Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
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Post by Lucid Interval on Mar 8, 2006 14:59:55 GMT -5
Well like i often times do i'll be hitting up a few summer festivals on foot this year. I thought i'd share with everyone my list of what im packing this year and some idea's i've come up with over time to save on weight and space. Even if you arent coming in on foot it always helps to save space in the car and to not overpack and have to mine through piles of stuff to get what you need.
Gear: This is my camping gear you dont need any real fancy backpacking equipment for festivals obviously, but i happen to have it and its super light and packable.
Pack (Gregory Z Pack) Sleeping Bag (Montbell Superstretch) Tent (One Man Eureka) Bedroll (Thermarest 3/4) Stove (MSR Simmerlite) Cookware (Snow Peak Titanium) RainGear (North Face Hyvent Shell) CamelBack (Really Simple Basic Design) Nalgene (We all have one of these) Small Flashlight or Headlamp (Enter Portapotty with care)
Food: The main idea with food is to stick with just add water options as much as possible. You can bring dried milk for things that call for it and small containers of oil and seasoning as well. How much you pack is up to you, i tend to overpack food more often than not and theres always food around the festivals so this year im going with one meal a day(while in the festival) along with extra cash for food and plenty of energy snacks. Heres some stuff i usually grab when i pack.
WATER - I buy fresh to drink and wash with station water. Litpon Dinners - 99c Each many are just add water. Ramen - The most obvious choice. Freeze Dried Meals - Check your local backpacking stores Dried Soup - Some imported soup packs are delicious Beef Jerky - Protein Cliff Bars - Yummy energy bars made with organic soybean Instant Rice - Rice a Roni Type Stuff Candy - Chocolate is great for an energy boost TrailMix - See below.
I really get into the trailmix thing when i go. I go to the local healthfood store and find the bulk section with all the dried nuts and fruits and granola(bring on the nut/fruit/granola jokes) and just start grabbing stuff. Dont overdo it, this stuff is heavy. But it digests slowly and will keep you full and will provide you energy for longer.
Clothing: I bring plenty of underwear and try to pack sparingly with everything else. Heres what im gunna bring.
Smartwool - These socks dry out even the soggiest feet when you get back to the campground. Underwear - Bring ALOT of these. Shirts - If your gunna buy shirts dont pack any. Pants - One pair incase of chilly night Shorts - A spare pair or two. (Find a laundrymat if ya can) Tevas - Sandals with heel straps so they stay on. Hat - If you're light sensitive, im not. Warm Jacket - Lighter fleece is nice for warm weather.
Toiletries/First Aid: The one thing i have gotten more thanks for than anything else at festivals is my blister kit. You can put one together yourself(look up how on a backpacking/camping website) or you can buy a nice storebought one with scissors, bandages, ointment and all kinds of stuff including instructions on blister care for around $9. Check your local camping/outdoor stores. Blisters dont have to suck so bad.
Also remember when packing this stuff that liquids are heavy and you want SMALL containers of everything you bring.
Baby Wipes - Instant shower very refreshing T.P - Small amount in ziplock Hand Sanitizer - Your hands are the dirtiest thing on you Gold Bond - I hate it when my nuts stick to my leg Small Comb - Gotta be pretty for Centeroo Dr Bronners - There is NOTHING you cant do with this soap Deoderant - Some people object to this I think Eyecare/Prescriptions - Gotta bring what ya need Sunscreen - SUPER important for Bonnaroo Blister Kit - See above Toothbrush/Paste - Find small light versions Tissue/Q-Tip - For whatever Bug Dope - CHIGGERS! FIRST AID - All the usuals. Bandages, tape, gauze, painkillers, ointment etc...
Misc/Other:
Lightsticks - Fun and... light. Small Tarp - Always comes in handy Charged Cellphone - Keep it off Camera - Im bringing a few disposables Journal/Pens - Paper for exchanging info or writing Lighters - Various uses Nylon Rope - Extra rope to go with the tarp I-Pod/Electronics - Tunes on the go if thats how you roll. Toys - Whatever else you want.
Its a pretty liberating feeling to hoist on your loaded pack and know that you could go anywhere and you've got your home with you. I look forward to stepping out of my door this June without a care in the world for two weeks to come, see you all out there...
Post by Lucid Interval on Mar 22, 2006 3:28:21 GMT -5
This is trimmed down a bit from last year (my pack was over 45lbs which is not so light) it would be alot to climb a mountain with but if you have a nice pack and are in shape walking a road isnt so bad. Im shooting for closer to 35lbs this year as i feel i overpacked last time. Food is the one thing im trimming down on alot (extra cash is lighter) the other heavy thing is clothing which i figure most peeps would want at least one change and since im going to be out for 2 weeks i might want a few. Everything else (aside from misc/other) is essential as far as im concerned.
Hell if i cut food out almost completely and brought bare minimum supplies and clothing i bet i could pack around 25lbs which would be ultralight but also minimalist.
Oh yah and all that stuff in the gear section pack, bag, tent, stove, camelbak etc all adds up to less than 14 lbs...
Small containers of the liquids and toiletries and small everything is REALLY important though, im sure im going to save alot of weight here... ounces add up to pounds quick...
Maybe i'll post this years pack weight once i get everything together in June, awhile before i leave for Wakarusa....
Post by Lucid Interval on Mar 30, 2006 2:17:44 GMT -5
There are alot of essentials listed above that should be included on any list, its an incredible feeling when you hoist on your pack and you know everything is there... Last year i was sharing alot of things i packed in with people who drove in! Its all about knowing what you need... The biggest downfall is having to buy water, the station water is drinkable but not so fresh tasting or smelling. Also, bringing good backpacking food always saves me ALOT on not having to buy festival food. Great thing about coming in on foot is you can walk right through the gate when it opens and go set up and crash from traveling and/or the previous fest... Im gunna be staking out some ground for my buddies coming down from the Northeast...
Post by nativepangean on Mar 30, 2006 8:52:34 GMT -5
on the subject of light and fast, last year after the fest we drove out to the outer banks for another camp, but i really wished i had brought one of those inflatable rafts with me, the cheap canvas ones, it totally doubles as a sleeping matress, and its small and inflatable, iono just a thought
one thing i would add is a large ziplock bag filled with both large and small ziplocks...may sound cheesy but there is always a use for a ziplock, you can weatherproof anything, put gross stuff in it until you get to a garbage, and keep things organized
damn dude, you have some nice ass back packing gear... gregory z-bag. thats one of those ultra light backpacks... and the superstretch? that is some tight gear.
Post by Lucid Interval on Apr 1, 2006 9:38:50 GMT -5
Yeah i do use huge ziplocks with sliders to organize all my stuff (i havent invested in stuff sacks yet) and i do love my backpacking gear, it was the best investment i've ever made... Helps to make it very possible to go solo and be comfortable just about anywhere...
thanks. I'll have a car, but I am flying into Nashville, so I'l going as light as possible. This is a good list and should help a lot of peeps if they pay attention... whether they reply and give you feedback or not.
*i like coconuts, you can break them open they smell like ladies lyin in the sun** *Hell I don't even know where I am** *for now I must sit here and ponder the yonder: The herbivores did well cause their food didn't never run** *We listen, if it feels good We shake** *You made a big impression for a girl of your size, Now I can't get by without you and your big brown eyes.**
Post by Lucid Interval on Jun 3, 2006 22:32:11 GMT -5
Solo rocks... I'd be excited about going alone if i were you... I'll be at 10k Lakes solo in july... Glad im hitting at least one fest on my own this summer, its s different experience...
Post by crazykittensmile on Jun 3, 2006 22:38:43 GMT -5
lucidinterval said:
Solo rocks... I'd be excited about going alone if i were you... I'll be at 10k Lakes solo in july... Glad im hitting at least one fest on my own this summer, its s different experience...
believe it or not i am pretty excited to go alone, the super last minute preparation is what sucks
I'm sure it'll be great once i get there and set up, but until then, i've got a lot of work to do. this list helps a lot though
Hey Lucid, since you're a fellow New Englander I'd like to ask; are there any good festivals in our area? Going to TN to see multiple days of incredible music is great but I do love my little corner of the US and all... and I have to backpack it as well with plenty of goldbond...
"Man and his deed are two distinct things...a good deed should call forth approbation a a wicked deed disapprobation, the doer of the deed, whether good or wicked, always deserves respect or pity as the case may be. 'Hate the sin and not the sinner' is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practicsed (sic), and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world." -Ghandi
i am hitting it solo too. i think. i may have some last minute peeps going with or meeting me. i don't know yet. i love festivals by myself, though. you don't have to worry about anyone but yourself. you go see what you want to see... dont ever have to wait for anyone... it rules.
Post by Lucid Interval on Jun 3, 2006 23:27:49 GMT -5
Camp Bisco 5 is at Hunter Mountain 2 hours north of NYC... Dont know what kinda music you listen to but i'll be trying to swing it in August, cant buy tickets now though, hope it doesnt sell out... Gathering of the Vibes is in Mariaville NY just outside of Albany...
i am hitting it solo too. i think. i may have some last minute peeps going with or meeting me. i don't know yet. i love festivals by myself, though. you don't have to worry about anyone but yourself. you go see what you want to see... dont ever have to wait for anyone... it rules.
that's the cool part, yes, but the down side, for me at least, is that if you are, shall we say, altered, it can get sort of scarey being in a sea of 80,000 people with no familiar faces around you and no one to share the experience with...
I freaked out at the Dead in '04 because the scarey realization that I didn't know anyone hit me at the wrong time... I pulled myself together after about ten minutes or so, but man, I was very very uncomfortable for those ten minutes.
EDIT: but I mean, hey, if you don't mind being alone, that's fine, but I just couldn't take it at that point in time..
it kinda sucks, see:
