12:13 here checking in, I just got a $390 ticket out of STEP today! Pretty awesome actually, as it's my birthday! I got up and thought "gee it would be the best birthday present ever if STEP came through today" and there it was! Also, it's worth noting that I had two emails: a 12:13 and a 12:17, and...

Im from the humid swamps of south Louisiana. Im used to a kind of heat that can kill you. What can I expect in terms of adapting to the desert heat? LOL! Bring a sweater. (Seriously, bring a coat for after dark.) Yeah, this is truth, not a joke! I have friends for New Orleans who go, and complain a...

MIGHT be dusty? Bahahahahahahahahahahahah! Seriously though, prepare for the worst, always.[/i]

In 1974 I was hiking up a lonely California canyon road, intending to camp in the mountains for some time. I was carrying a hastily prepared backpack. After a few miles I stumbled on an unexpected monastery. One of the resident monks greeted me and we talked for a while. As I was leaving, I hoisted...

It's like that sign at the buffet: take all you want, but use all you take.

Abondon any project you haven't started yet, right now. Also abandon any project that has more than an evening's worth of work left. Of any remaining projects, pick two and abandon the rest. You barely have enough time let to pack at this point. These things are not that important, and likely won't ...

I have the exact same problem where I get overwhelmed with too many ideas. I generally make a list of every project I can realistically accomplish before the burn, then cross off half of them, and that's what I'll work on. I then organize them by priority (ie, how sad I'll be if I don't get it done,...

Proximity is key. I have a mobile bar with only a 15W sound system. If I were trying to play music for a dance floor or something, this would obviously be useless. But to anyone standing directly in front of the bar, this will be fine as long as I'm not next to a rave camp or loud art car. It should...

My evaporation plans for 1-4 people are usually the following: * Water jug with the top cut off for gross stuff. This is usually toothpaste spit or small amounts of water from dishwashing. If you leave it in the sun, it will mostly evaporate. If not, it's probably such a small amount that you can du...

That probably won't be sufficient on its own. I hate glow sticks as well, both for environmental reasons and the ever important not looking like a raver. My main light source this year is a water bottle with an embedded solar panel and LED that will run 8 hours with a full day's charge. I'll be hang...

Our pieces of camo netting are large enough to double up, presto, nice thick shade. Yeah, but you gotta watch out for that. If you've got 60% shade and double it, you end up with 120% shade, and you get ice on the inside of the netting. Whatever you do though, don't start cutting it in half to avoi...

I have to rent a car every year, and I've tried everything from taping plastic down on the entire interior, to having it professionally cleaned, to washing and vacuuming it myself at a DIY brushless coin-op machine. I've never had a cleaning fine from any of them, and the DIY coin-op machine was the...

Yeah, I've offered up rides with the ride share in the past, but I'd be very hesitant to commit myself to camping with somebody I don't know. I let somebody stay in my Reno hotel room last time, and almost missed my plane because they had their stuff strewn about when it was time to go, and the room...

You can also get goggles that have interchangeable lenses so you don't have to carry around 2 pair. I'm also seconding the air vents. The biggest problem with dust is not just it getting in your goggles. I got caught in a dust storm once with no eye protection and a dust particle hit my eye at high ...

While hydration packs are about the most useful thing out there, I personally can't stand the look of them. They never work with my outfits, are usually covered in logos, and they make just about everyone look the same from behind out there. I always just buy the replacement bladders and put them in...

Those are probably fine, I know somebody who brings something that looks like the Crate setup to spin jams and it's pretty good. The only problem is that it's an enclosed system so there's no flexibility. For around the same price, you can get a portable amp, speakers and battery and build your own....

I do a wide mohawk that can be trimmed back down and still be vaguely professional when I get back home. When I had long hair, I used to do the braided extensions. I would have a couple friends put them in; takes about 4+ hours so they'd better be good friends. Failing that, if you go to a hair salo...

Ah! So you've got the T-Amp as well, then? I absolutely love that little guy; what sort of speakers are you using?

Yes, that battery will work fine. Sealed Lead Acid or Gel Cell is the type of battery you want. These are usually used in from scooters, golf carts, and UPSs. That's a pretty small battery though. I'm actually using 4 similar batteries linked in 2 sets of series for a mobile sound system of my own (...

Don't prepare too much, though. Last year I bought a few awesome fashionable coats in preparation for the cold nights that I always seem to be underdressed for, and didn't end up being able to wear them because it was so hot at night. I need to put a big sign on the inside of my suitcases this year,...

Hello, fre! I just wanted to say hello to a fellow Baltimore burner. I don't know if you know me personally, but I'm ben from PDF. I'm flying out first thing Sunday morning on Southwest and renting a minivan in town (with 2 or 3 other friends). I'm not sure if we'd have room for you in the van, thou...

I'm going to have a non-knobby tired bike meeting me out there. I don't have the time or resources to arrange to have the tires changed, so I'll just have to make do. I know I can let a bit of air out of the tires to give them more traction, but are there any other tricks I can try? Maybe wrapping a...

dapete wrote:Your best bet is to leave your expections in Reno.

I've actually taken to checking around the parking lots of Trader Joe's and Walmart to collect the thousands of discarded expectations. One of these years I'll use them all in a mind-blowing art installation.

JezebelinHell wrote:... There's no problem so big that it can't be countered by consuming ridiculous quantities of psychoactive drugs.

Including, ironically enough, overdosing on ridiculous quantities of psychoactive drugs ;)

It ain't sand, it ain't sand, it ain't sand. Imagine a giant CoverGirl compact of face powder, packed nice and hard when you purchase it, but a few swipes of the powderpuff, and voila, poofy dust. Okay, so I'm not good at analogy. If there's a massive epidemic of fashion conscious newbies with "pla...

There is no vending on the playa!

Oh, except ice.

And coffee.

I think I saw a pepsi machine, too.

I believe you're thinking of Woonami. Their theme camp listing has a contact email:
2004 Theme Camps, W

Personall, I like to completely purge myself beforehand, so I'm going in with a clean and empty system. It generally makes things smoother, and if you have a problem, there's plenty of, er, storage space to avoid a painful backup. Trader Joe's sells a psyllium based pill which I can't recall the nam...

Yeah, people take the gifting concept too literally, and often think of it with a bit too much of a barter approach. What I really hate is when I make somebody a drink or something, and they feel compelled to dig through their bags for a gift to offer in return. If you weren't going to give it to me...

Does anybody know where I can get vegan and/or certified organic rebar? Also, has anybody tried veggebar? I hear it holds up better in the heat, but will crumble a bit as you hammer it.