Well, festival season is in full swing now and for the most part this year we're experiencing less than brilliant weather. This weekend sees Glastonbury and Hard Rock Calling getting a little sunshine but I need it to heat up a lot more before I head off to the next on - hate carrying waterproofs around!
Anyway, when the lovely people at Ickle Bockles sent me this compact goodiebag you can imagine my glee - a fully functional festival survival kit just for me! Ickle Bockles do a range of kits and items for travel (first aid, toiletries etc.) but this festival kit is just the perfect collection of items for a week in a field with unavoidable mishaps and getting into pickles (what a weird saying)...
Bag - this clear washbag is great for seeing all your stuff in a hurry (or a bleary-eyed hangover!) The information is on a cardboard insert.
2 x travel bottles - I'll be popping a little shampoo and conditioner in here for a quick hairwash (using a waterbottle) which is just HEAVENLY after a few days of matted, straw hair.
1 x travel pot - I'll put a bit of moisturiser in here ready for hands rubbed raw with hand-san
Toothbrush & Toothpaste pot - how cute is this?? It's a little clip together brush and the tiniest toothpaste I've ever seen all in one handy case! It means your toothbrush stays clean and doesn't get mixed up in sleeping bags/rucksacks/pants etc. in your tent. Hurrah!
A tiny pot with earplugs in - FESTIVAL ESSENTIAL. Now, here's a serious bit: if you're the stand-by-the-speakers type, please please please wear earplugs. I know it's not 'trendy' but if you love your music and value your hearing - they're a must. If you're the laid-back watch-from-the-hill type, these are pretty useful for that 4-am-and-everyone-is-snoring/raving/singing thing.
A tiny pot with lipbalm in - This lipbalm is really nice and minty fresh, pretty useful if it's a hot one (of you've been avoiding all liquids so that you don't have to go to the portaloos...)
Hand sanitiser pen - Totally brilliant product. Inevitably the loos will be out of hand-san within the first couple of hours of any festival, so this will make you feel marginally safer as you tuck into your giant burrito on the third night! It's totally pocketable too, a nice size.
Pack of plasters - Hopefully you won't have any accidents whilst raving, but these are great to keep in your pocket if blisters set in with all that walking.
Tissues - In a sealed bag so they can be your emergency tissues if everything else gets soaked!
Folded poncho pouch - Oh so very handy. Regardless of what the weather 'looks like', you're in Britian. Stick this in your back pocket and you will be eternally grateful when it starts raining cats and dogs. Nothing worse than being soggy at a festival!
Black eye mask - Part two in getting a good night's/morning's sleep. Canvas isn't great at keeping out the light of a morning, so waking up usually happens around the time the sun comes up... which in the summer, and after a night of dancing your booty off, SUCKS. With your eye mask and ear plugs you can ensure a healthy dose of shut-eye before the next bout of fun!
Last but not least - a mini flip mirror. It's an easy item to forget when you're packing, but think application of neon or glitter makeup, checking you've not had a moustache/willy drawn on you whilst you slept etc. Very important as you won't find them onsite in many places! Portaloos do have tiny ones on the inside of their doors but - do you really want to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary in there?!
So that's the roundup, I can safely say my favourite products are the earplugs/eyemask combo, do not underestimate the power of a good sleep at a festival, and the hand-san as it's such a good size/shape for carrying around. You can get hold of your own kit here, along with their other kits, and be safe in the knowledge that you're set up for a great time - no matter what happens!
P.S. Open the photo up to zoom in!
