Camping supplies in SF and/or Reno?? (I'm from UK)

[Beatwrangler]

Hi all - i'm driving myself NUTS trying to get some decent info on this so I thought I'd ask you good people


So here's the deal - i'm flying in from the UK for this year's burn (first time!!!!!! EEEK!!!). I'm also camping rather than RVing (kind of late to the party for motorhomes..plus I like camping). This means I have severe restrictions on what I can bring. My baggage allowance is 23kg (about 50lbs) for checked baggage. I think I can do it on that and bring almost everything I need, including my tent (I'll be using a 2 man lightweight..but strong..tent). I'm also taking the Burner Bus.

I'm flying into SF on the friday (22nd), then flying to Reno on the Saturday. I head to the playa on the monday morning from Reno.

So - given that I have limited time beforehand, I'd like to minimise how much of it i spend running around looking for stuff. I would HUGELY appreciate some local knowledge here; just some tips as to where best to go to get the few items I'll need (listed below)..ideally with the minimum amount of run around. In SF i'm staying at the Mosser on 4th Street/Union Square and in Reno it's the Grand Sierra. I need to collect my bike from Loop cycles in Reno on the Sunday but have no idea where yet.

All I *think* I need to get my hands on last minute will be ...it's a short list but these are crucial!!:

1. Decent tent stakes. I'm going to go for 12"+ galvanised nails or the toughened, military style 12"+ tent stakes. After much reading, rebar doesn't seem the best option for me. Low level (ish) tent and I'll be camping somewhere with shelter for it. Given the flying around...less weight and bulk is preferable. Home depot does what I want...but isn't anywhere near anything else useful in either SF or Reno (or is it????)

2. Camping food - I'm going to take some off the shelf camping meals, by far the lightest and easiest option for me. I assume REI in SF is the best place?

3. Water - either collapsible BPA free water carriers or -pre-filled 5 gallon jugs. If it's the collapsible option then SF or Reno would be fine - I see REI do their own 5 gallon collapsible and another one by Reliance. The reviews of the Reliance are uniformly awful - anyone know if the REI one is ok?

4. Maybe some camping spares...guy cord etc...

If I absolutely need anything else, I'll buy a second bag and bite the bullet on the baggage charge between SFO and Reno - but if possible I'd like to get it all over in one bag (70 litre backpack style travel pack with extra carry on sack) and minimise what I take. I have a lot of techy gear for both hot and cold weather so that's not an issue.

So basically - I need a camping store like REI (which i've found in SF not far from my hotel) and maybe a decent hardware store/military surplus. ....actually that's the bit that's causing me issues!

Any local advice is very welcome )

[theCryptofishist]

Twin Cities Surplus in Reno. I think. (Not a resident, but it's been mentioned often over the eyars.)

[theCryptofishist]

Look they have a website. I wonder if that pay pal thing means you could pay in advance, and pick up when you get there.

[VultureChow]

I fly in from the east coast, so I've learned to do the most with the baggage I take. Heaviest items go in your carry on, lightest in your checked baggage. Wear your coat on; stuff things in the pockets. Most now allow essentially two carry ons. Bag plus purse/laptop bag. Use that. Get creative. Want some paracord for guy lines, wear a few of these:

As for Reno, REI is ridiculously expensive. Good quality, but expensive. Surplus or even walmart would be better. And just get a few 2.5 gallon suitcases of water from Wal-Mart or whatever supermarket is closest.

There's one thing I haven't tried yet that might also help. You might be able to order things from Amazon here in the US and have them shipped to your hotel. I would guess that that might be the easiest/cheapest way to handle the camping food. A few years ago I was sitting in the airport waiting for a flight to Paris when I realized I forgot my laptop charger. Ordered it from Amazon.fr and it was delivered to my hotel the next morning.

[lucky420]

There's a walmart right across the street from the grand sierra...

Fuck I hate Walmart but if you must...



Fuck Walmart

[Popeye]

Hi Beatwrangler
Coming from Alaska I had much the same problems last year and hopefully again this year.
First, what VC said. Pack for weight and expense. I used to be able to put a huge amouint of weight into carry on's but lately I have seen airline limits of 20#. YMMV
Are you on a bus that stops for groceries? If so water in cases, 1 gal and 5 gal suitcases are available. Much easier than carrying water from your hotel to the limo to the airport......
i don't know where to send you for the nails. Your best bet might be to prepay and try Will Call at Lowes or Home Depot. Both have a pretty good selection but can run out pre burn this would ensure availability. Home Depot was amazingly helpful last year.
Misc camping gear, sunblock, etc. etc. is available at Wal Mart as well as Hope Depot and grocery store.
Try Trader Joes for packaged food. Not directed at campers but a lot cheaper than REI.

[Beatwrangler]

Once again this place delivers.....THANK YOU!!

That was all, exactly what I needed. Perfect answers from everyone, you've just made my prep a lot simpler.

Thank you.

[trilobyte]

This is the page to bookmark and use - Burning Man's Guide To Reno. The info's put together by Reno burners as a resource to all of us who travel through their awesome city.

[Beatwrangler]

Thank you Trilobyte, much appreciated

[Elorrum]

Phil and Louise also offer a TON of info in their amazing Civilized Explorer Burning Man pages. You might want something more specific for the haiku of preparing for Burning Man through the restricting ring of air travel. I can spend some time there now catching up on the latest news from last year as well.
http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html

Lemur also did some amazing things with his packing and documenting it.
check out the packing ninjas thread.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=65341

[rmc50]

How are you getting around while in Reno?

If you have a rental car you shouldn't have any trouble hitting up a Home Depot and REI. Both are right off the freeway and not that far south of your hotel. There are also Lowe's hardware stores around.

I would normally suggest hitting up a Walmart, as they have good prices on things like ice chests and basic camping gear, plus the "Super Walmarts" are also a grocery store so you can cover several things in one stop.

But Walmart In Reno is going to be pretty much sold out of a lot of things. I stopped at one on Saturday prior to Burning Man last year and it looked like a picture from some disaster area where the stores have been picked clean!


Big 5 is another sporting goods store where you can buy things like ice chests, folding chairs, lanterns, etc.

Good luck!

Rod

[Beatwrangler]

Cheers rmc50 - I'm considering teh Walmart idea but would prefer to avoid them if possible - and yes....I'd rather not rely on anywhere in Reno being fully stocked for my needs if I can avoid that! Hopefully I'll have pretty much everything I need except my list above (Don't really fancy taking 12" nails/lag bolts on a plane) and teh couple of other things I'd forgotten I need...like a camping stove....oops.

I don't have a rental car for teh time i'm there; to be honest it's probably not worth it as it would be cheaper to do it by taxi and then I don't have to worry about sorting the car out/returning it etc.

But thank you for the heads up about Lowes and Big 5 - it's things like those store names, Twin City surplus etc etc that I really need. Just searching for hardware or camping stores throws up a HUGE list but with little to show how useful they may be.

Thank you all again )

[Jovankat]

There's one thing I haven't tried yet that might also help. You might be able to order things from Amazon here in the US and have them shipped to your hotel.

It doesn't look like there are any in Reno but Amazon have a thing where you can get your purchases delivered to a pick up location. You could do that in San Francisco.

[mournlight]

Beatwranger:
Don't forget those ten pound bags of ice you can buy at Artic melt into about 10 pints of water. If you keep the ice clean (ziplocks) and bring a filter bottle, it doesn't even taste bad. I quit bringing as much water because I kept having too much once I bought ice. Melted ice water is of course also suitalble for a shower.

[Beatwrangler]

Many thanks for the additional info folks..especially the bit about ice water. That could make a huge difference. Could anyone tell me how much it costs? (And what it's supplied in?) Just so i'm prepared.

[FIGJAM]

7 pound bags 3$ each, or 6 for 15$.

[lucky420]

Many thanks for the additional info folks..especially the bit about ice water. That could make a huge difference. Could anyone tell me how much it costs? (And what it's supplied in?) Just so i'm prepared.

You can get ice cubes or blocks of ice. It comes in plastic bags.

[Beatwrangler]

Awesome - thank you!!!

[Thecatman]

The Save Mart (former Albertsons) on Keystone Ave is very burner friendly. Its a grocery store.
Crystal Ice down 4th St from Save Mart is very burner friendly as well.

[Thecatman]

Just to clarify, Save Mart is on Keystone Ave just south of I-80 and Crystal Ice is on 4th St a few blocks west of Keystone.

[Alexztheman]

Hi,

going for the first time I'm taking all tips on camping and really going to follow the rebar-must for camping with tent.
Is Home Depot the place to get rebar for my tent, do they cut it up for you?

[Thecatman]

I know at Lowes rebar can bought precut... 2ft, 3ft etc. It can be bent by one person fairly easily.
It's been a while since I've boughtn some so can' say how much it would cost though.

[Beatwrangler]

Thanks for the heads up on Save Mart Catman....much appreciated.


As for the rebar thing, I'm definitely not doing that. I've read so much about alternatives and how much of a pain rebar is. For me it'll be extra long, tough, tent stakes, hammered flush to the ground.

[kimm420]

If you borrow someone's bike on the playa you could just by ice there.

Shipping stuff ahead is advisable - as for food bring only what you know you will eat. One camp with a couple guys seriously only brought cans of beans and liquor)
Around the playa there are lots of camps giving food away ( fruit, veggies, juice packs) so take advantage of that.

I do recommend bringing a camel back - back pack - to fill with water it was a life saver and getting a good pair of shoes waterproof sand proof heat proof - like what tourists wear.


My camp goes to Reno for supplies/ costco/Home Depot/walmart/ are ALL in the same area walking distance from each other.
Long Rebar works fine but you need a hammer to bend the edges.

[Beatwrangler]

If you borrow someone's bike on the playa you could just by ice there.

Shipping stuff ahead is advisable - as for food bring only what you know you will eat. One camp with a couple guys seriously only brought cans of beans and liquor)
Around the playa there are lots of camps giving food away ( fruit, veggies, juice packs) so take advantage of that.

I do recommend bringing a camel back - back pack - to fill with water it was a life saver and getting a good pair of shoes waterproof sand proof heat proof - like what tourists wear.


My camp goes to Reno for supplies/ costco/Home Depot/walmart/ are ALL in the same area walking distance from each other.
Long Rebar works fine but you need a hammer to bend the edges.

Many thanks for this - the shipping ahead thing could be useful actually, I hadn't considered that. May have to agree it with the Reno hotel in advance but worth a go definitely. You say the Walmart etc in Reno for supplies....if I do that - which one is teh one you're talking about? I'm staying at the Grand Sierra on teh Saturday and Sunday before the burn and I know there's a Walmart right next to it - however there's also two others! Any advice on which is preferable? (If any?)

As for the camel back - yep, already got one of those with 2x 2litre bladders and i'll be picking up a loop bike in Reno before I go so getting Ice will definitely be on the list.

Rebar is definitely out though; it adds significant weight over long steel stakes (and since i'm flying most places that's quite an issue) and when I come home it could be good to bring the camping stuff back, rather than trash it (which is obviously a bad idea) or gifting it (which is a nice idea but given the likely cost I may as well keep hold of it all!) I do not fancy taking rebar on to a plane home!

[theCryptofishist]

All Walmarts in Reno will have ridiculous amounts of burningmanshit.

[AKAFeistyMichelle]

I must chime here regarding Walmart. Each year the shelves at Walmart are more and more empty. I would not recommend banking on stopping at a Walmart for all of your supplies on your way out to the Playa. But if you do, probably do not stop at the Walmart on 2nd/Glendale. It will most likely be stripped. If you need to hit a Walmart there is one right off of 80 after you hit Reno, and another down off 395 on Southwest Virginia. There are also many, many Walmart alternatives in Reno. And I've found that, because the Walmarts become so barren right and during BM, it can actually be less time consuming to search elsewhere.

If you can access a freezer before you head out to the Playa freeze as much as you can: water, juice, grapes--last year, about 3 days before I headed out, I turned my freezer down to low low low, and I put water bottles and cans of Kern's in there. I had solid blocks of iced water and juice for over 8 days, which made my vodka really happy. Just duct tape your cooler shut and do whatever it takes to keep your cooler as cool as possible. Put it under shade. An insulating blanket also helps.

This year I am not using rebar. I'm using lag screws, and this may be well worth reading for you:

viewtopic.php?f=277&t=68556

Every single year I go to Twin Cities right before I head out. It always surprises me how not crowded they are. But definitely call anywhere in Reno if you really need something specific.

Oh! if you are flying into Reno there are greeters who will meet you at the airport, pick you up, and totally set you up before you head out.

[AKAFeistyMichelle]

Cheers rmc50 - I'm considering teh Walmart idea but would prefer to avoid them if possible - and yes....I'd rather not rely on anywhere in Reno being fully stocked for my needs if I can avoid that! Hopefully I'll have pretty much everything I need except my list above (Don't really fancy taking 12" nails/lag bolts on a plane) and teh couple of other things I'd forgotten I need...like a camping stove....oops.

I don't have a rental car for teh time i'm there; to be honest it's probably not worth it as it would be cheaper to do it by taxi and then I don't have to worry about sorting the car out/returning it etc.

But thank you for the heads up about Lowes and Big 5 - it's things like those store names, Twin City surplus etc etc that I really need. Just searching for hardware or camping stores throws up a HUGE list but with little to show how useful they may be.

Thank you all again )

Reno actually spends most of the year getting ready to help burners, so often Reno is much better stocked for a trip to the Playa than other cities. Also, we have a big group of Burners who pick up folks the airport and will take them to where they need to go, make sure they have the supplies they need, etc., Reno is a true Burner town, I whole-heartedly suggest using Reno's Burner resources, because there are a lot. And I always think it's worth the time to call ahead and make sure a store has what you need. Good luck!!

[AKAFeistyMichelle]

Hi all - i'm driving myself NUTS trying to get some decent info on this so I thought I'd ask you good people
Any local advice is very welcome )

There is literally nothing on your list you couldn't find in Reno, and probably easier. REI is literally less than half of a mile from the Reno Airport, and is stocked for BM. And if you order in advance they'll have it for pick up, and then you won't have to take anything on the plane. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Twin Cities are minutes away as well.

Everybody recommends the Save Mart on Keystone. But the Winco right off of 395 and McCarran is way cheaper, has way better produce, and a gigantic selection of food and random shit like paper towels and dish soap. The Keystone Savemart is literally three blocks from my house but I get my groceries at Winco. Crystal Ice is rad, especially if you want dry ice.

You also may want to call up the Morris Burner Hostel that opened this year. Ask them anything, they are very cool.

There is an Indian market in Midtown Reno that has aisles of packed food in foils that is inexpensive and tasty. Way better than the packaged food at Trader Joe's, in my opinion.

There is a dollar store on Plumb and Lakeside, five minutes from the airport. I've yet to see them run out of glowsticks. You can never have enough light--ever!!

The Melting Pot on S. Virginia (across from the Indian market) is a local shop that has anything you need for the playa, from goggles to solar lights to clothing.

And that's my two cents, straight from Reno! ha.

[Beatwrangler]

Hi all - i'm driving myself NUTS trying to get some decent info on this so I thought I'd ask you good people
Any local advice is very welcome )

There is literally nothing on your list you couldn't find in Reno, and probably easier. REI is literally less than half of a mile from the Reno Airport, and is stocked for BM. And if you order in advance they'll have it for pick up, and then you won't have to take anything on the plane. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Twin Cities are minutes away as well.

Everybody recommends the Save Mart on Keystone. But the Winco right off of 395 and McCarran is way cheaper, has way better produce, and a gigantic selection of food and random shit like paper towels and dish soap. The Keystone Savemart is literally three blocks from my house but I get my groceries at Winco. Crystal Ice is rad, especially if you want dry ice.

You also may want to call up the Morris Burner Hostel that opened this year. Ask them anything, they are very cool.

There is an Indian market in Midtown Reno that has aisles of packed food in foils that is inexpensive and tasty. Way better than the packaged food at Trader Joe's, in my opinion.

There is a dollar store on Plumb and Lakeside, five minutes from the airport. I've yet to see them run out of glowsticks. You can never have enough light--ever!!

The Melting Pot on S. Virginia (across from the Indian market) is a local shop that has anything you need for the playa, from goggles to solar lights to clothing.

And that's my two cents, straight from Reno! ha.

Utterly awesome reply - THANK YOU!!!!! I'm now ditching any plan to do anythign in SF other than catch up with friends and see as much as I can in the time I have there. Awesome - I've also solved a couple of other issues now i've got a confirmed space with a theme camp. So basically - i'm good to go pretty much.

HUGE thank you for the input on this thread folks - (especially you FeistyMichelle and you Trilobyte) - hope it proves useful for others too.