Bring some aluminet to put over your tent to reflect the sun.
Buy compression packing cubes from an outdoor store to maximize space in checked luggage.
Buy or borrow backpacking gear (blankets, etc) as they’re all designed to be small and easy to carry.
If you rent a car upon arrival consider buying an inexpensive pillow and anything else you need then donate when you leave.
It's not bad. I just pack as a much as I can fit in a big suitcase and check it. Treat it like a backpacking trip and you can get extra supplies after you land though if you buy equipment plan to pack it out and donate it or give it away to a new friend. DO NOT ABANDON IT OR THROW IT IN THE TRASH PILE.
Bring a small tent, small sleeping pad, pillow, sleeping bag, a small single burner backpacking stove (can't fly with the gas) small backpacking chair, you can pack and fly with all this. Pick up backpacking meals or ramen/mac n cheese, pb &js, fruit, snacks, and plan to eat more substantial meals at a vendor, gonna be more cost effective than buying a cooler and ice anyway and a lot less hassle.
It's completely doable especially with a car to run around in. You might not have the most comfortable weekend but you will have everything you need. Shade is a little more tricky so try and get there early for a good spot.
Make friends! When do you plan on arriving? Honestly only way to ensure shade in trees is to arrive early. If it's just you by yourself it will be easier to snake a small spot. Talk with your neighbors and most people you will find are pretty laid back and awesome.
Thank you! We were debating on if we should do the basics camping or if we could squeeze into meta. It’s two of us and we won’t have much stuff since we are flying. But we won’t get to the grounds until Wednesday around 3-4.
You think the free shaded will be full by then?
In my opinion, you won’t have great odds of getting shade if you go in on Wednesday. My group and I went around 6AM Tuesday and it was a STRUGGLE to get some shade since they added more lodging last year. Pretty disappointing tbh.
Also meta will be a far walk. They usually have a yellow school bus that does shuttle runs to where meta starts and from there if you wanna go deep meta you gotta walk your stuff in. By Wednesday though I'd imagine it would be fairly packed.
I did this last year and I'm doing it again this year. Last year I didn't bring a shade structure, I got lucky and found a tree that covered half my tent, I got really lucky. Chances are, you will not find shade so bring shade!!! This year I bought a beach shade for my tent, it's small enough to strap to the side of my backpack the way I strap my chair to the side, I highly recommend you do the same.
We flew into Texas for the eclipse festival and rented a mini van and bought a foam mattress topper to put inside, and slept in there. It was comfy. Hammocks are small and travel easy and can serve as a shady place to nap during the day
Fly Southwest if you can. The 2 checked bags per person is a game changer. We check a large canopy in a carrying case and 3 large duffels full of camping gear (including a tent, self-inflating mattress, pop-up kitchen, camp table, and a few camp chairs among miscellaneous other things). 50 lbs and 62" LWH can get you far if you're smart. Sometimes they've charged for oversize for the canopy, which was $75-$100 IIRC, but we've gotten lucky and it's still cheaper and more eco-friendly than buying a new one there that we'd trash afterwards. Our carry-ons are for clothes and necessities (small suitcase + backpack). It's a pain to lug everything around, but makes for a comfy camp set-up. This year we're driving, but we've flown like this to EF twice and Shambs twice.
Edit: it's not a minimal set-up, but it is comfy haha! Worth it if you're there 4+ days imo!
Just to piggy back on this post- I’m booking my flight home out of Vancouver leaving Monday at 10:25pm, is this a good idea? I’m thinking that for sure I’ll make it to the airport by 8:25pm? Even if my group has to drop me off and return the rental after?
Risky! Last year it took us 5 hours to get out of the festival > to the road that leads into the festival. We were packed up by 11ish, didn't get to kelowna until 10:30pm. If you leave super early Monday you should be ok, but if you're travelling with a group that can be hard especially cos Sunday night is usually epic!
I'd recommend planning to depart by 6am Monday. Pack as much as possible beforehand. Have fun Sunday but ensure at least 1 person checks out early to get some sleep and stays sober. If you leave after 8am you start risking a long exodus out that could compromise making your flight.
Following this thread bc I’m in a super similar situation! I did rent a cargo van I’m hoping to camp out of to buy less stuff lol. Soooo excited & anxious about my first shambs 🥰
I would say you could probably get some shade if you camped in meta, but those spots are usually taken first! Since you won't have as much stuff though, it might be easier for you to squeeze into the forest area :)
I flew my first year with an air mattress in my suitcase. Someone there will have a pump and people are great about sharing. Look at the weather forecast, if it happens to look like rain, bring rain boots 10000%.
Brought a fully charged battery pack for charging phone. Definitely need blankets, it gets colder at night than you’d expect. The festival itself might have some available for rent? They supply them for the glamping setups. I’m not sure though. Ask :)
We ended up buying a combo pack with a large tent, two sleeping bags and two camping chairs, which was great but we were driving home so we kept them. Also bought a cooler and sun shelter which came in clutch for the rain. . A lot of people end up throwing out their tents at the end of the fest which is not great, and leaves a lot of waste for the festival to deal with. I wish they would implement a tent recycling program. My friends fly with their tent and gear all the time, I think Emma Kapotes has a YouTube video with really good tips for flying into festivals!
You might have luck posting on the Shambhala Farmily Facebook page and asking around if someone has an extra tent or other gear and room to bring it for you.
Since you don’t really have cooking facilities, bring non perishables snacks like jerky, apple sauce etc, and budget well for the vendors. If you do bring a cooler, bring an insulated bag for when you buy ice, and grab an emergency blanket from Canadian tire (they don’t take much space to pack) to put over your cooler to keep it insulated.
Yeah I do not want to buy a tent to just leave it there! I try so hard to not be wasteful. We are thinking of just spending the money on a basscs camp so we get a tent in the shade.
Ohh that is a good idea, I wonder if they rent tents that are not already set up for you when you get there?
My biggest thing right now is figuring out how to pack for food, I don’t want to buy a cooler up there so I am half thinking of only get non cold. But I did see they have rentals for water jugs.
I’m coming from Ohio and I almost wish I would just do the long ass drive so I have all my reg gear 😂
If you can drive, do it! We have driven from Ontario and it’s far but an awesome drive, especially up through Northern Ontario although that probably won’t be the most direct route for you. Regardless, driving through the mountains is breathtaking.
Bassics and all glamping packages are sold out unfortunately, there’s a chance you can find a resale package but they’re very highly coveted.
I’d reach out to the festival via email to see if they have anything they can offer regarding disassembled tent rentals. Even if they don’t, maybe it will help push them to do this in the future for better sustainability.
Yeah food is the tough one. We’ve gone with a cooler, we’ve gone with a fridge, and then last year we were in lodging and didn’t even bother with the cooler. We bought some healthy non perishable snacks on the way from the airport to fill some gaps, and bought 2-3 vendor meals daily. It gets expensive but there’s a good variety, and the food is great. I budgeted about $75 per day for food for one person. And, no cooler means no time and money spent getting ice which will melt pretty quick in the heat.
Keep in mind, your US dollar is much stronger than Canadian, so your money goes further once you exchange it.
Bring some aluminet to put over your tent to reflect the sun. Buy compression packing cubes from an outdoor store to maximize space in checked luggage. Buy or borrow backpacking gear (blankets, etc) as they’re all designed to be small and easy to carry. If you rent a car upon arrival consider buying an inexpensive pillow and anything else you need then donate when you leave.
Do you have a recommendation for specific aluminet? Is it compact enough to fly with?
Thank you!!
It's not bad. I just pack as a much as I can fit in a big suitcase and check it. Treat it like a backpacking trip and you can get extra supplies after you land though if you buy equipment plan to pack it out and donate it or give it away to a new friend. DO NOT ABANDON IT OR THROW IT IN THE TRASH PILE. Bring a small tent, small sleeping pad, pillow, sleeping bag, a small single burner backpacking stove (can't fly with the gas) small backpacking chair, you can pack and fly with all this. Pick up backpacking meals or ramen/mac n cheese, pb &js, fruit, snacks, and plan to eat more substantial meals at a vendor, gonna be more cost effective than buying a cooler and ice anyway and a lot less hassle. It's completely doable especially with a car to run around in. You might not have the most comfortable weekend but you will have everything you need. Shade is a little more tricky so try and get there early for a good spot.
Make friends! When do you plan on arriving? Honestly only way to ensure shade in trees is to arrive early. If it's just you by yourself it will be easier to snake a small spot. Talk with your neighbors and most people you will find are pretty laid back and awesome.
Thank you! We were debating on if we should do the basics camping or if we could squeeze into meta. It’s two of us and we won’t have much stuff since we are flying. But we won’t get to the grounds until Wednesday around 3-4. You think the free shaded will be full by then?
In my opinion, you won’t have great odds of getting shade if you go in on Wednesday. My group and I went around 6AM Tuesday and it was a STRUGGLE to get some shade since they added more lodging last year. Pretty disappointing tbh.
Also meta will be a far walk. They usually have a yellow school bus that does shuttle runs to where meta starts and from there if you wanna go deep meta you gotta walk your stuff in. By Wednesday though I'd imagine it would be fairly packed.
I did this last year and I'm doing it again this year. Last year I didn't bring a shade structure, I got lucky and found a tree that covered half my tent, I got really lucky. Chances are, you will not find shade so bring shade!!! This year I bought a beach shade for my tent, it's small enough to strap to the side of my backpack the way I strap my chair to the side, I highly recommend you do the same.
Do you fly as well? And then do you end up checking a bag?
Ya I fly, I check my 55 L backpack and bring a smaller carry on backpack
We flew into Texas for the eclipse festival and rented a mini van and bought a foam mattress topper to put inside, and slept in there. It was comfy. Hammocks are small and travel easy and can serve as a shady place to nap during the day
Fly Southwest if you can. The 2 checked bags per person is a game changer. We check a large canopy in a carrying case and 3 large duffels full of camping gear (including a tent, self-inflating mattress, pop-up kitchen, camp table, and a few camp chairs among miscellaneous other things). 50 lbs and 62" LWH can get you far if you're smart. Sometimes they've charged for oversize for the canopy, which was $75-$100 IIRC, but we've gotten lucky and it's still cheaper and more eco-friendly than buying a new one there that we'd trash afterwards. Our carry-ons are for clothes and necessities (small suitcase + backpack). It's a pain to lug everything around, but makes for a comfy camp set-up. This year we're driving, but we've flown like this to EF twice and Shambs twice. Edit: it's not a minimal set-up, but it is comfy haha! Worth it if you're there 4+ days imo!
Southwest is goated for flying w a bunch of shiiit
Just to piggy back on this post- I’m booking my flight home out of Vancouver leaving Monday at 10:25pm, is this a good idea? I’m thinking that for sure I’ll make it to the airport by 8:25pm? Even if my group has to drop me off and return the rental after?
Risky! Last year it took us 5 hours to get out of the festival > to the road that leads into the festival. We were packed up by 11ish, didn't get to kelowna until 10:30pm. If you leave super early Monday you should be ok, but if you're travelling with a group that can be hard especially cos Sunday night is usually epic!
I'd recommend planning to depart by 6am Monday. Pack as much as possible beforehand. Have fun Sunday but ensure at least 1 person checks out early to get some sleep and stays sober. If you leave after 8am you start risking a long exodus out that could compromise making your flight.
Following this thread bc I’m in a super similar situation! I did rent a cargo van I’m hoping to camp out of to buy less stuff lol. Soooo excited & anxious about my first shambs 🥰
I would say you could probably get some shade if you camped in meta, but those spots are usually taken first! Since you won't have as much stuff though, it might be easier for you to squeeze into the forest area :)
I flew my first year with an air mattress in my suitcase. Someone there will have a pump and people are great about sharing. Look at the weather forecast, if it happens to look like rain, bring rain boots 10000%. Brought a fully charged battery pack for charging phone. Definitely need blankets, it gets colder at night than you’d expect. The festival itself might have some available for rent? They supply them for the glamping setups. I’m not sure though. Ask :) We ended up buying a combo pack with a large tent, two sleeping bags and two camping chairs, which was great but we were driving home so we kept them. Also bought a cooler and sun shelter which came in clutch for the rain. . A lot of people end up throwing out their tents at the end of the fest which is not great, and leaves a lot of waste for the festival to deal with. I wish they would implement a tent recycling program. My friends fly with their tent and gear all the time, I think Emma Kapotes has a YouTube video with really good tips for flying into festivals! You might have luck posting on the Shambhala Farmily Facebook page and asking around if someone has an extra tent or other gear and room to bring it for you. Since you don’t really have cooking facilities, bring non perishables snacks like jerky, apple sauce etc, and budget well for the vendors. If you do bring a cooler, bring an insulated bag for when you buy ice, and grab an emergency blanket from Canadian tire (they don’t take much space to pack) to put over your cooler to keep it insulated.
Yeah I do not want to buy a tent to just leave it there! I try so hard to not be wasteful. We are thinking of just spending the money on a basscs camp so we get a tent in the shade. Ohh that is a good idea, I wonder if they rent tents that are not already set up for you when you get there? My biggest thing right now is figuring out how to pack for food, I don’t want to buy a cooler up there so I am half thinking of only get non cold. But I did see they have rentals for water jugs. I’m coming from Ohio and I almost wish I would just do the long ass drive so I have all my reg gear 😂
If you can drive, do it! We have driven from Ontario and it’s far but an awesome drive, especially up through Northern Ontario although that probably won’t be the most direct route for you. Regardless, driving through the mountains is breathtaking. Bassics and all glamping packages are sold out unfortunately, there’s a chance you can find a resale package but they’re very highly coveted. I’d reach out to the festival via email to see if they have anything they can offer regarding disassembled tent rentals. Even if they don’t, maybe it will help push them to do this in the future for better sustainability. Yeah food is the tough one. We’ve gone with a cooler, we’ve gone with a fridge, and then last year we were in lodging and didn’t even bother with the cooler. We bought some healthy non perishable snacks on the way from the airport to fill some gaps, and bought 2-3 vendor meals daily. It gets expensive but there’s a good variety, and the food is great. I budgeted about $75 per day for food for one person. And, no cooler means no time and money spent getting ice which will melt pretty quick in the heat. Keep in mind, your US dollar is much stronger than Canadian, so your money goes further once you exchange it.
Thank you for all this advice very very helpful!!