7 lessons for campers: the only way I survived the festival summer
14.8.2024
Translation: Elicia Payne
This summer I learnt a whole lot about camping at festivals. I want to share my findings so that you too can get the most out of your next festival experience.
There’s few things that take me on a more emotional rollercoaster journey than camping at festivals. Within a very short time, my joy over the newly discovered drum and bass band turns into abysmal anger towards my tent buddies, who decide to turn up the UE-Hyperboom at five in the morning and fill the campsite with the ten-hour version of the Euro-Mir Theme Song . Four hours later, when my tent turns into a plastic sauna, I question why I’m doing this to myself.
This summer, however, I followed the best tips and tricks of my tried-and-tested festival-goer friends. And lo and behold – thanks to mini-glamping, I wasn’t overcome with disappointment.
Lesson 1: look after your back
If tense necks are a standard part of your festival visits, you should definitely make sure you don’t pack too much. With changing weather forecasts, this is easier said than done. That’s why a hand truck has been part of my basic equipment for long journeys for a while now. It allows me to pull weight behind me and I don’t have to book in for a massage after the festival. Over-motivated people like to use a container or the rain barrel for this.
Lesson 2: avoid crazy moves
As a member of the office job community, I spend most of my day sitting down. For the physiotherapists, it’s fun. But, as a result, my body isn’t used to festival conditions. On the third day, everything hurts from dancing, standing around and sitting on the floor. I’m glad when I can give my back a bit of a rest on the camping chair now and again.
Lesson 3: don’t get upset about the hygiene situation
It’s a pretty precarious situation in the porta loos by the time alcohol takes over the festival. Mercy on those who then do their big business and have no toilet paper with them. I worry about this so much that I carry at least one pack of tissues in my bag as standard. Better safe than sorry. And if the toilets are speckled from top to bottom, you can do your business in a pocket toilet if necessary.
Intimate care
Quantity discount
CHF4.70 per piece for 4 units CHF5.50/1l
Ladybag Pocket WC for women
1000 ml, Intimate washing lotion
Lesson 4: keep calm and try organising bags
My T-shirts love to hide in my dark, cramped tent between my bath towel, sleeping bag and socks. And it gets on my nerves. That’s why I’ve recently started following the rules for order-loving messy people, storing my clothes neatly in my rucksack in different clothes bags. That way, I know exactly where to find my belongings.
Lesson 5: don’t let them rob you of sleep
For me, sleep deprivation is fatal. I mean, this was even used as a torture method by the FBI. And I don’t want to spend the daylight hours in zombie mode. So I got myself a Black&Fresh tent. Inside it’s dark, on the outside it reflects the sun’s rays and stays cooler for longer. For comfort, I use a wide sleeping mat and a pillow from home. Then I have good foam earplugs in, which are normally used for work purposes and can insulate up to 36 decibels of sound.
Tent
CHF178.90
Quechua Camping tent - 2 Seconds Fresh & Black for 3 people
Pitching tent, 4.90 kg, 3 persons
Hearing protection
Quantity discount
CHF8.95 per piece for 3 units
3M Hearing protection plugs 1100C30
1 x
Lesson 6: blasting your hearing is a no-go
Yes, earplugs restrict the concert experience. But so many young people I know already suffer from hearing loss or tinnitus that I always have my earplugs with me. After an hour at the concert, I pop them in. Even if the sound isn’t quite as immersive, I quickly get used to it, hear the subtleties in the music more clearly and, surprisingly, can even understand my fellow listeners better. And when I take them out again, I realise how unpleasantly loud the music is. In the meantime, I’m thinking of buying custom-made hearing protection, but until then I’m using the earplugs from Sennheiser.
Lesson 7: battle the hangover
Not having a hangover doesn’t mean not drinking. The opposite in fact. While consuming my alcoholic beverages and after, I always pour myself a still water. That’s how I’ve been living practically hangover-free for years. And if water isn’t enough, I help myself with an isotonic drink the next morning.
Nutritional supplements
CHF6.70 CHF74.45/1kg
Ka-Ex Reload after sport after party
3 Piece, Beutel, 90 g
What lessons have you learnt at festivals? Let me know in the comments.
Header image: shutterstock.com
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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