Festival Camping Tips – How to Keep Your Tent Safe and Secure

Festival season is finally here, and as well as plenty of stories you’ll also want to come home with your tent and valuables all in one piece.

With this in mind, here are a few tips for safe festival camping…

There’s a strong element of psychology involved in keeping your tent safe at a festival. Amid a sea of similar tents, you want to send a message to would-be thieves that your particular patch isn’t worth targeting. If he does decide to take a closer look, you should also make sure that there’s nothing in there worth grabbing.

Don’t bother with a padlock

Whether your tent set you back £20 or £200, the only thing a determined thief needs to break into it is a penknife. Far from putting him off, if a prowler sees that the zip is padlocked, he’s likely to assume that there’s something interesting inside. To check this, he’s much more likely to slash the side panel than wrestle with the padlock; thereby leaving you with a torn and leaky home for the rest of the weekend.

Pitch near a traffic route

If you’re given a choice on where to pitch, aim for somewhere within eyesight of a toilet block, car park, the main path to the stages or other area where there’s going to be a steady flow of people. These areas tend to be better lit and thieves are more likely to operate in out-of- the-way spots where there’s less chance of an audience.

Camp next to friends (or make new ones)

If you know who’s supposed to be in your area, it becomes easier to spot a stranger. It’s also handy to have someone to keep an eye on your stuff while you’re away. If you give your camping zone a lived-in feel by leaving it looking messy, this can help to give the impression that it’s a busy area.

Don’t leave valuables at the tent door

It’s best to place valuables in a bag and hide them in your sleeping bag before going to sleep.

Try to only bring items you can afford to lose

This could mean leaving your smartphone at home and transferring your SIM to an old phone. From coats to camping stoves, it’s best to leave any top of the range gear at home. For essential valuables, most festivals tend to have free lock-ups and car key depositories available, so make use of these. Keep your money and bank cards on you and make use of on-site cash machines as and when you need to, rather than having to carry around a large amount of cash.

Report suspicious behaviour

If you see people looking through tents, report this to the event security staff or police rather than approaching the individual yourself.

Keeping your tent waterproof and in one piece

To avoid water seeping into your tent and to protect against condensation, your groundsheet is essential. When setting up your tent, make sure your groundsheet is tucked properly into the seams so it does not extend beyond the footprint of the tent.

• Take a couple of self-adhesive tent repair patches with you in case you notice any rips or tears when you’re setting up.
• Cooking is best done outdoors.
• BBQs should be used away from the tent itself and should be positioned so the fumes are not blowing into it.
• Do not bring a smouldering or lit barbeque into the tent.

Have you caught the camping bug?

Whether you’re staying in the UK or venturing further afield, make sure you, your tent and your valuables are covered with camping insurance from Shield Total Insurance. From just £15.50, you can sit back and relax knowing that your tent, camping equipment, contents and personal effects are safe from loss or damage, fire, theft and storm damage.

This post is sponsored by Shield Total Insurance.

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