iPhone camping supplies

June 19, 2007 9:24 AM

I'm planning a campout for the iPhone. What supplies should I get?

I'm organizing a campout for the iPhone. I'd like to make it as comfortable as possible for the people doing the camping; what would any veterans of star wars/PS3/Wii campouts recommend that I get for the people doing the camping in terms of chairs/tents/etc?

posted by baggers to shopping (9 comments total)

If you're going to do it at an AT&T Wireless store, call ahead to make sure they'll actually be getting some.
posted by kimota at 9:47 AM on June 19, 2007

Ah, apparently if it's an official AT&T Wireless store, you should be good; this is what I was recalling. Although a call ahead to find out how many an individual store is getting might not be such a bad idea. See here and here. Happy hunting!
posted by kimota at 9:59 AM on June 19, 2007

Lawnchair would probably be a definite, as would a supply of drinks (water, probably) and snacks.

A camera would be cool, in case anything of interest happens.

I've never personally done such a campout, but I would think that having a friend there with you would make the experience a lot better--you could hold each other's places in line if necessary, and it'd probably be good for you to have someone to talk to. You could even bring games to play, or something.

As for finding such a friend? I can't see that it would be terribly hard...I know that if someone called me and wanted me to go camp out in front of a store with them for a night, I'd jump at the chance.
posted by DMan at 10:27 AM on June 19, 2007

Bring water to wash with. Sleeping near a busy street will cover you in a fine sheen of grease very quickly.
posted by destro at 10:45 AM on June 19, 2007

From camping out for the Wii

-Water/Food Lines for the Wii started as early as 8 the previous day, so it will be a long night
-Blankets: Even in the middle of summer, it will be cold at 3 in the morning.
-Camera: for mementos
-Entertainment: Laptop/Nintendo DS
-Chair

Buddy system is key. The best scenario we had was having several people in line for the phone, and some others just for camaraderie. The ability for people to make food runs, and other supply grabs is key. Even if you don't want to sleep, the ability to have someone to talk to will help you keep awake. It will also keep people from stealing everything you brought.
posted by zabuni at 11:08 AM on June 19, 2007

[STOP with the HURF DURF IPHONEZ remarks. you are not the first person to think that "blackberry" is a funny answer. please take excessive non-answering jokesterism to metatalk or email]
posted by jessamyn at 11:12 AM on June 19, 2007

zabuni's list is all you really need. Sleeping bag/pillow. Chair. The ground will be cold hard and dirty and you'll want to catch some Z's when the adrenaline wears thin. And yes, it will get cold at night, so be prepared. Bring snacks and a buddy for coffee/bathroom runs. You'll befriend your neighbors fast if you don't have a buddy. Playing cards will help pass some time. If you want to stay alert and excited, Sparks does wonders.

Be prepared for the line to move slowly -if at all- after the doors "open" (especially with everyone signing a 2-year contract). It took 4 hours *after* the doors opened at the Nintendo World Store to finally get my wii (I was about 100 ppl back) and they were the most agonizing of all.
posted by yeti at 11:24 AM on June 19, 2007

[MetaTalk is spelled M - E - T - A - T - A - L - K - go there to be snarky pains in the ass, seriously.]
posted by jessamyn at 3:12 PM on June 19, 2007

bring an aero bed (or similar item) you'll feel stupid at first, but that feeling will go away pretty quickly when you realize how much more comfortable you are. you'll get odd looks that turn to envy as the night wears on.

seriously, camping out for the wii, this was the best decision we made. chairs are for suckers.

when your team gets up in the morning, just have someone take it back to the car.

as noted above, make sure to bring stuff to stay warm with, it gets cold at night even in the summer and your body temp drops when you are sleeping.

make sure you keep your other stuff very close to your head and if possible try to position your group in a "defensive" sort of set up to maximize your alertness (you'll be sleeping so well on the aero bed you need to be extra careful hehe).

make nice with all your neighbors, if anything goes down you all want to have as many people behind you as possible to fend off possible thieves or line jumpers.


the biggest thing to remember is that you will be very close to a car and a car holds a ton of helpful stuff and can get you to more useful stuff easily, its a lot different than "camping". bring snacks, but just send someone to pick up real food.

have fun, it will make having the iphone a lot more exciting and make a great story.
posted by teishu at 6:53 PM on June 19, 2007