The 2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival will mark my seventh trip to the tiny town of Manchester for four days of music and revelry, and I think I am finally starting to get the hang of this whole camping thing.
Of course, since I’m sort of a “do now, worry about the details later” kind of gal, it took me a littlewhile to get the rhythm. (OK, it took me a little over half a decade.)
My first Bonnaroo experience involved heading out after an all-night rager without bothering to stop for that whole pesky sleeping dealio. I spent the entire weekend mooching off pals while trying to survive the heat and my critical exhaustion levels. Thankfully, I still managed to get my face rocked off and couldn’t wait to come back the following year.
For my second excursion, my girlfriends and I decided a cooler full of snacks and beverages would be more than enough to hold us through the weekend. It was only after we had arrived in Manchester that we realized we had failed to bring a tent, camping supplies or even the ghost of a plan for where to lay our heads.
The third time, we gave in to the voices of reason and realized that having a list and a plan most definitely beats suffering without supplies. The following list covers the bulk of your must-have items for surviving a weekend of debauchery with your favorite bands in the Tennessee summer sunshine:
Extra deodorant: One for you and one to share with your new pals. Yes, there are showers available, but they’re in trailers and kinda sketchy, plus you have to pay to play. No matter how sexy your inner flower child may be, we’d prefer that you keep the aroma to yourself.
Water: Stay hydrated, people! You can’t bring any other beverages into the festival site proper, but water is fine. Camelbaks are a popular choice for toting your H2O.
Tent/tarp: The perfect place for a disco nap and the perfect hideout when things get a little too intense. The tarp will keep your stuff dry if it does rain. If you have access to a canopy, with or without sides, that’s nice too, especially in the heat of the day.
Snacks: Bring enough to share and you’ll make lifelong pals.
Blanket/low-backed folding chair: To cop a squat during all those performances. The music runs from lunchtime until around 4 a.m., so you’ll want to sit down at some point.
Toilet paper: Bonnaroo does service the porta-johns fairly regularly, but even still, there are not enough leaves on the property to take care of 80,000-plus people once the good stuff runs out. Be prepared.
Wet Wipes/hand sanitizer: No stinky palms, please!
A full tank of gas: Make sure to fill ’er up before you get inside the gates. There are no gas stations inside the venue, and you’re guaranteed to get stuck in traffic on your way out.
Sunblock/Chapstick: Don’t ruin your fun by turning into Tommy Tomato or Blistering Betsy your first day out.
Rain gear: Even if it doesn’t rain, by the third day you’ll want boots and ponchos just to battle the port-a-poos.
Bug repellent: This should be a no-brainer. Where would you swarm if you were a hungry mosquito? The empty field next door or the field filled with 80,000 sweaty magoos?
Large weather balloon: When it’s 4 a.m. and you’re wandering the campgrounds drunk and bewildered, you’ll be glad you brought that huge inflatable purple octopus to attach to the top of your campsite.
Patience: Plan on waiting in line to do everything.
Flashlight/lantern: Unless you get your kicks from stumbling into strange, pitch-black port-a-poos late at night.
More clean underwear than you think you’ll need: Do I really need to explain this one?
Wagon: Just in case you need to pull your gear — or your pals — back from the show.
Radio: For late-night campsite entertainment and up-to-the-minute news and information on Radio Bonnaroo, WFTZ 101.5 FM.
Extra set of car keys: Even the most responsible person can lose just about anything at Bonnaroo.
A contingency plan: Just in case you lose your pals, it’s always good to have a meeting spot.
Cash: There are ATMs on site, but they invariably have long lines, and you’ll pay service charges.
Swimsuit: It will be your best friend when you come across the Bonnaroo fountain.
Disposable camera: Not a tragedy if you lose it, but full of memories if it does wind up making it home with you.
Pen and paper: To jot down all your new best friends’ contact info, plus your own memories and set lists from the bands.
Trash bags: do something good for Mother Earth and clean up all your crap!
