Rave accessories every raver actually needs
A short kit of accessories worth owning if you go to more than one rave a year. No filler, no glow sticks. What's worth the drawer space and what isn't.
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TL;DR. Four accessories worth keeping in a small drawer: iridescent pasties, mesh arm sleeves, fabric leg wraps, and a single body chain. Total cost under $90 if bought once. Skip kandi unless the trade culture matters to you, skip LED bracelets, skip themed costume pieces you’ll wear once.
The accessory aisle is where most ravers waste money. The Instagram fit shows a stack of body chains, three pairs of pasties, ten kandi bracelets, two arm sleeves, leg wraps, headpiece, sunglasses. Bought all-in, that’s a $200 spend for an outfit you’d put together once and then never replicate.
The four pieces below are the ones we actually reach for repeatedly. Bought together they cost under $90. Worn rotated, they cover most outfits.
The kit
The basics layer
Butterfly Pasties
These solve the bra-or-no-bra question, full stop. Under any sheer top, any backless piece, any bodysuit without internal cups. Adhesive holds through six hours of sweat. Reusable five to six times if you hand-wash and air dry. Sixteen dollars. The single highest-value purchase in the kit.
Buy two pairs. One in the bag, one in the drawer. Don’t lend.
The layer for the temperature swing
Mesh Arm Sleeves
Mesh sleeves run hot until 11pm and warm enough at 3am to count as actual warmth. Eighteen dollars. Pair with any sleeveless top, throw in the bag if you’re not committing.
Mesh sleeves also conceal a small wrist tattoo or an admittedly sweaty wrist if you’d rather not photograph either. Function and form.
The leg-level upgrade
Utility Leg Wraps
Twenty-four dollars. The accessory most likely to make a stranger compliment your outfit at the gates. Sold as a pair, three adjustable buckles per wrap.
Over bare legs at hot festivals, over thigh-highs at cold ones. The buckles can hold a small pocket if you’re handy with thread; we’ve sewn a card pocket into ours and it survives festivals.
The single statement
Chain Belt Harness
Twenty-eight dollars. The body chain that solves “I need something more on this outfit.” Crosses the waist, drapes the hip. Reads expensive in photos. Reads expensive in person too if the base is appropriately fitted.
One chain only. The instinct to layer chain over chain over chain produces a chaotic outfit and a tangled disaster at the end of the night.
What we’d skip
A few specific accessories that get hyped but rarely repay the drawer space:
- LED bracelets: battery dies by midnight, replacement cells cost more than the bracelet, and the wired aesthetic is over.
- Glow stick necklaces: same problem, plus a single broken one will stain everything in your bag.
- Big plastic chokers: bulky, uncomfortable in the moshpit, easy to lose.
- Themed festival costume pieces: anything with a single festival’s name printed on it. You’ll wear it once.
- Glitter pots without setting spray: glitter without setting spray is glitter on your phone, your wallet, your sheets, and someone else’s face by 2am. If you’re committing to glitter, commit to the setting spray too.
When does kandi fit in?
Kandi (the beaded bracelets traded via the P.L.U.R. handshake) is its own thing. It’s social rather than aesthetic. If you’re into the trade culture, kandi is invaluable. If you’re not, it’s clutter that you’ll have to explain at the door of certain venues. We don’t have a strong position; it’s a personal call.
The pack-and-go bag
The “everything you actually need” rave bag:
- The kit above (or some subset).
- Phone, ID, card.
- Hair tie.
- A small bottle of water if allowed.
- A backup pair of pasties.
- Lip balm.
- Setting spray.
- A wadded-up mesh top or thin layer for the temperature swing.
Total weight: about a pound. Fits in a crossbody or waist pack.
FAQ
What about earplugs?
Yes. Foam earplugs at $1 a pair, custom molded ones at $30, doesn’t matter, just bring some. Permanent hearing damage is real and the music sounds better at 75% volume than 100%.
Sunglasses at night?
For UV stages specifically, sunglasses muddy the lighting effects. For mainstages with intense lighting, they help. For the ride home in 5am sun, they’re necessary. So yes, bring a pair, but don’t wear them inside venues.
Fanny pack or crossbody?
Fanny pack for dancing, crossbody for walking. The waist pack stays out of the way during high-impact dancing; the crossbody is easier to access for a phone.
Are accessories worth taking to a club versus a festival?
Less so. Clubs read differently from festivals: less decoration, more cut and fit. Save the maximalist accessory days for outdoor festivals where they read in context.
How do I clean accessory metal that touched sweat?
Wipe with a soft cloth and a tiny bit of soap. Stainless and gunmetal hold up. Plated or coated metal will degrade faster; expect a year or two of light wear before plating wears off.