Most festival visitors will be loaded up with camping gear such as tents and sleeping bags, meaning even the most fashionable and high maintenance are obliged to pare down their usual kit to the basics to avoid looking like a pack horse.

However, while weekend bags do have to be practical, that does not mean they cannot also be fashionable. Take a look at New Look backpacks online for a seriously colourful range large enough to contain your essential gear but small enough to lug around on top of all your other kit.

The essentials

How much do you really need to take with you for the weekend? The non-negotiable festival requirement is the wet wipe. Useful for cleaning not only yourself, but also your camping utensils and the dreaded portaloos before use.

When it comes to toiletries track down travel size versions of your usual products or buy some empty miniature bottles and decant your own lotions and potions into them. Bear in mind that you only need the minimum for a short trip, so apart from wipes we are talking moisturizer and deodorant. Body lotions, shampoos and hairstyling products will be pretty redundant, but if you cannot bear lank hair, use a life-saving travel size dry shampoo.

Otherwise you will need toothbrush and paste (again in miniature), a couple of make-up essentials – go minimal but bright for maximum impact – a small hairbrush and at least one toilet roll. Despite the British weather’s reputation for ruining festival weekends, take a bottle of suntan lotion and some sunglasses in case you get lucky.

A small first aid kit is a must, along with a camera, a few pairs of undies and a change of clothes. If you do some smart shopping and careful packing, all this should fit into a backpack and be relatively easy to carry around.

You will not need a separate handbag to carry around with you. Use your pockets or a small purse on a strap.

Styling it up

There is plenty of weekend bag choice in the shops this season no matter what your signature style is. Laid back types can pack a few bindis, beaded flip flops, a toe ring and use a flower printed backpack to spread some peace and love. Boho chic girls will need a pair of cowboy boots, a wide brimmed hat and a fringed backpack in tan suede to go with their cool attitude.

Sporty girls will love a plain and practical block colour with a matching pair of tennis shoes while even fashionistas will find some sharp looking but awesomely practical bags with a quilted finish or smart black and white stripes with an accent colour.

However you style it, you will find pockets useful to keep smaller items neatly together instead of constantly fiddling around at the bottom of the bag and if you don’t have a smooth, wipe clean surface it may be worth applying a waterproofing treatment.

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Gemma Mason is a seasoned music journalist and festival-goer. She used New Look backpacks online to source her weekend bag and other festival gear.

Photo by mhaithaca on Flickr