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

[spg]

8 minutes ago, angelin said:

How does it work coming back though?

Reverse your foot pump/inflatable tent pump

[angelin]

When buying Vans are the sizes shown American shoe sizes or UK?

[FrankieX]

7 hours ago, mazola said:

We started doing this a few years ago, absolute game changer. We vacuum bag pillows, a double duvet and a couple of towels.

First time by coach this year, so not sure what we will be doing

The real game changer isn't in the bedding, but the dirty laundry.

It is a significant improvement when you have damp and sweaty (or wet and muddy) clothing stored in an airtight bag.

[gfa]

35 minutes ago, angelin said:

When buying Vans are the sizes shown American shoe sizes or UK?

Its UK (i find they fit a little cozy so maybe go half a size up by the way)

[Leyrulion]

Anyone ever used one of these?  Worth am investment or will it break after Tue first round?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarryAround-Carrier-Coffee-Beverage-Holder/dp/B00UJD3D2K/ref=asc_df_B00UJD3D2K/?

[oakdown]

23 hours ago, Leyrulion said:

Anyone ever used one of these?  Worth am investment or will it break after Tue first round?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarryAround-Carrier-Coffee-Beverage-Holder/dp/B00UJD3D2K/ref=asc_df_B00UJD3D2K/?

Had that sat in my Amazon list for a while now as well, handy for if the Cider Bus are doing their 4 pint deal again.

[ceetee]

1 hour ago, oakdown said:

Had that sat in my Amazon list for a while now as well, handy for if the Cider Bus are doing their 4 pint deal again.

Got the exact one, used it for a couple of festivals - all good.

[Wherethewildthingsare]

On 4/28/2022 at 5:03 PM, Leyrulion said:

Anyone ever used one of these?  Worth am investment or will it break after Tue first round?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarryAround-Carrier-Coffee-Beverage-Holder/dp/B00UJD3D2K/ref=asc_df_B00UJD3D2K/?

I think I won one from Brothers once! They do work for carrying certainly

[nikkic]

Our trusty (and very comfortable) air bed recently went to the big camping shop in the sky.

We’d had it for 6 festivals, multiple other camping trips and used it many times when having friends over.
 

We replaced it with exactly the same one and it lasted one camping trip. 
 

We managed to exchange it and the exact same thing happened again. 

So we’re now contemplating a different approach, one which doesn’t require air.
 

Anybody got any tips on roll mats which don’t feel like you’re sleeping on a piece of MDF?! 
 

Or any other options? 

[tarw]

3 hours ago, nikkic said:

Our trusty (and very comfortable) air bed recently went to the big camping shop in the sky.

We’d had it for 6 festivals, multiple other camping trips and used it many times when having friends over.
 

We replaced it with exactly the same one and it lasted one camping trip. 
 

We managed to exchange it and the exact same thing happened again. 

So we’re now contemplating a different approach, one which doesn’t require air.
 

Anybody got any tips on roll mats which don’t feel like you’re sleeping on a piece of MDF?! 
 

Or any other options? 

Like with most things it depends on your budget. I like self inflating and there is a big difference in price and comfort in them. Cheap ones are not much better than a foam roll mat but should keep you warmer. The thick double sized ones can be expensive but are far more comfortable 

[joeruss]

The Anker 20,000amh portable chargers are currently £29.99 on Amazon (down from £37.99)

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07S829LBX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2PGPJL0BBLHLX&psc=1

[ModernMan]

4 minutes ago, joeruss said:

The Anker 20,000amh portable chargers are currently £29.99 on Amazon (down from £37.99)

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07S829LBX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2PGPJL0BBLHLX&psc=1

Reviews seem mixed, are these any good?

[joeruss]

3 minutes ago, ModernMan said:

Reviews seem mixed, are these any good?

I've got one of the older Anker 20,000 chargers and its superb, still working fine now 4 years on.. can't comment on the latest version though

[blutarsky]

1 hour ago, ModernMan said:

Reviews seem mixed, are these any good?

I’d give the same feedback as @joeruss. 
Mine’s never let me down. 

[blue6field]

1 hour ago, ModernMan said:

Reviews seem mixed, are these any good?

I ordered on and it arrived last week, Fully charged its given me about 5 Iphone charges and stuck it on my Ipad the other night to keep it charged whilst watching the football. Still had 1 blue light left, seems pretty good!

[danmarks]

Theres a 30000 one cheaper.  Is there any obvious drawback on that im missing before i buy it?

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, danmarks said:

Theres a 30000 one cheaper.  Is there any obvious drawback on that im missing before i buy it?

It’ll likely be bigger in weight and dimension too …. But doubt it’s gonna make much difference in the scheme of things 

[danmarks]

Cool. Thankyou. Ill go with that then. 1 can less will balance any weight issues and hopefully it will last a,week  without too much use

[spg]

38 minutes ago, danmarks said:

Theres a 30000 one cheaper.  Is there any obvious drawback on that im missing before i buy it?

Link it please, then purchase from here. EFestivals gets a little kickback then 😉

[jimmillen]

Word of advice - if fast charging is a priority for you check the power bank you’re looking at supports Power Delivery (PD) or Quick Charge (QC) 3.0. 

Really confusingly, some Anker power banks like the 20,000mAh one linked above let you charge the power bank itself via USB-C but you can’t use the USB-C port to fast charge devices - you’re restricted to the USB-A ports which are lower power and slower to charge.

This often explains the price difference BTW, the latest generation that support fast charging are more expensive for the same capacity. 

If you tend to charge your phone overnight where time is not a concern then it might not matter to you & you can save a bit of money. For me though fast charge is essential - so useful to not have to wait ages! 

[MaseTMT]

39 minutes ago, jimmillen said:

Word of advice - if fast charging is a priority for you check the power bank you’re looking at supports Power Delivery (PD) or Quick Charge (QC) 3.0. 

Really confusingly, some Anker power banks like the 20,000mAh one linked above let you charge the power bank itself via USB-C but you can’t use the USB-C port to fast charge devices - you’re restricted to the USB-A ports which are lower power and slower to charge.

This often explains the price difference BTW, the latest generation that support fast charging are more expensive for the same capacity. 

If you tend to charge your phone overnight where time is not a concern then it might not matter to you & you can save a bit of money. For me though fast charge is essential - so useful to not have to wait ages! 

^ yes exactly this!

People quick to jump on the anker brand and purchase but it’s 2022 and most people have the latest smart phones so should be looking for the quick charge option. 

[danmarks]

1 hour ago, spg said:

Link it please, then purchase from here. EFestivals gets a little kickback then 😉

Sorry for delay.

Just had a proper read. It's not an anker and reviews are mixed so i don't want to be responsible for people buying something that doesn't work. Back to nosing around again. Will link if i find something worthwhile.

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, MaseTMT said:

^ yes exactly this!

People quick to jump on the anker brand and purchase but it’s 2022 and most people have the latest smart phones so should be looking for the quick charge option. 

I think those options are less likely to fit with the title of the thread though aren't they? 

The 2022 models or the highest capacity ones tend to have quite a premium, but please share if you know any which are good value. 

[gfa]

I'm not fussed at all about the speed but its definitely a good point to consider.

If you have 20k mAh and are forced to recharge during the day and not in one go at night, then you will almost certainly runout over the course of the weekend.

[incident]

1 minute ago, clarkete said:

I think those options are less likely to fit with the title of the thread though aren't they? 

The 2022 models or the highest capacity ones tend to have quite a premium, but please share if you know any which are good value. 

If you went for a strict definition of bargain, then a lot of the things posted probably wouldn't qualify, and this thread would be significantly worse for it.

Better to use a broader definition - especially considering you don't (or at least, shouldn't) value your time at zero.