Packing List

Here are some packing suggestions – if you have questions, we encourage you to ask on our Facebook Group.  In addition to getting great advice, you’ll likely be helping someone else out, too!

Our Camp Agreement: Take out everything you took in!  If a chair/tent breaks or yoga mat gets ripped, don’t just throw it out on site – take it home with you and throw it out there.  Unless it’s meal remainders or small things that will not pack up with you well, plan on taking out everything you brought.  There will be recycling and general trash, but we are committed to having a light impact on camp, and to leaving the site better than we found it. 

If you registered online, don’t forget your signed waiver!

2024: You will once again need to bring your own dishes and utensils: Bowl, plate, utensils, drinking vessels.  We recommend melamine/unbreakable items, and request that you label them with your name.  

 LABEL  your things!  This year, don’t forget: 

  • Drinking vessels for hot and cold beverages (you’ll need your own water bottle for the fire)
  • Bring some tupperware and lids to take home food with you – Imagine not having to cook when you land!
  • Special/Ritual: In our “Last Minute Letter” we will include notes about any fire circle ritual or other experiential-based things you may want to bring with you.  This will come out in late June.
  • In general, extra batteries for all your needs (flashlights, fairy/string lights, etc.) – pack a few extra just in case.  Battery-operated fairy lights for your campsite: Win!
  • Camp chairs – for your camp, for dining outside the dining area, and for workshops.
  • A mask in just in case – you are welcome to wear them anywhere to make yourself more comfortable, and it’s good to have them in case you start to feel symptoms of being sick at any point.  (This isn’t about Covid – it’s about general health practices within our community.)

Clothing

SpiritFire is an outdoor event. It’s camping, but it’s comfortable. The festival site is in the Taconic Mountains of New York, Just outside of New Lebanon, NY and Pittsfield, MA.  Average temperatures are between 70 – 80 degrees during the day, 55 – 70 during the night.  It can become chilly when it rains.

The road from the entrance to the site is steep and we ask you drive very slowly (no more than 10mph.  Really, do not go faster, please – both the road and your car will thank you.)   The fire circle, parking and merchant areas are flat and grassy. The camping area is woods with paths. Be aware of ticks if you go off-path!  Bring appropriate clothing and repellent, and check yourself regularly.  We recommend you pre-treat your clothing (particularly socks/pants) and tent with premethrin or something else you prefer that will help repel ticks.  Bring a tick kit. 

Suggestions:

  • both shorts and long pants (things you can move/dance/drum in!)
  • We strongly recommend that you consider pre-treating some of your clothing (pants, socks, etc.) as well as your camping gear against ticks.  Premethrin spray can be found at outdoor supply stores.
  • clothing that can be layered – festive clothing for the fire circles or day-to-day enjoyment
  • light jacket
  • sweater
  • rain gear
  • at least two pairs of shoes (really comfortable shoes)
  • extra pairs of dry socks
  • large heavy-duty ziploc bags to keep socks, etc. in to keep out any potential moisture

Home Sweet Home

Personal Tenters will have ample shaded space for camping, either off in quieter areas or within groups of tents closer to the main area. We’ve been lucky most of the time, but come prepared for rain. There’s no electricity in any of the lodging unit areas. No fire or smoking of any kind is permitted in camping areas – the Dragon Lounge (our smoker’s area) will be erected in the spot designated by our retreat hosts.   NO SMOKING of any kind is allowed anywhere else on site, no exceptions.

Those who are assigned a cabin bunk will find a room with 2 bunks and either a chosen or assigned roommate (depending on your request.)  We recommend bringing a batik and thumb tacks for a bit of privacy, and make sure you have battery-operated lighting.  To keep everyone in the building comfortable, please do not use perfumes/scents or play music in your rooms (or use earbuds).  All shared cabin areas are designated as “Quiet Zones” and we request louder talking/noises be taken into the main camp area or community comfy tent.

If you don’t like typical camp bunk mattresses, bring a twin-sized foam pad or similar.

Suggestions:

  • Cell phones are only allowed in the “Ops” Parking lot next to the vendor area, the main parking lot,  or your personal tent/sleeping space (but not group cabins A/B).  (This is a retreat policy, as well as SpiritFire’s.)  No cell phone or computer use is allowed in main camp areas.
  • If you have an electronic time device or anything that needs charging, bring a battery pack or two – charging is extremely limited, as we run on a generator and only during the daytime.
  • If you are ground-tenting: rope to hang on nearby trees for drying towels, or a camping rack
  • bedding (for both cooler and warmer weather)
  • pillow
  • battery-operated lighting (again, no flame of any kind on site except for the fire circle)
  • earplugs for sleeping
  • eye mask for sleeping during the day
  • mosquito net: these are great for both tents and cabins – either hang over your bed, or use to cover the doorway so you can have some bug-free airflow if it’s warm.
  • Last year folks discovered the wonders of battery operated fans.  Bring ’em!
  • TENTING:
    • ground cloth
    • rain fly/tarp and ropes
    • ground pad or air mattress
    • tarps for your instruments (you can also store them in the drum tent)
    • extra metal stakes and cord
    • if you use an air mattress, make sure your pump is battery operated!

Food

We offer brunch and dinner daily; bring your dishes, utensils, and a mug/drinking vessel – label everything!  Masking tape and marker on the bottom works great, and you can find extra at the “Information Center.”

Critters are a concern – chipmunks are everywhere!  Please keep personal food at your campsite in a sealable, latchable container, or you are guaranteed uninvited visitors. There is no refrigeration available, but ice will be available for sale.

Suggestions:

  • snacks in a sealable container to keep you going through the fire circle or in the afternoon
  • extra protein – foil packets of tuna or chicken, nuts, energy/protein bars
  • granola
  • any special food or tea you need/prefer
  • emergen-C or other immune/energy booster
  • water bottle
  • travel mug
  • a chair if you’d like to eat your meals out on the lawn, or if you just prefer your own chair

Toiletries

The site has running water, warm showers, flush toilets in the main camp area near the shower house, and ample latrines.  We encourage biodegradable shampoos and soaps, since the showers drain onto the ground.

Suggestions:

  • The cubbies within each side of the shower house are limited, so plan on a toiletry bag that you can keep in your tent/cabin room.  PLEASE pay attention to signs of where you can store or hang towels and where you can not – and please do not use the shower house as your personal storage.
  •  hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for surfaces/hands.
  • NO WIPES for the toilets, please – they will clog the system!
  • regular toiletries and medications
  • biodegradable soap/shampoo
  • two towels (one can get pretty damp)  (maybe 3) (label your towels)
  • band aids, sports tape, and basic first aid supplies
  • LABEL YOUR TOWELS! 😉
  • Your personal medications

Outdoor comfort

SpiritFire is an outdoor event; we have covered social areas, of course – but be prepared for outdoor activity!

Suggestions:

  • flashlight and extra batteries
  • sunscreen
  • insect repellent *especially for ticks* – but there are mosquitoes and sometimes mayflies, too
  • backjack or folding chair for outside your tent (and for other areas as mentioned above)

Workshops and Community Time

Check workshop descriptions for anything special they might require, such as a blanket or particular instruments. Workshops descriptions are listed on the website and will also be in your program on site.  Yoga mats for yoga classes, and they are great for seated moments in the pavilions.

Fire circles run from  late evening (somewhere around 10:30 pm) until they come to a natural stop (usually between 3am – dawn.)  However, it’s important we all know that there is no expectation of staying up all night. Do what feels good! You can always sit a bit and rest outside the fire circle area, and jump back in.

Each night has a different focus, and we will likely not finalize those until just before the event.  Stay tuned, we’ll let you know!

Suggestions:

  • clothing you can layer and move in comfortably all night long (read the ritual fire descriptions to see if you might want to bring something to wear that reflects the evening’s focus!)
  • Yoga mat/ground blanket
  • comfortable, danceable shoes – while we tend the fire carefully, we can’t guarantee safety for bare feet.
  • rhythm instruments: drums, rattles, singing bowls, gongs, didgeridoos, rain sticks, chimes, etc.
  • festival clothing – clothes that make you happy!  You might wear colors that reflect the parts of a fire circle you are particularly drawn to: red for music, blue for motion, yellow for voice, green or white for service, and black for mystery; you might want to bring a mask, or something to reflect the intention of a given fire.  Up to you (important: there is *no* expectation on what a person chooses to wear at a fire circle.  Jeans and a T shirt = AWESOME if it is what you like.)
  • face paint
  • camp chair – something you can drum/engage in a workshop with

Miscellaneous

Suggestions:

  • personal rapid test kit(s) for you to use to test yourself for COV-19 in case of symptoms
  • cash for merchant goodies (if you can bring $1 and $5 bills, that would be much appreciated!)
  • cash for the scholarship fund raffle or work shift buy-out. Scholarships are awarded to about 12-15 people each year thanks to the generosity of the community.
  • journal/pens/art supplies
  • fliers for your community events
  • small gifts for those new and spontaneous friends
  • an extra pillow, blanket, camp chair, or decoration for the community comfy tent (marked with your name please)
  • a watch or battery-operated alarm clock (let’s avoid cell phones please!)

Things to leave home – Please do NOT bring these:

  • pets/animals of any kind – this is a very strict policy of our retreat hosts and is not negotiable.
  • illegal substances (and please read our policy on substances before you attend.)
  • camping stoves, candles, incense, or fire spinning/play tools; the site does not permit any open flames at personal campsites or outside of our fire circle.
  • drum sets, plastic timbales, electric or other similar instruments.
  • valuable or breakable items that you don’t want to risk losing

Other suggestions are found in the registration info packet, emailed to registrants.

We hope you have a happy, safe, and comfortable festival!