Festival tips for novice campers 
Festival season is well underway, and for many, it’s their only experience of camping during the year. So if you’re a total novice camper, then it’s always good to arrive armed with plenty of tips to get the most out of your experience. We’ve pulled together 9 festival hacks that will help make your stay more enjoyable, and they couldn’t be simpler.
1. Avoid long festival shower queues, by taking your own
There are two types of festival in the UK. Muddy festivals, and sweaty festivals. Either way, after a couple of days you’re going to want to feel a little bit fresher. Our first tip is to avoid the dirty festival showers (and the huge queues that come with them) by taking your own shower with you. The Hi Gear solar shower is compact and holds up to 20l of water. An ideal way to help you feel fresher.
Shop: Hi Gear Solar Shower
2. Why not avoid the showers all together?
No, we’re not suggesting that you go without a wash, that would be crazy (and frankly smelly). All festival goers will be familiar with the babywipe bath, but there’s something better out there in the Pits & Bits Festival Wash set. This cleaning solution needs no additional water and comes with a bodywash and shampoo so you can freshen your whole body in the confines of your tent.
Shop: Pits & Bits Festival Wash Kit
3. Make your tent stand out
There’s nothing worse than trying to find your tent in a sea of very similar looking tents. Unless you’ve got a great photographic memory, you’ll find that you are often traipsing around, tripping over guy lines in the search for where you’re supposed to sleep. So make your tent stand out, bring a flag or some decorations – or why not go for a stand out tipi style tent. It’ll stand tall above all the other festival tents and makes for a great focal point.
Shop: Freedom Trail Apache Tipi
4. Cool down your tent using an emergency blanket
I know what you’re thinking, hot weather at a festival? When? If this year hadn’t been Glastonbury’s fallow year, it could well have been the hottest one ever. Shade is at a premium at festivals, and if it’s a warm morning, the heat will wake you up, and if you’re feeling a little delicate then that is NOT a fun situation. A simple and cheap emergency blanket over the top of your tent will help deflect some of that heat and keep the inside of your tent a little cooler, and in the heat – every little helps.
Shop: Hi Gear Emergency Blanket
5. Head torches keep your hands free for late night toilet visits
You’re always told to take a torch to a festival for those late night toilet trips (and to find things in your tent at night) but actually, we think a head torch is better suited. Strap it on, and you’ve got your hands free to carry loo roll and keep yourself balanced while you try get out of the obstacle course of guy lines on the way to the toilet block. Not only that, where do you put a normal torch when you actually go to the toilet? Head torches are the hygienic choice, nobody wants to put anything on a festival toilet floor.
Shop: Hi Gear Evo 2 Head Torch
6. Turn your water carrier into a lamp by using your head torch
Here’s another use for that head torch. If you strap it around your water carrier with the light facing inward, it makes for a great in-tent lamp so you can stay up and chat with your friends without blinding them with your torch.
Shop: Hi Gear Water Carrier
7. Use a frozen water bottle as an ice pack
Space is a premium in your festival kit, so if you plan to bring some food in a coolbag, why not use a frozen water bottle as the ice pack. It’ll do the same job as a freezer pack, plus you’ll have a nice cool drink.
Shop: Hi Gear Wide Mouth Water Bottle
8. Be wary of long queues and long distances between car and tent – a buggy can help
It often goes unmentioned but the distance between the car and where you end up pitching your tent can be quite considerable, depending on the size of the festival that you are going to. A gear buggy can make for a great way to shed some of the weight and pull along, rather than having to carry everything (because nobody wants to be holding all that weight when in a long queue). This Airgo variant folds down neatly and can be stored in your tent without taking up too much space. Be wary of the weather, as deep mud isn’t ideal for many buggies.
Shop: Airgo Gear Buggy
9. Keep your phone charged with a power bank
Long gone are the days of the Nokia 3310 lasting a full festival on one battery charge, phones these days are lucky to last longer than 24 hours. Most major festivals do offer charging points, but the queues can be big and you have to either sit with your phone (and miss valuable partying time) or leave it there. Taking a powerbank with you is a great way to charge your phone on your own time, and a charged phone means being able to find your friends and capture all those videos of bands that you’re probably never going to watch again.
Shop: Powerbanks
We hope you found some of these tips helpful, and perhaps there’s something for you to try at your next festival. Don’t forget that you can pick up all you need for your next festival at GO outdoors with our wide range of festival essentials.
Don’t know where to start with your festival camping kit? Check out our helpful Festival Checklist.
