Festival Gear
Your Ultimate Festival Gear Guide
Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Coachella, Download, V Festival, Bestival, Latitude, Isle of Wight, Creamfields… the list goes on and on when it comes to the countless music festivals there are to choose from!
Whether you’re a festival newbie or a festival veteran, preparation and choosing the right equipment is key to making your festival experience THAT much better. We’ve picked the best of the best festival camping equipment and put together an ‘all you need to know’ guide on festival camping. No need to thank us!
Festival Tents
There’s a few questions it’s worth asking yourself before you invest to ensure you’ve picked the right festival tent for you:
- Is the tent waterproof?
- Are you driving to the festival? If not, how easy will it be to carry the tent across a field?
- Will you want to re-use the tent or will you be leaving it behind?
- Do you want to be able to stand up or sit down comfortably inside your tent or is it just a place to crawl into at the end of a long day dancing?
- Do you need a porch or separate area to keep muddy boots in?

How many of you will be sharing a tent?
It cannot be stressed enough how important choosing the right tent for your festival adventure is. After all, it’s your home from home for a good few days! With Britain’s ever so unpredictable weather, it’s also important to emphasise that you invest in a waterproof tent. After a day of drinking ciders in the sun, throwing shapes in the field to your favourite band, there’s nothing else that kills that festival spirit than waking up an inch deep in freezing cold rain water after an overnight flash storm.
It’s pretty easy to check how waterproof your tent is by the Hydrostatic head measurement, which will always be located in the product description. Any Hydrostatic head rating 1000mm or above is declared as waterproof, but we recommend opting for something a little higher just to be safe!
Types of Festival Tents: What Tent Should You Take to a Festival?
The Pop-Up Tent
The almighty pop-up tent is a firm festival favourite for most festival-goers. You can understand why these cheeky little budget tents are so popular as they only weigh a fraction of the weight compared to other tents, which ultimately means more room for beer and unnecessary fancy dress options!
Pop-up tents have no poles to insert and simply do exactly what it says in the title: they pop up! They’re the perfect no-faff answer for camping newbies as they spring into shape from a disc shaped base. This means they’re ideal and the easiest option if you ever have to pitch your tent in the dark. The only work you have to do is peg them down to ensure you don’t blow away during the night!

It’s worth taking into consideration that pop-up tents do tend to offer a lot less weather protection as they are usually single-skinned rather than double, but this reflects on the price as pop-up tents are cheap as chips! They can also be a bit more difficult to fold down after your festival weekend is over. So, if you’re planning on taking your pop-up tent home afterwards it may be worth practicing the art of folding down a pop-up tent before you go!
The Festival Weekend Tent
If you’re looking for a tent that’s a little more substantial than a pop-up, but not overly fancy-schmancy then a weekend tent that is specifically designed for the likes of festivals is probably your best bet! These tents are only slightly higher in the price margin in comparison to pop-up tents, but are designed to be comfortable enough to live in for a weekend and protect you from the unpredictable British weather!
Weekend tents are the perfect middle ground where you may be happy to leave it behind at the festival or you’ll be able to take it home and use it again throughout the summer. These tents are certainly a better option if you’re a multiple festival hopper as they will see you through the season!
Weekend tents usually either come in two forms: a dome or tunnel tent. Dome tents are what they say on the packet: a tent shaped like a dome, who’d have thought it?! These consist of two poles that cross over at the centre to create your sleeping area and usually a third pole that structures a separate porch area to leave your muddy boots in. Weekend tunnel tents on the other hand are usually made up of three compartments and are slightly longer than dome tents. They are laid out with two ‘bedrooms’ on the outside and a communal area with an entrance in the middle. These are better if you’re sharing your tent with a pal, but appreciate some personal space!
The Novelty Festival Tent
Long term festival goers will tell you just how easy it is to lose your tent in a field with a sea of others that look almost identical, especially if you’re feeling a little hazy from a few beers. At Planet Camping we have a range of radically recognisable tents that you will not be losing sight of any time soon.
How about a tipi tent? Maybe even a VW Campervan tent for that ultimate festival 60’s hippie vibe?
The Luxury Festival Tent
A luxurious festival tent is your home away from home. Is glamping more your cup of tea than camping is? If it’s vital that you’re able to stand in your tent, sit down comfortably or would just love the space to have a boogie, then it’s worth looking at some of our HUMUNGOUS higher end tents!
If you’re a festival family and bringing the kids along for the weekend, then our spacious family-sized tents will cater to your needs.
You’ll feel like festival royalty if you opt for one of our luxury tents. With generous head heights, your tent will tower over the masses in those muddy fields. Our premium tents are designed to last and will see you through festival after festival for years to come.
Also, how nice would it be to actually have the space to get wash and get get dressed in the morning?! No more awkward yoga poses trying to baby wipe yourself clean! No more awkward fumbling and climbing over your tent-mates either. Pure festival luxury, right there.
Types of Festival Sleeping Bags: Which Sleeping Bag Should You Take to a Festival?
Choosing the right sleeping bag can make all of the difference between getting a decent night’s sleep or no sleep at all. And, believe us when we say you’ll need to catch all the kip you can for daytime dancing!
With so many different varieties of sleeping bags on offer it can be a bit overwhelming choosing the perfect one for your festival venture. That’s where Planet Camping come to the rescue… we’ve got your back!
The majority of festivals are held in the summer months, which means you’ll be opting for a lighter summer season sleeping bag. Sleeping bag season ratings are pretty simple; the higher the rating the warmer the sleeping bag. If you’re attending a festival between June to August then you will not be needing a sleeping bag designed for extreme conditions! Therefore, a Season 2 sleeping bag should do you just fine and dandy.
Now you’ve got to grips with sleeping bag ratings, it’s time to choose a sleeping shape to suit you best!
The Ultimate Music Festival Checklist
If you’re attending your first ever festival it can be overwhelming to know what to pack and what not to pack. What should you take to a festival? A lot of festival first-timers can be guilty of over-packing or under-packing. There’s nothing worse than being caught short forgetting a toothbrush or heaving more than you actually need across a field.
That’s why we’ve created a festival packing list for you to double check you have all of your festival essentials at the ready!
Camping & Accessories
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Blankets to sit on
- Rucksack
- Waterproof bag cover
- Torch
- Camping Chair
- Cooking Equipment
- Inflatable mattress or roll-out bed
- Mallet
- Camping Stove
- Plates & cutlery


- TICKET!
- ID - Passport or Driver’s License
- Phone
- Money
- Portable Phone Charger
- Daytime bag to carry essentials
Toiletries
The amount of toiletries you bring depends on whether you plan to shower or to soak up the true festival spirit of baby-wiping yourself ‘clean’ for the weekend.
- Dry Shampoo
- Shower Gel
- Deodorant
- Make-Up & Face paint
- Moisturiser and make-up remover
- Hairbrush or comb
- Hand sanitizer
- Toothpaste & toothbrush
- Toilet rolls
- Bath towel
- Baby wipes
- Sunscreen
- Any medication or painkillers you may need to combat any hangovers
Food & Drink
We recommend keeping food to a minimum as with any festival there is plenty of delicious food stands to choose from and it means a lot less to carry. However, it’s worth bringing some light-weight snack foods to settle those midnight munchies.
- Plenty of water
- Flask
- Alcohol (optional)
- Cereal Bars or something similar for breakfast
- Crisps/pretzels/crackers/etc.
Clothing
Bring clothes you’re not too precious about as things get pretty dirty at a festival. We also recommend you bring extra pairs of everything just in case the heavens open and you need some warm, dry clothes to climb into. There’s nothing worse than putting on a pair of wet socks!