[The following is offered by dot net user Kylie, @Kyphi, for your consideration as the Summer Tour begins. She is an east coast gal and UVM alum, who moved out West for both work and play. She enjoys live music, travel, and exceptional food in the presence of good company. You can find her on lot this summer with a Heady Topper in hand. Be advised that the following reflects her views, and not necessarily those of Phish.net, or anyone who has ever volunteered for Phish.net over the course of Phish history. Thank you! -charlie]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: PHISH summer tour. By now, your PTBMs have safely found their way to your mailbox and it’s likely you’ve been rapid-fire chatting logistics with friends for weeks as the days draw closer.

We’re all here eagerly visualizing what’s to come. Full summer tour — dead ahead.

If you’re anything like me, catching a summer show (...shows) is a heavily planned and executed affair. However, last-minute opportunities to catch a summer show sneak up on us every once in a while, and going to a show can turn into a full-blown last-minute adventure.

Regardless of how much time we put towards planning for these magical moments of music, sometimes when packing we manage to forget that one thing, or we wished we had looked up that one piece of information before arriving on lot, or we realized we forgot about that brilliant tip a fellow phan had given us last year. (My brain is not a perfect vessel of memory, although I try my damned hardest to convince myself otherwise.)

Don’t let your summer experience (ph)all short this year. After surveying a multitude of seasoned Phish fans, this summer tour survival guide was generated, in order to aid in your planning, prepping, packing, and partying.

After reading this comprehensive list, you’ll be able to put your best foot forward before you hop in the car, step on a plane, or hell, even hitchhike your way to your next concert destination.

Before you go: the survival shopping list. It can be tedious to shop for the extraneous, but it’s ultimately the difference between comfort and barely scraping by. Here are some items you should think twice about leaving behind:

• Ibuprofen

• Baby wipes (generic and facial)

• Styrofoam coolers

• Imodium

• Small sewing kit

• Duct tape

• Eyeglass repair kit

• Garbage bags

• Chapstick

• Bug spray

• Wine key

• Blister bandaids

• Smartphone battery

Things to consider before leaving:

• Tickets, tickets, tickets. It sounds stupid, but it’s a true rite of passage as a live music-goer to leave your tickets at home at least once. It’s not great, but packing those concert tickets feels so painfully obvious that it becomes the easiest aspect to overlook.

• Read up on the venues! As in, figure out just how crappy those lawn seats at SPAC are before driving 15 hours to realize how you feel (note: this is direct sentiment from a disillusioned fan).

• Look up the local weather before packing! For outdoor venues, additional layers (pants and a hoodie) and a poncho (you can get plastic ones at the dollar store) are essentials.

• When packing, remember: extra socks and underwear never hurt anyone.

• Travel itinerary. have all your information in one place. flights, hotels, campgrounds, rental cars, traffic routes, etc.

• If you’re stepping up your game with an RV, congratulations! You’ve really made it up the hierarchical ladder of summer concert experiences. Make sure that puppy is decked out with everything you want and need (i.e. a solid satellite dish, a cell signal booster, portable solar panels, portable fans, even custom enclosed fire pits for camping…).

Game time? Things to consider once you’re in:

• Water is your very best friend. While we often feel invincible, we most certainly are not. Foregoing hydration is the short track to disaster.

• For outdoor venues: wear big hats and plenty of sunscreen!

• Always store your keys in the same place, whether it’s the same pocket in your jeans, backpack, etc. That way, you’ll never lose them.

• Carry a headlamp on you after dark. They’re super handy and damn-near necessary for navigating the porta-potties without any casualties.

• Party for the long game: don’t forget that alcohol can be incredibly tough to recover from. For those three night runs, don’t go all-in on the first night.

And some additional fun facts from fans:

• Two footlong Subway sandwiches is enough to feed you for a whole weekend. (Who knew.)

• Putting layers of duct tape on your Nalgene can help you save space and be ready for action. Additional hack: one phan reported it's possible to duct tape things to your leg. I'll leave that open for interpretation...

With all that in mind, it’s likely there are still great tips missing from this list. So, fellow fans, please, please, please continue passing along the good advice, make the best of any situation, always look out for friends and other concert goers (simple kindness goes a long way), and most importantly, ENJOY! -Kylie

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