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

[ColdSideofthePillow]

Anyone got a link to some decent karrimors?

Cheers

[Harry3]

yeah didnt they buy a few brands and the quality of those brands have gone downhill?

their walking trainers deffo arent up to the standard of the top makes

Says on Wikipedia that since being bought, Karrimor is now made in China rather than the UK, "Even Karrimor isnt British anymore!!! "

got a fleece from them for £12 this year for skiing and it seems pretty good, spose you cant go wrong with a fleece though?

[kalifire]

Are chairs actually useful? I don't imagine it would be very practical to haul one into a big crowd and ask those around you to make space so you can sit in it (although the locals have an annoying habit of doing this on the Sunday, and squeal the moment the edge of your walking shoe so much as grazes their precious blanket... anyway...). I guess the convenience would be to sit by your tent I suppose, but as somebody who's going alone, I think I'd rather amble around until I find a patch of grass somewhere.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Anyone got a link to some decent karrimors?

Cheers

I bought these for £60 a couple of weeks back:

http://www.karrimor.com/karrimor-ksb-300-waterproof-mens-walking-boots-182413?colcode=18241303

My previous pair of - broadly similar - Karrimor boots did me 7 years. By way of comparison, a vastly more expensive pair of North Face boots did me about 18 months.

Edit to say: the first Karrimor boots were Sports Direct era as well.

Edited April 13, 2015 by CaledonianGonzo

[bennyboi]

Fits into a bag roughly a metre long and about 3/4 food wide. Nice and compact considering it's a pretty huge tent!

It is! Only thing that I'd change is the porch opening bit, The stands holding the opening up were a bit flimsy but more than likely we just had it set it up wrong. Great tent all the same!

Working in metric & imperial, mixing it right up

[bennyboi]

These things are the way forward, Woof boots.

There waterproof & fleece lined & a peice of piss to get on and off. There like a walking boot welly hybrid. About £35 most places

[CaledonianGonzo]

[bennyboi]

I'm a bit more contemporary I use a riding crop & Gas mask.

But the resemblance is striking, I shall refer to them as my f*ck me boots from now on

[frostypaw]

These things are the way forward, Woof boots.

There waterproof & fleece lined & a peice of piss to get on and off. There like a walking boot welly hybrid. About £35 most places

These look gorgeous but I've been in mud that would reach the top of those at the big G and splashes are a bitch

Having gone through the gaiter malarkey again at Boomtown's wets last year it's all about single piece wellies, with a neoprene upper and no twattish useless side buckle just for looks (rules out Hunters then)

[frostypaw]

Are chairs actually useful?

Yes. Though your point about going alone does rather kybosh the reason I'm about to give

Having done with and without it's hard to underestimate how good it has felt on saturdays/sundays when I've gone without and I've finally caved or borrowed a mate's - you're a lot of weight on your feet for that many days and it's lovely to all sit and chat at camp in comfort

However fuck taking one into the crowd, maybe some broken sunday back of crowd mumble-alongs, but not proper festival going. And gotta get one good enough that you take it home so you have it next year, ain't much expense over a bunch of festivals and a summer of lounging in the garden or park ahead

Edited April 13, 2015 by frostypaw

[LondonTom]

Was going say similar to FrostyPaw about the chairs, can be a god send but on your own/if coming by public transport...its one of those things you do without tbh ...but yeah sod carrying one around all day. Would rather sit in the mud (plus the quieter/better parts of the site tend to have seating around)

[the wonderwhy]

From previous festivals the two things I've appreciated most back at camp are my chair and my flip-flops (Vans in the evening), so they're the first two things I'm packing

[Swine_Glasto2014]

Berocca

[pentura]

These things are the way forward, Woof boots.

There waterproof & fleece lined & a peice of piss to get on and off. There like a walking boot welly hybrid. About £35 most places

Na na na na na na na na BATMAN!

[SLEEPYMOPS]

Are chairs actually useful? I don't imagine it would be very practical to haul one into a big crowd and ask those around you to make space so you can sit in it (although the locals have an annoying habit of doing this on the Sunday, and squeal the moment the edge of your walking shoe so much as grazes their precious blanket... anyway...). I guess the convenience would be to sit by your tent I suppose, but as somebody who's going alone, I think I'd rather amble around until I find a patch of grass somewhere.

I usually take my chair around for the first few hours of the day to give my legs a re-charge and sit at the back to watch the bands i want to see. If the ground is dry then i don't bother. I hook the chair to my bag so its easy to carry.

[Gnomicide]

These things are the way forward, Woof boots.

There waterproof & fleece lined & a peice of piss to get on and off. There like a walking boot welly hybrid. About £35 most places

I'm liking the idea of these just for ease of removal. My old wellies died at Glastonbury last year so I'm in the market for something new. They were very comfy but an absolute bugger to take off. I've spent a good 10 minutes wrestling with them back at the tent, at the end of a long day. It is the last thing you want to be doing when all you need is sleep.

How are they in the comfort stakes?

Edited April 14, 2015 by Gnomicide

[The_Amazing_Oblong]

Picking up one of these beut's to replace the tattered only pilton palace.

Sure the compartments are essentially 2 man but ones for sleeping & t'other for kit, middle section for wet, muddy crap it's ideal & I can't find a better price for a similar design - halfords £43!!

Same tent I have used in the last 2 or 3 festivals I attended (including a very wet Leeds Fest). I have been super impressed with them (I bought 2 in a sale).

One thing that I really like is the orange panels. They give a real warm feeling when inside the tent.

Light, easy to put up, small footprint, perfect for 2 people.

[bennyboi]

I'm liking the idea of these just for ease of removal. My old wellies died at Glastonbury last year so I'm in the market for something new. They were very comfy but an absolute bugger to take off. I've spent a good 10 minutes wrestling with them back at the tent, at the end of a long day. It is the last thing you want to be doing when all you need is sleep.

How are they in the comfort stakes?

Thats the main reason i brought some, I've got a dodgey disk in my back, normally not a problem (I was even playing rugby up until last season) but for some reason curling up and yanking on the end of my foot for ages ruins my back. Plus your wellies are covered in shit most of the time. I slept wiht my wellies on poking out the tent door one night last year (too smashed to bother, as was everyone else to help)

Comft wise there very very comfy even compaired to highend wellies. There foam & fleece lined, only down side I can see is i expect they would get hot in warm weather but if the suns out you probabable dont need wellies on lol

My dad introduced me to them because he has one of his ankles fused so he cant point his foot to put a wellie on.

[bennyboi]

Same tent I have used in the last 2 or 3 festivals I attended (including a very wet Leeds Fest). I have been super impressed with them (I bought 2 in a sale).

One thing that I really like is the orange panels. They give a real warm feeling when inside the tent.

Light, easy to put up, small footprint, perfect for 2 people.

Thats the second bit of good feedback, i think I will deff be investing.

[Gnomicide]

Thats the main reason i brought some, I've got a dodgey disk in my back, normally not a problem (I was even playing rugby up until last season) but for some reason curling up and yanking on the end of my foot for ages ruins my back. Plus your wellies are covered in shit most of the time. I slept wiht my wellies on poking out the tent door one night last year (too smashed to bother, as was everyone else to help)

Comft wise there very very comfy even compaired to highend wellies. There foam & fleece lined, only down side I can see is i expect they would get hot in warm weather but if the suns out you probabable dont need wellies on lol

My dad introduced me to them because he has one of his ankles fused so he cant point his foot to put a wellie on.

Thanks for that. I shall seek them out.

[jenj]

5 space blankets for £2.92 on amazon. Sounds useless, but if you drape one over your crates it really keeps your beer cold. Nothing like having a cold beer three days in when the sun comes out! If you really wanted you could tape them on the outside of your tent to keep it cool inside, although you might blind some passers by.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Survival-Blanket-reflective-thermal-first/dp/B004O793JY/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1429005800&sr=1-1&keywords=space+blanket

[Spindles]

Usually 2 for a quid at poundland as well.

[Gnomicide]

Those boots mentioned earlier are 'Mucking Out Boots' . Sounds ideal.

[McCor]

I bought one of these - however, seems impossible to get the material stretched over the end - any tips??

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/slumber-campbed-p321889

[Dora]

I bought one of these - however, seems impossible to get the material stretched over the end - any tips??

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/slumber-campbed-p321889

Cant say I am an expert or that you haven't tried this but have you put the fabric on prior to folding it out?