Orange have been hard at work in the lab and after last years ground breaking eco-tent they have unveiled their latest eco-gadget, the Orange Power Wellies.

The Orange Power Wellies use a unique ‘power generating sole’ that converts heat from your feet into an electrical current. This ‘welectricity’ can then be used to recharge your mobile phone.

Twelve hours of walking will provide enough power for one hour of mobile charge, maybe more if you’re in a mosh-pit.

How it works

The Orange Eco Welly

After a days walking you simply plug your phone into the power output at the top of the welly and the magical Glastonbury enegery is transferred into your phone. The welly contains a power generating sole that transfers the heat from your foot into texts.

We salute Orange for coming up with green camping tech but with this years Glastonbury looking to be a (relative) scorcher the wellies may not get a chance to do their thermodynamic thing.

For more info on Orange’s Glastonbury sheninagans see their dedicated site www.orange.co.uk/glastonbury

Orange unveils Power Wellies for Glastonbury is from Campr - Everything Camping

Festivals are a time when camping gadgets come into their own.

Everyone brings a few items that make a weekend away from home comforts a little more bearable, so as the 2010 festival season bursts into life we have assembled a list of some essential gadgets that make camping amongst thousands of fellow revellers a little more enjoyable.

Travel John Disposable Urinal

Travel John Disposable Urinal

Toilets are synonymous with festivals and whilst the quality has increased in recent years, (Glastonbury’s long drops are open to the elements but far nicer than portaloos) the thought of a dash through guy ropes at 3am does not appeal.

The Travel John (RRP £4.99) disposable urinal solves this midnight dilemma, each bag is filled with the stuff you find in baby’s nappies and can be thrown away in the morning. Suitable for boys and girls!

Gelert Roll up Water Carrier

Gelert Roll Up Water Carrier

If the Travel John helps you get water *out* of the tent the Gelert Roll Up Water Carrier (RRP £6.75) helps you get it in. Bottled water is expensive at festivals and there is the inevitable fight every morning to fill scavenged plastic containers, sidestep this with the easy to carry and store water carrier.

Sky Lantern

High Flyer Sky Lanterns

Don’t forget festivals are supposed to be about fun and abandonment, a few camping gadgets are great but you don’t want to turn up looking like a boy scout when all your mates are writhing naked in the Stone Circle. The High Flyer Sky Lanterns (£8.99 pack of 10) are a little bit of festival magic you can pre-prepare. A  tea light fills the paper bags with hot air and they gently float into the sky like little pixies.

Coleman Constellation Quad Camping Chair

Coleman Constellation Quad Camping Chair

A chair is something you will curse every second of walk from the car to your pitch but worship over the next three days. Having a chair can score you free drinks and all the rizla you need as your furniture starved mates crave a little sit down. The Coleman Constellation Quad (RRP £16.99) is sturdy enough to last a whole festival and has the vital drinks holder.

Dolphin Windup Torch and Phone Charger

Dolphin Wind-up Torch and Phone Charger

You don’t want to spend half a day queuing to charge your phone and you don’t want to blunder into someone else’s tent (maybe you do) on the way home, kill this two birds with one wind-up shaped stone – the Dolphin Windup Torch and Phone Charger. (RRP £10.99). Crank that wrist to generate enough power to text mum and find the party.

Image credit

Festival Camping Gadgets is from Campr - Everything Camping

Glastonbury is forty in 2010 and as the festival reaches a comfortable middle age maybe it’s time to add a little glamour to your festival camping experience? To aid your search for posh camping we have sought out the most luxurious glamping experiences Glastonbury has to offer.

If you’re one of the original festival revelers the prospect of a muddy field of booze fueled teenagers shouting BOLLOCKS and ingesting all manner of awful chemicals may be starting to lose it’s appeal. Or you could be one of those who mark Glastonbury as a highlight of the ‘alternative season’ and crinkle your well bred nose at the idea of mud and oinks.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of Glastonbury glampers the festival is now well served by luxury camping providers and whilst we will be pitching our tent on Penard Hill and drinking warm cider you may choose to relax in a Squrt sipping champagne.

Land and Sky

Land and Sky luxury yurts

Costing a cool £5750, the Land and Sky Glastonbury yurt package boasts ‘luxury showers and toilets to rival hotel standards’, a private access road, passes into the inter-stage area, a gourmet restaurant and 24 hour security.

Based on Writh Farm just outside the festival, Land and Sky would get our vote if we weren’t desperate scroungers only a few years past jumping the fence (Don’t tell Michael…)

Tel: 07793 041 679
Email: enquiries@landnsky.co.uk
www.landnsky.co.uk

The Tipi Field

The iconic Tipi Field

Is it tipi, teepee or tepee? Whichever way, the Tipi Field has become one of Glastonbury’s most iconic sights. Located close to the stone circle, the Tipi Field manages to combine luxury camping with the original Glastonbury spirit.

Glastonbury hosts Europe’s largest annual gathering of tipis so there are various ways to secure one but other than ‘befriending’ a hippy the most reliable way is through a supplier such as Heathworks.  You’ll have to book the pitch through the official Glastonbury festivals site.

Tel: 01749 899521
Email: tipisyurts@hearthworks.co.uk
www.hearthworks.co.uk

Camp Kerala

Campr Kerala is a veritable village of Glastonbury glamping with 75 luxury tents overlooking the festival. For £3000 guests will have their Glastonbury perceptions altered with hot showers, massages and foie gras.

The 20ft by 20ft tents are supplied by a workshop founded by the Maharajah of Jodhpur and guests will find a goody bag including such vital festival accessories as Hunter wellington boots.

Tel: 01749 860077
Email: jennifer@campkerala.com
www.campkerala.com

Cockmill Hideaway

Cockmill Hideaway

Located just outside the mind bending Shangri La, Cockmill Hideaway offers tipis, yurts and the luxury bhurj. The Indian bhurj couldbe the ideal accomodation for a honeymoon at Glastonbury with a king size bed, linen sheets and copy of the Karma Sutra (probably).

Tel: 01749 860 574
Email: tinaneilson@btinternet.com
www.cockmillhideaway.com

Yurts and Squrts

Yurts and Squrts

The cheaper alternative to Land and Sky’s staggering ‘yurxtury’, is the chamingly titled Yurts and Squrts (squrts not referring to the Glastonbury toilet experience). Offering yurts and the smaller squrts from £233, Yurts and Squrts is the affordable Glastonbury glamping option.

But be quick! Their site is stating 4 person furnished Yurts are already sold out.

Tel: 01434 683838
Email: Contact via site.
http://www.yurtsandsqurts.com

myhab

myhab

Glastonbury has a major problem with abandoned tents, watch this Youtube video for the shocking aftermath of the  2009 festival.

So how can you go green whilst glamping?  Enter myhab‘s two person living pods. Made from recycled parts the myhab is a fine alternative to chucking your tent and the king size foam mattress will provide a very luxurious night (or morning’s) rest. With hot showers and loos to complete the package, myhabs £395 price looks a bargain.

If you’d prefer canvas but rather someone else did the hard work myhab also rent pre-pitched tents for the festival.

Tel: 0207 397 4912
Email: more@myhab.com
www.myhab.com

For further information on Glastonbury luxury camping check out the accommodation listings on the Glastonbury Festivals site.

Main photo courtesy Camp Kerla

Festival reading

A Guide to Glastonbury Glamping is from Campr - Everything Camping

The festival season is in full swing so we’ve put together a list of essential festival camping tips.

Festival camping is very different experience from ordinary leisure camping and with Glastonbury 2009 just gone there will be many first time festival campers having learnt the hard way about camping down wind from the toilets. Save yourself festival stress with our top tips.

1. Choose your pitch wisely
The position of your pitch can affect your whole weekend,  from stumbling back in the darkness to getting (half) decent sleep the perfect pitch can negate many of the most difficult parts of festival camping. Choose a spot near a visible landmark but not too close to the main paths, you don’t want to be trampled on at 5am! Try to pitch near the top of a hill and as a far away from the toilets as possible (this is vital), you don’t want rain or wee running into your sleeping bag.

2. Mark your spot
A tricky thing to get right, you don’t want to appear anti-social so don’t cover your campsite in POLICE – DO NOT CROSS tape (as we have seen) but you don’t want someone pitching in the middle of your campfire spot. The practical (and glampy) solution is a gazebo. A gazebo will act as a handy marker for your campsite, keep the rain off and create a natural area for everyone to congregate. Some festivals frown on them so check before you go.

3. Bring home comforts
Festival camping is often camping stripped back to the fundamentals, something to keep the rain off and something to sleep in. But don’t forget the luxuries! Take a blanket, spread it out on the grass and take some treats out of your cool bag and you could be lazing in your back garden. A real duvet is also much more comfortable than a sleeping bag and if you don’t mind carrying it, an inflatable mattress will be worth it’s weight in gold. Of course you can only carry so much but if you have room take some portable chairs, a lamp, and cooking stove and you’ll have a veritable 5* campsite.

4. Make some friends
Get to know your neighbours and they’ll watch out for your stuff, share dodgy cider with you and generally give you a warm feeling.

5. Don’t lock your tent
Don’t put a padlock on your tent, tents are impossible to secure and you’ll only tempt thieves, most big festivals have property lockups so use those instead. Remember to make friends with your neighbours and they’ll act as slightly smelly Neighbourhood Watch.

6. Bring a bigger tent than you need
Whilst a two man is easy to carry it can quickly become crampt and like a little oven in the morning if it’s a hot festival or full of wet clothing if it’s not. Go for one man bigger than you need and you’ll luxuriate in the extra space.

7. Try something different
Festivals are a great time to try out that new tent you’ve had your eye on, get a teepee for acres of space or hire a yurt for the full glamping experience. Remember if your using a tent for the first time pitch it at home first!

8. Bring some gaffer tape
It’s amazing how useful this stuff can be at festivals. The worst thing in the world is a leaking tent and a quick gaffering will keep those raindrops off your head. If you don’t need it someone else inevitably will and they’ll probably trade it for some cider.

9. Mind the guy ropes
A small one but to save a drunken festivaller falling and collapsing your tent  keep the guy ropes as short as possible, they are truly the number one festival hazard.

10. Ignore all of the above
Sometimes it’s just more fun for it to all go wrong and end up sleeping with the Hare Krishnas.

Festival reading

Top Ten Festival Camping Tips is from Campr - Everything Camping

Wow, what an amazing weekend! We camped up on Penard Hill (right next to the Park Stage) which is the perfect spot for being in the thick of things whilst having a little room to relax.

Unfortunately after crawling back from the festival on Monday it took us 6 hours to get out of the car park and have been ill with Glastoflu ever since! But now we’re better we’ll be putting together a special festival special with some of our hard earned camping tips.

To get a flavour of festival you should check out these amazing photos taken by the Boston Globe

Festival reading

Amazing Glastonbury Photos is from Campr - Everything Camping

With Glastonbury just twenty four hours away we’ve been thinking about essential accessories for the first time camper or old hands who don’t want to spend four days sheltering in the hare Krishna tent eating free rice. After a lot of debate we’ve identified hats (?!) as the most essential accessory.

Every year there is a hat craze. Every single year. From the mod hat to the mushroom cap each Glastonbury is distinguished by a craze that spreads from the traders stores to the heads of every second festival goer. You can avoid this fashion nightmare by pre-buying your headwear and proudly swimming against the fashion tide.

Since Kate Moss pulled on a straw hat a few years ago the cowboy hat is the safe option for looking stylish remember to accessorise it with a bottle of Jack and some Marlboro lights. If It’s 5am and you’re in the Stone Circle your head could be so cold you’ll be thankful for a woolly hat.

Of course sometimes the best hat is is the witches brim you bought off a women with a worrying looking boil and if you’re looking at hats you’re probably well prepared. If not get everything from Jo Bananas on the day like we did one year…

Festival reading

Glastonbury Hats is from Campr - Everything Camping

Ever lost your tent at a festival? The traditional stumble over guy ropes as you drunkenly grope your way through thousands of identical tents is no more!

We’ve just got a new iPhone at Campr towers and browsing through the App store brought up TentFinder. It uses the iPhone’s GPS to mark the position of your tent then guides you back with the map and digital compass. TentFinder is simple and intuitive to use, and looks quite stylish. We’d love to see integration with other festival info, we could see it guiding you to some of Glastonbury’s hidden gems. But maybe that takes some of the magic away?

Of course we’ll be leaving our iPhone at home, we’re far too scared about dropping our shiny new toy in the portaloos. But TentFinder isn’t limited to festivals, or even whilst camping. TentFinder would work equally well for hiking or simply finding your car in the multi story carpark.

The app only costs £1.19 so if it saves you sleeping in the Stone Circle it’s probably worth a punt.

Never lose your tent again is from Campr - Everything Camping