Theme Camps vs Solo... whats wrong with this picture

[nocturnal_steve]

Registered theme camps get prime real estate, if you are camping solo or with a small or impromptu (non registered ) group you are left to the outer rings.

At the risk of sounding like a crusty old burner;

When I started going in the 90's placed camps were the exception. When people started asking "who are you camping with" my stock answer was 20,000 (30K, 60K) other burners. When I came either solo or with a small group we always offered something interactive to share with passer-by's and our neighborhood; watermelon and frozen fruit treats, hot dogs for hung over late night stragglers (yes I know about health dept regs). A game of Horse Shoes.... you get the idea. Now I find myself interacting less and less as there is much less foot traffic on outer rings.

I have mixed feeling re: organized camps. Some years I have been been part of one i.e. when my local contingent had a big project,
we brought up a Mutant Vehicle etc. My own (and many registered camps) offer meal plans, shade structures, water, showers etc.

For me camping solo or in a small group has it's perks; I like fending for myself, planning meals, shade structure design, and waste water evap. In fact the Radical Self Reliance aspect has always been part of lure of the event for me. IMHO paying a fee, having many basic services provided is a notch closer to Plug and Play camps.

Now as a solo camper not only do I have to fend for myself to get tickets, I wind up camping in the Boonies etc. Meanwhile newbie members of a registered camp get easy access to tickets. Some of these newbies certainly and contribute to the camp, follow the MOOP directive etc.

BUT.... I noticed .....having some interaction (with my locally based theme camp)...... for many it is just an easy way to procure tickets, join the party etc. I.E. "Hey wanna go to Burning Man this year".... "I heard tickets were hard to get".... No problem Camp-Shriner's-Who-Astral Project have plenty of tickets and are looking for a few good men"..... "Whoppeee LETS GO"

I realize that choosing (registered) camp members is in the realm of whomever is running that camp, and they don't always choose wisely. My point more so is that solo/small group campers have a lot to offer &may have to take more initiative to even get to the event.... let's not push them out both figuratively & literally.

[Elderberry]

What you say about it being easy to get tickets if you're a theme camp is pure bullshit. Yes, there is the directed sale, but you're lucky if you get enough tickets just for the core group you need to actually build the camp. As for the other members, it's each person for himself. Same with EA passes. You don't procure your own ticket you don't go, let alone camp with us.

We do have a wait list of people that need tickets, and we are all on the lookout helping them to find one, but if they don't actively get involved looking and helping themselves as well, they are dropped from the list.

I think you have it wrong on some of your other points as well, but hey, believe what you will.

[Ratty]

Steve, It is a drag being pushed farther and farther from Center camp but there are options. With which department do you volunteer. I've found that they are usually centrally located and free to camp with them. You just have to be a dedicated member of their volunteer team. Or, be willing to set up camp surrounded by other camps. (No frontage on the street.) Or if you're there on early entry you can move camp the minute the gates open. Or, just camp no closer than G for people with early entry.

I wish I could just set up closer and organized camps were given the outer ring. (But that's just me thinking selfishly).

[some seeing eye]

In the early-mid 90's, almost every burner learned about the event from personal friends who vetted and oriented them to the BM culture. Today we have very large numbers with no in-person connection, just what they heard on the Internet. Even though the percentage of individuals who are not oriented to the culture is not large, their absolute numbers are significant enough to endanger the future existence of the event by moop and bad festival behavior. If you have been lately you know this to be true.

The BMORG response, which has evolved very gradually and is continually adjusted, is what we have. The DGS addresses both acculturation and interactivity.

There will be a continual shortage of tickets until the event ends. Even the regionals, which are still almost entirely by personal friend connection and vetting, have ticket shortages. There is no ticket shortage magic bullet.

I would be willing to bet that quite a few camps would be willing to let an acculturated vet join with their tent, and participate in camp activities. As the city has grown, there is more infrastructure, so it is easy to volunteer for infrastructure, rather than having the interaction in your one person camp. Or you could set up your interaction in a camp, while your tent is elsewhere. Or you could propose an art project independent of your one person camp.

So you are right, things change, always.

[nocturnal_steve]

What you say about it being easy to get tickets if you're a theme camp is pure bullshit

Never said that.

Re your camp & policy, kudo's. Vs. I am not sure...... but looking at the number of camps actively recruiting here and on FB I am guessing there are some Directed Sale tickets up for grabs.

Others... thanks for input & suggestions.

[Meat Hunter]

My preference is to camp solo, with just the two of us - No drama and no Sparkle Ponies..

Except when I start arguing with myself. Usually, I win the argument except when myself wins. One time myself literally threw I out of our camp, but I returned later in the day and there was no more drams until later in the burn.

And, that was when I left myself's lettuce bag open in the ice cooler and it contaminated all of our drinking water. That P/O'd him really bad that time and myself threw a royal two hour long hissy fit.

That one incident almost tore our camp apart. Since then, it has only been an occasional tantrum which usually involves who sleeps on which side of the bed.

[Elderberry]

What you say about it being easy to get tickets if you're a theme camp is pure bullshit

Never said that.

Re your camp & policy, kudo's. Vs. I am not sure...... but looking at the number of camps actively recruiting here and on FB I am guessing there are some Directed Sale tickets up for grabs.

Others... thanks for input & suggestions.

I could be wrong about this, but my guess is that most of those camps are looking for people that laready have tickets and need more fee paying members to cover expenses.

You ought to try camping with us some time.
We don't have any room this year, so at least stop by for a fruit smoothie.

[Papa Bear]

my guess is that most of those camps are looking for people that laready have tickets and need more fee paying members to cover expenses

That's certainly true for the camps I know to be recruiting. Not just to cover expenses, though - they need to make sure they have enough people to spread out the work.

[EGAZ]

My preference is to camp solo, with just the two of us - No drama and no Sparkle Ponies..

Except when I start arguing with myself. Usually, I win the argument except when myself wins. One time myself literally threw I out of our camp, but I returned later in the day and there was no more drams until later in the burn.

And, that was when I left myself's lettuce bag open in the ice cooler and it contaminated all of our drinking water. That P/O'd him really bad that time and myself threw a royal two hour long hissy fit.

That one incident almost tore our camp apart. Since then, it has only been an occasional tantrum which usually involves who sleeps on which side of the bed.

This is so me....... I get so pissed when I do something dumb.