Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by imragegrrr on Nov 29, 2010 19:23:25 GMT -5
Last year was my first year, and no matter how much research we did, we still came unprepared (only a case of beer, package of hot dogs, and some cheese) Good god were we regretful of that. I would say bring plenty of food (that wont expire easy), A LOT of whatever you want to drink (water, beer, liquor in plastic bottles), sunscreen, and some form of air conditioning if you can find a way to hook it up (we spent countless hours sleeping in the truck wasting gas with the air conditioner on full blast...especially in the mornings)
Looking back now though, being extremely unprepared was definitely an amazing part of my first roo =)
Honestly...everyone at roo is so super amazing, if youve forgotten something, anyone is willing to help. really. Do your research, but going in blind is going to be just as amazing as it will be going with everything you need.
There are a ton of helpful threads in the that tent forum check out Leo's survival guide it answers the basics and I credit it for saving my life my first time 5 bonnaroo's ago. Past that my basic advice is usually the same. Bring shade, and take half the food, and twice the clothes you think you need. I can not say enough about good shade at the campsite though, I would not go to a fest without at least one 12x12 ezup, and several tarps for shade, and zip ties to hang them with.
1 Stay Cool Hat - Buy a cheap ball cap you dont mind being seen wearing in public. You will probably want to throw it away after bonnaroo, so dont spend much. Throughout the day, take the hat off and soak it with clean cold water, and put it back on. A single half litter bottle of water will soak the hat 4 or 5 times easily. Clothes - Wearing comfortable clothing is something else that will help keep cool. you want it loose fitting, but not too loose. I would advise against going shirtless, but maybe thats because Im a fat kid. Cool Ties - they are like bandanas that are filled with crystals that absorb water. Soak it in water for 5 to 10 minutes (in your cooler before you leave camp), and wrap it around your neck, it will help keep you cool for 6 or so hours. Do not soak it for longer than 10 minutes, the crystals will expand too much and the seams will pop.
2 Don't get sun burned SPF 50 at minimum, make sure its water proof, and keep it with you. If you think 1 tube is enough, buy 2. You do not want a sun burn all weekend, it will suck. Apply it in the morning after washing, and atleast every 3 hours you are in sunlight.
3 Stay Hydrated The most important rule. Dehydration is a horrible experience. Buy a camelbak, and keep it full of water. I would advise buying Dasani Bottled water at walmart (2 cases per person) This may seem extreme, but its cheaper at walmart than it is at the roo, and you can always use bottled water, or give some to a neighbor that is unprepared.
This year, I froze half my water (leave it in the freezer for atleast 3 days), and then would fill the backpack with 3 bottles of frozen water (which will keep your water in the reserve bladder, and in the other bottles cold, and thaw out as the day progresses), and 5 bottles of cold bottled water. Once past security, I would fill my camelbak up (2 bottles), and then have the other 6 bottles to fill it up through out the day. I drank more than a gallon of water thoughout each day.
ALSO, know the warning signs of dehydration... At 2% loss of fluid, you will experience thirst, loss of appetite, dry mouth, head rushes, dark urine, and fatiuge. At this point, you can continue non strenuis activity, just drink more water and a slow steady rate. At 5%, you will experience increased heart rate, breathing, and body temp, decreased sweating, as well as headaches, nausea, extreme fatigue, muscle cramps, and tingling in your hands and feet. At this point, you need to stop everything, find a place to sit down and relax (in the shade if possible), and focus on drinking more water, at a slow, steady pace. At 10% loss of fluid, you will experience muscle spasms, loss of vision, racing pulse, chest and abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, seizures, and vomiting. If you experience any of these symptoms, you need to seek immediate medical attention, as you will likely require an IV to rehydrate. Dehydration at or above 10% is often fatal if not treated immediately. Do not play with your life, find the nearest security personal and tell them you need to get to the first aid tent NOW.
4 Get Sleep Anything you can do to be more comfortable, do it. I plan to bring battery powered fans this year, to help circulate air wherever I happen to be sleeping. Many people also say that sleeping under an easy up is better than a tent. Invest in ear plugs, and a sleeping mask. Select comfort makes mattress pad that actually works to pull the heat away from your body. It requires no electricity, so I am gonna try one at my next roo.
5 Take Care of your Feet As Lt Dan once said "There is one item of G.I. gear that can be the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt. Socks, cushion, sole, O.D. green."
Clean dry socks, and shoes that protect the bottoms of your feet, provide some arch support, and help protect your toes as also key. I would advise buying atleast 1 bag, if not 2 bags of new crew socks specificly for the roo. I specify crew socks, becuase they spray the grass for bugs, and the extra sock will prevent any nasty rashes from breaking out on your ankles. For shoes, I prefer good old fashion running shoes. I brought 3 pairs of New Balance this past year, and wore all 3 (all were old, 1 pair got filled with muddy water before I even got on the farm, and one pair got covered in mud)
This is the first message board I've ever been on, the only reason I joined is because I love Bonnaroo and wanted to read and talk about it all year long.
JHOinTN
Bleary-Eyed Bonnawook Resident Prince Licker
Dearly Beloved, We are Gathered Here Today to Get Through This Thing Called Life
1. Read this board thoroughly and ask questions later. Go back pages and pages in each area and read the threads that sound interesting. (More than likely, your question has been asked a dozen times before.)
2. Not sure where you're all from, but the Tennessee heat can be hard for some people to handle. Remember, there is no "inside" to go in and cool off; you are outside pretty much 24/7. Bring shade and rest when you feel like you need to... even if it means missing a show you really want to see.
3. Stay hydrated! It's ok to be the uncool person that's drinking water instead of beer at 9am. Someone on the boards stated: "If you're not peeing a lot, then you're not drinking enough water". I like to follow this rule.... and pee every one to two hours.
Post by plasticpepper on Nov 30, 2010 17:04:08 GMT -5
Here are the important things: You can never drink too much water. (Well, you COULD, but at Roo it would be really hard.) You can never bring/use too much sunscreen. You can never take too many pictures.
Beyond that, there's not much that's a HUGE deal. Shoes are definitely up there on the list of important things; make sure you bring a few options just in case something gets ruined or turns out to be awful in mud/heat/water/etc. But really, I think there's very few things you could forget that would really hurt the experience too much - and people are awesome and will totally help out if you need anything.
When I went to my first Roo, we were LAUGHABLY unprepared. Our campsite consisted of a small tent (well, small for four people) with a blanket spread out in front of it. No shade, no chairs, no table, no anything like that. The food we brought was not at all what I would choose to bring now. We hit the road with printed Google Maps directions to Manchester and it somehow never occurred to me that we didn't know how to get to the farm specifically. I didn't have any kind of refillable water bottle. I wore flipflops the whole time and I don't even know if I had other shoes with me. I spent all weekend in shorts rather than skirts/dresses. I never carried toilet paper or even sanitizing wipes or anything with me. I didn't have a flashlight of any sort. Our tent probably wasn't seamed. I could go on and on....but NONE of that really hurt the experience at all. As in, I didn't even realize the problem with any of that until I got to Inforoo much later, basically. Of course, nowadays half of those things would send me into some sort of hysterical panic attack....but the point is, I think MOST of us showed up horribly unprepared for our first Roo, and it just becomes part of the experience.
There's only ONE thing you can forget to bring that will ruin Bonnaroo, and that one thing is a good attitude. (Er, but please, don't forget the sunscreen and shoes either! ;D)
3. Stay hydrated! It's ok to be the uncool person that's drinking water instead of beer at 9am. Someone on the boards stated: "If you're not peeing a lot, then you're not drinking enough water". I like to follow this rule.... and pee every one to two hours.
I absolutely remember this year's "I haven't peed, like, ALL DAY. This is really bad." conversations. (And hey, if I hadn't been drinking at 9am I never would have finished that sixpack! )
-When I Hear My Name -Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground -Blue Orchid -Passive Manipulation -Red Rain -Death Letter -My Doorbell -Hotel Yorba -Same Boy You've Always Known -Lovesick -Little Ghost -We're Going to Be Friends -The Hardest Button to Button -Black Math -The Nurse -I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself
Encore: -Ball and Biscuit -Seven Nation Army -Screwdriver
Post by A$AP Rosko on Nov 30, 2010 17:46:47 GMT -5
Last year was my first year. I very much agree with ^^ ("you're gonna come unprepared") and Airline ("Bring an air conditioiner"). You will find it EXTREMELY difficult to get to sleep in the heat if you don't at least have a fan for your tent.
Post by msbrandymichelle on Nov 30, 2010 23:33:10 GMT -5
I read EVERYTHING people had posted. We were so prepared, it was great! And we had 2 kiddos w/ us. No problems at all.
Only things we'll do differently this year: -bring sealed GALLON water jugs into Centeroo - we could NEVER get to the water to refill our bottles. -I'll be wearing a bathing suit & wear a t-shirt on top. After day 1 we realized it was best to soak as much of our clothes as possible, as often as possible.
And we brought extra stuff to share & helped out a lot of people. Good vibes flowed
This is some really great advice; It's my first Roo in 2011, and I like to be overprepared for stuff rather than underprepared...
...As for bringing tables and chairs, should I consider bringing stuff to chain it down with? I know it seems like everyone is really chill and cool, but it also sounds like stealing is becoming a bigger and bigger issue as it gets more and more crowded.
This is some really great advice; It's my first Roo in 2011, and I like to be overprepared for stuff rather than underprepared...
...As for bringing tables and chairs, should I consider bringing stuff to chain it down with? I know it seems like everyone is really chill and cool, but it also sounds like stealing is becoming a bigger and bigger issue as it gets more and more crowded.
What are you planning on chaining them too out of curiosity?
Always keep a few ziplock bags with you when you're in centeroo. It could rain when you're not expecting it and you don't want to get caught in the rain with your camera or phone not in a ziplock bag. I almost missed the dead weather this year because it started raining right before they came out. I forgot to put ziplock bags in my bag because it didn't seem like it was goin to rain that day. Thank goodness it stopped raining because I really didn't want my camera to get ruined but I also really didn't want to leave the show just so that my camera wouldn't get wet.
This past year was my first Roo and I recommend baby wipes in zip locs on hand and I started saving small rolls of toilet paper at my house . Getting to the end of a roll I just put them in an empty coffee can and had a nice supply to discretely bring with me for the day also have batteries for dwindling flashlights I didnt think I would make it back alive to my tent Sunday night with my flashlight going out Good vibes definately a must and water ice water healthy foods on hand Your body will thank you Heat was a killer for me and I'm from Mississippi
This is some really great advice; It's my first Roo in 2011, and I like to be overprepared for stuff rather than underprepared...
...As for bringing tables and chairs, should I consider bringing stuff to chain it down with? I know it seems like everyone is really chill and cool, but it also sounds like stealing is becoming a bigger and bigger issue as it gets more and more crowded.
What are you planning on chaining them too out of curiosity?
Probably just together to each other, making it tough to discretely snag... I wouldn't plan on bring high quality chairs, but I can just imagine how sad I would be upon returning to my tent to find my only means of back support gone.
spare ziplock bags, wet wipes, clorox wipes (for sanitizing the portajohn seat), an extra flashlight, a good size bag of trail mix, hand sanitizer, are all good things to have in the backpack portion of your camelbak.
Also, VERRRRRY IMPORTANT, make sure you fill your gas tank up, take a chance to use the restroom (number 1 & 2, if you can), and drain / reice your cooler immediately before getting in line on the highway.
Also, VERRY IMPORTANT, do not run your car overnight for the air conditioner, for several reasons. 1, you do not want to give carbon monoxide posioning to your neighbors. 2, your engine could overheat while your asleep, which is terrible for your vehicle. 3, you will burn gas like crazy. If you must (and I did this this past year), run your car for 20 to 30 minute interivals, every hour or so. This will give the polution around your campsite time to fumigate, minimize the risk of overheating, and running out of gas.
Also, keep 3 pair of clean fresh socks in a ziplock bag. Change your socks whenever they get wet. Merchants foot sucks.
FYI, merchants foot is where the bottoms of your feet wrinkle up (like your hands after swimming for a long time). For reasons I do not know, this can be incredibly painful for some (me).
If this happens to you, I found that a mixture of neosporin (in the cracks), and gold bond will help.
Probably just together to each other, making it tough to discretely snag... I wouldn't plan on bring high quality chairs, but I can just imagine how sad I would be upon returning to my tent to find my only means of back support gone.
Not necessary. Lock your cooler perhaps. Theives will steal beer/liqour and food out of your cooler, they will go through back packs/purses that are left out for drugs and money, they will even look in tents, but they will not steal your lawn chair.
Side note: is it really that hard to go 4 days without AC people? I've never once used my cars AC at bonnaroo. But if you must another cautionary statement: your parked on top of tall dry grass; engines and their exhausts get really hot, hot enough to light dry/dead grass on fire.
Yoderoo is most wise; I wouldn't worry about chaining down your chair/tables. Worry more about your cooler. My group has had a cooler stolen in both 2009 and in 2010. Neither cooler belonged to me though because mine was attached to the leg of the EZ up with a bike lock
Not necessary. Lock your cooler perhaps. Theives will steal beer/liqour and food out of your cooler, they will go through back packs/purses that are left out for NO NO WORD!!! and money, they will even look in tents, but they will not steal your lawn chair.
Side note: is it really that hard to go 4 days without AC people? I've never once used my cars AC at bonnaroo. But if you must another cautionary statement: your parked on top of tall dry grass; engines and their exhausts get really hot, hot enough to light dry/dead grass on fire.
2011 will be my first Roo, if me and my bud are able to get tickets before they sell out (not sure how long that takes, I heard around May-ish) and I was planning on stashing all of our stuff we wouldn't want stolen in the trunk of our vehicle, thieves don't break into your cars do they? Well obviously, some thieves do but you know what I mean I hope. Anyways, this is all reallly good information and I'm super glad I stumbled upon this site.
Post by plasticpepper on Dec 1, 2010 19:29:34 GMT -5
Just to clarify, when we're talking theft and chaining stuff, some of us are mostly thinking of tent only camping. If you're camping with your car, you can always keep anything important in there and/or stow it when you leave the tent. And no, I don't think I've heard of anyone's car being broken into at Roo.
But if you DO go tent only, then yeah, chain up the cooler(s). Unscrupulous people tend to think they can snag the cooler and get a bunch of beer, food, drinks, and, er, maybe some other things, all in one go. But chairs/tables/stuff like that...I wouldn't worry about. Probably no one will take 'em, and if they do it's not a big deal.
As another noob, can someone clarify the camera rules. I have, and expect to take a small, easy access point and shoot digital to take into centeroo. I also have a considerably nicer Nikon and a HD camcorder. Since I will be car/tent camping, I am not worried about theft. Do the detachable lens camera rules apply to the campground, or just centeroo? Thanks for the help, and I hope to see each and every one of you there!
I've been lucky enough to never have any gear or beer stolen from my site in four straight years. I know it happens, but when you put this many people together you're gonna get a few rotten apples. Keep valuables in your vehicle (could be a bit harder I suppose if you move to Tent Only), and make friends with your campin' neighbors. That can only help. Y'all can do your best ta look out fer each others stuff. Unfortunately one of our neighbors this past year forgot her camera (she and her crew left early Sunday, I found it in one of our campin' chairs, and then mysteriously sometime durin' early Sunday afternoon it disappeared. I know I was upset 'bout it, but I can only imagine how she felt.
I absolutely remember this year's "I haven't peed, like, ALL DAY. This is really bad." conversations. (And hey, if I hadn't been drinking at 9am I never would have finished that sixpack! 
)
