Summer is in full swing, and that means long days, barbecues, road trips – and music festivals. The latter have already started, with Kaleidoscope kicking off July ahead of Forest Fest, All Together Now and Electric Picnic in the coming weeks. If you plan on travelling further afield, there are plenty of options: Reading and Leeds, Sziget, Benicàssim, Tomorrowland; they are all coming up in the next few weeks. So what tech essentials should you be packing to make sure your festival trips go without a hitch? Battery-powered fans Marks & Spencer travel fan Regardless of where you find yourself this summer, a mini-fan can be the difference between a comfortable night’s sleep and suffocating heat. If the Dyson HushJet Mini (€100, Harvey Norman) or the Shark ChillPill (€149, Currys) stretch the budget to breaking point, the Marks & Spencer mini-fan (€13) might be a better fit. It is USB rechargeable and has a flexible hinge so you can prop it up or use it hand-held. Bonus points if you can find one that doubles as a USB power bank and torch to help you find your way back to the tent in the dark. Power banksEssentials Powerstation 20K A high-capacity power bank is a must-have for festivals, so you can keep your phone topped up to stay in touch with friends, find your way around site with digital maps and pay with your digital wallet. Look for something that can charge multiple devices at once, preferably 20,000 mAh capacity or more to make sure you can fully charge up your phone more than once over a few days.The Sandberg 24,000 mAh portable solar power bank (€85, Currys), has two USB A ports and one USB C, so you have a choice on what connection to use. It also has a built-in flashlight, solar panels to top up the power levels and is water resistant, with an IP67 rating.For smaller budgets, the Mophie Essentials power station 20K (€35, DID) comes with a 20,000 mAh battery that can charge your phone up to four times, powering up three devices at once. Airbed pump Vango mini air pump If you are a regular camper, you will know how to make a few nights in a tent more comfortable. One essential is a decent airbed, keeping you off the cold, hard ground and putting an extra barrier between you and any mud that may hit. But if you have ever tried to pump up an airbed by hand, usually in the dark, you’ll already know the value of a decent pump. The problem? It needs to be cord-free, because there is a well-documented shortage of plugs in the great outdoors. There are options, though. The Halfords battery-powered pump (€9) uses replaceable D batteries to power through your mattress inflation, or you could go for the Quechua pump that looks almost identical but has a rechargeable battery (€30, Decathlon). For the ultra-compact option, the Vango mini air pump (€65, Great Outdoors) has multiple connection options, includes an integrated camping lantern and also works as a power bank. Plus it will deflate your gear afterwards too. Bug solutions Heat It Outdoor events mean doing battle with bugs, regardless of where the festival is located. While there are various methods of repelling insects – not always tech-dependent – they won’t prevent everything. A good cure for the inevitable bites is also needed. Heat It (€30, Heatit.de) uses heat therapy to cure the itching or pain from bites and stings once and for all. The German-designed device is powered by plugging into your phone’s charging port, and is controlled by the accompanying app.You can set it for children or adults, and choose short, medium or long treatments. It briefly heats up the device, you apply it to the bite area and the heat disrupts the itching. It may take a few treatments to kill off the bite completely, but the earlier you get to it the better. Sleep solutionsLoop Switch 2 Festivals are noisy affairs, whether you are in front of the main stage or in the campsite afterwards. The solution? A decent set of earbuds. Loop Switch 2 earbuds (€55, Loopearplugs.com) are flexible, with a dial that can be switched between three modes – quiet, experience and engage – depending on what is appropriate for the setting. Another option is the Flare Attenuate (€25, FlareAudio.com), which reduce sound level but don’t muffle the detail. Instead, Attenuate lowers all sound frequencies evenly, so you can hear the music without damaging your hearing.Bluetooth speakers Megamaus 2 While you may be there to hear your favourite (and not-so-favourite) bands, you might need some entertainment for afterwards. Compact bluetooth speakers with decent battery life and good sound are invaluable here. If you want to go Irish, try OneSonic’s new Megamaus 2 speaker (€80, OneSonic.com) which not only delivers big sound for its size, but is water-resistant with an IPX7 rating – perfect for camping out in an Irish field. You can also link two of the speakers together – wirelessly, of course – to create surround sound.Backup ‘dumb’ phone Nokia 3210 (2024) Regardless of whether your campsite comes with options to charge your phone or you have invested in a good powerbank, having a backup “dumb” phone is a good idea. The batteries last a week or more, and you aren’t tempted to spend hours on social media. Try the Nokia 3210 (€80) or the Nokia 105 (€30, both from Harvey Norman). They will outlast the final act, and they are SIM-free too. Bluetooth trackers The Chipolo Loop, a rechargeable bluetooth tracker Bluetooth tags have been the saviour of many a forgetful person, keeping track of keys, bags and other essentials. Think of them like the old-school keyfinders that required you to whistle to locate the device, but with a high-tech twist.The tags link in with Apple’s Find My system or Android’s Find Hub to keep tabs on your item; if you lose it, you simply use the app to track its location. As long as it is in bluetooth range or nearby someone using the same network (Apple or Android), you will be able to pinpoint its location. On a busy camping site, that shouldn’t create a problem. For Apple users, there are AirTags (€34, Harvey Norman), but there third-party options that can link into either Apple or Android systems – the rechargeable Chipolo Loop (€35) or the Pebblebee Clip 5 (€38.20) Attach them to your essentials – your keys, your tent, even people. Then all you need to do is follow the map.