Newbie Camp Setup Guide Part 1

Newbie Camp Setup Guide Part 1

Some Useful Advice As You Plan for 4 Days of Pure Unadulterated BLISS!

Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for all the support! I am a web designer and I love going to festivals and one of my friends suggested I should share what I know. That is what this blog is all about, 10 years of going to Bonnaroo (not to mention countless other camping festivals) has taught me a thing or two. Every year while cooped up in the winter, I sit around planning and scheming about my road trips for the summer and Roo is always at the top of my list. I always start now – planning a budget for the gear I need, things I need to replace or just the cool camp gadgets I really want. Some of my non-festivaling friends get tired of hearing about my excitement for the new camp gear I just scored so hopefully here I’ll find an audience. My advice should pertain to any festival…and if you have not been to ROO, well – Tennessee Welcomes you!

One of my readers in Nashville messaged me and said, I needed more useful information on here so this one is all about my camp supply list for my camp set up, my camp philosophy, as well as my gear wish list. I sort-of set this website up as a wish list because I love shopping for and buying new camping gear. I’ve got three levels of camp gear curated to fit any budget. General Admission, VIP and SUPER VIP. This blog is going to focus on the NEWBIE set up on a budget, but hopefully some of you long time Bonnaroovians and other festival enthusiast will see some cool upgrades for your camp too.

Backpacking, car camping, walking ten miles to a beautiful destination, I’m down. Walking a mile and fighting my way to the front of any given tent, I’m counting it down…if this year will be your first festival experience then, buckle up and enjoy! Please leave your comments in the comments section if you have ideas you would like to add. I’d love to hear everyone’s suggestions on the BEST camp set up ideas, I want this site to be useful and insightful for everyone. This is just what I do and every year and my festival camp EXPERIENCE gets better and better.

At most festivals, the campsite sizes will be roughly 20’x20. (You may not buy extra campsites – you will get as many spots as you have cars AND passes.) So if you caravan with one or more cars, and can carefully coordinate going in together, technically you can have 40×40 space or 60 x 60 space. In all of my experiences, the best camps are when we have numerous cars and people camping in a big group, because everyone has something someone forgot to add to the camp!

My camping philosophy is that I like to keep it simple and just carry what I need. After going on a few extended backpacking trips carrying everything on my back, you really gain a new understanding about what you really need every day and the “luxury” items you want to make everything more comfortable. I try to keep everything I bring narrowed down to the trunk of my car and I have a clear, waterproof bin to put all of my supplies in for easy transport and storage.

The top 5 things on my list and in my BIN are:

1. Light – I carry two small flashlights with fresh batteries because it will be dark in most places at night. I also love these solar-powered luci Outdoor, rainproof lights. I have several of them and I charge them in my windshield all day while I am gone, hang them on my pac, you never have to buy batteries and I have never run out of light if these charges all day. These are definitely one of my favorite pieces of gear for camping and hiking…3 of them are plenty of light for cooking, looking at the schedule or other camp activities.

2. Water – I always have a few refillable water bottles with me, (cheap and disposable) more than one in case I lose one.

3. Water – The best thing to have is a water spray bottle – you can make countless friends by sharing cold water with everyone around you that are frying while standing 3 feet from the stage, 30 minutes before the show starts. Like Bacon.

4. Water – A HYDRATION BACKPACK is a must and just put water in it. Every person should drink at least a few liters of water every day. As soon as you put flavored whatever in it, the water will never taste right again, be warned.

5. Shade – You Need SHADE. Shade for your eyes, shade for your head, a hat that covers all the way around and shade for your camp.

Making sure that you have reliable light sources, plenty of water (like several gallons, 1 per day), containers and/or dispensers for the water and you will be well on your way to being prepared. The shade, however, can be an expensive thing. Over the years I have had several screened in shade structures that were not cheap and were a beast to set up, to some simple pop-ups that did not fare well in the thunderstorm and pouring rain so it is hard to give a budget-friendly answer here. Here is my Youtube Video: 10 Best Pop Up Canopy Tents 2019.

Even a simple pop-up like this one can run you around $100 and several years in a row I saw these things get lifted up and tossed about by the high winds or the rain rip through the top panel in a crazy downpour. Some of the more expensive models are more durable and have sandbags and reinforcement tie-downs and I recommend you batten down the hatches the first day, when you put these things up. Pool Noodles!

These three things can help make these more sturdy: 1. Pool Noodles, if you take pool noodles and place them in the rafters of the pop-up, it can prevent water sagging and giving you a nice, cold, unexpected shower.

2. Reflective Tent Rope and Geertop 10 Pack Aluminum Camping Tent Stakes – I feature these on the site because the string is reflective and they really stay in the ground. 3. Industrial Grade Heavy Duty Double-Stitched Canopy Weights or just recycled bags with sand or dirt attached with some duct tape might work if you want to go all “Macgyver.”

Tents and Sleeping

Now everyone knows buying camping gear can be expensive, but I think if you are starting out buying new gear, you should think of it as an ongoing thing because camping gear does not last forever. The way I look at it is at Roo, I’m going to spend the least amount of time there sleeping, so where I sleep can be simple and not take up too much room.

A festival Vet: Alexandra Schleuderer says, ” Less tent the better. You’ll just be in it to sleep. Saving space for a little living area is more important.” So don’t just take my word for it, she agrees less tent is better.

There are all kinds of levels of tents and again any polyester with polyurethane-coated waterproof tent (here’s one for $25) will work for a festival. Save your money for your shade set up. If you plan to mostly car camp, don’t worry about spending the extra money on some light-weight brand tent. Also, a can of Outdoor Water Shield applied to all your gear like tent, chairs, tapestries can help keep things dry during that most inevitable thunderstorm that will most likely roll up during the scheduled time for your favorite band.

I DEFINITELY recommend the shade over your tent or car method and I will mention it again because SHADE is so important and can also help keep things dry during a thunderstorm. As soon as that hot morning sun hits your tent, it will start to heat up and you will not be able to stay in there long. A tarp for the bottom of tent, a tarp for the top of the tent, a tarp or outdoor rug for the floor of your shelter. If you plan for tarps or tapestries on the East and West of your pop-up then you can prolong your sleeping enjoyment.

Then you will need the usual sleeping bags and extra blankets, sheets, pillows – again car camping so you don’t have to buy anything special. Sleeping on the ground at night even in June can still get a bit chilly, especially if there is rain so bring something warm and prepare to keep it dry. I like to keep my bedding a waterproof bag like this one.

I’d say one thing that will make you the most comfortable is an air mattress or at least a good sleeping pad. These can be sort-of like the pop-up prices, you can really break the bank on the air mattress – so I’d say base that on what is your level of comfort? I do love my self inflating Ultralight Air Sleeping Pad and that is usually plenty of padding for me if I sleep on top of my sleeping bag. If you buy something that is not self-inflating don’t forget the air pump (don’t forget batteries or plug adaptor).

Well, hopefully, that will get you started as you start preparing for this little adventure. In part 2, I’m going to talk more about living/parting area set up, cooking and food prep. So definitely lots more to write! Check out my Youtube video: 5 Best Camping Gear and Gadgets You Must Have In 2019.

Also! Check out the video from my friends at Headcount we made last year at LOCKN festival. My friend Whitt features my car set up and has a lot of other great tips for your BEST festival camp.

Check out my blog about volunteering at festivals and going for FREE and be sure to like my page on FB, Instagram, and YouTube for festival updates, new blogs and more music festival gear tips!

Cheers!

~Wren