One thing you wish you had known for your first burn...

[Sanddog42]

Don't forget COLD HARD CASH for ice, coffee at Center Camp etc.

• I'm bringing hard cash in the form of dollar coins that won't blow away in the playa wind. Maybe I'll keep it in my cooler...

[Sanddog42]

[quote="digirati.agent"]I saw something here about me not worrying about gifting my first year. I have to confess I have been working on what I think will be a cool gift to hand out to people I meet... and hoping to bring about 150 of them. I am making them with the help of a group of art students here in Georgia. They will be a brown construction paper wrapped parcel containing candy, a single packet of caffeinated instant orange drink mix and some single ply toilet paper (figured they would all be useful). The parcel is printed with an image from the original Metropolis poster. It will be wrapped in a thin leather strap that has a bottle cap necklace jewelry piece. The bottle cap will have one of four random images of street art that is shrunk inside it and resin filled. I figured these would be a combo of something for the playa and something to take home.
I wanted to give something fun to the people I meet and most of this stuff is material I don't have to pay for or costs little.

Ruling of "swell" vs "moop"?[/quote]

Swell!

[geekster]

There are also "give one take one" boxes around town. You can drop things in there like lighters, lip balm, a tampon, small tube of lotion, some analgesic, earplugs, etc. Those little boxes can sometimes save someone's burn. Adopt one. Check its contents once in a while, add something.

[C.f.M.]

Yes. Cash.

Burn = no commerce, so I never take cash to burns, but I wisht I had, to get a bit of ice.

Which I also don't usually use at burns, but...this isn't really a burn. It's Burning Man.

[velocirafter]

There are also "give one take one" boxes around town. You can drop things in there like lighters, lip balm, a tampon, small tube of lotion, some analgesic, earplugs, etc. Those little boxes can sometimes save someone's burn. Adopt one. Check its contents once in a while, add something.

I've never actually seen one of these but that is an unreal idea!!

[Bounce530]

I set out a take one, leave one box, its alot of fun to see what shows up in it.

[AntiM]

I set out a take one, leave one box, its alot of fun to see what shows up in it.

We did a gift rack a few years in a row, I loved it. Had to take it in sometime on Saturday afternoon, otherwise Sunday it was a trash dump.

Same thing with the Home for Wayward Art, no Sunday donations.

[velocirafter]

I'm definitely gonna set one up, its such a simple idea.

keep an eye out for it around the 2:30 and D area...cus i'll probably spend the week watching from a distance to see what goes in to it :-p

[C.f.M.]

I set out a take one, leave one box, its alot of fun to see what shows up in it.

We did a gift rack a few years in a row, I loved it. Had to take it in sometime on Saturday afternoon, otherwise Sunday it was a trash dump.

Same thing with the Home for Wayward Art, no Sunday donations.

Yeah, the ones I looked into were pretty much full of either trash or crap like glow sticks.

[shroom]

There are also "give one take one" boxes around town. You can drop things in there like lighters, lip balm, a tampon, small tube of lotion, some analgesic, earplugs, etc. Those little boxes can sometimes save someone's burn. Adopt one. Check its contents once in a while, add something.

very cool idea!!!

[ygmir]

I'll be hanging my "bucket O money" out again this year.
The sign says "Money: take it or leave it"........it's fun to see what happens
I usually put 100 bucks worth of change in it, and see where it is at the end.
It changes through the event.
Last year, it got emptied by a raver kid.......others put money in, and, it got emptied again.......

we'll see what happens this year.

[CornStar]

A few years back there was an inconvenience store, which was essentially a free box, only bigger. It was like your playa 7-11. It had condoms, batteries, toothbrush, 35mm film, etc. It was REALLY great ... the only catch was you had to do something very inconvenient in order to walk away with something. My friend had to eat a full size marshmallow cheeseburger in one bite for a temporary tattoo. I got drunk and had an intense craving for the talking heads. Someone told me they had an itrip there, and I could play my ipod thru a radio. I ended up mooping their camp for 4 hours before I could hear the one song I was jonesing for. it was great

[Bounce530]

I had to climb that crazy ass pvc tower thing, then do twenty push ups when I got to the top of it.....for a 'fridge magnet.

[theCryptofishist]

A few years back there was an inconvenience store, which was essentially a free box, only bigger.

I wish I'd gone. Wasn't it last year? They all blend together like a frog in a blender.
My brain, not good thought 2day.

[Bounce530]

I found them in '08, they were in the area of Martini Village. Couldn't find it last year. It was very inconvenient.

[Special]

Right now start drinking 90 ounces of water everyday until the burn. It prevents altitude sickness and dehydration. Drink everyday around a gallon at the event if you want to drink anything else without getting sick.

[Elorrum]

There are also "give one take one" boxes around town. You can drop things in there like lighters, lip balm, a tampon, small tube of lotion, some analgesic, earplugs, etc. Those little boxes can sometimes save someone's burn. Adopt one. Check its contents once in a while, add something.

very cool idea!!!

I happened upon one of these boxes last year, deep playa, labeled "karma box"
I've been thinking about what I might carry around this year in case I happen upon something like it again.

[Eric]

Giving this old thread a bump, since I saw a similar question asked today. There's some good stuff in here.

[Oldguy]

I put out a swap box every year. I have seen many cabinets with loads of different gift stuff in the drawers. I think one was called "What's in my drawers". I remember a free booth with several shelves, one shelf had "adult" items.

[AntiM]

I have a Gift Box in front of camp now. A green chest on a small pedestal, with the word "Gift" in wooden letters on the top. I worked hard on the interior collages, pictures cut from my Archaeology and Smithsonian magazines.

I do not suggest food in the boxes. Or melty chapstick. Ick.

[FIGJAM]

I wish I hadn't driven straight through for 16 hours, and then spent an additional 8 hours in line before getting to camp.

This killed me!!!!!!!!!!

I got better.

[EmilyD]

I made the first-timer mistake of bringing toooooo much food. You really don't eat as much as you think you will. I cut it by 1/3 the next year and still brought too much. I wish I had known.

[1durphul]

This is so embarrassing to admit... but I actually brought plastic bead necklaces to "gift" my first year.

Basically, if this is your first burn, do not bring cheap store bought trinkety shit to give away. If you are giving something store bought away it should be something utilitarian (lip balm, lighters for example.)

Other great gifts:
Something you actually made.
An art piece.
Your theme camp.
Your labor helping somebody set up their theme camp.

[skippy3k]

For my first burn, I brought expectations. Yikes. Complete disaster.

[Simon of the Playa]

don't go nude if you've never gone nude before.

at least in the mid day sun.

some places, when sun burned, hurt more than others.

i'll leave it at that.

[Elderberry]

Somehow I never pictured you as a 'going nude on the playa' kind of guy.

don't go nude if you've never gone nude before.

at least in the mid day sun.

some places, when sun burned, hurt more than others.

i'll leave it at that.

[Elderberry]

There are also "give one take one" boxes around town. You can drop things in there like lighters, lip balm, a tampon, small tube of lotion, some analgesic, earplugs, etc. Those little boxes can sometimes save someone's burn. Adopt one. Check its contents once in a while, add something.

I've never actually seen one of these but that is an unreal idea!!

If I remember correctly, Ygmir does that with a bucket of cash.

[ygmir]

There are also "give one take one" boxes around town. You can drop things in there like lighters, lip balm, a tampon, small tube of lotion, some analgesic, earplugs, etc. Those little boxes can sometimes save someone's burn. Adopt one. Check its contents once in a while, add something.

I've never actually seen one of these but that is an unreal idea!!

If I remember correctly, Ygmir does that with a bucket of cash.

and you said you can't remember things...................
you are correct.

[Zhust]

This is so embarrassing to admit... but I actually brought plastic bead necklaces to "gift" my first year.

Basically, if this is your first burn, do not bring cheap store bought trinkety shit to give away. If you are giving something store bought away it should be something utilitarian (lip balm, lighters for example.)

Other great gifts:
Something you actually made.
An art piece.
Your theme camp.
Your labor helping somebody set up their theme camp.

+1 on this. I keep paring down things I want to gift. I think the best was blinky necklaces I made ... someday I'll make them less utilitarian. Worst was first year when I had cheap blinky shit.

[Simon of the Playa]

Somehow I never pictured you as a 'going nude on the playa' kind of guy.

don't go nude if you've never gone nude before.

at least in the mid day sun.

some places, when sun burned, hurt more than others.

i'll leave it at that.

it was 96', we were at fly geyser all day long...no sunblock....i swore for 3 days "never again" and i havent ever since.

momma didnt raise no fool.