First time at the Festival and Camping at Mary Illium. I haven’t yet found a vehicle pass See post in Ticket Exchange( http://www.festivarian.com/index.php/topic,35550.0.html ) . Just wondering what to expect? What’s the scene like? Any tips? Cool things to remember to bring? Looks Beautiful. Want to make sure I blend in with the culture.
Camped there our first year. It’s fairly quiet and peaceful at night though they’ll typically be a couple big jams going on late. Unless your sleeping in your vehicle a vehicle pass really is not required. Be prepared for it to be a little colder there than town. During festival you’ll want to haul all your days supplies with you (rain gear, cold weather clothes, chairs, tarp, etc…). To make the round trip from festival grounds in town park to Illium and back is at minimum around 75-90 minutes. Bring a mountain bike if you can, theres great trails to hike and ride around Ilium. We rode trails into town a couple times. If you get there before Tuesday you should have no problem getting a primo spot, by Wednesday it starts filling up, though it isn’t tent to tent crowded ever.
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Ha! I just found you on another thread. Yes, I was planning on using a Truck bed tent… 
Guess I can bring my spare if I have to. Would rather get a vehicle pass. Definitely bringing a bike!
One of the best things about Illium is if it is a flat spot, It’s open for camping. You can spread out and not really encroach on your neighbors. Everyone is pretty friendly and happy. Leave plenty of time for the bus ride into town. DRESS WARM!!
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Last summer was my first year and I stayed at Mary E. Coming back this year and staying there again! It’s a great atmosphere. Lot’s of good pickin, a range of people from two years old to eighty years old, a phone charging station, and a cold river to wake you up in the mornings! The bus rides are actually a lot of fun as well, especially late at night and first thing in the mornings. Hope to see you there!
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gotta love those lateeeee night bus rides haha!
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Are pull carts a thing we can bring on the shuttle and into the festival? If I’m prepping for a full day that’s a lot of alternatives to carry.
Also there’s a lot of talk about Tarps and lines on the website. What’s that all about? Never been to a festival where getting in was so … complicated.
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The shuttles are regular school buses, so the walkway is not much more than a couple feet wide, which may make a cart tricky.
Ryan
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You can get a wagon on the buses, especially if your going during a low traffic flow. And yes there will be times where there is a line for the buses, and you may have to wait till next bus.
The tarp line and getting a spot in the festival is not as crazy as it may seem checking out the forum. I’m pretty sure everybody gets overwhelmed by the whole tarp line thing before their first time, but really its nothing to worry about. Especially if you are going solo. I would highly suggest one day doing the tarp line just to see for yourself what its all about. If you are solo though there really is no reason to have to do the tarp line. You can either easily find a spot between two tarps, or meet new people and join a big tarp. Our first year when we were at Illium, we had a small 3x5 tarp and were in the front row everyday, only doing the tarp run one day, but it was just two of us on our little tarp. Even if you are the furthest back in the field, thats still a great spot!
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Does anyone at Mary E. sleep in hammocks or would you recommend sleeping in your tent? I usually sleep so much better in my hammock (insulated with a sleeping pad), but I know it gets cold! What’s the best tent-sleeping set-up you all have discovered?
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Bring the hammock, but I wouldn’t sleep in it. Gets pretty cold out at Illium, almost guaranteed to be below freezing everynight. You’ll want a tent, with an insulating ground pad and heavey bedding or a warm sleeping bag. Personally we use a queen sized 3 inch sleeping pad, with a down pillowtop on top, then we use sheets and make it out to a bed with a heavy wool comforter. We also bring our backpacking 20 degree sleeping bags as back-up.
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You can definitely hammock camp but you’ll need a solid under quilt and top quilt in addition to your pad. A rainfly is likely necessary as well.
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