What worked? What didn't?

[klondike_bar]

worked:

being part of a camp (lamplighters)
volunteering at artica (got free ice / cool place to spend a few hrs selling to overheated burners)
disposable cutlery/dishes
those compressed towels that you soak in a bit of water and they urn face cloth - sized
massive rubbermaid tubs that are well-labelled and dustproof
not really caring what people think, or where the dust gets* (see next point)
*keeping crotch and joints dust and glitter-free. dust in these places WILL chafe hardcore. glitter will chafe and scratch you. everywhere else is fine

what didnt:

taking drugs to have fun one night, while forgetting that it means ill be asleep rather then at the even better thing the next night
not properly covering mesh vents on tent - very quickly had everything dust-covered
whiskey + beer. this is never a good combo for me.

[LittleJack]

What worked:

• Reading EVERYTHING I could get my hands on for my first burn. Survival guide, ePlaya, interviewing burner friends, Civilized Explorer (thanks Phil!), AEZ, etc.
• Having a monkey hut with my tent inside at one end.
• Being in Hushville - was great to party loud and then have a quiet retreat to which to return. Also, it was very easy to find after a long walkabout.
• EL-wire. LOTS AND LOTS of EL-Wire!! Especially on my bike, made it easier to find at night.
• Camelbak daybag with essentials - goggles, dust mask, sunscreen, cup, moop bag, lip balm, contact lens re-wetting drops, cliff bars/snacks, etc.
• Human Carcass Wash - LOVE that!
• Plenty of outfits / garb / costumes, from NASA flight suit to little black cocktail dress.
• Having a 2nd headlight and a 2nd pair of sunglasses.
• Camp cot with a thermarest and good sleeping bag. Incredibly comfortable!
• Tent fan with an LED light.
• Volunteering to work the stage at center camp.
• Bringing extra batteries.

What didn't:

• Going solo my first burn - felt quite isolated at times, even in the midst of a crowd.
• Way over-prepared, brought far too much stuff (mostly small camp/toiletry stuff).
• Shaded goggles - should've brought clear ones. If there's a dust storm, by definition it'll be darker than full sun.
• No place to sit and eat. For that matter, only one table, which my camp stove pretty much took up. Need more horizontal space.
• First day I had a really cool canopy with plastic flowers and EL-wire over my bike. It acted like a sail, so removed it after a day.
• Didn't read the WWW enough, and kept finding things that I would have wanted to do had I known about them before.
• I didn't make enough of an effort to meet more people.
• Wish I'd seen more of the art.
• Wish I'd known that DPW wanted leftover food. By the time I'd heard that, it was all pretty inaccessible at the bottom of my car.
• I need a place to hang my clothes, jackets, etc.