A Dossers Tent?

[timbrass]

Was talking to a friend who mentioned that at Knebworth in late 70's there was a 'dossers tent' which was a large marquee with coir matting.  You just brought your own sleeping bag and rollup mat.  Would seem like a good idea for Glasto for several reasons (fewer abandoned tents, more social for solo campers, good option for coach, cycle travellers, drier if it rains, darker in the morning, option for late arrivers, etc...).  

Not for everyone clearly but do you think it would be a runner?  

[Mr.Tease]

9 minutes ago, timbrass said:

Was talking to a friend who mentioned that at Knebworth in late 70's there was a 'dossers tent' which was a large marquee with coir matting.  You just brought your own sleeping bag and rollup mat.  Would seem like a good idea for Glasto for several reasons (fewer abandoned tents, more social for solo campers, good option for coach, cycle travellers, drier if it rains, darker in the morning, option for late arrivers, etc...).  

Not for everyone clearly but do you think it would be a runner?  

I think that church-y tent up by the farm let people sleep on the floor if needed (I resume people who are having bad do's, leaking tents etc.

In 2005, they let people who's tents had been flooded sleep inside the Acoustic tent (might have been some other stage/tent, I can't quite remember). Not sure if that was officially sanctioned as they are meant to be closed through the night, and always have been.

Personally, I wouldn't like to sleep in a giant tent with people snoring and farting all through the night, but I always thought it would be nice enough sleeping in the Acoustic stage tent.

[Spindles]

A mate who went most years in the nineties when you could reliably get in for nothing never used to take a tent, just a small bag with a few essentials that he carried with him (basically some washup gear, change of tshirts, pants and socks, nothing else).  He'd be up all night and then kip in the sun on the mornings, up the stone circle or under the shade of the side of a stall were favourite.

 

You don't REALLY need a tent.  You don't really need a lot of stuff that breaks your back getting on site and then lug off again (or not, for many).  If we all took less I'm sure there'd be less left behind.  People can massively overstate their plans and then come around Sunday realise that they didn't really need 72 snackbars, 3 packs of babywipes and 24 packs of handy andies after all.

[uscore]

yeah that'd be quite good really. You could easily keep all your valuables and change of clothes in the 24 hour lockups.

[dccool]

Actually think that's a great idea and reckon quite a few would be keen to doss in a big tent/marquee with other like minded folk.

I slept on the floor in what I reckon would have been the old dance tent in 2000 as I turned up with nothing but the clothes on my back and a tooth brush. There was quite a few people in the same position and I got a surprisingly good few hours sleep.

[CaledonianGonzo]

16 minutes ago, Spindles said:

(basically some washup gear, change of tshirts, pants and socks, nothing else). 

Clean pants?  Who does he think he is? The Duke of Edinburgh?

[shane73]

there was one back in the mid nineties when i first went think it was run by the samaritans or similar organization  

[incident]

1 hour ago, timbrass said:

Was talking to a friend who mentioned that at Knebworth in late 70's there was a 'dossers tent' which was a large marquee with coir matting.  You just brought your own sleeping bag and rollup mat.  Would seem like a good idea for Glasto for several reasons (fewer abandoned tents, more social for solo campers, good option for coach, cycle travellers, drier if it rains, darker in the morning, option for late arrivers, etc...).  

Not for everyone clearly but do you think it would be a runner?  

It's never really advertised as such, but the Welfare tents at quite a few festivals including Glastonbury do act as a kind of dormitory for those that need it.

Albeit it's more of a "last resort" type thing rather than a service they want people to take advantage of.

[Sasperella]

as a disclaimer I should say that I do not condone this behaviour in any way, but...

A few years ago my friend broke in via a bunch of our other friends who work in a bar in Shangri la. They were all in crew camping, but he couldn't access that and didn't have a tent. So he ended up just bumbling about trying to stay awake as long as possible dressed as Beetlejuice (that's not really relevant, it's just better for the imagery) and eventually ended up trying to catch some kip in a plane....which I guess is the one in shangri la? Anyway, the short story is....he would have fucking loved this alternative option! 

[CaledonianGonzo]

3 minutes ago, Sasperella said:

Beetlejuice

"It's showtime!"

(falls asleep in the longdrops)

[Spindles]

18 minutes ago, incident said:

It's never really advertised as such, but the Welfare tents at quite a few festivals including Glastonbury do act as a kind of dormitory for those that need it.

Albeit it's more of a "last resort" type thing rather than a service they want people to take advantage of.

I ended up in the welfare tent on the last night of a festival.  It was like spending a night in a homeless shelter, I've got to admit.

Edited April 24, 2019 by Spindles

[ian the worm]

Doesn’t The Beat Hotel have rooms then? 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

1 hour ago, shane73 said:

there was one back in the mid nineties when i first went think it was run by the samaritans or similar organization  

Yes, this is my recollection too.

[duke88]

I woke up in the Salvation Army tent once at Reading in 1996. Absolutely no recollection of how I got there, was quite a few of us in there!

[guypjfreak]

Hare Kirchner tent.. Get fed sleep and sing songs that mostly go like this 

OooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooAAaaaaaaaaaHhhhhhhhhhhhooooooohhhkirchnerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

And you'll only do that one year.. The next you'll be sure to have your own tent.. 

Fairplay to them but fuck did it annoy me when JUST AS I STOPPED THE CAR one would pop up as by magic lol

[Flysheet]

I think it was 92, was red hot and ended up not getting back to my tent, slept under the stars. Also slept in a ditch that year during the day!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

2 minutes ago, Flysheet said:

I think it was 92, was red hot and ended up not getting back to my tent, slept under the stars. Also slept in a ditch that year during the day!

One of my friends claims to have fallen down in to a ditch at night at Glastonbury. Nothing too surprising there. However, he went on to say that he actually landed on another person down there, who had obviously also fell, and passed out. 

 

[musky]

2 hours ago, duke88 said:

I woke up in the Salvation Army tent once at Reading in 1996. Absolutely no recollection of how I got there, was quite a few of us in there!

I must be older than you as I did the same thing in the early eighties. Actually I think I started out in the Samaritans tent but ended up in a random strangers tent. It was all very messy. 

My first Glasto was 86, and I remember a friend pointing out a tent people could doss in if needed. It might have been the cinema tent but I’m not really 100% on that.  

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

9 minutes ago, musky said:

 

My first Glasto was 86, and I remember a friend pointing out a tent people could doss in if needed. It might have been the cinema tent but I’m not really 100% on that.  

I'm sure that the cinema tent was used for that purpose by many, but still think that there was a specific tent available for those with no tent. 

[musky]

8 minutes ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I'm sure that the cinema tent was used for that purpose by many, but still think that there was a specific tent available for those with no tent. 

I’m sure you’re right but my memory of that year is pretty hazy for a variety of reasons, not all of which would be related to the fact it was 33 years ago. 33 f*cking years. I’m amazed I remember anything at all.

The only thing I can be reasonably sure of is that my friend pointed out some tent or other that people could doss in. 

[Gnomicide]

I slept in one at Donington one year. Think we'd gone in the back of a transit with 14 others and kipping space was at a premium. 

Don't remember much bar a load of shit jokes being told for what seemed like hours.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

16 minutes ago, musky said:

I’m sure you’re right but my memory of that year is pretty hazy for a variety of reasons, not all of which would be related to the fact it was 33 years ago. 33 f*cking years. I’m amazed I remember anything at all.

The only thing I can be reasonably sure of is that my friend pointed out some tent or other that people could doss in. 

My memory is very hazy too, so I don't actually know if there was a specific tent, or not. It's just that if you put a gun to my head and said 'decide', then I'd opt for specific tent being there. I now 'need' to know the answer to this question. I'm going to email a few people to see if they can remember.

[rivalschools.price]

I slept all night in the bar in the Bulldog Bash about 24 years ago, got woken by someone pouring water/beer over me.

Hangover kicked in pretty quickly

[eFestivals]

used to be an indoor cinema tent in the mid-eighties, that was a doss tent when the films finished.

Alternatively - for my mate - he found a nice quiet ditch in the hedgerow between two of the fields and settled down for the night. It rained and he woke up in a stream.  

[Crazyfool01]

13 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

used to be an indoor cinema tent in the mid-eighties, that was a doss tent when the films finished.

Alternatively - for my mate - he found a nice quiet ditch in the hedgerow between two of the fields and settled down for the night. It rained and he woke up in a stream.  

He should have just camped in penards if he wanted a water bed