Bay Area LadyGeek coming in for a landing at First Burn!

[euphoria101]

I'm so excited to be gearing up for my first burn this 2017 year! I've gathered a group (five of us all together) and we're pooling resources to pull this thing off this year. We've got materials for hexayurt building (6" tape!!), buckets for swamp cooling, batteries for LED lighting (light yo'self!), bikes for furring, and old clothes for outfit-making, but we don't yet have tickets!!! Luckily the OMG sale is on the horizon, so we look forward to getting tickets for my small group for this year's event. Hopefully that executes no sweat, otherwise we're gonna have a really stellar 2018 burn!

Anyway, I've read the survival guide and poured over the forums and figured it was time I introduce myself!

As our tinycamp leader, I've got some peripheral questions - most of them minor, such as: "How do you guys avoid sunburn?", "Is there such a thing as volunteering too much?", and "How necessary is it to have a communal shade area in our tiny camp?" but mostly I'm stoked we finally got our act and courage together to take a wag at pulling it off this year. I know there's no way to be 100% prepared (what is art, and how do I make it??), but mostly we don't want to depend on the good will of others for survival. Luckily the survival guide and forum sifting have done a good job giving us outlines for our prep so far.

Also several of us are technically inclined - carpenters & electrically knowledgeable, etc, so we're willing to lend a hand if anyone needs some help building. Not sure how to coordinate that though!!

Thanks!!

[AntiM]

Welcome aboard!

If you need to ask for tickets, please look over the guidelines, then post in Tickets Wanted. No more than two tickets per person per request, please. Look at the Scalpers and Scammers post in Ticket Discussion also.

viewtopic.php?f=512&t=80269

I avoid sunburn with a lot of sunblock, find something you like early and practice putting it on now. I wear a lot of long, flowy clothing, and a big ass shade hat. Remember, if you wear sandals, the tops of your feet can burn.

Think of communal shade in your camp as your front porch, where you can sit and watch the world go by when taking a break, or invite the world to have a cold one with you. Hexayurts are not welcoming that way.

[euphoria101]

Welcome aboard!

If you need to ask for tickets, please look over the guidelines, then post in Tickets Wanted. No more than two tickets per person per request, please. Look at the Scalpers and Scammers post in Ticket Discussion also.

viewtopic.php?f=512&t=80269

Would you say that tickets/vehicle passes through the OMG sale are hard to come by? No one in my group has bought a ticket before, which I think makes all of us (individually) able to buy one. I was going to try my luck there first, but if that's a bad idea for other reasons it'd be good to start soliciting now!

I avoid sunburn with a lot of sunblock, find something you like early and practice putting it on now. I wear a lot of long, flowy clothing, and a big ass shade hat. Remember, if you wear sandals, the tops of your feet can burn.

Oh good, this was pretty close to my plan. I have a big ass shade hat & australian-grade sunscreen, and I'm not afraid to use it! Also I have some funky umbrellas that seem like good portable shade candidates (unless a sandstorm comes along).

Think of communal shade in your camp as your front porch, where you can sit and watch the world go by when taking a break, or invite the world to have a cold one with you. Hexayurts are not welcoming that way.

Great thinking here! I hadn't thought of it as a front porch, that's a great example of the function communal shade fills. I was playing with the idea of a monkeyhut - small profile when collapsed, and open on both ends. Add one thrift store rug find and you have one well-defined community space!

Thanks for all the advice! I'm starting to think of Burning Man as a Maker's Paradise, and I only wish I had more time to prepare.

[AntiM]

The OMG is very, very limited. Start making inquiries and contacts as much as possible. Even the Main Sale is a crapshoot these days. Not too early to start looking for 2018 if this year falls through. But hey, a hexayurt at a national park may be interesting...

[euphoria101]

The OMG is very, very limited. Start making inquiries and contacts as much as possible. Even the Main Sale is a crapshoot these days. Not too early to start looking for 2018 if this year falls through. But hey, a hexayurt at a national park may be interesting...

Yes, yes, yes, this is what I need to know! Luckily there are several camps/groups based not too far from my area, so I'm doing my best to meet people and find out what's available. I'm also volunteering, and totally willing to volunteer more of my time if anyone knows of camps/groups that need people and have tickets. I saw last year that over 20% of people attending bought their tickets from friends/through their social networks, so this is all reason not to be too pessimistic. Between networking, STEP, and OMG, I'm hopin' it'll all work out fine.

[HotDogTax]

I know it doesn't be answer your question, but I must insist that you bring HotDogs. It becomes necessary, in our mortal forms, to call upon the aide of deity during any great undertaking. For this we may all find comfort and unity in the fluffy folds and sleek meaty smoothness of a hotdog.

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to ePlaya!

[Savannah]

I know it doesn't be answer your question, but I must insist that you bring HotDogs. It becomes necessary, in our mortal forms, to call upon the aide of deity during any great undertaking. For this we may all find comfort and unity in the fluffy folds and sleek meaty smoothness of a hotdog.

As our tinycamp leader, I've got some peripheral questions - most of them minor, such as: "How do you guys avoid sunburn?", "Is there such a thing as volunteering too much?", and "How necessary is it to have a communal shade area in our tiny camp?" but mostly I'm stoked we finally got our act and courage together to take a wag at pulling it off this year. I know there's no way to be 100% prepared (what is art, and how do I make it??), but mostly we don't want to depend on the good will of others for survival. Luckily the survival guide and forum sifting have done a good job giving us outlines for our prep so far.

Also several of us are technically inclined - carpenters & electrically knowledgeable, etc, so we're willing to lend a hand if anyone needs some help building. Not sure how to coordinate that though!!

Thanks!!

I avoid sunburn/too much tanning by spraying the part in my hair with spray sunscreen, wearing a ton of suncreen in general, and bringing a lot of pashminas/wide scarves. They're great for covering the shoulders and chest from the sun, and help keep some of the dust out of one's hair (for a while, anyway).

Is there a such thing as too much volunteerism? Yes. Be careful your first year. Try things like Lamplighters--you can do that on a walk-up basis. Your first time, concentrate on taking care of yourself, leaving no trace, and making sure others in your camp have a serious commitment to taking care of themselves as well. You won't want to babysit anyone all week.

You can have communal shade or everyone can bring their own, but you will all need a little something. A monkey hut is the easiest-- google it. Transporting the poles might be the trickiest part. A cargo van can easily fit them inside diagonally.

Welcome!

[Elliot]

To minimize sunburn... start building a "base tan" now -- no, three months ago. But now will help. Half hour daily, maybe. Anything will help.
And all over, if at all possible, since a narrow strip of burn from wearing an unusual garment that covers differently can hurt every bit as much as a larger burn. You will likely notice a large area beginning to burn, and seek shade then; but utterly fry a small area before you pay attention to it.

Forget spray sunscreen. Let a friend help you apply a good lotion. The most notorious cheap department store actually has a very good sunscreen at a bargain price -- Equate Ultra Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion. (I subscribe to Consumer Reports.)
Oooops... probably violated the Terms Of Service with that one. Do we still have a "Recommended Products" section?

[euphoria101]

Thanks Elliot, Savannah! I have some Australian grade sunscreen that has served me well in the past - but a base tan is not a bad idea at all. I was planning on having a good hat, maybe a cape + sunscreen. I will definitely be looking into some shade structures - but of course at this point getting it all to the playa seems like it might be the hardest (but not impossible) part!

Also, thanks for the warm welcomes all around!!!

[some seeing eye]

For common shade, the monkey hut is a fine, inexpensive tubular half pipe. I reused most of the pipe putting in sprinklers and underground wiring at home. Black Rock Hardware may have something useful as well.
Another common shade structure is the infamous Costco carport. They are useful throughout the year, and they can be set up with the wide side open, a welcoming camp arrangement facing the road in Black Rock City. Some fabric or tapestries inside and they can be anything. They are good in the rare playa rain. They can also be fully closed for a (less) dusty kitchen. They can often be found used and have good resale value.

The event is the most particular instance of glamping. You "need" all this stuff. The trick is to use it more than once a year. It's a perilous path. You will have a closet full of clothes you can't wear for work or at any normal social event. That means every party you have must have a costume theme and you will have many friends inviting you to theirs. You have to spend every Summer weekend at some festival. You will have footwear that can never be redeemed. A collection of dusty tools, a fixie covered in fur and electronic devices that are slowly corroding. Maybe you will be compelled to jet off to some emergency with Burners Without Borders. You will bore all your normal friends with endless burning man talk. And you will think hugging is normal.

[euphoria101]

The event is the most particular instance of glamping. You "need" all this stuff. The trick is to use it more than once a year. It's a perilous path. You will have a closet full of clothes you can't wear for work or at any normal social event. That means every party you have must have a costume theme and you will have many friends inviting you to theirs. You have to spend every Summer weekend at some festival. You will have footwear that can never be redeemed. A collection of dusty tools, a fixie covered in fur and electronic devices that are slowly corroding. Maybe you will be compelled to jet off to some emergency with Burners Without Borders. You will bore all your normal friends with endless burning man talk. And you will think hugging is normal.

Wow, this really spoke to me, thank you! All of this sounds amazing.

I'm usually against the idea of glamping - backpacking is more normally my style, but I suspect it's not conducive to a successful / contributory Burning Man camp. Slowly my old / non-work appropriate clothes are accumulating LEDs and bits of fake fur, and the thought of storing them for a year at a time in my tiny apartment has most definitely occurred to me more than once! And I need lag screws! And Gorilla Tape!! I haven't heard of Burners without Borders, but consider me interested. I'm choosing to think of the prep and experience and whole endeavor as art in the extreme, and a desperately needed outlet for creativity and expression in my world of technical and scientific inquiry (I'm a physicist by trade). I already have a burner friend or two who never shut up about Burning man, so I'm looking forward to bugging the shit out of our non-burner friends. Besides, I like to consider myself a hug-enthusiast .

I am looking forward to meeting you wonderful and strange people in the desert.

[Savannah]

Wow, this really spoke to me, thank you! All of this sounds amazing.

I'm usually against the idea of glamping - backpacking is more normally my style, but I suspect it's not conducive to a successful / contributory Burning Man camp.

The great thing about you being a backpacker and a bit of a minimalist (or so it sounds) is that you will not be thrown off or deeply distressed by the arduousness of the trip.

We are not all glampers, and you don't have to be either. You'll just have a very odd and longer-than-normal packing list.

[euphoria101]

The great thing about you being a backpacker and a bit of a minimalist (or so it sounds) is that you will not be thrown off or deeply distressed by the arduousness of the trip.

We are not all glampers, and you don't have to be either. You'll just have a very odd and longer-than-normal packing list.

Odd and long list is totally right! LEDs? Rebar? Vinegar spray bottles? Never seen those on a list before!

And I, uh, sort of look forward to the playa thoroughly kicking my ass, despite my best-intentioned preparations. Dust storms? Soggy Playa?? Alkaline-playa-dust skin burns??? Bring it. I'm ready for mother nature to humble me with her can of whoopass.

That's totally normal, right??