Bringing a camp for 2 by Burner Express

[TheJoker]

Hey folks,

I'm a french burner coming with a friend for my second burn this summer. We went solo last year and rented an SUV to bring all our stuff, and it was fairly easy to organize. This year we're adding one layer of complexity : as we're a bit short on money and the car rent is a pretty big expense, we were considering the option of the Burner Express. Our camp would be very simple : 2 tents, a kind of shade structure, and a small ice chest.

Apparently we can carry "2 large items" each, so that would be the equivalent of 4 big suitcases... We also have to bring our food and water obviously, so I'm a bit concerned it's gonna be somehow not so easy to make it work.

What are your thoughts ? Feasible or plain irrealistic ?
Thanks, and see you soon on the playa !

Joker

[theCryptofishist]

Have you used the search function in the upper right of the webpage to search on Burner Express? There's some chaff you'd have to sort through, but it would give you access to the combined wisdom of the board over the last year. I'm thinking that you'd be okay, but I didn't use it, nor, to my knowledge, did anyone talked to last year. I wouldn't take my word for it, however.

[Popeye]

You should be ok, I used the bus last year, went by myself and had no problems. I think a two person camp is about right for bus camping. Being able to share shade and possibly a tent cuts down on the amount of stuff you have to bring. Use bags that can be carried like a pack or have wheels. Last year I got lucky and scored a travel pack for golf clubs- must have weighed 120 pounds when I finished stuffing it I assume you flying in, you will pack for weight on the plane and repack for number of bags in Reno. Buying food, propane, rebar in Reno gives you an excuse to arrive a day or two early and start to acclimate to the heat. Hotels are cheap, search on her for "Sands hotel dedals" or "eplaya hotel deals".

[TheJoker]

Thanks for the answers !

Yep Crypto, I did a fair amount of research on ePlaya before asking... I mainly found information about 2014 tickets and SF vs Reno topics. BUT I did not search via Google, which is apparently a better way to look for info on ePlaya, as I countlessly read last night . I'll look again, especially targetting last year's forums. That being said, I confess I did not look so much for last year's info : as it is only the second year of BE, I figured it could be differently organized this year, and anyway it's nice to have feedback about what worked and what didn't

Okay Ulisse, it's reassuring ! I was afraid the Burner Express was mainly used by people who join camps, or share tents with people coming by car, or have another way to get some stuff in. It's good to know that it's possible to have everything hauled in via BE (if you're reasonnable with the amount of gear you bring in).

I guess I can bring a lot less water than last year : we brought 12 gal each, and it was waaaay too much. I guess we can cut it down to 6 gal each for teh whole week and rely on the melted ice as a complement. We didn't really know what to do whit all that ice-cold water (we had no shower), and we didn't want to spill it on the playa, so we brought back maybe 10 gal of melted ice with us Not the best plan ever. I guess if you pack it into ziploc bags, you can drink it !

[Christian The Jew]

At this point I have no idea how I'm getting there. Probably flying if my other plans fall through. The Burner Express seems really accommodating, but one thing I haven't seen anything about was stopping for water. I would be bring my own 7 gallon containers, and am worried where the bus would stop to allow for fill ups. I know they stop for food in Reno, but they didn't mention anywhere for water.

[trilobyte]

If you're coming through San Francisco, there is no shopping stop and you would need to fill your containers before showing up. If you're coming through Reno, you can either fill 'em in advance and do the no shopping option, or you can upgrade to the shopping stop option and get water at the shopping stop (I doubt there's free fillup service at the store for your own containers).

[Popeye]

If you're flying into Reno and getting on the bus right away I doubt you will be able to fill a water jug at the airport. If spending the night fill them in the bathtub. My choice is to take a bus that stops at SavMart and buy suitcases/bottles of water. This would give you a chance to pick up the stuff you have forgotton and can't live without. SavMart has pretty much everything and is very burner friendly.