or another, having a seat is incredibly important.

When it comes to food at longer events, it’s just like with sleeping: if you don’t take care of your nourishment, you probably won’t be able to enjoy the Grand Con to the fullest. So make sure to equip yourself with enough, preferably non-perishable food.

You could write an entire article about nutrition at multi-day events like the Dragon Festival. However, that would exceed the scope of this article. In my first two Grand Cons, I survived mainly on instant ramen, apples, crispbread, and trail mix. Just like at a music festival. Now that I have a larger group, we partially cook fresh food together or reheat pre-cooked meals.

Cooling is also an art at summer cons. My chief orc always brings a Styrofoam container filled with ice cubes, in which we store food for later days. Some may even resort to dry ice – but that is dangerous and should not be used by someone who is not knowledgeable about it.

I always recommend taking one to two six-packs of 1.5-liter water bottles with you. They can be found in every supermarket. Fresh drinking water is important. (Drink enough water!)

You will also need water for cooking, washing your hands, showering (if you have a camping shower with you), and doing the dishes. To avoid running back and forth to the water station three times a day, it’s best to buy one or more water containers with a capacity of 10 to 20 liters.

If the large containers take up too much space in the car, you can also look for accordion containers. They can be conveniently pushed together, but unfortunately do not have as much volume.

If you can, cook in style at LARP over an open fire. However, depending on local regulations and the possible transport volume, you will probably have to use a camping gas stove. They may not be as pretty as a grill or a cast-iron pot over an open flame, but they are space-saving and quick.

Remember to buy the appropriate gas cartridges.

Even if you plan to survive solely on instant soups: pack a few kitchen utensils. Knife, cutting board, cutlery, mixing bowl. And if you plan to cook on-site, the necessary kitchen equipment should naturally also be in your luggage.

Just remember: you’re probably camping. You’ll need to bring power outlets for electrical appliances in the form of portable power stations and mobile solar panels.

In theory, a pot belongs to cooking utensils. However, since a pot is essential – also for instant ramen – I’ve noted it as a separate point. Without it, it will be difficult to boil water or heat food. It doesn’t have to be a huge pot. But it should be one that works on your heat source of choice.

Besides cutlery, you also need a plate and/or a bowl from which you can eat.

Knife, fork, and spoon should definitely be in your luggage. And no, these don’t have to be IT-compliant immediately. Cutlery from your home is perfectly fine.

For the big and small kitchen accidents or also for garbage, it’s worth having kitchen rolls with you.

You will need to wash your cooking utensils. Sponges and dish soap are essential for this.

A bucket can serve as a water container for rinsing, but can also be used for cleaning or transport.

No matter if you just do a cat wash or if there are shower facilities on site: you should also take shower gel, shampoo, and everything else you need to shower with you on longer LARP events.

It’s best to pack one large and one small towel. For showering or to dry off after a possible rain shower.

LARP at large cons usually means camping and camping means a lot of dirt. Mud, fake blood, food coloring, dust… Bring some soap for handwashing. You will thank yourself for it.

My personal recommendation. Bring a long-lasting deodorant and apply it after washing. For you and for your environment.

From my experience, normal toilets are not always accessible at LARP. Sometimes they are too far away and the pressure is too high. Sometimes it just needs to be quick. Then the mobile toilets aka port-a-potties are your… friend? And you will definitely want toilet paper on a port-a-potty, which is often out. So it’s best to just bring your own.

Flip-flops are absolutely optional, but I like to have them for the showers at the Dragon Festival. It’s just more comfortable for your feet and the best way to avoid athlete’s foot.

A mirror for makeup, fixing your hair, or just checking the current state of your dark circles is always recommended.

You should definitely have a well-stocked first aid kit with you. For yourself but also for your fellow players. Something can always happen. For example, you can cut your finger while cutting apples or someone can scrape their knee.

It’s better to be prepared on-site than to be dependent on the paramedics.

If you regularly take medication, take them with you to LARP. This also applies to relevant emergency medications.

If you are allergic to wasp stings and need to carry an epinephrine auto-injector, it must not be left at home. The same applies to insulin or blood glucose meters.

If your medications require specific storage, think about that early.

Plasters are never unnecessary ballast and should definitely be included in every LARPer’s first aid kit!

To prevent a scraped knee or a burst blister from becoming infected, you should always carry wound disinfectant with you.

Yes, a visit to the paramedics is never a bad idea and is actually recommended for all kinds of injuries. But you should also be prepared for aftercare.

It’s best to bring pain relievers that you know you tolerate. This isn’t about heavy-duty painkillers, but light ones for headaches, for example.

If you end up with something that does not agree with you, it’s always advisable to pack an anti-diarrheal medication.

There are cooling bags that are activated like hand warmers by bending a plate. Such things help with a twisted ankle or if you happen to receive a LARP weapon too harshly against your arm.

Especially in high temperatures, you will sweat a lot. Having electrolytes with you to replenish your mineral balance is always a good idea.

Alternatively, they can help if you have looked too deeply into the tavern cup in the evening.

At LARP, the chance of picking up a tick in a field, meadow, or forest is unfortunately quite high. It’s therefore sensible to carry tick tweezers with you.

If you don’t trust yourself to remove it or the critter is in a bad spot: visit the paramedics.

Depending on what kind of clothing and armor you wear, you should build your repair kit. Needles, thread in the colors of your clothing, scissors, and so on should definitely be included.

For example, I wear leather armor, for which I hammered in over 1,100 rivets. Accordingly, I carry spare rivets, a rivet hammer, a small anvil, and other relevant equipment. Those who wear plate armor may pack polishing cloths and rust protection – depending on.

Pins are essential for quick repairs. Whether it’s about clothing, your tent, or the decor.

Duct tape can help where pins fail. Of course, it looks ugly when you patch a white linen tent with it. But if your tent has a hole for whatever reason, rain is forecast, and a complete repair is simply not possible, duct tape is your best friend.

For your flashlight, lanterns, and gadgets, you should always have enough spare batteries.

This is a recommendation from long-time LARPers in my camp. Specifically, the fir Ballistol can be used for leather care and as an insect repellent spray. It can also be used as a lubricant for squeaky armor. And a friend of mine swears that you can also use Ballistol to dress salads.

I myself have found that you can indeed use Ballistol as insect spray and have used it in leather care. However, I would never put it in a salad.

To keep your soft weapons nice and pliable, you should bring silicone spray with you.

Except in winter, it can always happen that your camp is visited by mosquitoes, wasps, and bugs. These little creatures also just want to live but can be very annoying. Therefore, it’s worth taking insect repellent, citronella candles, or incense coils with you.

You definitely need a change of clothes, and I don’t just mean underwear or socks. For your arrival and departure, it’s always worth having a second outfit of regular clothes with you. And you should definitely be able to swap out your IT clothes as well. It’s advisable to bring several linen shirts to wear under the fancy tunic. Pants also quickly get covered in dirt or just soaked. Having dry replacements is worthwhile.

You will definitely produce garbage, so pack trash bags.

A fire extinguisher is not a must, but it can save lives and property when something does catch fire. And with many ambient open fires and frequently increased forest fire warnings, this can indeed happen.

You have to transport all your stuff somehow! My advice: Ikea bags. The blue plastic bags are waterproof and offer enough space to store your belongings. They can also be easily slid under cots.

Of course, stylish wooden crates would be cooler. But they also take up more space. The only reason I’m slowly phasing them out is because of the wildlife that invaded me last time: In 2024, it rained so hard at the Dragon Festival that ants started storing their eggs in my clothes. And at the new site starting in 2026, things must be secured against the local raccoons.