The six must

Feb 20, 2024

GLASTONBURY has kicked off a summer of festivals across the UK and millions of us will be camping out.

I've just returned from Worthy farm and here are my must-have items for making your camping experience better.

Outdoor Revolution Camp Star 500 Tent Bundle: We nicknamed this The Beast because it was so incredibly roomy.

You could easily sleep up to five people in this tent, which comes with matching carpet and footprint.

But even more impressive was how easy it was to put up.

Tents with inflatable tubes take all of the pain out of erecting a tent - it was up within ten minutes and took a similar amount of time to pack away.

From £450 at outdoorworlddirect.co.uk.

Collapsible sink: This might seem a bit excessive, but if you wear contact lenses then clean hands are a must – and at festivals, sanitiser won’t suffice.

This collapsible sink takes up very little space in your bag and gives you the luxury of a clean face each night.

From £6 at dunelm.com.

Ultim Comfort self-inflating mattress: OK, £85 is not cheap for an air mattress . . .  but this one, made by Quechua, is so comfy it feels like you’re lying in bed at home.

The self-inflating aspect did need some additional lung power, but the next-level comfort was more than worth it.

From £84.99 at Decathlon stores nationwide or from decathlon.co.uk.

Camping trolley: This was a gamechanger – I sauntered past all the other festival-goers, who were struggling under the weight of their rucksacks and crates of beer, with this trolley, which carried a tent, mattress, rucksack and my groceries.

Easy to steer over bumpy ground, it also folded up compactly once onsite.

Quechua camping trolley, from £89.99 at Decathlon stores nationwide or from decathlon.co.uk.

Foldable full-length mirror: For those who love a bit of festival fashion, this foldable mirror allows you to get a top-to-toe look at your outfit before leaving the tent each day.

From £45 at magicmirroruk.com.

Recycled beach mat-bag: A genius oversized tote bag by clothing brand Animal, which unzips into a full-sized beach mat.

We’re not sure if it was intentional, but the padded material also acts as insulation to keep drinks cool.

So you can carry your beers to the campsite, then lie back in comfort to enjoy them.

From £30, at mountainwarehouse.com.