festival.jpg

With this weekend marking the official start of summer, many of you will be looking to the skies and praying to the rain-god's to stay away. It's also the big kick-off for the UK festival season - School's out, work's on the back-burner and the sun is actually visible for once. This year's got all the potential to be a blast. However, if you haven't already got your festival plans finalised, we've got a little guide to get you sorted. Take heed, festival goers.

Choosing the right tent for you and your mates

The first step is choosing the right tent. You're going to be spending most of your time in and around it when not in front of the main stages, so you need somewhere that'll keep you warm, dry and give you a chance to get some sleep. Getting the right size is important, but first you've got to think about whos actually going to be in it.

Who will you share your tent with? Or are you going it alone? Do you need one large tent for you are your buddies, or are you splitting up into solo-pods? Think. Can you handle a snorer? These are essential questions you have to ask yourself. The tent will be your refuge from the world, whatever the weather, so you've got to be certain it's a place you'll want to be, in addition to being a dry, safe and secure place to chill.

You might be confused when thinking about which tent to choose, and there's good reason to be. Wander into any outdoor shop or look online and there's a plethora of, two, three and up to eight man tents on offer. Each tent size has its advantage sand disadvantages depending on what you're looking for.

For those of you who can't pitch a tent and would likely curl up into a ball if it started raining rather than crack on with building a shelter, you'll be happy to know that there's a style of tent for you. Known as pop-up tents, these quickly deploying tents literally pop open and are ready to climb into in a matter of seconds after pulling them out their packs. They're perfect for those who need shelter in a hurry, or are hopeless with their hands. Simply unpack your tent from its bag, fling it towards the ground and, hey presto - you're done. Just remember to peg it down or it'll blow away. Apart from that though, there's nothing else to do, just head down to the main stage!

Choosing the best camp spot and avoiding the toilets

If you've got the plan sorted and selected your tents, make sure you're pitching in the best spot within the main camping zone. It might be obvious, but avoid anywhere near toilets, busy pathways, trees or any inclines. Toilets are the clear worry; you don't want the smell, or worse, overflow approaching your tents, but what about the others? Busy pathways increase the amount of people that walk by which means people may stumble into your tent, there's more chance for theft and obviously ' noise.

Finally, although a shady tree or sheltered spot by a small hill might seem good - it really isn't. When queues for toilets build up people typically head to any natural feature they can find, hills, bushes, trees. You don't want to stumble back to your tent to find out it's in the middle of a newly formed toilet-swamp.

The icing on the cake should be making your mini-village distinct. You're likely to get lost wandering amongst the sea of tents, so make sure you're tent cluster stands out. Use helium balloons or a flag pole affixed to a tent or chair to allow you to see where you're camped from a distance.

Planning your own mini festival village

You'll want to plan your camp site layout with your mates before arriving. This applies universally, no matter if you're travelling with just one friend, or a bus load of them ' planning the perfect social, safe and separate camping area is essential. You'll need to think about orientation of the tents, where they are amongst the rest of the camp site, and making the layout work so that nobody uses it as a thoroughfare. This means you're all able to socialize without anyone walking through, hassle-free.

Padding out your crash pad

You've been partying all day and are stumbling back to your tent village, sunburned, tired, sore and hungry. You need the inside of your tent to be a relaxation zone, warm, safe and dry to allow you to recharge and get some rest. OK, rest might be a little bit optimistic; festivals are notoriously loud, so you should at least have some earplugs and a blindfold for sleeping. But staying warm, comfortable and dry are paramount. Need we repeat staying dry anymore?

Unless you're planning on sleeping on the floor of an empty tent, you're going to want a quality sleeping bag to come back to.

Sleeping bags come in all shapes and sizes for arctic conditions through to summer nights. Choosing one that's easy to get into, pack away and is comfortable should be the main priority here, rather than how extreme they are. Your tent will tend to warm up quickly in the morning once the sun is up anyway, so you just need something to get you through the night. Look for machine washable types to - It's likely you'll cover it in mud at the very least. Look towards foam roll mats or inflatable air beds too for that extra level of comfort if you can't face sleeping on the bare ground or if it's particularly cold or wet.

Arriving at the festival in style (early)

Most festival campsites open 3 or 4 days in advance of the main arena, so you'll have chance to pitch up early and avoid any crowds. Remember to check individual festival websites for any questions you may have as some items may be prohibited, such as camp stoves or larger style tents or gazebos.

Hauling your gear can be an ordeal too, so make sure that you've got large backpacks, wheelbarrows or things on wheels to get your stuff from A to B. However, even this can be a nightmare when cramming your car full or squeezing onto public transport. You might want to check if your festival offers a click and collect service. The UK retailer Halfords is one of these, covering V Festival, Bestival, Bloodstock and WOMAD, so you can order camping kit online and have it waiting for you at the campsite. It's a new phenomenon that's quickly catching on. But when you can order everything for home delivery, why not for festival delivery too? We like it!

Well, there you have it - Our guide to camping like a boss and setting up your own little spot of heaven at a festival. Keep the above points in mind when picking gear and picking a camping location and you're guaranteed to have a good time. Planning is everything, so be prepared! At least you can control this aspect of your trip, so if the weather makes it a wash out, at least you'll be snug in your well laid out tent, warm and dry.