The best festival tech of 2018

Braven’s BRV-1 portable speaker is designed to withstand the elements, so is perfect for keeping the music going at festivals even when the artists aren’t on the stage.

It’s water-resistant, and has rubberised shock-absorbing exterior to ensure durability for the more adventurous user. The device is wireless, with up to 12 hours of Bluetooth audio streaming time, and also acts as a speakerphone with a built-in noise cancelling microphone.

Additionally, you can use the BRV-1 to charge your iPhone, and a battery check indicator lets you know how much battery life the speaker has left.

Check out our round-up of the best speakers for iPhone and iPad for more great options.

Anker makes some great tech products at amazing prices and this power pack for your portable devices is no exception. 10,000mAh will charge your iPhone and other devices so you don’t need to worry about losing power.

It’s got 3 separate USB ports that you can use simultaneously, so if you and your mates insist on using smartphones for the whole of Glastonbury, this could well turn out to be an excellent purchase.

For more charging options, visit our round-up of the best power banks. 

Mophie has a great range of battery pack cases if you’re an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy user (with a few other devices supported too) and want another full charge on the go as easily as possible.

Available for iPhones, Samsung phones and a few others, the Juice Pack starts at £34.95 depending on your phone, providing between 60-120% extra battery capacity.

The packs are attractive and ergonomically designed to ensure you get the power you need without turning your beautiful phone into an ugly brick.

Although Mophie has been doing it for years, Apple launched its own battery case for the iPhone 6/6S, 6 Plus/6S Plus, and 7.

Unusually for a battery case, it is one piece and isn’t made of hard plastic. You can slip your phone into the silicon case and into the Lightning connector.

It also charges over Lightning, unlike most over battery cases that still use Micro USB, so you only need your regular Apple cable.

It works very well and is typically intuitive for an Apple product, with two battery statuses for both your phone and your case.

It should give you up to 25 hours more power, meaning you can fit in a fair few extra Instagram posts of sunsets and cider.

With all that dancing you’ll be doing, you might be interested in the Fitbit Flex 2 fitness tracker to help you keep track of how many steps you’ve taken, how many calories you’ve burned, and even how well you’ve slept (if you slept at all).

The Fitbit Flex 2 fits around your wrist, so you won’t be worrying about losing it, and it should last for a full five days without needing to be recharged. It’s waterproof too, so no need to take it off if it starts raining.

With a handy silent alarm that vibrates to wake you up, you’ll be able to make sure that you don’t oversleep too.

If all the expenditure and faff of keeping a smartphone going all the way through a 5-day festival isn’t for you then here is the alternative: a feature phone, aka a ‘dumb phone’.

It feels just as hardy as the classic Nokia phones of the 2000s, so you can chuck it in a bag without worrying. You can pick one up for less than £50 – true value right here.

You might even keep using it after you get home…

These will go nicely with your budget Nokia – why risk breaking your beloved smartphone mid crowd surf by snapping that perfect shot on one of these two disposable cameras? Working out at about £7 and 39 exposures each, pre-digital tech such as this shouldn’t be completely left out of your options if you’re a festivalgoer that doesn’t want to worry about smashing your iPhone during the Chemical Brothers (which, really, should be all of us).

This one’s pretty unusual but rather cool. The Biolite Camping Stove lets you cook a tasty meal (or not so tasty depending on your cooking skills), helps you stay warm, and charges your iPhone at the same time.

It uses an internal fan to create airflow, which combines with the fuel chamber to create fire, the heat from which is converted into electricity using the Power Module to help keep your iPhone charged.

Optional Camping Stove accessories include the Kettlepot (for a nice cuppa) and the Grille BBQ Attachment for cooking a good burger or sausage.

Smart lightbulbs are the latest addition to the smart home, but what about when you’re away from home? We love this Lava BrightSounds smart lamp and portable Bluetooth speaker, and reckon its one of the best gadgets you’ll take camping this year.

You can read our full review here: Lava BrightSounds review.

If there’s one thing at music festivals that hasn’t improved much over the last few years, it’s getting reliable phone signal. Between the typically remote locations and the sheer volume of people around, it’s often a bit of a challenge just getting through to your friends to make sure you reconnect for the headline set.

The ultra-committed might then want to consider picking up a set of goTenna Mesh. These portable gadgets create your very own private mesh network, allowing you to send encrypted messages (though not voice calls) to each other within a range of a few miles, even if there’s no phone signal.

They don’t come cheap, but for those who festival on the regular – or also love remote hiking or adventure sports – they could be a life saver.