Pack for cold nights
What to bring
A night camping in high pine forest in November, then a few days in the city. Warm afternoons, genuinely cold nights, and the nearest shop to the land is a drive rather than a walk. There is no water, no power, no showers, no bar and no kitchen out there: everything you eat and drink, you carry in. This list is for the days on the land — the Phoenix days need nothing more than you would take to a friend's house. It is not padding; it is what people wish they had brought.
Bring — 33 things
Shelter
Whatever you sleep in, it needs to handle a cold, still night and a possible frost.
Sleeping warm
This is the one people get wrong. Do not bring a summer bag.
Water and food
Sun and altitude
Clothing
Layers, not one big coat. The swing between afternoon and 2am is enormous.
Safety and health
Comfort and camp
Leave at home
Each of these has a reason next to it. If a rule here looks arbitrary, the reason is the argument — read it before you ask us about it.
Glass, of any kindCommonly misunderstood
A broken bottle in pine needles cannot be found or swept up, and people walk this site barefoot between tents. Decant into cans or plastic before you arrive.
Fireworks, flares and sky lanternsCommonly misunderstood
This is a ponderosa forest. Fire restrictions here are seasonal and strict, and a single spark is a genuinely catastrophic outcome.
Your own WOOD fireCommonly misunderstood
Wood fire is centralised: one supervised pit, subject to the fire restrictions in force that week — bring firewood for it. A propane fire pit at your own camp is fine and encouraged, because it makes no embers and you can turn it off. A wood fire you built yourself will be put out.
Amplified sound at your camp after midnight
A speaker at camp competes with the programme and wakes the people who paid for Quiet Camp. The silent disco starts at midnight for exactly this reason — the music carries on without doing that.
Weapons of any kindCommonly misunderstood
Including anything carried legally elsewhere. All ages, alcohol, and a forest at night: no.
Pets
Wildlife, other dogs, and a lot of children at ankle height. Service animals are welcome — tell us in advance.
Illegal drugs
Not permitted. If you or a friend are in trouble, find any crew member — we would far rather help you than have you hide it, and nobody is reporting you.
Anything you would be upset to lose
Dust, cold and campfires are hard on nice things, and there is no secure storage onsite.
On the land
Three things about the site itself that change what you pack. None of them are a surprise if you know them in advance, and all three catch people out who do not.
- The ground
- Pine forest on dirt and pine needles, with exposed roots and a gentle slope across the whole site. Nothing is paved. Firm enough for a rigid-frame wheelchair on the main paths; hard going for narrow casters.
- The altitude
- High enough that the air is thinner than you are used to, the sun burns faster, and the nights get properly cold even after a warm afternoon. Drink more water than you think you need and go easy on the first day.
- Signal
- One bar on a good day, and nothing at all in the lower camping meadow. Assume no data. Screenshot your ticket, screenshot the schedule, and tell people at home you will be out of contact.
Access
This is a forest camp, and we would rather tell you exactly what that means than promise it is fine. If something here is a problem for you, ask in the Discord before you buy and we will tell you straight whether we can make it work.
- ADA parking
- Marked, level spaces beside the accessible camping area, closest to the gate and to where the music happens.
- Accessible camping
- A level, firm-surface area next to ADA parking, near the restrooms. Request it at checkout so we hold a spot rather than improvising one.
- Accessible restrooms
- At the main restroom block by the gate.
- Viewing
- Ground is level directly in front of where the music happens, with a firm path between them. No raised platform — this is a fifty-person site and sightlines are not the problem here.
- Assistance and service animals
- Service animals welcome. Tell us in advance so we can place you with shade and a clear path.
- Getting help onsite
- There is no first-aid station. Signal is unreliable, so find a crew member and ask rather than trying to call — and bring your own first-aid kit.
Looking after each other
There is no first-aid station
There is no first-aid station and no medical cover on the land. Everyone brings their own kit — that is why it is on this list as essential — and if you need help, find a crew member and ask. We will do what we can, and anything beyond the contents of somebody's kit means a drive to a hospital that is a long way off. So tell us early rather than late, look after the people you came with, and pack the sleeping bag this list asks for rather than the one you own. If you take medication we should know about, there is an optional question at checkout.