2011
Jess from Active Camping visited Global Gathering in July, read her tips....
Festival season is still in full swing and with V-Festival at Chelmsford and Weston Park, Creamfields, Bestival plus Reading and Leeds all still to come, Jess who manages the customer service and mail order at Active Camping visited her first festival this year when she attended Global Gathering in Stratford-upon-Avon at the end of July. Jess gives her festival tips, especially for festival first timers below:
My First Festival
I have just got back from Global Gathering festival; I had a great time and would recommend it to all ages! As this was my first festival I didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say there are quite a few essentials that you need to take!
I took an Outwell Self Inflating sleeping mat which was brilliant, some friends of mine hadn’t taken a sleeping mat and thought it would be fine to rough it for two nights, but by the second night they were complaining of a sore back. Also these mats are very light weight, easy to attach to rucksacks and they are self inflating so you don’t need to worry about a pump or getting breathless!
Another essential is a torch, the camp site is lit with flood lights but they don’t cover every where, and when trying to find something in your tent in the middle of the night a torch comes in very handy.
A must have is anti-bacterial hand gel, the toilets do have this but it runs out with in an hour of being cleaned. On the Subject of toilets, I would definitely take a Bog in a Bag toilet with me next time. Whatever festival you go to the toilets are awful, it’s a lot easier for the men but unfortunately when you’re a women you have to trek all the way to the portaloo toilets in the middle of the night. A Bog in a Bag would be much easier, cleaner and practical. They are also very discrete as they look like a little tripod seat and fold away in to a small, lightweight bag.
A little first aid kit that includes sun cream is always a good idea! Whether its because it turns into a lovely bright summers day and you need a little sun cream to stop your nose burning or perhaps the new shoes you bought especially for the festival start rubbing and you need a plaster, then they are always very handy!
With the English weather you can never tell what the weekend is going to bring until you get there, so it’s better to be safe then sorry. I would suggest taking a waterproof set, if it does rain you can still have a brilliant time but it will be a lot better if you aren’t wearing wet, soggy Jeans and are freezing cold. The Didriksons Tigris Waterproof sets are great; they come as a set with trousers and a jacket in a range of colours. They are really light weight and easy to pop on if the weather turns.
Obviously one of the most important things you will need is a tent! I took a Gelert Quick Pitch SS Compact Liberty Rock tent, it was very easy to pitch, you literally just let go of the tent and it pops up. It is really colourful and easy to find when you are in a huge field of tents and where every single one looks the same. The tent folds away into a small bag and is really light and easy to carry. It was very simple to use for a first time camper!
That is some of the essential festival gear you will need for your weekend! Wherever you are going, be sure to have a fantastic time.
