Instead of struggling through an inevitable weekend of mayhem, we’ve found it’s nice to leave a festival feeling refreshed and enlighted, not battered and dehydrated because we only bought one disposable water bottle and lost it whilst living on pot noodles all weekend in a cold, pillowless (and in our case collapsing) tent.
Reminiscing on all of our collective (and frankly crease) past blunders and with a finally developed frontal lobe, we’ve pulled together our 2025 guide of tried and tested bits so you lot can make it easy for yourselves while getting silly this summer…
CAMP
MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE – 3 MAN TENT
Securing a tent goes without saying, but rocking up to a soggy sleeping bag and destroyed portable charger after a rainy night on the dance floor can be somewhat of a buzzkill. Experiencing this brain scramble one too many times, we stopped f*cking around with the cheapest tents we could find and finally realised that investing in something slightly sturdier is more than worth the peace of mind it’ll bring you (took us a while but after road-testing Mountain Warehouse last year we finally found one). Side note, we’d recommend sizing up to a three man if you’re a solo camper cause the extra space makes changing, faffing and other tent activities a hell of a lot easier.
MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE – 65L RUCKSACK
Suitcases – a ball ache to drag over bobbly ground. Travel bags – too small to fit all the essentials. A mix ‘n’ match of totes – a nightmare for finding sh*t and sore on the shoulders. We’ve tried ’em all and nothing matches up to a classic backpack in our books. Weirdly being the least back breaking way to navigate the bumpy terrain and steep hills of a festival site, it also fits everything you’ll need for a four day event (if it doesn’t you’re defo overpacking – guilty) but make sure to grab one with double front clips because they make all the difference when it comes to comfort.
THE CLEAN BEAUTY CLUB – WONDER BALM
We all know that familiar end of the night feeling when the music’s done and people start flagging, fighting the walk-back-to-camp comedown (knowing full well the party’s going to continue back at base) … we’ve figured out how to hack this uncomfy part of the day, and that’s resetting with a lil hygiene cleanse for the wind down. We can’t be trekking around a load of space consuming toiletries, so this compact and soothing oil cleanser/cloth set is essential for melting away another day’s grubbiness. And when the time comes, we can sink into our sleeping bags feeling fresh and sleepy.
MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE – GROOVY SLEEPING BAG
Another trick for the transition into itching for another dance, to accepting we gotta sleep at some point, is creating a cosy tent environment to catch some well-needed ZZZs. It’s impossible to close end the day in a bad way when you’re cocooned in a rainbow, right?
JELLYCAT – RAINDROP & SUN PLUSHIE
While on the topic of keeping things snug, we can’t stress enough how nice it is coming back to a ‘lil squishy friend. These Jellycat babies are great for batting away any bad vibes and if you’re ever feeling spun out, surrounding yourself with fluffy, smiling plushies can help to bring you back in the room and provide a sense of home, making them well worthy of a space in the backpack.
SOLAR CENTRE – MUSHROOM SOLAR POWER LAMP
Navigating your tent at night using a phone torch with low battery, digging amongst bags one handed and stressed is OUT – treat yourself to a lamp to illuminates the whole tent. This colour changing mushy will do exactly that and top off your interior tent design with some colourful ambience.
PETER ALEXANDER – BLACK MULBERRY SILK & LILAC SATIN EYE MASK
Pack an eye mask and you’ll be mentally thanking yourself when the sun starts to rise right as you’re getting snug. While most of us only catch a couple of hours during the day, bringing the right things to help you hit REM and have some real rest will help keep you energised during a 4-day fezzie run.
HYDRO FLASK – ALL ROUND TUMBLR, INSULATED FOOD JAR, FLEX STRAW WATER BOTTLE
Don’t underestimate the power of an insulated flask, an unsung game changer for camp. If you’re like us and can’t start the day without a tea, or want to preserve some festival food for seconds, we keep these around to extend some hot comforts over the day – and don’t forget to bring an extra water bottle for your tent to avoid ending the night or starting the day with a chilly venture to the nearest water tap.
CROCS – CRUSH CLOG
Crocs are crucial for toilet runs, when all those bevs move from the belly and disturb your sleep, Crush Clogs make for a quick and sturdy dash across a dark and uneven terrain of tent ropes a lot more manageable, especially with their platform for when the mud kicks in and you gotta keep your toes from getting grubby.
OUT ‘N’ ABOUT
LOOP – EXPERIENCE 2 EARPLUGS
LOOP earplugs are a lifesaver for so many reasons, on top of protecting your delicate ears from the decibels, they help take the edge off overstimulation if you wanna weave a little closer to the speakers. Bonus it that they double as a sleeping aid to block out the fizzling conversations and snores that echo through the campsite.
BEAME – UV DETECTION STICKERS
No matter your age, most of us revert into kids at festivals, running around a little messily, lost in all of the colour, lights, music and installations around – as a result forgetting to top up our SPF and spend nights lying on a bumpy floor with sunburn. Instead of trying to do the impossible and keep track of time, we’ve invested in these adorable ‘lil splodges that detect UV and turn purple when it’s time to re-apply…ah peace of mind.
OCEAN FREEDOM – BLUE & PINK SPF SURF CLAY
While we’re tackling sunburn-related problems, Ocean Freedom designed Surf Clay as an ocean-safe SPF (which is a slay in itself), but we’ve also sussed this formula as a perfect all-rounder for festivals. Whether you’re heading to a waterside 24/7 beach weekend in Croatia or Welsh woodland sesh where it switches from sun to rain faster than a 160 bmp, a waterproof sunscreen that sticks will save you faffing every time you get wet.
THE PLSTR – PRINTED PLASTERS
Spending days stumbling around in nature, you’re naturally gonna collect a few cuts and scrapes, we’ve found a little colour in the first aid kit helps protect the scratch and the vibes making any tumbles an excuse to spice up a fezzie fit with these animal print plasters.
MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE – WATER BOTTLE WITH KARABINER
Reusable water bottle is standard, but one with a loop and karabiner combo allows for hands free grooving .This yellow diva is giving sunflower so she caught our eye, with a comfortable-to-carry size and cool metal interior to keep our water crisp, ready to clip onto the fit and get stuck in.
HAYMAX – ORGANIC ALOE VERA & FRANKINCENSE ALLERGEN BALM
No one wants to be popping antihistamines on the dance floor – instead, we’ll have the help of mother nature with these organic balms to stop any allergens bugging us when we’re tryna boogie.
MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE – LEOPARD PRINT WALKING BOOTS
We’re rarely out of stompers, but after days of wobbling around on uneven ground and a few rain showers, we do rate a pair of walking boots to give our ankles some relief and our Buffalos time to dry out – obviously leopard print to remain in tune with the camp and cunty energy of fezzie season.
MUUSH – RASPBERRY LYCHEE & BLOOD ORANGE GINGER LION’S MAINE INFUSED CANS
Think of it like a tinny, but healthy – when a break from the booze is needed we’ll be cracking open these Lion’s Mane infused sodas with a fruity, cider-esque taste – an elite substitute to pace yourself while still feeling like you’re part of the party.