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!!
I like diving. It's a fun way to end the night. Although apparently last year after the Biscuits it was more of a collapse. Then my husband had to untangle my hair from the tent zipper.
If you use a cooler with wheels then bungee cord your gear to it. Or get one of those carts with the wheels. The more you can tie together and drag the better.
Sometimes the walk is really far. Or you might get a good spot and be able to camp with your car.
1. When you read the package it says how many people it holds. Divide that by two. My one tent says it's a 4 person tent. The only way four people fit in there is if they were all children. But the tent is perfect for me and my husband on sleeping bags. A regular 4 person dome tent will fit a twin air mattress a duffel bag and a purse or backpack.
These dome tent come in every brand. Coleman is the most popular for a reason. They have quality products at reasonable prices. You can go cheaper if you want to. There are generic brands at the Mart stores and target. Usually run around 30-40 dollars. The coleman one is listed at 80 on their site. But if you are going to buy camping gear online go to Amazon. They usually have the best prices.
2. When you get your tent set it up at home. I repeat, SET UP YOUR TENT AT HOME AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE YOUR TRIP. I can't stress this enough. I was at this festival one time and our neighbors showed up after driving for 12 hours and when they unpacked their tent they had no tent poles.
Try to set it up when there is rain in the forecast. Before it rains while your tent is up and dry seal the seams. You can get the seam sealer at any sporting goods store or target/walmart/kmart. There is also this stuff that is silicone spray. that also waterproofs your tent. Even if your tent claims to be waterproof it might not be. All tents advertise this.
I also am going to suggest setting your tent up in the dark one time before you go. It's possible that you will be setting the damn thing up in the rain, wind, and dark. Not probable but you never know.
Get a hanging lantern or a tent lamp. It really sucks changing clothes for the night time and not being able to see what you are doing. Also you are living outside. With the bugs. Spiders in particular. I have issues with spiders. Irrational ones. So when I'm in the tent in the dark I like to know that my shirt doesn't have one of those big brown spiders I only see at Bonnaroo inside the sleeve. EW!
*shudder*
3. SHADE TENT. You have to have one. There is no getting around it. Don't try to come up with a reason for not having a shade tent because there isn't one. It has to be an E-Z up or something similar. The 15 dollar ones from Dollar General or bid lots don't count. The have 400 poles and connectors and take forever to put up and then the wind blows and it collapses. You want one that is labeled "instant." This will usually cost you around 75-100 dollars. But its worth it and they can be used at 100 different places. They take about 5 minute to put up and can be done alone if needed.
You need one of these because it's always hot at Bonnaroo and there are never clouds or rain at 11 am when every one is still at their camps. it's just the ways it is. But it does rain, sometimes. When it does it usually rains a lot. The E-Z up will provide some protection to things not in a tent or the car.
Don't try to make your own shade tent. It can be done but unless you know exactly what you're doing what will happen is it will rain and you will be at some awesome music and won't want to leave to check up on camp. When you return you will find that your home made tent pooled a whole bunch of water and when it couldn't take the weight it collapsed and took the rest of your camp down with it.
Ok....I think that's it for now. I will return with coolers and furniture.
1. When you read the package it says how many people it holds. Divide that by two. My one tent says it's a 4 person tent. The only way four people fit in there is if they were all children. But the tent is perfect for me and my husband on sleeping bags. A regular 4 person dome tent will fit a twin air mattress a duffel bag and a purse or backpack.
These dome tent come in every brand. Coleman is the most popular for a reason. They have quality products at reasonable prices. You can go cheaper if you want to. There are generic brands at the Mart stores and target. Usually run around 30-40 dollars. The coleman one is listed at 80 on their site. But if you are going to buy camping gear online go to Amazon. They usually have the best prices.
2. When you get your tent set it up at home. I repeat, SET UP YOUR TENT AT HOME AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE YOUR TRIP. I can't stress this enough. I was at this festival one time and our neighbors showed up after driving for 12 hours and when they unpacked their tent they had no tent poles.
Try to set it up when there is rain in the forecast. Before it rains while your tent is up and dry seal the seams. You can get the seam sealer at any sporting goods store or target/walmart/kmart. There is also this stuff that is silicone spray. that also waterproofs your tent. Even if your tent claims to be waterproof it might not be. All tents advertise this.
I also am going to suggest setting your tent up in the dark one time before you go. It's possible that you will be setting the damn thing up in the rain, wind, and dark. Not probable but you never know.
Get a hanging lantern or a tent lamp. It really sucks changing clothes for the night time and not being able to see what you are doing. Also you are living outside. With the bugs. Spiders in particular. I have issues with spiders. Irrational ones. So when I'm in the tent in the dark I like to know that my shirt doesn't have one of those big brown spiders I only see at Bonnaroo inside the sleeve. EW!
*shudder*
3. SHADE TENT. You have to have one. There is no getting around it. Don't try to come up with a reason for not having a shade tent because there isn't one. It has to be an E-Z up or something similar. The 15 dollar ones from Dollar General or bid lots don't count. The have 400 poles and connectors and take forever to put up and then the wind blows and it collapses. You want one that is labeled "instant." This will usually cost you around 75-100 dollars. But its worth it and they can be used at 100 different places. They take about 5 minute to put up and can be done alone if needed.
You need one of these because it's always hot at Bonnaroo and there are never clouds or rain at 11 am when every one is still at their camps. it's just the ways it is. But it does rain, sometimes. When it does it usually rains a lot. The E-Z up will provide some protection to things not in a tent or the car.
Don't try to make your own shade tent. It can be done but unless you know exactly what you're doing what will happen is it will rain and you will be at some awesome music and won't want to leave to check up on camp. When you return you will find that your home made tent pooled a whole bunch of water and when it couldn't take the weight it collapsed and took the rest of your camp down with it.
Ok....I think that's it for now. I will return with coolers and furniture.
thank you for the pointers and for taking the type to type all of that out! i really appreciate it..coco for you haha
1. You need a cooler. Just like the E-Z up, this is something that you need. I include this with the furniture because if you want to travel lightly this acts as a chair as well. Anyways it's required to have a cooler. The first thing you need to remember is that a cooler will be used thousands of times so spending a few dollars on one for a festival isn't a waste. It's an investment. Everyone should have a nice cooler. When you are shopping for a cooler look for the words "extreme" or "marine" or "5 day". These all indicate that they will cool things for an extended period of time without replacing ice every day.
Now it's been few years since I was camped in GA, but from what I remember ice was a hot commodity. There are tents on Shakedown that sell ice. It's a little expensive but not Woodstock 99 expensive. The thing is you are probably not going to be camped near an ice tent. Sometimes there are trucks that drive around and sell ice. But if you aren't on their route or away from your camp when they are there you miss out. Then you have to walk to the ice tent. In case you are wondering, Tennessee is HOT. If you don't have a good cooler you will be draining coldish water every night and throwing away food. Also it sucks getting ice. Even though it's HOT there, and carrying a bag of ice around seems like a good idea, it's not. Ice is heavy. I think they come in 8 lb bags. which may not seem like a lot but it's not fun carrying it for 10 minutes. Which, by the way ice and TN heat don't mesh well. So while you're carrying this bag of ice the damn thing is melting cold water all over you. I find the best way to carry ice from the ice tent to your camp is wrap it in a towel and place the bag on top of your head. If you're really good you won't need hands to balance it.
it's still going to suck getting ice but it will suck less if you have a good cooler and only have to go to get ice 2 times instead of 5.
I have an Igloo 150 Qt Marine cooler. This is a really big cooler. It has really awesome heavy duty wheels and I have never lost any food. In fact there usually is still ice in the thing after the 12 hour drive home. I love it. But it was 75$ and there are smaller versions that are just as awesome.
Actually I forgot one more thing. Another way to cut down on ice and water is to freeze water bottles before you go. I suggest one case of water per person. Freeze the bottles a few days before you leave. Put a layer of bottles on the bottom of the cooler. Then load the cooler and throw some on top.
2. Furniture. Now camp furniture for the most par is a luxury and not a necessity. But having a few folding chairs is really nice. Especially after a long day in the sun. Just the cheapest ones from any store will do. Those cloth ones that fold up and have a bag they go into are great. If they get wet they dry really quickly.
While the chairs are all you need. It also nice to have a table. There are these white folding banquet tables that are great. K-Mart/ Wal Mart/ and Target all have them. They run for about 30$ and the are light and fold up into a little flat square. If that is a little too much for you then there is also this little table thing that is the size of a serving tray. it folds up the same way the nylon cloth chairs do, when you unfold the table and tighten the bottom it makes a nice little table with two cup holders.
Also we like to have an extra plastic tarp to put under our E-Z up because sometimes the grass in TN is not all that soft and kind of hurts to sit on. If you guy a 5$ plastic blue or green tarp from walmart and steak it down under your shade tent it kind of acts like a floor.
I think that about covers the shade and furniture. If I missed anything let me know.
If you don’t eat for 4 days you will be tired, sore, and HUNGRY!
There are a few different approaches to the food issue.
1. You can just buy all of your food there. Bonnaroo has enough vendors that are open all of the time that you could eat three delicious meals a day. The food they offer to buy is good and hot and fresh. In the morning you can find a place that sells coffee and breakfast food. Sometimes coffee in the morning there is really good. For lunch there are endless Pizza, or subs or Falafel, or anything else in the “carnaval/festival” area. There are vendors selling anything and everything. Plus if I remember correctly there are places out in the tent city where there are people selling grilled cheeses and bloody mary’s for real cheap. But I don’t know anymore because I haven’t camped in GA in a few years. Basically what I’m saying is that you can show up to Bonnaroo with now food and a 200$ in your pocket and eat really well the whole time you are there. You don’t have to bring your own food.
I have never done this. I always have brought my own food to a festival. I have a few staples that I always bring with me. These are proven food items that I have never not used and have always benefitted our group and our neighbors. The first is a fruit salad. Here is the recipe...
FRUIT SALAD RECIPE
Strawberries (sliced) Blueberries watermelon apples (sliced) grapes kiwi (peeled an chopped) mandarin oranges (canned ones are fine. make sure o add the juice.) pears (canned ones are fine. make sure o add the juice.) Either squeeze one lemon or add some lemon juice to the mix. This will help preserve the fruit. 1 tablespoon of sugar. This will counteract the lemon without making the salad to sweet. it will also make the juice that the fruit leaves behind more tasty. You want it to be tasty for another recipe I have.
The next recipe is for a pasta salad. The pasta salad is good for a few reasons. First it provides carbs. Yes i know, apparently carbohydrates are bad and make you fat. but they are also the best food that converts to energy. If its’ one thing that you need at a festival it’s energy. Especially Bonnaroo. This festival is huge. There is a ton of walking to be done. Not only from your tent to the stages, but from stage to stage, and if you are in the camp grounds and want to explore there are 700 acres of land to walk on. Also if by some chance you lose your way back from a late night trying to find home base, could lead to a lot of walking. Everyone does it. Even band members. One of the guys from Umphrey’s interviewed that he got lost trying to find his tent. It happens. So the last thing you want it to be lost and hungry and out on energy.
PASTA SALAD RECIPE
One large sweet red pepper One large sweet green pepper A couple stalks of celery chopped. One or two carrots peeled and chopped. Fresh brocoli chopped. One block(8 oz) of cheddar cheese cubed. One block(8 oz) of muenster cheese cubed. Noodles. (it doesn’t matter which kind. But I like to use the bow tie.) One or two boxes should be fine. Italian dressing. No need for fancy. Just the cheap generic kind from your local drug store.
Cook the noodles, dump in the veggies and cheese. ****side note. I once tried to use salami in it for a little protein. Bad idea. Meat after a few days in a cooler tends to take on this bluish color. YUCK.**** Use about half of a bottle of dressing. Just enough to make everything a little slimy. But don’t forget to bring the dressing with you because the pasta will soak that stuff up real quick.
Make sure you use nice air tight plastic containers for the fruit and pasta salads. You want to be able to take it out and eat some and throw it back into the cooler without any leaks. Leaks in a cooler are gross.
As long as i talking about gross leaking cooler stuff I will mention the other food issues,
a) If you are going to bring any meat/soy based product, or anything that you may buy that come in a cardboard box that is fine in a kitchen freezer....STOP before you throw it in the cooler. Melting ice hate cardboard, open plastic, and even platsic bags. Get some Glad/Ziplock containers. and unwrap everything before you pack in the cooler. it will be easier to find in a full cooler and will not be SOGGY. Now come on who really likes the word SOGGY, especially when it come to food we are about to eat.
b) Make sure you close all of your containers before you throw them back into the cooler. I know this seems like a no brainer. But in the excitement of eating and running to get to the band you want to see sometimes things just get tossed. Then when you come back to your tent at 4-5-6 am and just want some cold water or fruit, and you open the cooler to find the hot dogs have been seeping into everything. Water that smells like cold hot dogs is not a good smell.
c) Back to the fruit salad. Mor importantly the great natural fruit juice that has collected at the bottom of th bowl. Make sure when you are packing you bring a small cheap plastic bottle of vodka. I say small cheap plastic because you can’t bring in glass. and cheap is always the way to go. I say small because you could bring a large one but too much vodka cause one to fall asleep during a show. and no one wants that. I would suggest saving the vodka for the final morning. You have made it through three days and the last day is the time to stop pacing yourself. Don’t worry about not partying until the sun goes down because as far as Bonnaroo is concerned there is no tomorrow. Now don’t get me wrong, you still want to drink lots of water and still be conscious of your water intake. But there are no late nights to save up for. It’s only one more day and after the music is over you can stumble into your tent for like 8 hours if you want. I will get more into the water to booze to the what have you ratio later on. But now lets get back to the recipe for the greatest festival drink ever.
Fill a cup with ice. Those typical big red plastic cups are the best. then pour some vodka over the ice. Don’t be shy, if there is enough ice and you sip it will be fine. then pour some of the fruit juice over it. Let me tell you, on the last day of a festival there is nothing better than this. It’s refreshing and it gives you a nice little last morning buzz. And it tastes good an sweet.
****PLEASE DON’T FORGET WHEN DRINKING ACOHOL AT BONNAROO DRINK TWICE AS MUCH WATER.**** You may have to pee a whole lot more and the porto pottys are yucky but at least you are making urine which means you are not dehydrated and spending time in the med tent missing music.