Festival goers preparing to brave the best part of a week kipping in a tent against the backdrop of pounding music have been advised to follow some top sleeping tips.
From Wednesday next week 200,000 revellers will begin filtering into the Glastonbury Festival ground, marking its return after two years away and the start of the season in proper.
While a complete washout and mud-aggedon is always on the cards, forecasters are tentatively suggesting that the festival may coincide with a heatwave.
As much as some will be happy to party until they drop or simply not sleep at all, others will be concerned about how they're going to get some shut-eye in uncomfortable festival terrain.
Sleep expert Neil Wright, who works at Beds Divans, has compiled his top tips for sleeping in a hot tent.
Choose a spot in the shade - In order to prevent your tent from baking in the hot sun all day, try placing it near trees, hedges or bushes.
However, if you’re unable to find a shady spot, add some tarp or reflective blankets (such as emergency space blankets) over your tent, which functions as a protective layer against the beaming sun.
Switch up your sleeping bag - If you want to sleep better at night, consider swapping your sleeping bag for a weather-appropriate blanket or light sleeping bag. Polyester materials are great materials for hot nights.
Additionally, this material is cheap, easy to clean, and light enough that it doesn’t provide too much insulation. This material still retains a dry feel even if they get wet from sweat, rain, or humidity.
Don't fully zip tent doors & leave tent vents open - At night, leave your tent door zip slightly ajar. In the event of a slight breeze, this will allow more air to circulate through the tent. However, make sure you don't forget to keep your valuables close to you or placed in a safe location.
Keep tent vents open both during the day and at night - The majority of tents have small 'windows' or vents that allow air to enter, so keep them open at all times.
Consider bringing a battery-powered fan - If you have space, consider packing an inexpensive battery-powered fan with you, alongside a pack of batteries.
Having a small battery-powered fan in your tent can help keep you cool at night by circulating fresh air and cooling things down. If you’re really struggling with the heat, use a cloth to dab cold water on you before cooling yourself off with the fan.
Choosing the right airbed and roll matt for summer festival camping
When we think of roll mats, we typically think of them as ways to keep warm — not to cool down. But you can buy specially designed ones if you’re going to be camping during a heatwave. The key thing to do when choosing a heatwave-friendly mat is to look at the R value, weight, and bulk on the packaging.
The R value will tell you how warm the mat will be to sleep in. The lower the R number, the less insulating it will be. An R value of 2.0 or lower is ideal for hot climates. A value between 2-4 is more practical for the months in between direct summer and winter.
And anything more than 4.0 is designed for keeping warm in the winter. So if you’re camping during this summer heatwave, choose a roll mat of 2.0 or lower. A bonus is that mattresses that are less insulated also tend to be cheaper.
