Tent-tastic!

So you need to buy a tent because you can't afford a yurt or a tipi or a podpad.

The one 'man' tent can seem like the perfect choice if you're camping with friends but want to kip on your own. If you're a minimalist, you will enjoy this. If you have a rucksack full of clothes and other kit you may find all your gear gets in your way. Consider a two man tent, since you need to account for enough space to lay out your sleeping bag plus other stuff. It also helps to have room to manoeuver if you're trying to get out of wet/muddy clothes without destroying your clean stuff.

When sharing a tent with one friend, a similar equation applies. A four man should be adequate space for two people. Doesn't matter if you are mates or a couple...in order to preserve harmony you should try to make sure you have as much storage space as you have sleeping space.

Although there are obviously many more exciting things you could be doing than putting up your tent, it is VERY important that you focus on this one task and give it your full attention. Stake it down and use the guy ropes as directed. A taut tent is a dry tent after all. As my partner in crime drummed into me on our first sodden adventure, any items touching the inside of the tent will also cause leaks, so don't heap things in the corners.

There appears to be a bit of a gazebo backlash this year, with some festivals banning them from the camping areas. I can see why this is happening, as gazebos do take up valuable camping space. It is a real shame, though, as when it's raining cats and dogs it can be nice to sit under cover with your mates and chill out near the tents before heading out to see some bands. Otherwise everyone has sit in their tents and shout back and forth...which can be annoying for nearby neighbors.

**Above all...don't abandon your tent this year! If YouTube footage of 'tent-diving' is any indication of what happens to tents that are left behind, they'll be no good to anyone when these idiots are through. You'd be better off paying Tangerine Fields for a tent than buying one from Argos or Decathlon and then leaving it to have all the poles broken! Thousands of tents were abandoned at Glastonbury last year and although they were supposed to donated to charity very few were actually salvaged.