Open camping - planning for 2016

[Ratty]

I saw some big art out there this year. Maybe if you work at the airport and at arctica it's in the middle.

[FreePeacelove]

Hello

Me and my mates are planning to build up a little tent village next time. Something like this picture:


For sure we want to have some more modern and better designed ones for our village because Burningman is a social event and no military event, http://www.r-zs.com/en/ have some of these tent types i searched for. For Example this one:


But just not so big and much lesser tents. Would you like that glowing top of the tents? I would like to see that in the dark desert. What do you think about the idea? My mates and me like that idea, and our costs wouldnt be that much, because we´ll save our money all together for this event. Some of us are also able to build big tents up, so that should be no Problem in the dessert.

Im looking forward to next Burningman

Greetz.

[Savannah]

We've yet to have anything stolen from camp, but we've been lucky. Valuables such as wallets are locked in the vehicle, out of sight, or are with us. Larry and I do stay near camp during the burns unless we're doing conclave, and the rest of the camp is out and about. We don't lock bikes in camp, but they are not on the street, and we're part of a village with many "eyes".

Last year we had bottles of booze appear in camp. Weird.

[maladroit]

It seems like something that many burners could do for one or two nights, when the press of the throng gets to you. I have a small "emergency" tent and sleeping bags in addition to the heavy gear, it would be exceedingly simple to walk out to that area for one night of the week.

[gaminwench]

One year we were placed next to Flight to Mars. Awesome people, ridiculously loud sound system that went all night long.
Several folks in our theme camp set up a satellite bedroom camp with spare camp stuff out in walk-in so we could all get some sleep.
We rotated through as needed.
Worked well.

[Rez]

We just need to find the right geographic location in BRC.

In the past when I was planning the location for the next years camp I referenced the satellite or overhead imagery from previous years, the actual theme camp map(they vary slightly from the published map that you get at gate), the MOOP map(sometimes a nice person overlays the moop map on an overhead view of the city) and used a printed out basic map as scratch paper for notes and logistics planning.

The overhead imagery shows you camping density. Where camping is very dense it is harder to find the exact space you want to have for your camp. I interpret the less dense areas as settled later and easier to get the right spot. Looking at the theme camp maps will show you where the open camping space typically is in the city. It will change from year to year but I think the changes are not substantial enough to create planning hurdles that a nimble and flexible camp can't breeze right past. The moop map shows some neighborhood characteristics by how much moop is left. It is probably wise to take in to consideration the areas that have large swaths of red and yellow and avoid them.

I think if you arrive right at gate open you will easily find a great spot. There are open camping areas mixed in with the theme camp areas in spots and finding one of those areas might help you get closer in so everything is not so far away. Really though every neighborhood has great things going on within mere steps any direction from the front of your camp. Be sure if you are looking in theme camp areas that you do not set up in an area that has blue flags on the street front or running through the block. Blue Flags mean the camping area there is reserved for theme camps or support camps. Talk to your neighbors before setting up to learn what's going on in your immediate area and that you are taking an unoccupied space. A brief conversation with neighbors helps to find out if something you want to avoid is going to be happening right near your camp. Like amplified music at an hour that your camp would find inconvenient.

From 4:00 to 2:00 I would try to avoid camping with radial street frontage on the lower time side of the street so that you don't have to take the full force of the prevailing wind. The same goes for 7:00 to 10:00 but the higher time side of the street.

Radial streets are way busier than the named streets in terms of traffic and noise.

[media]

I'm so happy I came across this post.. Thank you for the info, this is so helpful for first time burners like me that it should almost be a sticky somewhere.

You Rock.

[motskyroonmatick]

I'm so happy I came across this post.. Thank you for the info, this is so helpful for first time burners like me that it should almost be a sticky somewhere.

You Rock.

Thanks!!! Glad I could help!!!

[ollygee85]

Hi me and my partner are planning on arriving at burning man on the first day in a small camper van for 2, will be need to be in a themed camp or is there opening camping for camper vans aswell?

Thanks Olly

[Molotov]

The moop map shows some neighborhood characteristics by how much moop is left. It is probably wise to take in to consideration the areas that have large swaths of red and yellow and avoid them.

I would take the opposite approach. I say camp right in among the worst offenders, keep a clean camp, and gentrify the shit out of the worst areas.


Dilution is the solution to pollution.

[trilobyte]

@ollygee85 - If you look at the BRC map, the walk-in camping area is just that, walk-in camping. For something like a camper van, or camping beside your vehicle, you would go to any open unreserved space on the map (shaded blue is reserved for placed camps, white areas are unreserved).

[silvergirl70]

Last year was my first burn. I joined a very small theme camp and had a very nice mellow time.
We were near 3 oclock, and ?H and there was some open camping near us. Neighbors were all nice.
Fortunately, did not have my schtuff stolen, but it wasn't out for public display on the street. I had a small solar panel and battery, but tied them to the tent with long twist ties. Maybe for the casual sticky fingers not so easy to remove. If someone really wants to steal something, they will.
We had relatively cheap (<$50) bikes and I bought cheap combo bike locks on ebay. I actually left the combination tag on the lock, because I figured I wouldn't remember it. After living in NY and Chicago for so many years, I found that most thefts are opportunistic, and a locked bike is not an easy "grab and go". It took 2 seconds to lock..even to itself so the wheels wouldn't turn. Someone who needs an easy ride will grab just that, not my crappy bike.
Re: valuables. I see the wisdom on burn day, or keeping wallets in a locked space.