Food Suggestions for a Newer 'Rooer

Last year we bought a box of Uncrustables...those PB & J sandwiches that are probably for kids, but are actually damn tasty. Anyway, they come individually wrapped, and we stuck them in the freezer. By Sunday, they were still cold and good as can be. The individual packaging allowed me to throw a couple in my Camelbak each day.

Lots of great advice here. Depending on the type of "camper" you are you may want to cook great meals at your site or, while wanting substantial quality meals have no energy (for whatever reason) to actually prepare it. So here is my generic advice:

1) Bring very little that needs to be kept cool / in a cooler. We had separate coolers [yes, plural] for drinks (including tones of water) vs. a smaller cooler for food items. Not mixing the drinks and cold food kept things from getting water logged, warm, crushed, etc.
2) I love to cook but clean up, time, heat all make that a bit hard. If you want to grill a meal bring a container with marinated meal and ask to barrow someones grill. Plenty of people will have grills.
3) When not cooking with heat we stuck with food that was easy to put together with out cooking. Tortillas, cheese, salsa, pouch of flavored tuna or a can of tuna and you have a lunch or dinner. Chips (good even if crushed), salsa, dried fruits, nuts, bag of lettuce w/ tomato & onion slices w/ packets of salad dressing, PB&J's, Cliff bars, carrots, etc.
4) Bring stuff your neighbors will forget - rope, line for tarps, glow sticks, mini led lights you can give away (small cheap ones that trade shows give out), hammer to pound stakes into hard TN clay. Give or loan this stuff right away as people are setting up. You will be amazed at how much food comes back your way over the weekend!
5) one of our neighbors brought everything for hamburgers and gave it to a campsite willing to cook them. there were only three of them camping and they had burger stuff for 10. For the cost of buns, cheese and a box of pre-made patties they had dinner cooked and cleaned up for them!
Kudos for the idea of freezing much of the water you bring. Great way to keep things cold with out buying ice.

yeah i'd say unless you're coming with a big group who can split up the cooking, it's probably more economical and much easier to just buy most of your meals . lots of options between shakedown/unofficial vendors/centeroo, you're sure to find something that suits your tastebuds at the time.

i know i'd be kind of bummed about missing out on all of that good festival food if i already had all my meals planned out

I LOVE SPICEY PIE!!!!
damn ive got a craving fora nice fresh slice from them. im always happy when i get to a fest and see the spicey pie people. thats my favorite pizza anywhere. as long as its fresh.

i actually found it more expensive to bring food. all the ice to cool it. charcoal if you grill. and then its hot and ya dont feel like cooking so ya buy something in centeroo anyways. and then throw away a bunch of luke warm water logged food. well atleast thats been my experience with food at roo. now at nelson ledges we always cook atleast a couple times. but it dosent have the constant must see lineup from noon til 5 am that roo does. and its shady. and its easier to do with campfires.

I have been four times and the two that I didn't bring anything but snacks I've always spent more money.

And Tara, I just read your signature, and I've always wanted to go to Newport...I won't be there this year either, but I hope you have a great time. It's awesome you get to go.

edit: Just read what I wrote last night and I meant the time I didn't bring food to cook and ate there I spent LESS money. Drunken posting is sometimes ill advised

Oooh, did anyone else see those brownie mafia people in 2004? They had an awesome stand set up near the corner of shakedown and some other road, i think (although i could be wrong and they might just have been near my camp). Anyway, they had this BOMB stand set up, free samples, milk, a bullhorn, big signs, and the world's yummiest most affordable special brownies. We have pictures somewhere of mounties just walkin' by, and some chick yelling into a bullhorn, "IT AIN'T NO LIE, WE'RE HERE TO GET YOU HIGH!! POT BROWNIES! FREE SAMPLES!! WE HAVE MILK!" They were the size of a brick (literally) and $5 each or 5 for 20 bucks. And they had 5 different flavors! They must have made a killing, i know all my friends bought 2 or 3 each. I don't know if they came back to other roos after that or not

Ahhhh, i love you bonnaroo

Yeah you gotta get a 1 dollar grilled cheese. Although I didnt see too many people slingin grilled cheeses last year.

Yeah I have wondered about that but there is alot of them that sell them 1 dollar each.
The import beers are usually 1 for $3 or 2 for$5, that not bad either.

I agree with HeavyC - there is no reason to bring a lot of food. Just something to much on in the AM and get food from the vendors . .. . always very yummy

You probably will have a hard time spending anymore then 60 dollars on food alone. Beer and the like will cost more, but obviously is not neccesary for survival, for most. I think the 60 dollars is worth the peace of mind and convenience. Plus, if you were to cook all your food you'd probably only save about 20-30$ if all you had to buy was the food, so id say the extra 30 dollars is worth it.