Five great gadgets for festival-goers

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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

It’s solar (solar, solar, solar)

Biolite’s catalogue is aimed at two very different target markets: people who are off-grid by choice in the pursuit of fun and frolic, and people who have limited access to electricity simply because of where they live. Festival-goers may hang one of their inflatable solar lanterns on a branch by their tent and be spared the indignity of tripping over a guy rope at 1am after returning from the World Music Stage. For those living in areas afflicted by energy poverty (eg, Sub-Saharan Africa) the same product represents something more fundamental, namely safety and self-reliance. Customers in the former market help to subsidise those in the latter, who often earn as little as $3 a day.

Buying one helps more people get access to off-grid energy

Biolite’s story began with the Campstove, a biomass-burning stove that was designed as an alternative to gas canisters for weekend camping trips, but turned out to have life-saving applications in parts of the world where people cook over smoky open fires (which, according to Biolite, kills more than three million people annually). This was followed by other products that come under the banner of safety, productivity and connectivity: rocket stoves, firepits, solar panels, powerbanks, headlamps, string lights and, now, a lantern.

It arrives packed down into a disc about six inches in diameter and can function perfectly well in that state, but casts more ambient light when you inflate it through the valve in the base (which took one big puff from yours truly). Inside its IP67 waterproof skin sit 31 warm-white LEDs with four light modes (low, medium, high and flashing), and you should get more than 100 hours of low light on a charge. It can be juiced via its built-in solar panel or its USB-C port; that port (and the adjoining USB-A) can be used to charge other devices from its internal 4,000mAh power bank. It weighs just 286g, you’ll find it very handy, and buying one helps more people gain access to off-grid energy. Everyone’s a winner. 

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She’s electric

After nearly 100 years of hand-building trailers, Airstream has gone fully electric with this compact 20ft model. Built from aircraft-grade aluminium, it’s based on the 2007 Basecamp model but has a bunch of clever refinements that maximise space: multiple (reconfigurable) seating and sleeping options; a bathroom with loo, sink and shower (the latter accessible from outside, too, for cleaning off muddy kit), and a wide rear hatch for easy loading and unloading. A 10.3kWh lithium battery drives everything from aircon to fridge to the JBL sound system, plus electrical ports inside and out. Topped off with a panoramic view through wraparound glass windows, it’s a masterpiece of design.

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Rock steady brew

This new portable Jetboil stove delivers a few improvements over its predecessors, including a single rotary switch for igniting and adjusting the flame and a rubberised zone for safely gripping it while it’s hot. The whole set-up packs down into one unit: the pot, its lid (complete with strainer), the burner base, a 100g fuel can (not included), a fold-out stabiliser and a plastic bottom cover that doubles as a bowl. It claims to boil 500ml of water in 120 seconds, with a colour indicator telling you when it’s done, but it can be even faster in more forgiving environments (eg, your kitchen). You’ll not be making lobster thermidor in it, but for hot drinks, soup and noodles, it’s brilliant.

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Start me up

There are a number of answers to the perennial question of “does anyone have a charging cable?” But this fold-out tool – the size and shape of a penknife – scores highly for providing charging options for the legacy devices that many of us still carry about. There’s a USB-A or USB-C connection to your source of power and four outs (two Lightning, one USB-C, one micro-USB) that can be used simultaneously, although hanging four devices off it at once isn’t particularly pretty, and individual charging speeds drop commensurately. I’ve found it really useful while on the move, breathing new life into Bluetooth speakers, old iPads and new action cams.

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Puff the magic jacket

British summer festivals promote themselves with images of sun-kissed fields, but the reality is often quite different, and the night air brings an additional chill. The bio-based nylon shell of this hoodless gilet contains a water-resistant, graphene-infused fill; within that sit lightweight aerogel tubes that deflate when the weather is warmer (making the jacket de-puff a little) and expand as the temperature drops, giving you an instant insulation layer. It comes with chunky YKK zips and multiple pockets (three in, two out), and packs down tightly. The hooded, sleeved version (£307) might be overkill, but I’d have welcomed it one particular year at Green Man when the heavens opened and the wind blew cold.

@rhodri