Best camping gadgets for T in the Park

Published on Friday 3 July 2009 21:53

T IN THE PARK is with us for another year, as thousands update their festival wardrobe and flock to Balado, Kinross, to pitch their campsite place.

However, camping these days does not necessarily mean Ray Mears-style survival – there are many gadgets to make the camping experience as luxurious as staying at home. Here are some top gadgets to make festival camping stress-free:

EUROHIKE SOLAR SHOWER, available from Millets, Frederick St, Edinburgh, 9.99 www.millets.co.uk The luxury of this shower is evident as it means there is no longer such a thing as "roughing it". However, the shower should some with a crowd warning as, if others see you using it, queues to borrow it are highly likely.

Simply fill and allow the sun to heat the water and you can enjoy a refreshing, cleansing shower wherever you are.

REMOTE CONTROL CAMPING LANTERN, available from Lakeland, Hanover St, Edinburgh, 19.96 www.lakeland.co.uk No more fumbling around in the dark trying to find the odd glow stick or reach the torch at the other end of the tent, as this lantern is powered by remote control so you have the ease of not having to step out of your sleeping bag to turn on or turn off the light. Genius!

The lantern gives approximately five hours of light before it needs recharged and comes with an energy-saving 12 watt bulb.

PACIFIC OUTDOORS HOT PAD SLEEPING MAT, available from Blacks, Frederick St, Edinburgh, 71.99 www.blacks.co.uk Best to keep this one a secret if you are lucky enough to own one, as if word gets out, you will have a battle on your hands to keep it to yourself.

This sleeping mat is powered by four AA batteries and even has its own thermostat. We need not explain to regular festivalgoers how desirable this mat really is. Everyone else, just take our word for it.

EUROHIKE TENT SPEAKER, available from Millet's, Frederick St, Edinburgh, EH2 2HB, Price 39.99 www.millets.co.uk Even when the festival stages are finished for the day, the music can play on with this handy tent speaker.

This durable gadget has a 3.5mm jack plug that allows you to connect it to your MP3 player or other audio device and is powered by three AA batteries.

It is especially handy for drowning out any unwanted campsite noise or late night off-key acoustic sessions.

CAN COOLER, available from John Lewis, St James' Centre, Edinburgh, 8.25 www.johnlewis.com With a simple navy colour and completely portable, the respectable cool bag can never be over-rated.

Cooling up to six cans of fizzy drinks or beer at a time, the humble bag will allow you to keep your drinks cool even if, shock horror, the weather is hot.

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