Festival Hints

This might be a grower ;)
For anyone thinking of camping at places like Download Festival, V Festival, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds etc etc. I'm going to try and compile whatever clever little ideas I have used/come across before in the attempt that one day, a festival newbie will find this and it might just add to their experience. So here goes.

1. Kleenex Packets. Instead of loading up on toilet roll and other large bulky bum wiping items, small packets of tissues pack easier, are a lot more discreet, and can be carried around the main arena rather easily. Bit simple, but worth knowing.

2. Hexamine. Apparently a lot of festivals are starting to ban any form of gas for cooking, and only allowing solid fuel or BBQs. In this case, Hexamine will be one of very few options. Firstly, the round tabs take a hell of a lot more to light than the square ones. You're looking at either 4 round or 2 square to heat a small kettle full of water, or a couple of tins. The gas given off though requires that you cover the food in some way shape or form. I personally took the lid off a tin, and placed a mess tin over the top.

2.5. BBQs. A good companion to the Hexamine cooker is a disposable BBQ. The metal base can be used to sit the Hex cooker to create a decent wind block. And the metal grill can be used on top to create a good base for balancing tins of food. You may also want to use firelighters in the Hex cooker if the tabs refuse to start. PS, it will leave one heck of a mess.

3. Tins. Tins tins tins are fab. They keep in the heat, come with ring pulls, and take no time at all to heat up. My favourite by a country mile is a tin of hot dogs. You can usually buy bread from the campsite shop. Toast the bread on the BBQ whilst you heat the tin, then you can have like 8 hot dogs wrapped in toasted bread. When you are cold and hungry, who wouldn't?

4. Cuppas. Since alcohol and soft drinks are damned expensive at festivals, and not everyone fancies being a drunkard, a cheap alternative is Tea/Coffee. Boiling a kettle at night takes no time at all, and it also gives you a way of keeping warm. That and in some supermarkets they now sell sachets of UHT milk, which you can keep in the tent for the whole weekend without worrying about it spoiling and stinking out the place.

5. Baby wipes. Simple really, keeps you relatively clean without having to head for the showers.

6. Tents. Always go at least 1 man bigger than how many people you intend to sleep in there. Don't just think "there are 2 of us, I'll get a 2 man tent". My personal favourite is also the pop up tent. Especially when the rain starts, or you need to get the hell out of dodge on the final night.

7. Chairs. Camping chairs are a god send. So take one, because sitting on the floor might sound fine before you go, but is a nightmare whilst you're there. If you intend on travelling light, a camping stool should be your weapon of choice.

8. Clothing. Plan for all weathers. Hoodies, rain coats, shorts/skirts, vests, hats, and everything in between. It might be sunny when you leave, but this is England, and since when has the weather been predictable?

9. Hayfever. Funnily enough, standing in a field all day can affect those who suffer from hayfever, who knew? So plan way ahead and take your pills/sprays in advance. Whilst your there, make sure you take them as often as the manufacturers allow. My hayfever is pretty terrible so I took Loratadine, Cetirizine, and Beconase Spray. One thing to consider, and please keep in mind I have no previous medical background, but Syndol tablets contain Doxylamine Succinate, one of the most powerful antihistamines there is. It is one of the original antihistamines, so it is one of those that can make you drowsy. But hey, you're at a festival, so you shouldn't be driving or operating heavy machinery anyway. Just be aware that Syndol is also paracetemol, so watch how much you take.

10. Jet lighters. Completely impervious to rain and wind, and WILL light that damn BBQ I tells ya.

11. Towels. You never know when you'll need a towel. Read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

12. Radar Phone Apps. For some of the current wave of smartphones, there are apps that use GPS to "mark" where you are, and when you want to come back, they act like a Radar and point you back to where you were. The one I use is on Android and called CarDar. When you are parked at a festival, there can be another 100 000 patrons, so your car can easily be lost in the mist. Couple that with 5 days of partying, and people leaving, arriving, and general removal of landmarks, finding your car can be nigh on impossible. But using CarDar, I managed to return straight to my car, in the middle of the night, in a giant carpark. Brill :)

I'll add more as I think of them, but that's a good start isn't it? =]