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Amazon Prime Day: The festival essentials we’re snapping up for our next event
Shop for anything from bio-degradable glitter to easy-to-pack tents, all at a sharp price
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Festivals are exceptionally fun, but prepping for them can be a hard task. Tickets already don’t come cheap, but we’ll happily cough up the dough to watch our favourite artists take to the stage. However, the great British weather can make or break your day if you let it.
That’s why we recommend stocking up on your essentials for a magical time, come rain or shine. And while that does mean some extra spending, worry not, as Amazon is about to hit us with some serious discounts.
Yep, Prime Day is fast approaching, and we all know that the retailer sells, well, everything – and all in one place. From guides to home appliances and tech to fitness equipment and alcohol, we at IndyBest are here to make your life easier and help navigate this huge sales event.
Amazon is yet to announce its specific deals, but looking back on previous years, we’d say we can have a decent guess on what’s to be included. We’ve laid out all the rules and regs you need to know – including how to get a 30-day free trial – ahead of the sales events in our main guide.
From glitter and sunscreen to raincoats and wellies, there are some things we simply can’t do without when we venture out to the festival grounds. To make sure nothing can rain on your parade, keep reading to find out what festival must-haves we’ll be shopping this Amazon Prime Day.
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Fjallraven duffle bag: From £74.71, Amazon.co.uk
If you’ve opted for a multi-day ticket, you’ll want to pack light but still make sure you have all your essentials on hand. We remember our first introduction to camping as a rookie (non-festival related) where we ended up dragging our heavily overpacked suitcase through a muddy field after a downpour during the last night – an experience we wouldn’t recommend to anyone. So we learned the hard way; it’s better to opt for a duffle bag instead.
This one from beloved Scandi brand Fjallraven is both well-designed and super stylish, and our reviewer named it “best duffle bag” in our weekend bag round-up. They thought it could withstand a bit of rain, thanks to its durable material, and appreciated that it comes with handles on top, as well as a longer strap for easy carrying.
The brand saw great price reductions in last year’s Prime Day event, with its unisex backpack (from £56.25, Amazon.co.uk) being reduced to £49.81. So we think there’s a good chance we’ll see more of its products on offer in July.
Hunter wellington boots: From £66.90, Amazon.co.uk
You might be in denial, but deep down we all know the British summer is unpredictable and the weather might go either way. If you’re prepared, a proper downpour doesn’t have to ruin your day (or weekend). So gear up and stomp to the front stage with a pair of weather-proof wellies.
This classic boot is available in a range of colours and will keep your feet dry and comfy. It even featured in our round-up of the best women’s wellies, where our reviewer said the adjustable strap was “handy to avoid the classic wellie slap at the back of the calves and ensure a perfect fit every time”.
Buy now women’s wellies, from £66.90, Amazon.co.uk
Buy now men’s wellies, from £81.59, Amazon.co.uk
La Roche-Posay anthelios UVMUNE 400 invisible fluid SPF50: £17.32, Amazon.co.uk
As we said, the weather can go either way, so it’s better to be safe than sorry, and if you went for a safer bet and booked a festival abroad, you’ll definitely need sun protection on your packing list. We wear sunscreen daily, and always opt for an SPF50 formula, mainly because we’ve had our fair share of strange-looking sunburns and can safely testify no one wants a butterfly crop top or ripped jeans pattern imprinted on them for the rest of the summer.
Our face needs continuous attention during the day as our cheeks, nose and forehead tend to get very rosy very quickly. This formula from La Roche-Posay is perfect for using on your face and neck and came out on top in our best face sunscreens round-up. At 100ml, this is a great little bottle to keep on hand, and if you really need an emergency touch up, we’re sure it will do the trick for other body parts too – although you might want to use a cheaper option for that.
In last year’s Prime event, we saw great discounts on L’Oréal beauty products, from hair straighteners to foundations and day creams, so we don’t think it’s too farfetched for this L’Oréal-owned brand to be let in on the fun too.
Read the full of the La Roche-Posay sunscreen here
Hemway eco-friendly bio-degradable glitter: £12.95, Amazon.co.uk
Is it even a party if there’s no glitter? Stick-on sparkles are one of our favourite ways to bring our festival look to the next level. But at the end of the day, we usually find said glitter everywhere except where we put it, so we can only imagine how much of it ends up in the fields after thousands of revellers make their way home at the end of a weekender.
This is why we’re very excited to see there’s now plenty of biodegradable glitter options on offer. This Hemway one comes in a range of colours – from gold and silver to lavender and turquoise – so you can match it with any outfit.
Coleman castle pines 4: £499, Amazon.co.uk
While many opt for the cheapest, two-person pop-up tents available, there’s something to be said for investing in a proper tent for you and your friend to stay in. The overall festival experience definitely improves for us if we have the space to be a bit more organised, plus, when you purchase a quality tent it’ll last you for years to come and you can take plenty of camping trips with it too.
Our reviewer found this tent to be durable and weatherproof, making it perfect for any festival on the home ground. It also comes with spacious storage and zipped window shades, which will be much appreciated on the morning after when the sunrays try to wake you but you need to recharge a little longer.
The price of this tent might seem a bit intimidating now, especially if you’re looking to use it exclusively for festivals, but last Prime Day a range of offers on Coleman tents were included. The price of the instant tourer 4 tent (£193.33, Amazon.co.uk), for example, was slashed to a whopping third of its original. So we’re hoping to see a good deal for this design too.
Polo Ralph Lauren cotton cap: £63.73, Amazon.co.uk
Sunscreen goes a long way, but if you’re out in the sun all day you might want something extra to stop you from squinting your eyes and prevent a pending headache (unless you’re on the booze, in which case the headache might not be weather-related). You can never go wrong with a classic, and this baseball cap from Ralph Lauren ticks all our boxes.
While it’s not the cheapest option, we think it’ll get plenty of wear – it’s cool, practical and, as our reviewer pointed out, adjustable to fit practically any head. For some, a bucket hat might be more on brand, in which case we recommend this utility design from Accessorize (£10, Accessorize.com) as featured in our best summer hats round-up.
Spoley mini hand-held portable fan: £16.99, Amazon.co.uk
To some, a mini fan might seem like a luxury rather than an essential, but you can thank us later for this one. Festivals can be very crowded – especially at the front of the stage – and if the sun does come out, it will become rather sticky. This fan is about 7cm x 12cm, so dinky enough to fit in most cross body or pockets – perfect for keeping on you when out in the various crowds. It also stands upright to make things a little less clammy in your tent and aid a good night’s kip.
If you’re after something even smaller for your festival bumbag, this compact model from FanU (£14.99, Stressnomore.co.uk) might suit you better. Our reviewer named it “best for cooling on the go” in our round-up and pointed out that its lightweight design makes it perfect for festivals.
Patagonia torrentshell 3l jacket: From £143.53, Amazon.co.uk
Growing up in the Netherlands, we’ve been to our fair share of festivals where a sunny couple of hours were followed by a heavy shower. In that case, there’s usually nowhere to run – leaving you to dance in the rain and accept you’ll be cold, wet and let’s face it, slightly miserable, for the rest of the day. Luckily, we learned from our mistakes and are always sure to pack a waterproof jacket if the weather looks a bit uncertain.
And who does weather-proof jackets better than Patagonia? Our reviewer rated this one especially for its packability – it can be self-packed into its own pocket, which means you can easily stuff it into a small bag to carry with you on a cloudy day. They also said the jacket “withstood anything we threw at it”, thanks to its three-layer shell and had “one of the best hoods on test”. If that’s not enough to convince you, maybe its colour range is or the hope that, come Amazon Prime Day, it could get a decent price cut.
Buy now men’s torrentshell jacket, from £143.53, Amazon.co.uk
Buy now women’s torrentshell jacket, from £128, Amazon.co.uk
Outsunny adult single sleeping bag: £27.99, Amazon.co.uk
In our experience, you don’t tend to get much sleep during a festival. You hang around the stages until the last acts are finished, then might have a couple more drinks with new-found friends at the campsite and by the time you’re down for your nap there’s only a couple hours left until the morning sun will wake you up again. So when we do lie down, we want to be as comfy as humanly possible...
Last year, a whole range of camping and outdoor gear was sharply priced for Prime Day and products from Outsunny were also featured, with its hanging heater (£27.99, Amazon.co.uk) having a 21 per cent price reduction. We’re looking forward to seeing more of the brand’s products on offer again this year, and will be looking out for this sleeping bag.
Our reviewer found this model took up surprisingly little space when packed, despite its luxuriously thick design, and will keep you snug. More importantly, keeping you warm and toasty in temperatures as low as 10C, it will do just fine on a British summer night.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian joia dry shampoo: £23.90, Amazon.co.uk
We don’t know about you, but we’ve never been to a multiple-day festival and actually had a shower. Some festival grounds might have them, but most of them don’t – and even if you can have a wash on-site, dire conditions could persuade you otherwise. So, as we didn’t want to feel completely disgusting after a multi-day festival, wet wipes, deodorant and dry shampoo were our new best friends.
This product from Sol de Janeiro came out on top in our round-up. Our reviewer said they couldn’t get enough of its pistachio and salted-caramel fragrance that would linger on their hair all throughout the day.
Aesop resurrection rinse-free hand wash: £10, Amazon.co.uk
Well before the pandemic normalised the (excessive) use of hand sanitiser, we never went to a festival without it. Let’s face it, portable toilets are not the cleanest places – especially when they’ve already been used by thousands of other people throughout the day. On top of that, tap water at these large-scale events can be unreliable and it’s difficult to keep up with the demand for soap. So, to make sure you’re always able to wash your hands, pack this hand wash from Aesop.
While it’s a different scent than the one our reviewer tested, they also rated the light and refreshing texture of Aesop’s sanitisers (unlike many on-the-go hand washes). And the bottle is small enough to carry with you throughout the day.
Read more on Amazon Prime Day 2022
Your ultimate guide to Amazon Prime Day 2022 – Expert insight on what to expect, how to get the best deals and confirmed dates
The best home and kitchen Prime Day deals to expect – We’re predicting huge savings across big-name brands such as Shark, Dyson, Nespresso and Philips
Your ultimate guide to tech Prime Day offers – Our experts share insight into the gadgets to watch, from tablets to headphones
The top gaming discounts to know this Amazon Prime Day – Any gaming heads will want to bookmark this guide, where we detail the best deals based on this year’s releases and last year’s top sellers
Best Amazon device deals to watch out for this Prime Day – The tech giant offers huge discounts on its own-brand devices, and we’ve got all the latest insights
Amazon Prime Day Nintendo Switch offers to expect – Following the release of the latest Switch OLED late last year, we share our predictions for this year’s sales event
The Prime Day Apple deals to know – Whether you’re in the market for a MacBook or a shiny new iPad, read our guide for all the details
The fitness deals to expect this Prime Day– From New Balance trainers to Sweaty Betty gym leggings and NutriBullets, here’s everything you need to know
Best alcohol deals to shop this Amazon Prime Day – Whether you’re a vodka lover or whisky fanatic, we’re expecting some serious price cuts in the booze department
The top laptop discounts to know for Prime Day 2022 – We’re predicting some big savings on Dell, Lenovo, Surface and more
The best Amazon Prime Day TV deals to expect– The shopping bonanza is the perfect time to snap up a seriously discounted 4K or OLED telly
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