If you’re a regular music festival-goer, you’ll know the unpredictable weather isn’t likely to be as big a dampener on your weekend as losing your car keys can be.
There are a lot of music festivals in the Oxfordshire area and I think I’ve been to most of them. But unlike everyone else, I’m the one who pitches up on the last day, called out to rescue the unfortunate reveller who is stranded because they’ve lost their car keys.
If you’re a festival veteran, you’ll know how important it is to keep your valuables safe, but do you include your car keys in this? It’s all too easy to stuff them in your pocket where they can fall out. And if that happens somewhere in the middle of a muddy field, well… the words needle and haystack come to mind. And if the worst happens and you’ve lost your car keys, you’ll need a vehicle locksmith, like me, to bail you out.
So here is the LMI car locksmith’s festival-goers guide to keeping your car keys safe.
- Security lockers. If your music festival organisers have laid on security lockers – use them. Remember, it will cost you more to replace your car keys and have a transponder reprogrammed than it will to hire a lock-up.
- Key chains. Invest in a sturdy keychain which clips to a loop in your clothing and use this for your car keys and your house keys.
- Zip-up pockets. If you keep your car keys in a zip-up pocket, don’t use it for anything else. It’s easy to pull the keys out accidentally as you grope around for tissues, money or anything else you might have stuffed in the pocket.
- Spare car keys. If you have a spare set of car keys, bring them with you. Entrust your spare to a reliable friend. If you’re the driver, it will be in your friend’s interest to look after your spare keys!
- Handbags. If you’re carrying a handbag or a bum bag with your valuables, don’t leave it unattended. And like pockets, make sure you keep your car keys in a separate zip-up compartment. If they fall out, you won’t hear them drop and they’ll soon get trodden in the ground, particularly if the weather’s been wet.
- Security. Don’t be tempted to leave any valuables lying around at night. If all else fails, put your car keys in the bottom of your sleeping bag along with your other valuables.
Magnetic key boxes. I’m not putting this in our recommended ideas, because it has its drawbacks. But an idea often suggested on festival forums is the use a magnetic key box and tuck it somewhere out of sight under your vehicle. These boxes are a reasonably good idea, but remember someone stealing your car is considerably worse than losing your car keys!
If you do this don’t attach it anywhere obvious. Make sure nobody is watching when you put the magnetic key box in place or you could need more than a new set of keys. If you use a wheel clamp or steering wheel lock in the festival car park, never leave its key with the vehicle.
So what do you do with your car keys when you’re at a music festival? We’re always interested to hear your ideas. Just leave us a comment at the end of the blog.
And finally, if you’re attending a music festival in Oxfordshire and the worst happens – don’t panic. Make sure you’ve programmed the LMI Locksmith’s phone number (07798 557 188) into your mobile before you leave home.
See you on the festival circuit sometime soon!