Electric Forest is the best four days of my life. The other 361 days of my life, I’m just preparing myself for the next Forest. I want everyone who is coming to the Forest this year to experience the magic and love that the Forest has to offer. It has wheeled me in and has me madly obsessed with this event. However, it's hard to enjoy yourself unless you have the right tools in your back pocket to survive. As a Forest veteran, I want to help so I have come up with 5 things you should make sure you pack.
1. Camel Back
When you venture past the gates into the forest, you will not want to return back to your camp site for any reason. It's the best idea to stay in the Forest all day anyway, that's what you paid for and you only get to be there for four days. Being outside in the heat, raving and running around the entire festival grounds, it's extremely important that attendee's stay hydrated all day. The forest staff members provides fill up stations throughout the forest to fill up water bottles and camel backs. Yes, a water bottle works, but a camel back works easier because it stays on your back, so you're hands free for raving and you won't accidentally put it down without forgetting it. If you don't have a camel back, you will want to get one before the Forest. You can buy them in the camping sections of most stores.
2. Bandana
Electric Forest takes place in and around the forest, but the camp grounds are rows of dry dirt and grass. When cars drive through, it spills up dust all over the place. Even the workers drive around on carts that throw dirt into our faces. By the end of day 2, my nose is usually dripping because it is trying to empty out all the dust in my sinuses and I have a wicked cough trying to get the dust out of my lungs. I have noticed that staff members wear bandana's tied around their mouth and nose when around vehicles or in camp, and just pull them down and wear them around their neck when not in use. This is something that I have not done yet but am picking up this year. I highly recommend it and you'll thank me when you see how much dirt you're breathing in.
3. Hammock
If you've been to the Forest before 2014, you know that we used to be able to hang up hammocks where ever we wanted. Last year, new rules were released on where hammocks could be hung and rules on stacking hammocks. These types of hammocks are made of nylon material, not strings like what you would see on a beach. They are suspended between tree's using suspension straps that do not damage the tree's. Usually, the brand "eno" is there selling their hammocks. If you don't have one, grab one on day 1 or 2 because they quickly run out. Sitting in a hammock in the forest is all apart of the experience. Its an easy way to catch a mid-day nap between artists you want to see without walking all the way back to your camp.
4. Jugs Of Water and/or Baby Wipes
Let's be honest, showers are hard to take at the Forest. You want to spend as much time as you can enjoying the festival. You're going to be sweaty from raving and dirty from all the dirt that there is at the forest so you're going to want a way to keep yourself clean. Jugs of water can be used for not only rinsing your hair, body or feet off from dirt and sweat, but can also be used to help you brush your teeth and wash your hands right at your camp site. You can even warm them up by sitting them in the sun for most of the day while you're gone in the Forest. The jugs of water I bring are a couple gallon jugs from the grochery store. They're cheap and easy to grab. Baby wipes can be used to clean your hands and wipe of dirt from your body, but can't help you with brushing your teeth. I personally bring both, but you can pick and choose.
5. 2 Tarps
Electric Forest is in Michigan where the weather is extremely unpredictable. The weather forecast may say it's sunny just when the sky opens up and pours on you. Tents are made out of water proof material, but may not be totally waterproof. To be sure, bring a tarp to throw over your tent and stakes to secure it to the ground. You want to set this up so the rain is taken AWAY from your tent, not right next to it. Set it up when you put your tent up, and just make sure the stakes stay in the ground throughout the weekend. The second tarp can be put under your tent when you're putting it up. This keeps the moisture from the earth from raising up into the floor of your tent. It's a little extra work, but would you rather wake up in a flooded tent?
Electric Forest is so much more than fantastic artists playing their music and camping. It’s all about finding connections with the people around you through the music and loving everyone for who they really are. Whether this is your first year to the forest or you are a returner, I hope you leave the Forest with love in your heart and incredible experiences in your mind. I can only hope I run into you all in the Forest, finding ourselves under the lights. Hey, maybe we'll find Carl too!
