The Festival Survival Kit: Ten Must-Pack Items

If you want to enjoy a festival as much as you possibly can, you need to go prepared for anything. The last thing you need, when you’re stuck in the middle of a muddy field, is to find yourself needing something that you didn’t take with you. Rather than trusting the elements, and packing so light that you have nothing useful in your backpack, take a look at these ten must-pack items – just in case you need them.

Anorak

Even if the weather report says that it’s going to be a weekend filled with unfaltering sunshine, take an anorak. It wouldn’t be the first time that the weather reports are wrong! You can pick up a simple raincoat from George at ASDA if you don’t have one already, and with rainproof parkas available from £10, you won’t be breaking the bank.

Torch

If you’ve been to a festival before, you will know how hard it can be to navigate the sea of tents when you’re desperate for the loo. Take a torch with you and you won’t have to worry about tripping over guy ropes and falling into tents. We took headtorches for the kiddos as well.

Travel John

In fact, you can skip the trip to the loo in the early hours by taking some travel johns. These handy little things give you the ability to go to the toilet anywhere. And yes, they can be used by women as well as men. This is top of my shopping list for next time, walking across a dark field in the middle of the night is not fun!

Mallet

You can’t guarantee nice, even ground to pitch your tent, and if you can’t push the pegs in with your hands (or feet), a mallet will be the perfect tool.

Gaffa Tape

You never know when you’re going to need this tape that fixes pretty much anything. From fixing tent poles that have snapped, to patching up camping chairs and sleeping bags – it’s invaluable.

Camping Chair

Unless you’re happy finding a patch of grass that is litter-free to sit at the campsite, a camping chair will come in handy. Make sure, though, that when you’re not using it, you fold it up and put it in your tent – if you leave them outside, they have a habit of going walkies.

Toilet Roll

You can’t rely on the toilets at festivals being stocked with toilet roll all the time, so take some with you. Put some sheets into your bag, or pocket, when you’re spending some time in the arena, too.

Hand Sanitiser

As above, you can’t rely on there being hand sanitising foam in the loos either, so take your own to keep germs at bay. The bottles provided in the toilets emptied pretty quick, so having our own was vital.

Wellies

The last thing you will want during a 3 day festival is wet feet, so take along some wellies or boots that will keep your feet nice and dry.

Paracetamol

You know, for the morning after the night before…

While the festival survival kit includes plenty more than these items – bottled water, snacks, and for those who love a bit of comfort, a blow up bed and a pillow – these are a good place to start!