Saving space

[alibear]

My mates and I are all arriving at different times but will probably all be there by Wednesday afternoon. They'll be about 12 of us with about 5 arriving in the morning. Is it bad etiquette to save space for the remaining few? It hopefully won't be for longer than a couple of hours and I'm hoping it won't be too full by Wednesday afternoon anyway. It wouldn't bother me, as long as there was still space nearby, but I want to get some other people's thoughts on this as I don't want to piss my neighbours off!

[Redcanadahat]

i have mixed feelings about this...it takes the piss if someone is saving a massive amount of space but i reckon if you're saving space for like 2 (2 man/4 man) tents then it's okay.

get to know the ppl camping around you - be friendly and explain that you want to save the space. don't be surprised if they get annoyed by it though as not everyone is cool with stuff like that. but you might have friendly neigbours :-) good luck.

[MJMilz14]

Id say asking people to leave a little space so your mates can get in is fine.

Using duct tape to cordon off an area... not so cool.

[tvrobbie]

I think it's fair enough if you take a couple of spare tents and put them up for your friends. Loads of people do it so as long as you're not earmarking half a football pitch, it's fair enough. There's 5 of us going wednesday and we're taking 2 or 3 other tents to pitch for our friends when they get there thursday morning. If Ze Germans can get away with it on sun loungers, why can't we at Glasto?

[Titters]

Also depends where you are looking to camp - wouldn't be a problem in, say, Park - but doubt you'd get away with it overlooking the Pyramid...

[Aphex's twin]

Can you not take the ground sheets and peg them in so the space is filled?

[a robot]

not a lot of my campers can get wednesday off for glasto, so i usually take anything up to ten tents with me. i stick them up and they pay me in beers. i think that is fair enough. i am sure some people disagree but who really cares at the end of the day?

i wouldnt suggest taping off areas or just whacking groundsheets down though as this can potentially be a little bit annoying to people who walk up the field spotting a space to find it blocked off in that way. all our tents go in as close as possible and it works out fine

[robith]

I think it's fair enough if you take a couple of spare tents and put them up for your friends. Loads of people do it so as long as you're not earmarking half a football pitch, it's fair enough. There's 5 of us going wednesday and we're taking 2 or 3 other tents to pitch for our friends when they get there thursday morning. If Ze Germans can get away with it on sun loungers, why can't we at Glasto?

[scudetto_boy]

This is a tricky one because camping is a first come, first serve basis. If you can, save them a little space but it depends on the size of the area you want for them.

[clockworkpurple]

I would say take their tents if you can. If you've pitched a tent no one's gonna have an issue with that. It's the wanton taping off of space that pisses people off....

[themuel]

I am of the opinion that marking off space is not cool as [people see a space and then can't have it. Just a bit territorial.

However taking other peoples tents and getting them up for them I think is fine.

[Runner]

I'm probably repeating what others have said, but if you actually take and pitch their tents it shouldn't be a problem.

We did this last year, for a couple that were arriving Thursday.

Ok, so you have a bit more to carry but it saves pissing anyone off.

Peace

[Felna]

I'm probably repeating what others have said, but if you actually take and pitch their tents it shouldn't be a problem.

We did this last year, for a couple that were arriving Thursday.

Ok, so you have a bit more to carry but it saves pissing anyone off.

Peace

[ShadyBlueBell]

My mates and I are all arriving at different times but will probably all be there by Wednesday afternoon. They'll be about 12 of us with about 5 arriving in the morning. Is it bad etiquette to save space for the remaining few? It hopefully won't be for longer than a couple of hours and I'm hoping it won't be too full by Wednesday afternoon anyway. It wouldn't bother me, as long as there was still space nearby, but I want to get some other people's thoughts on this as I don't want to piss my neighbours off!

[Lynne Scratch Perry]

Yeah, taping off is bad, putting tents up is fair enough.

Who's to know there's no-one in them?!

We're in a similar boat, a few friends coming down on Wednesday evening. We're going to try to ask people politely, but if they won't we can't argue with them...

We can't take their tents as they're coming from a totally different area.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Lynne Scratch Perry

[ThomThomDrum]

Yeah take their tents and put them up........You just run the risk of pissing people off around you other wise...........We always go early to festivals and if others are arriving late we will bring their tents and pitch them for them...........if they dont give us their tent then they run the risk of camping somewhere else on their own as we will not dictate to others around us that certain spaces are "reserved".......You dont need the stress of policing the spare space TBH!!

[Insomaniac]

I agree with all the above, try and take the tents of those coming late. When you tape off an area you just appear to be a selfish c*nt. I remember a few Glastonbury's ago arriving in Pennards at 9.30am and some guy was fencing off a massive area, about 20 metres in diameter, with a wooden fence. There was about three tents in it.

I couldn't help laughing at the look of disdain he gave me as I took a short cut through his (practically empty) territory as though I had violated his space somehow. My laughter seem to piss him off even more which only made me laugh more. If I wasn't in such a hurry to go set up my tent I would have been tempted to ask for his deed of title to the land. Mind you it takes all types I suppose. Personally I find the fences people put up bloody annoying and have ripped them down in the past when I needed to get somewhere. It's hard enough getting through the campsite without having to deal with a maze of fences.

This year though I will be taking a black marker pen and paper and will be attaching signs to the fences such as "Please do not enter, we are c*nts who hate other people" or "Please keep children away, this area is reserved for paedophiles" or "Class A drugs available at reasonable prices, please come and ask".

Edited June 8, 2009 by Insomaniac

[Frenchie1973]

We'll be 5 tents altogether this year but we're arriving in a batch of 3 & a batch of 2 - whoever gets there first will definitely save space for the others until they arrive (only a couple of hours) but you have to just be considerate with it. I'd say, as long as it isn't for days, then if you follow these bits of common sense you shouldn't have a problem:

1) In advance suss out roughly how big your friends tents are (are they 3-man/10-man etc) so you know realistically what space they'll need.

2) Be clever about where you camp. Don't go to fields that fill up quickest i.e. Dragons/Williams or you'll just be creating problems for yourself. The areas near the Park don't usually get fully filled on Wed.

3) Once you get to the field - head to the biggest free space in it to make things easier.

4) Lay out the tents you have on the ground BEFORE you start putting each of them up. Then move them out just far enough from each other to leave spaces between them to accomodate the missing tents. If you face them inwards in a circle then you can always use the centre part as a communal get together and as long as you're all facing inwards then all other tents can pitch up close to your back flaps (ooh-er).

5) Don't be greedy with your space!!! It will all get filled eventually anyway.

6) Don't tape off any areas - you don't own the land!!!

7) I've done it a few times as we tend to share food & cooking between us a group and so it makes sense to be together. Explain to your nearest neighbours if you get worried and just be polite. One year a neighbour even helped me to keep a bit of space back in return for a cold beer and a loan of my electric pump for their airbed

Good luck!

[Curtains1]

My mates and I are all arriving at different times but will probably all be there by Wednesday afternoon. They'll be about 12 of us with about 5 arriving in the morning. Is it bad etiquette to save space for the remaining few? It hopefully won't be for longer than a couple of hours and I'm hoping it won't be too full by Wednesday afternoon anyway. It wouldn't bother me, as long as there was still space nearby, but I want to get some other people's thoughts on this as I don't want to piss my neighbours off!

[alibear]

Thanks for all your comments people; I reckon putting up their tent/taking ground sheets are the best ideas. That way I won't risk accidentally attempting to save too much space. I get the point about not having to be too close together anyway, but some are first-timers and would prefer to stay in a group, which is fair enough. They'll probably get into the spirit of things and wander off on their own anyway!

And there's no way I'd even think about taping areas off - I might as well just write 'I'm a complete tool' on my forehead instead.

[budvar]

And there's no way I'd even think about taping areas off - I might as well just write 'I'm a complete tool' on my forehead instead.

[ThomThomDrum]

what's the difference between taping off an area and puting up a tent (if it's the same space)?

[grandadcollective]

To save space this year - I've lost a stone.

(I loved that stone and hope to have him back one day)

[harper11]

people who tape off there little camp site also pissed me off

they arent really saving space just roping off their little tent circle and gazebo so that people cant walk through

if everyone did this no one could get to their tent

[maninkilt]

I think this is understandable but dont be surprised (or anoyed) if peolpe expect to take the space if room in that particular field is becoming rare.