The camping essentials - I've found a bargain which you all need to know about thread...

[rubick]

16 minutes ago, TheDayman said:

Not a link to a deal but defo an essential for me.

If you've a small tent (or even if you don't) - a poncho towel is a real winner.

Sticking one of these on over your smalls and just chilling outside your tent in the morning sun - coffee in hand - is a dream. A great way to start the day.

Just imagining dandering through Hendrix/Warhol in one of those yokes 😂

[TheDayman]

11 minutes ago, rubick said:

Just imagining dandering through Hendrix/Warhol in one of those yokes 😂

Horses for courses I suppose! 😂

[dondo]

On 3/26/2022 at 10:47 PM, Keverton said:

Has anyone got any recommendations for a charge bar to keep my mobile topped up? The one my wife and I used has expired since 2017 when I was last in the fields and I need to get a new one.  

Have a look on HUKD as some good deals get posted on there 

https://www.hotukdeals.com/search?q=power bank

But agree with what @Leyrulion said that Anker is a good brand but I have ones by EasyAcc and Baseus which are good (though the latter being bigger in capacity do weigh a lot).

[Adam75]

38 minutes ago, dondo said:

Have a look on HUKD as some good deals get posted on there 

https://www.hotukdeals.com/search?q=power bank

But agree with what @Leyrulion said that Anker is a good brand but I have ones by EasyAcc and Baseus which are good (though the latter being bigger in capacity do weigh a lot).

This one is a little chunky, but has huge capacity. I bought last year and it has been excellent. Fast and high capacity

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charmast-30000mAh-Portable-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B08Y6XBM8X?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

 

 

[dondo]

On 3/26/2022 at 10:47 PM, Keverton said:

Has anyone got any recommendations for a charge bar to keep my mobile topped up? The one my wife and I used has expired since 2017 when I was last in the fields and I need to get a new one.  

 

8 minutes ago, Adam75 said:

This one is a little chunky, but has huge capacity. I bought last year and it has been excellent. Fast and high capacity

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charmast-30000mAh-Portable-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B08Y6XBM8X?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

 

 

I've just bought this one and am awaiting delivery https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/baseus-bipow-digital-display-power-bank-30000mah-15w-4-ports-including-1x-type-c-ps2299-using-code-at-mymemory-3909068

I have another Baseus one which as I said above is pretty chunky/heavy but does have a big capacity (which also means takes a while to charge up itself)

[FrankieX]

  From another thread:

51 minutes ago, Big durbs said:

Thatchers gold on special at Sainsbury’s £8 for 10 pack 😉 .

just saying 

 

[spaniyell]

I used to have one of these Cyclaire pumps which finally died on my last camping trip, everything else is over a fiver, so I was surprised to find this for £3 delivered!  Bit bulky, but light and work well.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324250784577?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

[scatteredscreens]

Does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs for sleeping? I'm quite a heavy sleeper which can be a pain at festivals, looking to try out sleeping with some earplugs.

[merago]

4 minutes ago, scatteredscreens said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs for sleeping? I'm quite a heavy sleeper which can be a pain at festivals, looking to try out sleeping with some earplugs.

I use these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IW3XLNE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They're moldable, and once I've got them in comfortably I barely notice they're there.

Edited April 11, 2022 by merago

[scatteredscreens]

1 minute ago, merago said:

I use these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IW3XLNE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They're moldable, and once I've got them in comfortably I barely notice they're there.

Awesome, will look at these.

I'm not sure about getting reusable ones or ones like these, leaning more to these ones as they're mouldable and likely to block out sound much better (fingers crossed).

[incident]

6 hours ago, scatteredscreens said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs for sleeping? I'm quite a heavy sleeper which can be a pain at festivals, looking to try out sleeping with some earplugs.

Personally I'd say to go for disposable foam ones as the easiest option.. What's best for you will depend on your ear canal size and shape, but very generally speaking I'd say the ones to try out, from large to small are Max by Howard Leight / Honeywell, EAR Soft FX by 3M, and Sparkplugs by Moldex. Between those you'll have the "strongest" option available from each of the three largest manufacturers. All of them are rated above 30dB at low frequencies which is about as high as you can get.

My recommendation would be to take a look on eBay, where you can small quantities for a few quid, then try them each out and see what works for you. Personally I've settled on Max as my ear canals are seemingly larger.

[David_303]

6 hours ago, scatteredscreens said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs for sleeping? I'm quite a heavy sleeper which can be a pain at festivals, looking to try out sleeping with some earplugs.

These are brilliant - I've used them for years. Every single day. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Macks-Unisexs-Ultra-Plugs-Beige/dp/B0051U7W32/ref=asc_df_B0051U7W32/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309964069570&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13357748529121980872&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006944&hvtargid=pla-387111353261&psc=1

[dondo]

9 hours ago, scatteredscreens said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs for sleeping? I'm quite a heavy sleeper which can be a pain at festivals, looking to try out sleeping with some earplugs.

I use these and they're good

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quies-Pair-of-Foam-Earplugs-of-Earplugs-Pack-of-3-/403394609053?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

[sime]

Thought this might be useful for anyone with a pop up tent:

 

 

[FrankieX]

19 minutes ago, sime said:

Thought this might be useful for anyone with a pop up tent:

 

 

This brings back memories. I do not miss the old style of popup tents.

I'm also a little disappointed, as I was hoping the video would just be a reversed edit of someone putting one up. Literally the only way to show packing a popup tent with any kind of dignity.

[sime]

7 minutes ago, FrankieX said:

This brings back memories. I do not miss the old style of popup tents.

I'm also a little disappointed, as I was hoping the video would just be a reversed edit of someone putting one up. Literally the only way to show packing a popup tent with any kind of dignity.

I'll never use one. But I do find this video helpful. 

[am00]

12 hours ago, scatteredscreens said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs for sleeping? I'm quite a heavy sleeper which can be a pain at festivals, looking to try out sleeping with some earplugs.

Try "happy ears" I think they are Swedish! Boots sell them or Amazon or some chemists! 

[Beaver89]

The earplug for sleeping chat above has made me think of this. If anyone wants earplugs for watching bands and protecting hearing. I just swapped out some old uncomfortable, questionable earplugs for such things with these from Loop. They come with 3 sizes of rubber and 3 sizes of foam earpieces to get the right fit.

The real benefit is that (according to their website at least) the loop is designed to pick up the sound and funnel it to your ears like an earphone but at a -18db level. You can also add a further -5db with the mute which fits in the middle. Have used a couple of times and will be taking with me for any particularly load or sharp sounding shows.

I struggled for so long with my old ones not fitting properly, hurting or gumming with wax that I thought I'd share in case anyone has been similarly struggling to find decent ones without forming out for customs. They have two tiers below this with fewer features - this is the full whack version.

(Not a deal but a recommendation nonetheless)

[Leyrulion]

I use these for music, they claim to reduce noise with minimal loss of quality. https://eggzearplugs.com/

 Really recommend getting a decent pair like these or the ones above if you want to protect your hearing but don't want the quality loss that comes from foam or silicon. 

Strongly recommend different earplugs for sleeping and listening to music, you're trying to block different types of sound so they don't work for both tasks.

[Beaver89]

4 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

I use these for music, they claim to reduce noise with minimal loss of quality. https://eggzearplugs.com/

 Really recommend getting a decent pair like these or the ones above if you want to protect your hearing but don't want the quality loss that comes from foam or silicon. 

Strongly recommend different earplugs for sleeping and listening to music, you're trying to block different types of sound so they don't work for both tasks.

My old ones weren't those, which I have heard good things about, but they did have that multi-tier earpiece. Didn't get on with them at all for that reason. Found that style really uncomfortable.

For anyone who might be getting their first pair bear this in mind. Everyone's ears are different and it is critical to get the right fit for you. In the same way I can't handle the multi-tiered earbuds, others find the single ones don't work. It's also fairly common for each ear to need something different. Just be sure to have some with you. The naughty corner and tents can get quite intense and if you're exposed 16 hours a day, it's gonna take its toll. My tinnitus certainly thinks you should get some!

Also fully agree on the music vs sleeping different plugs. Very different uses.

[Leyrulion]

Just now, Beaver89 said:

My old ones weren't those, which I have heard good things about, but they did have that multi-tier earpiece. Didn't get on with them at all for that reason. Found that style really uncomfortable.

For anyone who might be getting their first pair bear this in mind. Everyone's ears are different and it is critical to get the right fit for you. In the same way I can't handle the multi-tiered earbuds, others find the single ones don't work. It's also fairly common for each ear to need something different. Just be sure to have some with you. The naughty corner and tents can get quite intense and if you're exposed 16 hours a day, it's gonna take its toll. My tinnitus certainly thinks you should get some!

Also fully agree on the music vs sleeping different plugs. Very different uses.

I bought mine in 2019 after I was sat in my mates flat on the Monday morning and could still hear the Temple.

[Beaver89]

22 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

I bought mine in 2019 after I was sat in my mates flat on the Monday morning and could still hear the Temple.

Haha! We've all been there!

I can still hear Ace of Spades from 2015 but I think that's a different phenomenon...

I'm actually really bad for carrying them but not wearing them. Though I learned the value when at Bestival 10 years ago and was going past the ship thing that was the outdoor late night dance stage and it was stupidly loud. It was too loud for me and I had earplugs in! It genuinely felt dangerous, maybe something had gone wrong? Anyway, since that experience I've been an advocate even if I don't take my own advice all that often. With the tinnitus having got worse through the lockdown months (some how?!) I'm taking it a little more seriously now.

[she bangs the drums]

I've been looking for an Vango Icarus tent for a while and it is finally in the sale with Go Outdoors.

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15980551/vango-icarus-500-deluxe-family-tent-15980551

It's been reduced to £229 and you can get another 15% off if you use code 15APR22 

I also got 7% cashback from my bank account so ended up £185 including £5 for membership card! 

I just thought i would post in case anyone else was looking for a similar tent, or wanted to take advantage of the 15% off.

[Leyrulion]

Was considering getting an extension to go over my existing 2 man tent to give me a little more room for five days rather than buy an entire new one. *

Anyone had experience of these? This one seems pretty cheap ATM from blacks.

https://www.blacks.co.uk/15894744/vango-gear-store-15894744

 

*Mostly to get another season out of it before I can justify splashing out on a larger 4 man fresh & black

Edited April 12, 2022 by Leyrulion

[tarw]

8 hours ago, Leyrulion said:

Was considering getting an extension to go over my existing 2 man tent to give me a little more room for five days rather than buy an entire new one. *

Anyone had experience of these? This one seems pretty cheap ATM from blacks.

https://www.blacks.co.uk/15894744/vango-gear-store-15894744

 

*Mostly to get another season out of it before I can justify splashing out on a larger 4 man fresh & black

I’ve got one and found it great. An area to store stuff and you can even sit in it if there is any wet stuff chat to your neighbours. 
 

can be a bit fiddly to put up and might not fit neatly on all tents but goes on my vango pop up a treat