Burner Express-from Reno or SF?

[blue muppet]

Hello Eplayans. First time poster here. I stumbled across this forum a few weeks ago and it's been tremendously helpful!

I would love some input from people who have taken the Burner Express before. I'm coming from the East Coast and bringing a virgin friend. I'm wondering which city will be more practical for us to fly into as a base camp before taking the shuttle into the burn. Last year (my first time) I went with a caravan of East Coasters who all gathered at a friend's house in Portland-the journey in was absolutely mind-blowingly beautiful. It was my first time in the Cascadia rainforest, and then seeing it abruptly transform into a high desert on the other side of the mountains--holy crap, awesomeness. But, I digress...

So far I'm thinking Reno is more convenient due to proximity to BRC, as well as the shuttle leaving from the airport--making it extremely easy to fly in, get a rental car for 2 days, drive around getting all our last minute crap and then bringing it directly to the shuttle/return the car in one fell swoop. Vs having to lug it all on public transit to get to the shuttle stop in SF. I have a feeling lodging in Reno is cheaper too. Otoh, cheap direct flights to SF are easy to find from any east coast city. And, I know there will be enough stores there to have everything we could need whereas I have this nagging fear that Reno's Home Depot and all the grocery stores will be picked clean of all useful stuff by the time we arrive.

Anyone have any input on this? I asked my boyfriend who is a 4 year veteran and he said SF is the better choice for preparation, but he is a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy so I'm not sure I trust his opinion!

Oh and one last question-are the luggage allowances on the shuttle enough for people to bring their own water? Or does coming in on the shuttle resign you to finding a large camp with communal water? (Yes I know you have to pay to use water in those kind of camps, please don't flame me!)

[theCryptofishist]

Is money an issue? Flights are probably cheaper to San Francisco.
Some of the busses out of Reno have shopping stops on the way in; I'm not sure if any San Francisco runs do.

[some seeing eye]

I have not ridden that bus. I have shopped in Reno.

If you are staying in Reno, inbound or out, you might search ePlaya for the Barbie Death Village Reno hotel deal 2104 from Doc Pyro. There are also hotels and hostels in SF that become international visitor gathering points, but I don't know which ones.

The grocery stores in Reno do not run out of food or water. If you made a list of your specialized shopping, sure Reno (or SF) people could tell you the best spot and probability of shortages if you give a day you expect to shop.

The Burner Express site has all the limit particulars. Other option is to join a camp out of a city you fly into with a spare seat to-from as you did last year.

Enjoy!

[pink]

Reno hotels are much much cheaper than SF, which may offset any extra expense in airfare. When were you planning on getting to Reno? BTW, getting a short term car rental & having two days to shop is great planning. Don't forget a day or two on the exodus end to decompress & clean up!

[trilobyte]

Both cities are great for preparation. Reno has absolutely all the food/water/booze/camping supplies you'd need, so if that's the preparation you're thinking of that would easily be the best choice.

If you're looking to spend significantly more money and work on more elaborate preparation (buying/making playawear, etc), then San Francisco may be something to consider. Things cost a lot more here - starting with accommodations and quickly moving on to food, vehicle rentals, and everything else. But, being San Francisco, there's a big variety of things to do if you're thinking about sightseeing, and there are a number of great places to get fabrics and various burnerrific pieces of playawear and other stuff you may want or need.

Most of my campmates who fly in come through San Francisco, but that's mostly a function of our camp's logistics. My camp is based in SF, and so the bulk of our gear is traveling on a truck loaded here, and campmates manage to juggle the carpooling and supply runs pretty easily, and for international travelers I think SF flights were much easier to sort.

[unjonharley]

Hope you all enjoy Burning Man.. Sleeping on the ground in the dirt, sitting in the dirt. baking in the hot sun all this and more of being trapped like that for a week.. But then again you saved the vehicle count.. Surely no money was saved.. Spending as much as a bike would cost just to ship one.. Or as much as gas and pass to trap yourself on the desert with very little equipment or transportation..
Have a great time..Buy your way into a big theme camp..There are no free lunches at burning man..

[blue muppet]

Thanks everyone for all the advice! It seems like Reno will be the best option for us. (One of these days I will make it to SF though, it sounds really cool) Waiting eagerly for the relevant info to be put up on the Burner Express website...

SSE I did see the Barbie Death Village special, thanks for the heads up though. There are so many great deals and options in Reno, it's hard to pick! I definitely want to stay at the Morris Hotel either before or after the event.