Festival camping can be fun, but to do it comfortably (and really, only masochists wish to willingly suffer), there is an undeniable amount of stuff to cart in and out of your pitch.
A tent, a decent camping chair, and some kind of bedding to separate you from the cold, hard ground are as necessary as your entry ticket. Add in a heavy backpack stuffed full with festival outfits and booze, and suddenly, a regular HIIT session feels like a walk in the park in comparison.
Over the years, I’ve honed my list of camping essentials, searching for lighter and smaller alternatives that don’t come at the expense of performance. One way I’ve managed to cut down the bulk? A mattress inflator of truly tiny proportions.
The one I now use may look like a toy (in fact, my rowdier friends laughed in my face when I pulled it victoriously from my backpack), but the power with which it propels air through the motor soon wiped the smirks off their faces. It makes short work of inflating my blow-up mattress, a staple any time I’m sleeping under canvas, and it fits in the palm of my hand, weighing next to nothing.
It comes with a small entourage of nozzles, so you can use it on anything that needs a little lift, from camping mattresses and yoga balls to inflatable furniture and paddling pools. It can even suck out the air from vacuum storage bags, though I haven’t tried out this particular feature yet.
Key specs
- Item weight: 145g
- Dimensions: 6.3L x 5.5W x 8.2Hcm
- Power source: Rechargeable battery-powered
- Material: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
A lazy camper’s best friend
For festivals, it means I don’t have to test the limits of my lung capacity by manually blowing up my mattress. Should it deflate overnight, this electric pump will rapidly get it back up to the right level of plumpness. And it charges through a USB port, which makes it so easy to keep juiced up - no scrambling around for batteries or having to buy them on repeat. I just plug it in until the light indicator goes from red to green.
The noise factor
Yes, it’s loud, but if you’re going to be using it in the din of a campground, that will hardly matter. Besides, depending on what you’re inflating, it’ll only be on for a few minutes at a time.
Battery life
The 4000mAh lithium-ion battery lasts an age too, so you won’t have to worry about the inflator running out of power when you need it most. It has survived the whole weekend every time I’ve chucked it fully-charged in my backpack, which is five times.
What’s wrong with it?
Praises sung, but are there any downsides? Well, the noise is one thing: you wouldn’t want to use this beside snoozing infants or easily-startled pets. To the untrained ear, it’s not unlike an aircraft carrier taking off.
And since it’s so small, it can be challenging to spot on a messy tent floor, but a colourful ribbon or neon stickers would sort that out.
Verdict
But look, I’m nitpicking here, for the money and performance, this is an excellent find for any camper or festivalgoer. Buy it, and watch the rest of the campsite turn green with envy.
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SUPPOU Portable Battery Air Pump
Small and light, this electric air pump is perfect for camping trips and festival weekends. The 4000mAh battery is USB-C charged and once full, should last an entire weekend away. Don’t just use it on inflatable mattresses - with the nozzle attachments, this will work on yoga balls, lilos and inflatable furniture too. When camping season ends, it’s useful for sucking out the air from vacuum storage bags as well.
It’s power defies its size. All your friends will want one.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
