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 Jimmy McGinness on Mar 6, 2011 23:00:56 GMT -5
Bonnaroo is a perfect reason for a road trip in a car, rv etc. as I will be driving from Boston. We all know that with owning a car, comes car trouble. I just want to hear some stories about peoples experience along the way (good or Bad) and some tips that will help prevent any sorts of mechanical problems.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Mar 6, 2011 23:19:26 GMT -5
Know how to change a flat. I got a flat tire after the Phish show in 2009 in Knoxville when heading to Roo. It was horrible changing that tire but you should know how to do it in case you get stranded somewhere. Get your oil changed and everything checked if you're not sure abotu something.
Run your car periodically - daily, at least. I had a car battery die on me at Bonnaroo 2006. I wound up stranded on the farm until early Monday afternoon and probably being among the last .1% of people left on the farm. My friend & I were stuck with a dead car, with nothing but empty campsites and trash piles as far as the eye could see. The friend we'd been camping with tried to give us a jump, but at that point my battery was so dead it wouldn't hold a charge. Getting out of Manchester took six hours and $600+ more than I'd imagined, just to have a dead battery replaced. So yeah... run that car daily.
Post by Vw'ndeadchick on Mar 7, 2011 2:59:10 GMT -5
bring an extra key! my youngest sister graduated form high school in 05/06ish... she had never been to any kind of multi day fest and had been begging me to come along for a few years. so as a graduation present i bought her a ticket and brought her to the roo. i always keep an extra car key hidden somewhere, never once had to use it. so Friday afternoon we leave the campsite and she wants to wear my hemp backpack... this is also the only purse/bag i had along so all of my stuff is in it. we walked through shakedown, get into centeroo when i notice the bag is hanging open. car keys missing!!! my car keys also have a computer chip in them, I'm sure most of you know what thats about. no chipy no starty
bring an extra key! my youngest sister graduated form high school in 05/06ish... she had never been to any kind of multi day fest and had been begging me to come along for a few years. so as a graduation present i bought her a ticket and brought her to the roo. i always keep an extra car key hidden somewhere, never once had to use it. so Friday afternoon we leave the campsite and she wants to wear my hemp backpack... this is also the only purse/bag i had along so all of my stuff is in it. we walked through shakedown, get into centeroo when i notice the bag is hanging open. car keys missing!!! my car keys also have a computer chip in them, I'm sure most of you know what thats about. no chipy no starty
i have seen a lot of posts about an extra key... just wondering where everyone keeps theirs?
^^^Click HERE for something like this magnetic key holder. There is a magnet on the back, you can hide it, store it on/under your car, inside the bumper, under the wheel well, inside the gas cap, anywhere hidden and on metal.
^^^Magnetic key holder is worth its weight in gold. Also, make sure you've turned off all of your lights, a dome light can kill your battery...learned that at roo 2008
Rent a car! Seems like a cost that you might now want to deal with and things like flat tires there is nothing that you can do to prevent them but rentals are usually low milage cars. Very rarely are you going to have michenical issues and if you do break down most national companies will have local offices that can quickly get you changed out into a new car and sent you on your way.
Rent a car! Seems like a cost that you might now want to deal with and things like flat tires there is nothing that you can do to prevent them but rentals are usually low milage cars. Very rarely are you going to have michenical issues and if you do break down most national companies will have local offices that can quickly get you changed out into a new car and sent you on your way.
yep I always rent a car for the Roo drive. I took my own car in 07 but that was because it was brand new. Its nice to beat around a car thats not yours for the week
here's a list of things I can think of off of the top of my head: -get all fluids changed (ie; oil, antifreeze/coolant, transmission fluid, etc.) -check all fluids while filling up. if any seem to be low, top off. (make sure you use the right oil if the oil is low) -make sure there is enough tread on your tires to safely get to and from your destination (a used tire only costs about $35 and should be sufficient) -make sure all your belts are in proper fashion (not your belt that holds up your pants!) -if you need an alignment, brakes or anything like that.. get them fixed! -make sure you get a good car wash (interior & exterior) before you leave (why would you want to sit in a dirty car for 20 hours each way?!)
I'm sure there is a few more things that I'm not thinking of right now, but that covers most of what you'd need to do.
I blew a tire on the way to Waka last year. So it's dark, I'm in bfe Oklahoma, alone, with all my camp gear piled on the side of the highway, and I couldn't get the friggin car jacked up! Thankfully, an angel showed up to help about 45 minutes later. Now I own a good jack.
I blew a tire on the way to Waka last year. So it's dark, I'm in bfe Oklahoma, alone, with all my camp gear piled on the side of the highway, and I couldn't get the friggin car jacked up! Thankfully, an angel showed up to help about 45 minutes later. Now I own a good jack.
that's one of the things I forgot on my list, as well as making sure your spare is in good shape.
This year will be my third Roo but the first time I've driven, and one of my big Roo fears is getting into car trouble halfway there and having to miss a lot of the festival. Quimby's list is a pretty good checklist of things to check out beforehand - the only thing I would add would be to make sure your tires are properly inflated. An over/underinflated tire is the quickest way to get a flat, which is a good way to get rid of all that extra time and money that you totally weren't using. It's also not good to drive on a spare tire for more than 100 miles or so, so don't just assume you can go the rest of the trip and back on just that - you will need to stop at a service station as soon as possible.
Getting out of Manchester took six hours and $600+ more than I'd imagined, just to have a dead battery replaced.
$600 just for a battery? That's highway robbery! (and extremely slow robbery, at that). I had to get my battery replaced in December '09 and it was like $125 and took maybe 45 minutes to change. I know it's different for different cars, but I can't imagine how it would ever take that long or cost that much.
EDIT: Oh, by the way - welcome to the board, and +1 Coco for being a local. I'm down in the Boston area now, but when I first moved to Mass. I lived about halfway between Danvers and Gloucester for a few months.
Last Edit: Mar 7, 2011 17:00:22 GMT -5 by jack324 - Back to Top
Post by Vw'ndeadchick on Mar 7, 2011 17:30:39 GMT -5
i used duct tape... actually duct tape is my camping fix all. i would put the key in a zip lock or something first so it doesnt get all sticky should it rain
Post by fearthestupid on Mar 7, 2011 18:26:10 GMT -5
what about starting a thread for people with repair skills or extra room in their vehicle for emergency situations? people could leave their days/times of travel, intended route and contact number...i usually have room on the trip for extra people and stuff..."bonnaroad rangers" maybe? what do you think?
Post by myscatterheart on Mar 7, 2011 18:36:59 GMT -5
Nice gesture, but too many variables to work, I think. Most effective thing is just know your capabilities, know your car and ITS capabilities, and be smart. And if something does go awry, be safe and wade through it. On the flip side, if you see someone who needs help on the way in/out, pull over. It's not like you can't spot Roo'ers who are stranded from a mile away.
Post by konstantine on Mar 7, 2011 21:31:26 GMT -5
Knock on wood we all make it there unscathed. It's my first Bonnaroo but we drove to Miami for our cruise and our friend crashed the rental. Black ice in Michigan in January. That poor Charger. :/
Post by Jimmy McGinness on Mar 7, 2011 22:06:51 GMT -5
thanks for all the tips, im not sure about renting a car because 1. can't afford it and 2. my car is a 2005 impala with 70,000 miles on it... still should have pleanty of life on her. Im for sure getting an extra key made. Also, would there be enough room for three single man tents or would it be better to have one big tent? (three man crew) im just not sure how big the site is thats provided.
I think a big tent, would be a little bit cooler than a small tent, you only have to set up one tent, not three, if you are only using the tent for sleeping and smoking, than get one tent. This is the easiest tent set-up ever. Gear Guides Wigwams, single, double, and triple
I have camped in the double wigwam, it stood the 7-day test with wind guts up to 50+mph, there were only two of us camping in it, we had way too much room, another 4 people could have fit easily. When packing up, there was a tear by one of the guy-lines, but I am almost 98% sure that was caused when someone stepped on the guy-line while packing up. It did not rain, so I can't speak for that, but it does not have a rain cover, which means, do not touch the inside of your tent when it rains, where ever you touch, it will leak! Trust me!
-get all fluids changed (ie; oil, antifreeze/coolant, transmission fluid, etc.)
If you have an older car (like '90's) when you get your oil changed for Roo, go ahead and spend the extra money and have them flush your cooling system (radiator). You'll want to make sure that your engine stays cool while parked on the side of the road for 6 hours in the Tenn heat. I got mine flushed last year a week before Roo, and thats when the mechanic discovered I had a bad head gasket. Had I drove that truck to Roo, I surly would had blown the engine waiting in line if I even made it that far.
Post by questionablesanity on Mar 8, 2011 8:05:38 GMT -5
I always bring a socket set and various other tools. In 2004, my battery had a bad connection and wouldn't start. The tow truck driver said it would be Tuesday at the earliest that he could help because he had so many people to pull out of the mud. Luckily, my neighbor brought his work truck with all of his tools. Had me fixed in a matter of minutes.
A Thieve's Parade 2/24 Conspirator 2/26 Kevin Smith 3/11 Keller 3/17 Papadosio 3/18 JJ Grey 3/25 Bela Fleck/Edgar Meyer 3/26 Toubab Krewe 3/27 O'Death 4/11 Budos Band 4/22 EOTO 4/28 Summer Camp 5/6-29 All Good
Get everything checked out such as fluid levels, belts, oil change. On our way to Voodoo last year my serpentine belt broke right as we pulled into NOLA. Had to have the car towed to the dealer. The alternator and the belt had to be replaced. Thank goodness we only live an hour and a half from new orleans because the car was in the shop a week!
Post by livelyupyourself on Mar 8, 2011 12:09:25 GMT -5
last year for my group it was around a 9 hour wait so we were in line blasting my ac on and off for a while. as i'm pulling in to get our wristbands on/searched my car died. took forever to just move it 15 feet out of the way. (ford expedition) then i had to wait for someone to borrow me jumper cables and another truck for a kickstart. excellent, got it started moved about another 15 feet and dies. by now the other three cars i drove with were in and had camp setup, somehow they saved us room (i don't think they were supposed to park there). i had to pay the tow guys to tow it there $150, then wait until sat to pay them another $150 to take it to the shop to get fixed. i had to get a new alternator ended up paying a lot for it. the only thursday show i had a chance to see was wale, so that sucked. thats not even mentioning my friend who had printed his ticket at home. they scan it and say that he can't get in because someone had already used the ticket. someone with the last name apparently also had the same ticket who went through 2 or 3 hours before us. took about an hour to clear up but they were not going to let him in. thursday last year was pretty leno-y.