Touring Caravanning

Festival camping accessory must-haves

Our guide to the must-haves for all festival goers.

In pre-pandemic days, festival season in the UK ran from as early as February, through to October with the most well-known taking place from late spring/early summer. At the time of writing, (March 2021) the UK is on the cusp of relaxing lockdown restrictions and easing social movement. With fingers crossed that our favourite festivals will be able to go ahead in 2021, we take a look at those must-haves that the die-hard festival goer cannot do without!

The first rule of camping which is particularly relevant when camping on (often) private land at a festival is ‘leave no trace’. Festivals have notoriously created large amounts of waste over the years and it is vital that we do all we can to preserve and take care of our green spaces. To this end, bear in mind when packing for your festival that you will be responsible for carrying your belongings on to the site so make sure you do not over pack, which will remove the need to leave anything behind.

First on your list should be a tent – make sure your tent is big enough for ALL your things. The tent berth number i.e. a 2-man or a 4-man tent, is based on the number of people who can lay side by side in the tent and does not include luggage. For one person, a two man tent should do it. A shelter or porch would help for storing wellies out of harsh weather and stopping mud and rain getting into your sleeping space.

Next up is a sleeping bag and mattress! Indispensable if you want to wake up as refreshed and ready for the day ahead as possible, these are bulky items so consider attaching them to the outside of your rucksack.

Reusable water bottles make sense when keeping waste down is a priority. You won’t be leaving plastic bottles behind and refilling your bottle will save you money.

A torch is essential kit for making your way to the toilet after dark, avoiding guy lines and other obstacles on the way. A headlamp that can be worn rather than carried, will leave your hands free.

A camping chair or waterproof picnic blanket. If the festival extends over several days, returning to a chair in the evenings will be welcome. But remember that you will be carrying all your kit and manoeuvring a chair through a crowd can be dangerous. A picnic blanket on the ground may be enough for an overnight festival and will certainly be useful if you’re expecting rain showers.

Unless you plan to buy all your food from onsite vendors (expensive!), a stove and pans would be useful as would a cool box for drinks and perishable foods you take with you. A stove and pans can be split between people if you are travelling in a larger group.

Where clothes are concerned, we all know how unpredictable our weather can be so pack some waterproofs and a warm jumper for cooler summer evenings. Spare socks are also a good idea, particularly if there is wet mud around!

Travel-sized toiletries are not just for air travel and will not take up too much room. Remember a first aid kit – you may find yourself far from a first aid point. A small first aid kit can be packed easily and may come in handy.

So now that you’re all set, all you need to remember is your ticket, ID and money.

Have fun!