5 gadgets I took to Reading Festival and 1 I deemed unsafe

Gadgets are useful in all kinds of situations but at festivals, I’d say they are a necessity. So, here’s what I took to Reading Festival this year. 

I took just 5 simple devices to ensure I kept connectivity and didn’t pass out due to heatstroke. All were fairly modest gadgets but the combination of them made the festival experience all the more enjoyable and relaxed. 

However, I also decided that one smart device I’ve been using a lot recently wasn’t going to make the cut. In fact, I thought it was a bad idea to take it at all. 

Find out the festival hack I couldn’t live without

Keeping cool 

My colleague and our Home Tech Editor, Emma, has become something of a fan expert and now, an influencer.  

I read her write-up of John Lewis’s Anyday fan and was immediately convinced it would be perfect for a festival. It’s big enough to move a good amount of air (with three speeds) but small enough to pop into a bag with no drama. 

I got the attractive sage green colour and with 9 hours of battery life, it could go all day long if needed. Plus, the folding design meant it could be set down as well.  

It’s a brilliant little thing and even at the full price of £12 I paid, it was worth every penny and still cheaper than many similar options on Amazon. 

Getting those difficult shots 

Although I also took the Pixel 9 along, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra quickly became my go-to device at the festival for various reasons. 

Apart from its big screen, useful to check the schedule, and decent battery life, its epic set of cameras was the main lure. It has no less than four rear cameras including two telephoto lenses. 

As it was very difficult to get to the front of the crowds, the 14 Ultra was able to get some photos that simply wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. The Pixel 9 only has a regular camera and an ultrawide. 

A prime example was arriving late to Teddy Swims and finding I couldn’t even get into the tent where the Radio 1 stage was. However, despite being very much on the outside looking in, the Xiaomi meant I could get a couple of shots of Teddy singing in the spotlight.

Staying powered up 

Next on my list was a power bank. I took Ugreen’s new Nexode model, which offers speedy 100W to keep devices topped up. 

Compact and light enough to slip into a bag, it provided peace of mind that I wasn’t going to run out of juice on my smartphone or otherwise, therefore avoiding having to use the charging stations at the festival. 

The Nexode has 12,000mAh of capacity, which is enough to fully charge multiple phones, as well as handy features such as a small screen and anti-slip feet. 

Something to carry it all in 

With a limitation that only bags smaller than a piece of A4 paper were allowed into the main arena, I needed a bag to carry all these things around – along with things like sunglasses, suncream, ID and more. 

Stubble & Co’s The Shoulder Bag was absolutely perfect for the job; Small enough to be allowed in but with plenty of room for everything I needed to carry. Despite its compact size, it has a number of different pockets and compartments, making it easy to find things. 

I got an Urban Green colourway but it’s also available in Sand and All Black. It kept everything secure and dry, as the material is waterproof too.

The gadget I couldn’t take 

At the top, I mentioned that there was a gadget I couldn’t bring myself to take to the festival. That was the Samsung Galaxy Ring (or any smart ring had I been using another one). 

The fit on my size 12 Galaxy Ring is snug, without being too tight, but I knew I was going to be paranoid about the £399/$399 piece of tiny tech falling off, even without joining any mosh pits. A little bit of rain or sweat and the snug fit becomes a thing of the past, so I knew there was a reasonable chance I’d be emailing Samsung to say it’s now lying in a field somewhere. 

Another reason I didn’t want to take the smart ring was to avoid it telling me how knackered I was and how little energy I had to enjoy the festival. My twenties are a distant memory, so ignorance was bliss in terms of my energy score for such an event.

The replacement 

I still took a wearable with me. The Withings ScanWatch Nova was a great option for the festival in various ways, beyond not worrying it would fall off during Blink-182. 

It has up to 30 days of battery life so there was no chance I would need to charge it, even with the power bank. It’s also very durable with its waterproof stainless steel case, so more than capable of withstanding anything the festival could throw at it. 

Although it looks like a traditional watch, it’s got smart elements built in so I could still get things like my step count and heart rate. I simply chose not to wear it overnight to track my less-than-ideal sleep.