First off and apropos of nothing, I loved the format of this book. I recently got a Kindle, and the fact that I didn’t have the bulk associated with a book was very refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the feel and smell of new books, but I’m also pagan, so they seem to breed like rabbits taking fertility drugs while worshipping Pan and Tawaret on my bookshelves.

To get right to the point, this book was awesome. It was a whole lot of common sense about what to take camping that everyone who goes camping, whether it’s your first time or your eleventy-billionth time, should keep in mind. Creating a checklist from her list would take no time at all, and it would be a really good set of camping gear. Personally, it’s more than I would take, but for newbies, over-packing usually seems the way to go; there are always ways to cut down when you’ve got a couple of festivals under your belt.

The list of festivals is a great help. By no means comprehensive, it does a pretty good job of getting the options out there. I would have added a longer list, just to make sure more people were covered, but that’s a personal thing; like I said, it’s a great start.

The thing that I think really sets this book apart is the list of recipes at the back of it. It’s a great list of awesome food that could easily be prepared in advance (if need be), frozen, and thawed as needed during your week of camping. Many of the recipes are very easily made with a minimum of kitchen gear and a camp stove. It’s an amazing start for beginner campers and a great reference and stepping-off point for veterans.

All-in-all, as a seasoned festival camper (at least once a year for the last eight years!), this is a book I would recommend to anyone who does any of the festivals around the country. It’s a fantastic resource and it’s entertaining, both things that make me more prone to telling people about the book.

~review by Jeremy Bredeson

Author: Lori Drake
Rotco Media, 2011
pp. 224