Getting a shipping container to Playa

[davidpnut]

Hey everyone! My camp (the Avant Yard) is looking at moving our year round equipment near BRC from a 10' by 30' storage unit into a camp owned shipping container. It'll save us having to unpack a storage unit in Fernley and then pack our truck, and will save us the same amount of time post-burn, which gives us more time to build art, and a more beautiful camp. I've found places that can sell us a 40' container, and a place to store it year round in Reno, but I'm having trouble finding trucking companies that will deliver our Shipping container to the playa, and take it away after the burn. If anyone has advice on companies that have worked well for them in the past, I'd be super appreciative of the input.

Pardo Bear

[gaminwench]

You'll need to contract with a BMOrg approved Outside Services Vendor.

[SnowBlind]

There is a container service run by the borg. That's what most people use. The containers are stored on the Ranch, I believe. You can't access them outside of BM though. I'm not sure what the exact status of the program is. There may be a waiting list.

If you go with someone else, then as Gaminwench said, they need to be an org approved vendor.

[trilobyte]

What gaminwench said, sort of.

Yes, Burning Man does operate a container storage program (using 20' boxes), you can find out more information about that here. I don't know that I'd say it's what most people use, as the program is both expensive and limited in scope. You basically buy the container outright, and then are paying an annual fee for transportation and off-season storage. Like SnowBlind said, you do not have access to it off the playa, so basically when you actually get on board that program you have an empty container sitting at your camp's location on the playa in the first year. There is also a waiting list, usually a year or more.

Getting back to what gaminwench said, you can either get in touch with a company who has already applied for and been approved for the outside services program, or you will need to have the company you're looking to work with get in touch with the outside services program about participating. More informations about arranging deliveries can be found here.

If the container is through BRC Storage or a provider that's approved through the OSS program, it's pretty simple. If not, then in order for a driver to make a delivery the camp must have already been placed and someone from the camp needs to be there to meet them at the delivery site (there have been problems with rogue drivers leaving containers in the wrong location in the past), or the driver may need to wait at the gates until the first camp members arrive.

From my own experience (my camp has a container in the BRC storage program), I can say that if your camp has matured or stabilized enough that you have a container-load that doesn't change a whole lot from year to year that you don't need to get access to outside the event, Burning Man's program is awesome. In my camp's questionnaire I provide the details on my camp's container number, and also show where on my camp map that I want it placed. They can do parallel with the street or at either a 45 or 90 degree angle and I can specify what side has the doors, I tell them how many feet from the front and side of the camp parcel and they put it there, plus or minus a couple inches.

[Captain Goddammit]

You might want to check with the shipping provider before you buy a 40-foot container and make sure they can drop and retrieve one that big.

[trilobyte]

That's a really good point. Almost all the containers that I've seen on the playa are of the 20' variety, and I don't think that's a coincidence. While a single 40 foot box might be cheaper to purchase, it might cost a whole lot more to transport than getting 2 20 footers there and back again.

[torrey.smith]

Before you go for a forty, I advise you to consider two twenties.

[davidpnut]

OP Here

Awesome! Thanks for the help everyone. I read the info, and now I guess I'm looking to see if anyone knows where there might be a list of Outside Service Providers who do transit for the Burn year after year, so I can contact them about the cost of container delivery, and see whether their trucks can only do 20' containers, or whether a 40' is an option. As great as the BMORG option for 20' containers sounds, that program isn't open right now, and it's on a waitlist as it is.

[trilobyte]

There is no standing list. Each year, would-be providers would need to apply for and obtain the necessary OSS paperwork (as well as get a BLM SRP). Read the page I linked in my earlier post, and get in touch with the outside services folks with any further questions you might have. Good luck!

[silad]

OP, one company I have used in the past that worked well is Event Productions out of Oakland/Alameda. They provided delivery for Temple crew the last couple of years as well as some smaller camps. They needed to move yards right after the 2015 event so the business was temporarily on hold and I am still awaiting hear back from them about 2016. After dealing with rental trucks for years then switching to shipping containers, I can say you definitely have the right idea, it's much better! Good luck!!!