Get your tips here
Headed to Stradbally over the weekend? We have the list that'll make Thursday night panic packing all the easier!
From the basics to the handy to haves, this list will make sure you have a comfy few days on site.
THE MUST HAVES
- A decent rain jacket, and a cheapy poncho in case things get really bad, and you can sit on the poncho if the ground is wet.
- A tent-you can get away with a cheapy one but with the forecast the way it is at the moment, spending a little more or asking a friend for a loan might be no harm. Make sure you know how to put it up in advance, and don’t worry, there’s always sound people around who will help you and it’s a good way to meet your tent neighbours.
- A sleeping bag and mat-when you’re pitching your tent, check for things like rocks/stones/random dips in the ground that’ll make your weekend rest uncomfortable. If you have a yoga mat in the house from lockdown, that’ll do too!
- Camping chair- but you can usually buy your camping chair down there if you don’t already have one, and it’s one less thing to carry.
- Wellies/hiking boots-do not buy hiking boots today and start wearing them on Friday unless you like your feet exploding with pain. If you don’t have hiking boots now, go for wellies, get some semi-decent hiking socks and hope for dry feet.
- Bring good, warm socks. Cold feet are hard to come back from, and sore feet are impossible. Think of the amount of socks and jocks that you’ll need, double it. Fluffy socks are great to wear when you’re wandering at night.
- Bin Bags-this pro tip may seem extreme but it means dry clothes. When you’re packing, split your clothes into ‘outfits’, even if it’s just different tops/jumpers. Wrap fresh socks and jocks inside those outfits and wrap them all into bin bags. It means that even if some of the bits get wet because of a leak or a spillage, you’re likely to still have something dry to put on.
- Another small tip-when you’re headed out for the evening, get your warm gear that you’re not bringing or that you’re going to sleep in and wrap them in your sleeping bag. If it’s raining, throw a bin bag over them in case of a tent leak. It means that they’re a little bit toasty when you get home.
- Toilet Roll/Kitchen roll/Baby Wipes/Dry Shampoo/Deodorant.
- Power Bank-better to invest in one that does multiple charges than one that will keep you topped up. The phone charging places can be busy, especially in the morning so the less you have to use them, the better.
- Phone tip: Jess Kelly shared a good tip on her Instagram yesterday about saving your friends number as a screensaver for the weekend
View this post on Instagram
- Snacks-have some sweets and something you can grab in the morning if you wake up starving, it can be a LONG wait for food first thing. Cereal bars are always a winner, but don’t do what we always do and put them in a place where they’ll get kneeled on and turned into mush.
- Whatever medicine you feel you need to bring, but one recommendation speaking as someone who has fallen to this in the past. Bring LOADS OF RENNIE.
- Also, even though the forecast isn’t great, you’ll still need suncream purely because you’ll be outdoors so much.
- Do not leave home without some form of lip balm. Being outdoors=chapped lips.
- With the forecast the way it is, throw a microfiber towel in. Some people bring a towel cause they’re lying to themselves that they’re going to shower. It’s handy if it’s really wet to be able to towel your hair off.
KEEPING WARM
- If you’re a cold person, layers will be your best friend this weekend. Invest in some thermals if you don’t have them already.
- Bring gloves and a decent hat, it gets cold at night and you don’t want to be the person who has to go back to the tent.
- You can also buy rechargeable hand warmers which can pop in your pockets so you can dance all night.
- If you’ve space, throw an empty hot water bottle into your bag. Most places that sell tea/coffee will happily fill it for you when you’re out wandering, or for when you’re going to bed. They do sometimes sell them on site too.
- Invest in a ‘Peig Sayers’ shawl. It'll keep you warm during the cooler parts of the night, and doubles as a blanket/pillow.
HANDY TO HAVES
- Some sort of identifiable tat that you can put on your tent when you’re heading out in the evening so you’ll find your way home.
- Consider investing in a ‘granny trolley’ which you’ll get cheap enough around the place. It takes away the heavy lifting and ideally keeps most of your liquids away from your clothes. No one wants to arrive at the festival with soaked clothes.
- One for the girls-a scented moisturiser that you can use after your baby wipe shower. You’ll feel like a Princess for about 20 minutes.
- If you have space, a big reusable water bottle that you can fill when you get there and leave in your tent. Your future morning self will thank you.
- If you can print a hard copy of the schedule, it’ll never go amiss.
GENERAL TIPS
- If you’re camping as a group, have a chat in the WhatsApp group and split up all the bits like the toilet roll/bin bags/dry shampoo etc. You’ll save money and space in your bag.
- Don’t bring anything that you expect to bring back intact, or at all.
- Be wary of Friday night giddiness-Saturday misery isn’t worth it. It’s a marathon, not a race.
- Go exploring as much as you can-the craic at the campsite is where some of the best memories are made but there’s so much to do that you should try and see something that isn’t the food trucks at Hendrix.
- Don’t try and do everything together in your massive group, you’ll end up missing things and getting annoyed with each other.
- But do try and pick one big thing that you all do together.
- Have all the fun. Make in-jokes that’ll last decades, and make new friends.
SAMPLE PACKING LIST:
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag and mat
- Bin Bags
- Rain Jacket and a smaller pocket version or poncho
- Wellies/Hiking Boots
- Big Scarf/Hat/Gloves/Thermals
- Jocks and lots of warm socks
- Microfiber towel
- Torch
- Power bank and whatever cables you need
- Baby Wipes
- Toilet Roll/Kitchen Roll
- Dry Shampoo
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Mouthwash
- Suncream
- Lip Balm
- Moisturiser
- Anti-bacterial hand gel
- Deodorant
- Plasters
- Rennie and any other medicines you feel you might need.
- Whatever clothes you want to wear but bring a spare outfit in case you get soaked.
- If you have space/are driving: big reusable water bottle/hot water bottle.
