RV hire

[PeterP0407]

Hi there,

its my first time at BM this year and I am going with some friends. We are planning to hire an RV, is this at all possible still or are we way too late?

Any good tips on where to hire, what to look for (what kind of stuff should the RV have in any case).

Would be super if you can point us to any places that are likely to still have RV's.

Thanks

Max

[Ratty]

Welcome Peter. If you use Google to search eplaya you can find mountains of info and suggestions. Enjoy your first burn. If you can't get an rv don't worry. A tent and makeshift shade will do.

[Eric]

We are planning to hire an RV, is this at all possible still or are we way too late?

Basic answer: if you're coming through California or Nevada, you're way too late. If you're coming through other states there's still a chance, but it gets slimmer by the day (Labor Day weekend - the final weekend of the Burn - is the last weekend of "summer vacation" for the US, so there's a high demand on RV's outside of our event)

Your best bet is probably Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Seattle or Portland at this point, but you would have to contact places in those cities (you can try Sacramento or Las Vegas, but I doubt they still have any). Don't forget to plan the travel time from farther cities - an extra 12-24 hours!

[Captain Goddammit]

You have sort of forgotten to mention where you are.
As far as what the RV should have, rental RVs generally have about the same equipment, there really aren't options.

[Canoe]

... If you use Google to search eplaya you can find mountains of info and suggestions. ...

And not just on renting one, but on how to get it to BRC safely (what road conditions - like hills - to expect, no overload, no speed, stay the fuck off the shoulders!), on how to look after it on the playa so you're not facing huge fees to clean or repair or replace parts of the RV (bills to replace generators, A/C units, engines, etc.), and on how to use an RV effectively on the playa - both technically and the logistics & habitation/sharing rules for surviving multiple occupants. Do not underestimate that last one. For all of the above, follow Ratty's suggestion.

p.s.
People started booking last fall. Many felt they were getting late in January. Don't leave this any longer. Do your research fast.

[Zubeneschamali]

I saw on the SF CL someone advertising RVs for rent - they drop them on the playa for you, leave you with a genie full of gas, battery full of juice, and 30 gallons in the fresh water tank. So pretty much you drive up, unload your towels and beef jerky and you got a place to rock.

Don't know anything about them or their gear so caveat emptor. But if your standard is "available", then it might meet requirement.

Look, we're somewhere around 80~ish days before the gate opens, yes you can do it but you might want to turn up the heat.

[Captain Goddammit]

they drop them on the playa for you, leave you with a genie full of gas, battery full of juice, and 30 gallons in the fresh water tank. So pretty much you drive up, unload your towels and beef jerky and you got a place to rock

I'd never be willing to bet everything on that rig being there when I got there

[Zubeneschamali]

Captain I totally agree, and the caveat emptor should have been in bold and underlined. As the OP failed to include any standards, I didn't want to include any personal requirements of my own.

Personally, that's a lot of money for what might just turn out to be a week full of frustrations. I could come up with a dozen better scenarios, one of which would be sleeping directly on the playa in a tent. And I'm too old for that shit.

[Ratty]

Last year did anyone notice that huge lot full of RVs, trailers and containers just past the 10 o'clock side? That is where they send all the 'deliveries' that didn't have the necessary paperwork. No. You can't just rent out your motorhome and deliver it. Some of them sat there ALL WEEK. I'm sure there were other things in that lot as well.