Considering I’m about to make my second 5-day trip to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival outside of Manchester, Tennessee, I’m starting to get a good grip on what’s needed for packing, how tight the vehicle will be after you’ve loaded it, and what you can afford to leave behind and what is an absolute must-have item while on the farm.
So rather than ramble on about the packing process itself and what packaging supplies you should have handy, I feel inclined to share with you some of the items that you should consider absolutely essential when traveling down to the middle of Tennessee for live music, good vibes, and summer heat camping.
Toilet paper.
Always, always, always bring a few rolls for yourself and never go to the bathroom (read: portapotties) without your own TP. You never know when the toilet paper in these bathrooms is missing, wet, used (ew!), low quality, or even ripped apart. So rather than risk it each time you go, just bring your own from home. Trust me, this is the number one item all fellow Bonnaroovians will suggest packing first.
Low sitting, portable chairs.
This product would make packaging supplies experts out there very proud simply because they break down into small pouches that are lightweight and out of the way. And I’m not talking traditional lawn chairs here. I’m talking about the little camping chairs you can break down and load into a small bag or the very low sitting chairs that fold up, are lightweight, and can attach to your backpack.
Chairs in Bonnaroo need to be under 12” off the ground at the seat level, but once you hit this parameter, you’ll be glad you brought one and will never look back. From sitting in pit lines to giving your feet a break between acts, chairs are a godsend out in the heat. You’ll be able to conserve your energy, take a nap, and give your body a break between bouts of dancing with these.
Multiple bottles of sunscreen.
Don’t ever go down to this music festival with under 2 bottles of sunscreen. I’m telling you what, you’ll be applying sunblock about 4 to 5 times a day out in the blazing sun, and you won’t even care if it’s wiped in perfectly.
So long as you’re covered from head to toe, you’ll be good to go. You won’t even care that you look a little weird if white spots are on your shins or shoulders because, honestly, no one cares. People all understand that your safety and health come first and foremost, as that’s what they’re thinking about themselves.
