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Email:sales@funkyleisure.co.uk
Tel: 020 8755 4266
TWICKENHAM TW2 7PF
©Copyright 2005-2008 Funky Leisure Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Any third party trademarks are hereby acknowledged
It’s summertime and the festival season is here, which means festival camping whether you love it or hate it – festival camping is all part of the festival experience. Firstly you will need a suitable lightweight tent (dome tent, quick pitch or pop-up) the brighter the better, the more original the design the less chance you will be woken at 5am when the three bears get back from the Silent Disco and discover that Goldilocks is in the wrong tent. Festival camping is also about making the effort, remember it’s a celebration, the more distinctive your camping pitch the more it will stand out in that sea of tents and the easier it will be for you and your friends to find. Mark your pitch with a windsock, a flag, an inflatable doll or your dads pants – just attach them to the top of a telescopic windsock pole, simply bang a pole stake in the ground unscrew the end cap and slide the telescopic windsock poll over the top. Telescopic windsock poles come in 3m to 10m sizes so you should be able to spot your camp from virtually anywhere on the festival site. There are some great gadgets on the market like the Travel John disposable urinal, Whiz Freedom, emergency phone chargers and a decent wind up torches, which although not essential will definitely help make your festival camping experience as comfortable as possible. Remember if you find your festival gear list is getting quite long or you have a larger heavier tent an Off-Roader Festival Trolley is ideal for transporting all your gear from train/bus station or car park to your camping pitch.
When buying a festival tent remember to choose a fairly lightweight tent as you will need to carry it from the train/coach station or festival car park unless you pick up a festival trolley as well. Don’t buy the cheapest tent on the market as it will probably leak and festival-goers leaving so called “cheap disposable tents” at events are starting to cause environmental problems – a decent festival tent should last a good few festivals. Make sure your festival tent is large enough to house you, your backpack and your supplies and make sure it stands out, you’ll be glad your festival tent can be easily distinguished among others when your trying to find your way back to it at the end of the evening.
The outdoor specialists Easy Camp make a Pop Up Tent that simply pops up in a few seconds. The Easy Camp Pop Up Tent is a convenient tent that even a novice can handle and comes in distinctive designs – Rock ’n’ Roll, Attitude and Hot Summer. Unlike pitching a traditional tent where tent poles need to be threaded through pole sleeves a Pop Up Tent self pitches after being released from it’s carry bag. A Pop Up Tent is such that it can even be set up and moved to wherever you like. Therefore, if you want to move your tent just a few feet away from where you set it up, you do not need to disassemble and re-assemble it – ideal when you’ve arrived late and wake up to find you’ve pitched your tent right next to the long drop toilets.
It’s all in the name, a Quick Pitch Tent works on the same principle as the pop up tent – simply release it from it’s carry bag and it self pitches itself. A Quick Pitch Tent is ideal in wet conditions as it becomes an instant shelter from the rain. As soon as you reach your camping spot, you can set up your tent in seconds. Today, most festival goers opt for a Quick Pitch Tent because they are more interested in enjoying the festival as opposed to spending an hour setting up/taking down their tents. A Gelert Quick Pitch Tent is an excellent choice as there are so many options, the SS (single skin) range of tents are very lightweight, the DS (double skin) tents have good ventilation and stability and the Gelert Twister tents are perfect for the larger party. The new 2009 range of Gelert Quick Pitch tents come in a variety of colours: Rococco Red/Paloma Grey, Firecracker/Black, Kashmir/Chestnut, Chestnut/Sandshell, Raspberry Sorbet/Iced Pearl, Army Camo and Summer Flower patterns.
Modern camping gadgets can make your summer music festival more comfortable for instance with the aid of a TravelJohn you can avoid night time trips to the festival potaloos. When you are on a camping site in the middle of nowhere modern equipment like mobile phones will struggle with battery life. There won’t be any 13 amp sockets to plug them into and if you rely on your mobile then you’ll have to find other ways to charge them up. Obviously, mobile phones are essential if you are meeting or loose your friends in the crowd, so emergency mobile phone chargers are essential camping gadgets. For women the Whiz Freedom is definitely the one of the favourite festival camping gadgets as it enables you to wee standing up saving you the trouble of hovering above a scummy festival toilet. New camping gadgets appearing at festival campsites include the Solar Camp Shower which can heat water up to 48°C after 3 hours in direct sunlight and the Sea to Summit collapsible basin/sink which hold 10lt/20lt of water and pack down really small.
If you’ve ever tried lighting a camping stove on a windy day then you’ll know how important camping windbreaks can be at providing shelter from unwanted breezes. Why buy a plain or an old stripy windbreak when the new ranges of camping windbreaks are so colourful and certainly brighten up bleak campsites with their presence. Modern camping windbreaks come in vibrant designs and fold down into a really small pack – perfect if you want to add a little privacy to your particular camping spot.
When you go camping to your favourite campsite do you sometimes feel a little exposed? Are you forever getting problems from unwelcome winds whilst trying to cook? One effective way of stopping wind from blowing your camping stove is by utilising windbreaks around your pitch. Windbreaks make great privacy screens providing you with both shelter and comfort. The new ranges of designer windbreaks come in a range of vibrant colours and patterns ideal for marking out your camping area. With new windbreaks available in various Funky designs there is sure to be one that will match your VW Type 2 Campervan or tent.
Backpacking Equipment should be functional, compact and lightweight, whether it’s a tent, a sleeping bag or a camping cooker. It’s always good to start with a backpacking equipment list of essentials which will prevent you buying and carrying too much kit. Your backpacking equipment list should include the following:
- A decent sized (60-70 litre) pack/backpack like the Rambler Rucksack.
- A double skin, lightweight tent such as the Jura Single Hoop Tent or the Glenderry 2 Compact Tent (both under 2.5kg).
- Sleeping bag rated to at least the lowest temperature you expect or 5-10°C lower if you’re a cold sleeper – the Echo 400 for example is an excellent 4 season sleeping bag (extreme temp -25°C).
- A closed cell foam roll mat like the Nato Roll Mat (only 300g) or a lightweight self inflating mattress like a Thermalite or Hiker.
- A small gas canister stove like the Highlander Field Stove or a military style solid fuel cooker like the Hexi Stove.
There are many accessories that can be added to your backpacking equipment list – just be sure that they are going to enhance your outdoor experience and are worth the extra weight in your Rucksack.
As with backpacking equipment, adventure travel equipment should be functional, compact and above all lightweight. If you’re trekking to Everest Base Camp for instance, carrying heavy unnecessary adventure travel equipment will sap energy and probably result in you discarding the ball and chain items – stick to functional, basic kit. A good point to consider when buying a camp cooker is fuel, when flying off to start that trip of a lifetime remember that airlines do not allow compressed gas canisters on flights and particular fuel types may be hard to source in destination countries so look at a good multi-fuel camp cooker like the Primus Omnifuel Stove which will run on anything from diesel to aviation fuel. Consider the temperature extremes you may encounter, one of the most important pieces of adventure travel equipment you’ll purchase will be a sleeping bag, so if your climbing Kilimanjaro you’ll need 4 season sleeping bag like the Echo 400, if your trekking in Chang Mai a 1 season sleeping bag or Sea to Summit Coolmax Adaptor Liner will probably give you a comfortable nights sleep. Below we have suggested some great weight saving and multifunctional travel gadgets that you may wish to include in your adventure travel equipment list:
1. Sea to Summit Pocket Towel - weighs only 42g and packs down to the size of a tennis ball.
2. Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks - ultra lightweight, keeps your gear dry and your pack light.
3. Primus EtaExpress - incredibly small, light and environmentally friendly cooking stove with minimal fuel consumption or the Primus OmniFuel Stove (as discussed above)
4. Sea to Summit X-Bowl - lightweight, collapsible food bowl folds flat for compact packing, cut resistant base doubles as chopping board.
5. Cyba-lite Pro Sport Headlight - up to 7 times brighter than a standard LED.
6. 6.5w Sunlinq Folding Solar Panel - small enough to slip in a cargo trouser pocket, but open up into a powerful portable solar panel.
7. Spork - a knife, spoon and fork combined in a single, one-piece utensil, weighing only 9g.
The needs of a gap year traveller differ from that of an adventure traveller in that specialist kit isn’t as necessary. If you go off trekking in Chang Mei or New Zealand’s South Island, tents, cookers etc.. would normally be supplied by a guide. The most important part of your gap year travel equipment is a hybrid backpack like the Highlander Ruckcase Travel Pack which can be carried like a rucksack or a case, has a detachable daysack and unzips all the way round to open out fully like a case. Think about security when buying your gap year travel equipment a good quality money belt or concealable neck pouch is a must. You will obviously be taking an iPod/MP3 player so an emergency charger is a must for those long-haul flights. Gap year travel equipment can include some home comforts like a Sea to Summit Tek Towel for instance which has all the comfort of a conventional towel but ultra light and compact. Health should be the highest priority, an Aquapure Traveller - Portable Water Filter guarantees safe drinking water wherever you travel and it goes without saying a good quality first aid kit should be included with your gap year travel equipment.
It’s summertime and the festival season is here, which means festival camping whether you love it or hate it – festival camping is all part of the festival experience. Firstly you will need a suitable lightweight tent (dome tent, quick pitch or pop-up) the brighter the better, the more original the design the less chance you will be woken at 5am when the three bears get back from the Silent Disco and discover that Goldilocks is in the wrong tent. Festival camping is also about making the effort, remember it’s a celebration, the more distinctive your camping pitch the more it will stand out in that sea of tents and the easier it will be for you and your friends to find. Mark your pitch with a windsock, a flag, an inflatable doll or your dads pants – just attach them to the top of a telescopic windsock pole, simply bang a pole stake in the ground unscrew the end cap and slide the telescopic windsock poll over the top. Telescopic windsock poles come in 3m to 10m sizes so you should be able to spot your camp from virtually anywhere on the festival site. There are some great gadgets on the market like the Travel John disposable urinal, Whiz Freedom, emergency phone chargers and a decent wind up torches, which although not essential will definitely help make your festival camping experience as comfortable as possible. Remember if you find your festival gear list is getting quite long or you have a larger heavier tent an Off-Roader Festival Trolley is ideal for transporting all your gear from train/bus station or car park to your camping pitch.
When buying a festival tent remember to choose a fairly lightweight tent as you will need to carry it from the train/coach station or festival car park unless you pick up a festival trolley as well. Don’t buy the cheapest tent on the market as it will probably leak and festival-goers leaving so called “cheap disposable tents” at events are starting to cause environmental problems – a decent festival tent should last a good few festivals. Make sure your festival tent is large enough to house you, your backpack and your supplies and make sure it stands out, you’ll be glad your festival tent can be easily distinguished among others when your trying to find your way back to it at the end of the evening.
The outdoor specialists Easy Camp make a Pop Up Tent that simply pops up in a few seconds. The Easy Camp Pop Up Tent is a convenient tent that even a novice can handle and comes in distinctive designs – Rock ’n’ Roll, Attitude and Hot Summer. Unlike pitching a traditional tent where tent poles need to be threaded through pole sleeves a Pop Up Tent self pitches after being released from it’s carry bag. A Pop Up Tent is such that it can even be set up and moved to wherever you like. Therefore, if you want to move your tent just a few feet away from where you set it up, you do not need to disassemble and re-assemble it – ideal when you’ve arrived late and wake up to find you’ve pitched your tent right next to the long drop toilets.
It’s all in the name, a Quick Pitch Tent works on the same principle as the pop up tent – simply release it from it’s carry bag and it self pitches itself. A Quick Pitch Tent is ideal in wet conditions as it becomes an instant shelter from the rain. As soon as you reach your camping spot, you can set up your tent in seconds. Today, most festival goers opt for a Quick Pitch Tent because they are more interested in enjoying the festival as opposed to spending an hour setting up/taking down their tents. A Gelert Quick Pitch Tent is an excellent choice as there are so many options, the SS (single skin) range of tents are very lightweight, the DS (double skin) tents have good ventilation and stability and the Gelert Twister tents are perfect for the larger party. The new 2009 range of Gelert Quick Pitch tents come in a variety of colours: Rococco Red/Paloma Grey, Firecracker/Black, Kashmir/Chestnut, Chestnut/Sandshell, Raspberry Sorbet/Iced Pearl, Army Camo and Summer Flower patterns.
Modern camping gadgets can make your summer music festival more comfortable for instance with the aid of a TravelJohn you can avoid night time trips to the festival potaloos. When you are on a camping site in the middle of nowhere modern equipment like mobile phones will struggle with battery life. There won’t be any 13 amp sockets to plug them into and if you rely on your mobile then you’ll have to find other ways to charge them up. Obviously, mobile phones are essential if you are meeting or loose your friends in the crowd, so emergency mobile phone chargers are essential camping gadgets. For women the Whiz Freedom is definitely the one of the favourite festival camping gadgets as it enables you to wee standing up saving you the trouble of hovering above a scummy festival toilet. New camping gadgets appearing at festival campsites include the Solar Camp Shower which can heat water up to 48°C after 3 hours in direct sunlight and the Sea to Summit collapsible basin/sink which hold 10lt/20lt of water and pack down really small.
If you’ve ever tried lighting a camping stove on a windy day then you’ll know how important camping windbreaks can be at providing shelter from unwanted breezes. Why buy a plain or an old stripy windbreak when the new ranges of camping windbreaks are so colourful and certainly brighten up bleak campsites with their presence. Modern camping windbreaks come in vibrant designs and fold down into a really small pack – perfect if you want to add a little privacy to your particular camping spot.
When you go camping to your favourite campsite do you sometimes feel a little exposed? Are you forever getting problems from unwelcome winds whilst trying to cook? One effective way of stopping wind from blowing your camping stove is by utilising windbreaks around your pitch. Windbreaks make great privacy screens providing you with both shelter and comfort. The new ranges of designer windbreaks come in a range of vibrant colours and patterns ideal for marking out your camping area. With new windbreaks available in various Funky designs there is sure to be one that will match your VW Type 2 Campervan or tent.
Backpacking Equipment should be functional, compact and lightweight, whether it’s a tent, a sleeping bag or a camping cooker. It’s always good to start with a backpacking equipment list of essentials which will prevent you buying and carrying too much kit. Your backpacking equipment list should include the following:
- A decent sized (60-70 litre) pack/backpack like the Rambler Rucksack.
- A double skin, lightweight tent such as the Jura Single Hoop Tent or the Glenderry 2 Compact Tent (both under 2.5kg).
- Sleeping bag rated to at least the lowest temperature you expect or 5-10°C lower if you’re a cold sleeper – the Echo 400 for example is an excellent 4 season sleeping bag (extreme temp -25°C).
- A closed cell foam roll mat like the Nato Roll Mat (only 300g) or a lightweight self inflating mattress like a Thermalite or Hiker.
- A small gas canister stove like the Highlander Field Stove or a military style solid fuel cooker like the Hexi Stove.
There are many accessories that can be added to your backpacking equipment list – just be sure that they are going to enhance your outdoor experience and are worth the extra weight in your Rucksack.
As with backpacking equipment, adventure travel equipment should be functional, compact and above all lightweight. If you’re trekking to Everest Base Camp for instance, carrying heavy unnecessary adventure travel equipment will sap energy and probably result in you discarding the ball and chain items – stick to functional, basic kit. A good point to consider when buying a camp cooker is fuel, when flying off to start that trip of a lifetime remember that airlines do not allow compressed gas canisters on flights and particular fuel types may be hard to source in destination countries so look at a good multi-fuel camp cooker like the Primus Omnifuel Stove which will run on anything from diesel to aviation fuel. Consider the temperature extremes you may encounter, one of the most important pieces of adventure travel equipment you’ll purchase will be a sleeping bag, so if your climbing Kilimanjaro you’ll need 4 season sleeping bag like the Echo 400, if your trekking in Chang Mai a 1 season sleeping bag or Sea to Summit Coolmax Adaptor Liner will probably give you a comfortable nights sleep. Below we have suggested some great weight saving and multifunctional travel gadgets that you may wish to include in your adventure travel equipment list:
1. Sea to Summit Pocket Towel - weighs only 42g and packs down to the size of a tennis ball.
2. Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks - ultra lightweight, keeps your gear dry and your pack light.
3. Primus EtaExpress - incredibly small, light and environmentally friendly cooking stove with minimal fuel consumption or the Primus OmniFuel Stove (as discussed above)
4. Sea to Summit X-Bowl - lightweight, collapsible food bowl folds flat for compact packing, cut resistant base doubles as chopping board.
5. Cyba-lite Pro Sport Headlight - up to 7 times brighter than a standard LED.
6. 6.5w Sunlinq Folding Solar Panel - small enough to slip in a cargo trouser pocket, but open up into a powerful portable solar panel.
7. Spork - a knife, spoon and fork combined in a single, one-piece utensil, weighing only 9g.
The needs of a gap year traveller differ from that of an adventure traveller in that specialist kit isn’t as necessary. If you go off trekking in Chang Mei or New Zealand’s South Island, tents, cookers etc.. would normally be supplied by a guide. The most important part of your gap year travel equipment is a hybrid backpack like the Highlander Ruckcase Travel Pack which can be carried like a rucksack or a case, has a detachable daysack and unzips all the way round to open out fully like a case. Think about security when buying your gap year travel equipment a good quality money belt or concealable neck pouch is a must. You will obviously be taking an iPod/MP3 player so an emergency charger is a must for those long-haul flights. Gap year travel equipment can include some home comforts like a Sea to Summit Tek Towel for instance which has all the comfort of a conventional towel but ultra light and compact. Health should be the highest priority, an Aquapure Traveller - Portable Water Filter guarantees safe drinking water wherever you travel and it goes without saying a good quality first aid kit should be included with your gap year travel equipment.