With festival season well and truly upon us, we thought it would be a good time to rustle up a list of our top 10 festival essentials. Things you really can't do without, unless of course you plan on wallowing around in the mud for 4 days without any sleep at all.
1. Tent (duh). Without this, you won't have anywhere to sleep. That could be an issue. I guess you could claim squatters rights in a toilet cubicle for the night, but the horrific smell might make that rather unappealing. You will need a cheap, ree-usable tent, nothing too elaborate.
2. Wellies. It's going to be muddy, lets face it. Sure, the weather forecast for the week before has been unbroken sunshine, but in your heart you just know that come festival weekend it's going to be raining cats and dogs. As above, you don't need to spend a fortune, rubber wellies will be perfectly fine.
3. Water Bottle / Carrier. We don't need to bore you with facts, but on this occasion we will anyway. Water makes up 2/3 of our bodyweight, so keeping hydrated is essential. Yes, clever clogs, beer is basically 95% water, but it doesn't hydrate you like water, in fact alcohol will actively dehydrate you. Those 10 pints that you thought were a good idea at the time will result in a net loss of around 1 litre of water from your body. Drinking water throughout the day will keep you hydrated and help avoid a nasty hangover that will confine you to your tent for the entirety of Sunday, missing your favourite headline act.
4. Sleeping Bag. Getting a good night's kip will ensure you wake up as fresh as a daisy, and ready for another day of partying hard! Most UK festivals take place in the summer months, so a 2 season sleeping bag should suffice.
5. Roll Mat. You can't see any stones beneath your tent, and there certainly weren't any when you pitched it - but I can assure you, when you try sleeping, a whole herd (?) of stones will magically appear from out of no where. A roll mat not only offers protection from stones and hard ground, it also offers insulation.
6. Wash Kit. Living care-free for 4 days without washing may sound fun, but in reality by day 3 your hair will be full of mud, beer and other, unconfirmed fluids and feel pretty damn disgusting. The Pits and Bits wash kit is perfect for festivals, with it's rinse free shampoo! It also includes a toothbrush.
7. Toothbrush. Because you don't want your mates to tag your photos on Facebook with the kebab from the previous night that has got stuck in your teeth.
8. Folding Chair. After a long day on your feet, it's nice to return to your tent and relax - you may even make that "Ahhhh" sound that accompanies a well deserved sit down. By all means treat yourself to a folding chair with a drinks holder.
9. Sledge. Bare with me on this one! At certain festivals, the distance between the car park and the festival campsite can be approximately 378 miles, over terrain that you would expect to find during an expedition up Kilimanjaro. Ok, I'm exaggerating, it's a short walk along a tarmac pavement - but with a ton of beer, tents and everything else listed above, you'll want something to help get it safely to the camp site. Obviously making two trips to the car just isn't an option. A cheap sledge does the job perfectly.
10. Ear Plugs. Because your mate in the tent next door snores like a rhino. That, and the fact there's always someone up at 4am walking to the toilet with what sounds like his own personal marching band.
I know I said 10, but this one really is rather important...
10 + 1. Toilet Roll. Don't forget it, just don't. In fact, pack it now whilst you remember.
So there we have it. Everything you need to survive (perhaps even enjoy!) a festival. Obviously there's personal belongings (and your ticket..) you'll probably want to consider as well, such as money for over-priced food (you could take a stove and some tins of beans, wayfayrer meals etc).
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| Festival season is in full swing! |
So, lets begin. I'll list them in order of importance from VERY to, errr... VERY.2. Wellies. It's going to be muddy, lets face it. Sure, the weather forecast for the week before has been unbroken sunshine, but in your heart you just know that come festival weekend it's going to be raining cats and dogs. As above, you don't need to spend a fortune, rubber wellies will be perfectly fine.5. Roll Mat. You can't see any stones beneath your tent, and there certainly weren't any when you pitched it - but I can assure you, when you try sleeping, a whole herd (?) of stones will magically appear from out of no where. A roll mat not only offers protection from stones and hard ground, it also offers insulation.I know I said 10, but this one really is rather important...
So there we have it. Everything you need to survive (perhaps even enjoy!) a festival. Obviously there's personal belongings (and your ticket..) you'll probably want to consider as well, such as money for over-priced food (you could take a stove and some tins of beans, wayfayrer meals etc).
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