Coping with mud and rain
by Romany, May 14th 2012
Eventually the novelty will wear off... for you anyway!
… or what to do when the sun won’t shine…
Of course we all hope and pray that the sun will shine all weekend and we can bask in the glory of it’s soft warm glow, chilling with a cold beer, lazing on the grass, kids dancing around happily to the beats from the stage…
But occasionally we are not so lucky and it’s a good idea to have some plans in place in case of wet weather.
I have been to some horrifically muddy festivals in my time… some so wet I didn’t even dare take the camera out of the tent. But amazingly enough – it didn’t spoil the fun and so, rather than waste the price of your tickets, think twice before you don’t bother going. It is harder work of course (especially with littler ones) and it does require a lot more preparation and equipment, but for kids often the muddiest festivals are the most fun!
Waterproofs and Thermals
So the first thing you need is good waterproofs. By that I mean ones that keep persistent rain out all day. None of your cheap showerproof kagouls – you will be wet to the skin in under 15 minutes in a deluge. I recommend PU for kids or something with a hydrostatic head of at least 3000.
These rainbow waterproofs are our favourites!
Make sure you get trousers/dungarees too. That way you can still sit down… spending all day on your feet is really exhausting, especially when you have spent half of it wading through a foot of mud. Waterproof trousers should go OVER the wellies – otherwise all the rain will just run down straight into your wellies and you’ll have very wet feet.
We sellthe gorgeous Swedish-designed KoziKidz range of high quality waterproofs, wellies, soft scrummy fleeces, and thermals. We haven’t uploaded everything to the webshop yet, but if you see something you like then let us know and we will tell you if it’s in stock – we can order in anything from the full range on the KoziKidz website (http://www NULL.kozikidz NULL.co NULL.uk). You are generally looking at about £25 for an unlined PU jacket (£20 for dungarees/trousers), or a bit more for fleece-lined.
Ponchos – a good lightweight solution
If you don’t have good waterproofs, a bin liner with arm and neck holes over your clothes helps… but much better than that would be an emergency rain poncho. The ones we sell are reuseable and although they are a bit on the pricey side, they last longer than the cheap disposable ones. You can undo the poppers on the sides of ours and use them to sit on too once the rain stops but the ground is still wet. Disposable ones are too thin and tear too easily, so are a bit of a false economy and harsher on the environment because they end up in the bin so quickly. Ours come in a plastic pouch with strap so you can hang them off your buggy or backpack and keep them handy.
Wellies – essential
The second obvious necessity is wellies… and do make sure they don’t have holes in them before you get to the festival, otherwise you are going to end up paying an arm and a leg for a pair at the festival. If it is your child that needs a pair then you’ll be lucky to even find a pair in their size. Little Stomper (http://www NULL.littlestomper NULL.co NULL.uk) do a lovely range of kid’s wellies and some incredibly funky footwear, and it’s run by the lovely Claire, one of our festival-reviewer mums.
Pay attention to how deep the mud and puddles are for your toddler – I have seen many poor little ones lose their wellies in mud so deep it goes right over the tops of their wellies!
Transporting kids
Although walking in the mud can be really good fun for your kids, littler ones do get exhausted eventually so now is when you may need transport more than ever. Unfortunately thick mud is also very difficult to get buggies and wagons through. You’d think an all-terrain wheel with fat tyres might be best but you’d be wrong… they are great on dryish mud, but if the festival is so wet that the mud is liquid then big thin wire spoked tyres are brilliant – they just glide through. So if the weather looks wet try to get something like a second-hand Urban Detour off your local free-ads.
For babies and smaller toddlers you may be better off ditching the buggy or wagon altogether. This is where baby-wearing comes into its own. Using a sling, carrier or hip seat helps keep bubs warm and reassured. You will have to take extra care to wrap up though because you won’t have the luxury of a rain cover and your baby could end up quite exposed. We have found a universal waterproof cover for baby carriers which does seem to fit most carriers well. Waterproof ponchos are great if you can fit one over both of you, but depending on the position of your child’s head this may not be practical – you don’t want to risk suffocating them!
Head for covered spaces
When it’s tipping down you will inevitably seek cover in the shelter of marquees and big tops. You and everyone else that is! It will get very crowded anywhere out of the rain but if you find a nice spot then you’ll probably end up enjoying a performance or activity that you would have missed if the sun was shining. Sometimes the rain is a good excuse to go back to your tent and chill out for a couple of hours – perhaps giving everyone a much-needed siesta. And let’s face it – there is something very cosy about being tucked up in a tent listening to the raindrops overhead 
Lock down – keep your tent dry
When you do get back to your tent you should pause before rushing in to think about how to minimise the destruction of 4 sets of muddy wet waterproofs being pulled off in a hurry. I found a great method (felt a bit like a submarine airlock) using one of those big blue IKEA bags:
I put the bag at the entrance of the tent, stood child 1 inside it, peeled off their waterproofs and lifted them out of their wellies into the tent, leaving all the wet muddy items inside the bag. Push them to the edge of the bag and repeat with child 2… etc. If you have more than 3 people to deal with then you may need more bags. Leave the muddy boots inside the waterproof trousers too – just roll the trousers down round the boots and step out of them, leaving the whole lot ready to step back into next time you venture out.
Trust me, you will appreciate keeping your tent relatively dry and mud-free. Oh and it goes without saying, a tent with a porch is almost essential in wet weather.
Umbrellas – rubbish!
Personally, I am not a great fan of umbrellas at festivals for several reasons. They need to be held, so making it more difficult for you to look after your kids and help them with zips etc. They are rubbish and unwieldy in the wind. They get in other peoples way when you are walking around. And they block the view of the stage something chronic if you are behind one! However, if it’s not a busy festival they can be very useful, especially if you are using a sling to carry your baby or if it is just showery, so use your own judgement on that score.
Wet Weather checklist:
Full waterproofs, non-leaky wellies, reusable rain ponchos. If you get leak in your wellies, put a carrier bag inside them – it will keep your foot dry!
Spare socks: cold wet feet = misery! I was given a free sample of some Smartwool socks, and they are fabulous! I never would have considered investing over a tenner for Merino wool socks, but now that I have some I would argue that it is well worth it. You should be able to find them in a good Camping or Hiking store like Go Outdoors or Cotswold Camping.
Towels – take at least two: an old one for mopping up the floor of your tent, and one for bodies so you can indulge in a hot shower and wash all the mud off – getting clean again feels SOOOO good!
Suitable transport / carriers for little ones
Good sense of humour and loss of cleanliness neuroses!
Plastic matting or small tarpaulin to sit on once the rain has stopped (or a good poncho or decent waterproof trousers)
Big IKEA type bags or if you want to invest then a Moonbag does a great job.
Tent with PORCH area – this really helps to keep your bedding relatively clean and dry. We like the Vango Beta 450 (http://rcm-uk NULL.amazon NULL.co NULL.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=festkidz-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B001VLYSPA).
Boginabag or Travel Potty etc so you don’t have to venture out for a wee in the rainy night.
Bin liners for keeping bags and gear dry while getting them to and from the car park.
Waterproof covers (http://www NULL.awin1 NULL.com/cread NULL.php?awinmid=3698&awinaffid=131364&clickref=&p=http://www NULL.proporta NULL.com/F02/PPF02P05 NULL.php?t_id=4154&t_mode=des) for expensive gear like mobile phones – check out these great bits of kit from Proporta (http://www NULL.awin1 NULL.com/cread NULL.php?awinmid=3698&awinaffid=131364&clickref=&p=http://www NULL.proporta NULL.com/F02/PPF02P05 NULL.php?t_id=4154&t_mode=des)
Games and activity ‘rainy day’ packs (cards, puzzle books, Festival Top Trumps and dry wipe activities)
Who says muddy festivals are no fun?
Rainbow Waterproof Jacket
£36.99
Verberg Fleece-Lined Waterproof Dungarees
£21.99
Flower Wellies – Size 13
£14.75
Moonbag
£14.99
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Great until you have to put it in your car and take the muddy thing home!… but then that’s what’s so brilliant about just hiring one from you Trolley Tots – means you can clean it up for us!! ;o) xx
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What a useful article. Nice work though I think a trolley wagon is great in muddy conditions
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Ooh yes James – definitely! Speaking of getting stuck in car parks, some festie mates of mine always take a few squares of old carpet in the bottom of their boot – just in case they need them to get out of the mud…
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A spare set of dry clothes left in the car is always nice too (especially if you’ve had to push the car off site and got covered in car park mud)
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Yeah, that’s a good point Alli, except that I’m a bit of a wuss and hate to feel cold! ;o)
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I always go for shorts and wellies or shorts and sandals. Muddy legs & feet are easier than muddy trousers !!
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sound advice, the waterproof “airlock” is essential!
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Gonna need all the mentioned this weekend I fear but ha its all fun
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