Got back from Toorcamp yesterday. It was certainly interesting. This year I focused on making things (soldering for instance), so there was less opportunity to meet new people.
Here's a quick brain dump mostly for me on what was useful to pack and what was not. Once again, there was a cold night (Saturday) when the temperature dropped to 48 degrees F, and I wasn't quite ready for that.
Scarf: Made life much more bearable. Probably the single one thing that really made everything much better. I wore it all the time except sleep and about 11 to 4 PM.
REI shirts from my Europe and Italy trips: Great as before, no sweating.
All my Raspberry Pi Projects: Didn't even touch them. There's just too much to do and see at Toorcamp.
A gaggle of cables and 10/100 5-port switch: Unnecessary.
Rope: No trees, not useful for keeping animals away.
Scent-proof Ziploc bags: Much more useful, no animal issues (unlike the tent next door, used to store food, which was torn apart at odd hours of the night by a large racoon).
LUCI lights: Lux variety much better than the clear ones. Fantastic for ambient lighting on a table with a group of people, which was my situation.
Solar-powered LED lights: Wonderful. I didn't realize till after receiving it that it was 66 feet long. This was enough to cover a 10x10 canopy all around plus extra, and it stayed on for hours. Several people commented on how nice it was.
Spare disposable batteries: Not necessary.
SDR and antenna: didn't get to use it, probably not necessary.
Poncho: Used once, maybe an umbrella would make more sense.
Sweater purchased in Prague: Very useful.
All the extension cords: Yes.
Reusable shopping bag: Definitely useful. Too bad I didn't get to drink all the cider I bought.
Instant Oatmeal, many tea bags, kosher beef jerky, instant potatoes, challah bread: Eh.... The challah bread went stale, the kitchen was too far away for tea, and the rest wasn't really necessary since I hitchhiked to the store on the island and picked up more than enough canned food.
On that note, curried lentil canned soup: Absolutely not a good idea in a camping situation. Contrary to traveling for work when occasionally limited food situations can arise, extra fiber isn't good when 500 other people need to use a limited number of restrooms on a continual basis (especially if a nearby campsite decides to have free bar evenings from 8 PM until "the lights are turned off").
Shabbos goy shirt: Limited value this time.
For next time:
Sunscreen: Although I'd packed it, I was afraid of running out, to no need. It would have been smart to bring maybe an extra tube, as everyone got burned the first day. For me, badly burned on my nose.
Piratebox: bigger capacity, enable upload functionality. I substituted with an AC750 travel router or portable external drive instead.
Car: Driving to camp will make life much easier, plus I can clean up if needed.
Here's a quick brain dump mostly for me on what was useful to pack and what was not. Once again, there was a cold night (Saturday) when the temperature dropped to 48 degrees F, and I wasn't quite ready for that.
Scarf: Made life much more bearable. Probably the single one thing that really made everything much better. I wore it all the time except sleep and about 11 to 4 PM.
REI shirts from my Europe and Italy trips: Great as before, no sweating.
All my Raspberry Pi Projects: Didn't even touch them. There's just too much to do and see at Toorcamp.
A gaggle of cables and 10/100 5-port switch: Unnecessary.
Rope: No trees, not useful for keeping animals away.
Scent-proof Ziploc bags: Much more useful, no animal issues (unlike the tent next door, used to store food, which was torn apart at odd hours of the night by a large racoon).
LUCI lights: Lux variety much better than the clear ones. Fantastic for ambient lighting on a table with a group of people, which was my situation.
Solar-powered LED lights: Wonderful. I didn't realize till after receiving it that it was 66 feet long. This was enough to cover a 10x10 canopy all around plus extra, and it stayed on for hours. Several people commented on how nice it was.
Spare disposable batteries: Not necessary.
SDR and antenna: didn't get to use it, probably not necessary.
Poncho: Used once, maybe an umbrella would make more sense.
Sweater purchased in Prague: Very useful.
All the extension cords: Yes.
Reusable shopping bag: Definitely useful. Too bad I didn't get to drink all the cider I bought.
Instant Oatmeal, many tea bags, kosher beef jerky, instant potatoes, challah bread: Eh.... The challah bread went stale, the kitchen was too far away for tea, and the rest wasn't really necessary since I hitchhiked to the store on the island and picked up more than enough canned food.
On that note, curried lentil canned soup: Absolutely not a good idea in a camping situation. Contrary to traveling for work when occasionally limited food situations can arise, extra fiber isn't good when 500 other people need to use a limited number of restrooms on a continual basis (especially if a nearby campsite decides to have free bar evenings from 8 PM until "the lights are turned off").
Shabbos goy shirt: Limited value this time.
For next time:
Sunscreen: Although I'd packed it, I was afraid of running out, to no need. It would have been smart to bring maybe an extra tube, as everyone got burned the first day. For me, badly burned on my nose.
Piratebox: bigger capacity, enable upload functionality. I substituted with an AC750 travel router or portable external drive instead.
Car: Driving to camp will make life much easier, plus I can clean up if needed.
