Bringing large camps

Post by **Elderberry** » Tue May 03, 2011 8:23 am

gyre wrote: The more ambitious the shower, the less likely it will operate on the playa.

I haven't found this to be true, and we have a pretty elaborate hot water on demand shower setup. (knock-on-wood)

Fufa · Post by **Fufa** » Tue May 03, 2011 10:12 am

Delle: definitely part of the reason I'm hesitant to take on more Canadians we don't know well. Our border crossing rules are strict. We know we'll be torn apart (a dozen 20 somethings in a bus going to burning man is far from typical), and we don't want one person's indiscretion to ruin everyone's trip.

Picking up some rideshares in the states might be a good idea.

Post by **Savannah** » Tue May 03, 2011 10:37 am

Wow, no kidding.

I can see why picking up people after the border crossing would be a much more attractive option.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue May 03, 2011 10:59 am

It helps if you can get everyone together IN PERSON before the burn. I am very allergic to "virtual" camp members who only offer their word between now and appearing on the playa, although I have had success in this regard.
Meetings beforehand help to build a team spirit and ensure that people will show up when they say they'll show up. An audition is as much as test of integrity, then, as talent.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue May 03, 2011 11:17 am

delle wrote: I'd be scared to death to have people I didn't absolutely trust already (not to do something stupid that would affect everyone) in my ride for a border crossing.

Looking for riders, I posted that drugs wouldn't be allowed.
Even if someone did carry something, it gives me something to show intent.
I think I would ask people to sign something agreeing to this, if I were crossing a border.
It's really expensive to get a car back from the border guard.

It is always the car owner that ends up paying in these cases.

Token · Post by **Token** » Tue May 03, 2011 2:27 pm

Fufa wrote:Delle: definitely part of the reason I'm hesitant to take on more Canadians we don't know well. Our border crossing rules are strict. We know we'll be torn apart (a dozen 20 somethings in a bus going to burning man is far from typical), and we don't want one person's indiscretion to ruin everyone's trip.

Picking up some rideshares in the states might be a good idea.

First, you are going to Reno, NV for the Rib Cookoff at the Nugget.

Second, how the hell are you worried about all this stuff at twenty-something? Common, admit it; your both fourth-something, mid life crisis, bought a bus instead of the sports car etc. Way too responsible for 20's.

Check out your regional contact, sniff out some burners in town and see where that goes. There must be more than just bad hockey in that town.

http://regionals.burningman.com/ca_alb_edm.html

Edit: added link.

The CO · Post by **The CO** » Tue May 03, 2011 2:59 pm

I have a rule I follow with regard to travel to the burn.

For each additional person after two(2) riding in a vehicle to BRC, the complexity/difficulty/potential for disaster increases exponentially.

When you have 2 people (and only their stuff preferably) in a vehicle, it is comparatively easy to pack and get moving, either going to or from the event.

When you have 4 people from 1 or 2 camps in one rig, it can lead to many delays in packing and leaving on time.

When you have 8 people from 2 or more camps all riding in one vehicle, packing and getting moving becomes a logistical nightmare with potential to end friendships.

My wife, my daughter & our stuff (plus camp infrastucture) are the only people or things that ride with me. I broke that rule last year for the first time in several years, and regretted it greatly. Trailer was 1000 lbs heavier than ever before.

My advice is to plan for you and your Mr to plan for you guys only. I would also suggest that you start small when planning a theme camp, both in projects & people numbers. It helps you cut down on the "aw crap, So&So isn't coming, so we have no kitchen/shower/trebuchet/art car/shade structure" factor.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue May 03, 2011 3:04 pm

No trebuchet?

Aw fuck!

Elorrum · Post by **Elorrum** » Tue May 03, 2011 4:34 pm

I would suggest starting small when planning a trebuchet.

Fufa · Post by **Fufa** » Tue May 03, 2011 6:54 pm

Token wrote:Common, admit it; your both fourth-something, mid life crisis, bought a bus instead of the sports car etc. Way too responsible for 20's.

I just turned 21 on saturday, no joke!

delle · Post by **delle** » Wed May 04, 2011 2:32 am

Happy Birthday!!!!

Dr. Pyro · Post by **Dr. Pyro** » Wed May 04, 2011 8:35 am

So Fufa, with the exchange rate being what it is, turning 21 in Canada is like turning 27 in the USA?

Post by **AntiM** » Wed May 04, 2011 10:04 am

The CO wrote:I have a rule I follow with regard to travel to the burn.

For each additional person after two(2) riding in a vehicle to BRC, the complexity/difficulty/potential for disaster increases exponentially.

When you have 2 people (and only their stuff preferably) in a vehicle, it is comparatively easy to pack and get moving, either going to or from the event.

When you have 4 people from 1 or 2 camps in one rig, it can lead to many delays in packing and leaving on time.

When you have 8 people from 2 or more camps all riding in one vehicle, packing and getting moving becomes a logistical nightmare with potential to end friendships.

...

Add any number of non-regulars and gear: someone who wants to ride with the fun and sexy group, but wants us to haul his camp and bike out for him, asks at the last minute, then gets huffy when we decline. Same person asked us to haul his gear back another year when his ride out was ticketed for running overloaded. (This is how I know the police use portable DOT scales in NV). We said yes and regretted it, because his estimation of "a few things" was much larger than our projected ability to carry more out than we had in. Won't do that for anyone again.

Fufa · Post by **Fufa** » Wed May 04, 2011 12:45 pm

Dr. Pyro wrote:So Fufa, with the exchange rate being what it is, turning 21 in Canada is like turning 27 in the USA?

Perhaps? Protecting the homestead from rabid polar bears and hiking 20 kilometers to school (uphill both ways of course) in white-out blizzards does toughen us Canucks up at an early age. Plus, I think I gain 3 american years with our drinking age being 18. I've already got the urge to bar hop every weekend out of my system!

delle wrote: Happy Birthday!!!!

Thanks delle! I'll be in Vegas soon to celebrate

Freesponge · Post by **Freesponge** » Thu May 05, 2011 3:28 pm

When me and Fufa were planning the trip we decided to do things as cheaply as possible so as to drive costs down for everyone else. Had it been just us we would have just driven in my car and tented(thinking next year thats what its going to be). I managed to snag a converted motorhome that used to be a greyhound, to take everyone and their gear. I figured that we would be saving money on fuel with one big bus as opposed to 4 or more separate vehicles. The bus can get 10mpg fully loaded so it will fair better than 4 or more overloaded cars.

So far I have picked up 2 people to camp with us and another 3 regular burners who are joining a themecamp. Hopefully it goes well. Right now I would only be willing to pickup rideshares stateside as I only have to put up with them for a few hours, not a week.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu May 05, 2011 10:33 pm

You picked up an interstate bus?

Nice choice.
If you get a good one, you can't do better, other than the euro suspension models.

I remember a friend's that had a lift up door to the wine cellar.
Congrats on the bus.

There are groups of people that restore these, by the way.
Fans everywhere.

Freesponge · Post by **Freesponge** » Thu May 05, 2011 11:47 pm

1973 mci mc7. There are some pictures of it in the School Bus 101 thread. I was originally going to buy a diesel school bus and I lucked out big time with my unit.

I might keep it into the next year If I get enough interest early on (paid deposits) and don't get any bites for the selling price. I was planning on listing it high and waiting for the right buyer. Not being in a hurry to sell a unit always helps.

I'm still open to the idea of a larger camp, I will definitely be taking deposits early on, like when tickets go on sale.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri May 06, 2011 12:03 am

You may want to keep it, and not just for burning man.

I can't begin to justify taking my trailer to the burn, but on a longer trip, pretty nice to have.
And a bus is even better.

Any trip where you spend more time staying places than driving can work out well.
And there are places that motels just aren't available too.

Nice bus.

addison4 · Post by **addison4** » Sat May 07, 2011 5:25 am

The important thing is not who isn't coming...

It's who IS coming, and how reliable they are.

You need those core burners who are doers. Even if ALL your campers showed up, it would still be 20% of them that did 80% of the work.

Major Krash · Post by **Major Krash** » Sat May 07, 2011 6:20 am

addison4 wrote:The important thing is not who isn't coming...

It's who IS coming, and how reliable they are.

You need those core burners who are doers. Even if ALL your campers showed up, it would still be 20% of them that did 80% of the work.

+1000

...do not worry about bringing your old friends along, if they are not self-motivated enough to find their own way - they will probably not enjoy themselves and be drama magnets, and you will soon have 50,000 new friends...radical self-reliance cuts both ways!

Focus on cutting back what you can now, find creative financing for the rest...