Alright! Guten tag! Hey! From our threesome in Whistler!

[Jay_Whistler89]

Hey People!

So, getting pretty excited about how quickly BM is approaching! Thought that I would just swing by here to introduce our little group heading down before I get stuck into reading through as much of this forum as possible!

Two brits and a German make up our threesome of friends. We met each other out here in Canada through our love of travel, adventure and throwing ourselves down snowy mountains. We have all been to a variety of festivals around the world, but non that seem quite like this, which of course is why we jumped at the chance to go!

We have our tickets, vehicle pass and Walmart tents in hand ready to go, and just starting to kit our van out ready to make the journey down from Whistler.

Since we are all virgin burners, there are obviously still a fair few things that we need to figure out in terms of planning, what to bring and what not to bring, although we have managed to survive life so far in various places of the world, so wouldn’t go so far as to consider any of us to be sparkle ponies by any means.

It seems that the main thing we are struggling with, is the question of if to join a camp or not. Now between our group we can see both the positives and negatives of belonging to a camp, but we can't seem to make a decision. I know that it doesn't really help that we have left it pretty late, and a lot of camps have filled up long ago. It is obviously nice to be able to not have to worry about starving and running out of water while being part of a camp, but the main thing that draws us is the sense of being part of a community, and joining in with people who have already experienced BM, and can help make our first experience even better.

We are all mid 20’s, and since it is our first time, we are looking to get out and explore as much as possible, meeting as many people as we can along the way. With this in mind, we are just not quite sure if there would be camps that would be accommodating to this. Of course if we were part of a camp, then would be more than willing to put in our share of work to keep the camp together going strong, but also would like to find similar minded people who want to head out exploring to see everything!

I will finish this here for now, but if anyone has any tips, advice for our situation, especially on the camp vs. no camp, then they would be much appreciated thanks!

Long story short, hey everyone, nice to meet you all, if not sooner, then will see you in the dessert!

Jamie, Willy, Lucy

[Papa Bear]

There are three of you. You *are* a camp.

Joining an existing theme camp doesn't mean you automatically have food & water provided - lots of camps don't work that way. Even if you were to join one that has shared meals, it's wisest to plan on being able to take care of yourselves in that department anyway. You might miss meals while out wandering around, or whoever's planning the kitchen could seriously screw up and leave the whole camp high and dry for all or part of the event.

By and large, Black Rock City is a very friendly and welcoming place, as long as you've done your homework and made an effort to be self-reliant. Wherever the three of you plop down, you'll quickly discover experienced burners, fellow explorers, new friends, and build a community all around you. In fact, that's often how new theme camps get started.

Best tips? Read the survival guide, bring the stuff you need to survive, drink plenty of water and eat decent food (don't try getting by on just cliff bars and beef jerky), minimize and plan for hauling out your graywater and trash, and think about what talent or interest each of you has that you could share with others.

Once on playa, seek out opportunities to participate and give of your time, whether that's with a volunteer role for the event, finding a theme camp doing something cool and volunteering to help, lending a hand to the person down the street trying to set up their tent, or just striking up a conversation with someone who looks a little lonely.

[AntiM]

Welcome Aboard.

Papa Bear is correct, you do not want your time (and money) to be tied to a camp. Honestly, if you are looking after yourselves, you are less likely to starve or be without water. The big camps which rake in dues can fail, and then you're stuck anyway. If you are not showering or cooking big pots of pasta, you can get by. We make use of ice melt from out cooler for things like soaking our feet and running our swamp coolers. Food is easy, get a $15 butane stove, something to boil water in, and plan meals from there. You won't be very hungry on the playa, and can make do with all sorts of easy foods. Check our food forum for idea.

Volunteering is simple, and actually easier without a camp dictating your schedule.

My theme camp is five people right now, and at our regional burn, my theme camp was a whole three people!

[Ratty]

Bring lots of things that only need hot water to prepare. (cup o'noodles, instant coffee, hot oatmeal, and lots of ready to eat snacks. You'll have food and water left over. Everyone does. figure out a shade option and you are a camp. Our camp has 5 people this year but it is usually only 2 of us. One from Canada.

[Aurelia]

Yes
Private message me because I want to speak with you

[swampdog]

Big burner community in Van. Go meet some folks. There are FB groups like (I think) Van Burners.

Big confusion amongst newbies about "What is a camp". You coordinate in advance with a group of like minded (in some way) other people and then camp together. That can be a fabulous 20 burn group with massive infrastructure or just you, a tent, and an interest in making shit happen. Or at least going out to find shit that is happening and appreciate it.

[Jay_Whistler89]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys!

Yeah, it was just a couple of large camps that I had seen that offered to take care of shared meals and water, but as you say, things can go wrong so I think we will be better off taking care of our own food, and saving a fair amount of money as some camps seem to be pretty pricy. I think that not going with a camp will simply allow us to head off and just meet people at different camps that we come across as we head out exploring!

[Blueschaser]

Your photo from Longhorn Saloon patio? Reason I ask, we ski Whistler every year; have even met burners at Apres! Camp on your own---we did first 2 years---you'll have terrific time! Might want to check out Midnight Poutine too.

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to ePlaya!

[Savannah]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys!

Yeah, it was just a couple of large camps that I had seen that offered to take care of shared meals and water, but as you say, things can go wrong so I think we will be better off taking care of our own food, and saving a fair amount of money as some camps seem to be pretty pricy. I think that not going with a camp will simply allow us to head off and just meet people at different camps that we come across as we head out exploring!

I don't think you'll regret it . . . ! Many camps are placed and have . . . . Stuff, & Things, but they have their own flaws & liabilities--they're not foolproof or Certified or all-powerful, there may be politics or drama on occasion, and you will almost certainly not be able to get a refund if you're dissatisfied. (They will have rightfully spent that money on food, gas, storage, supplies, etc.)

It's not too hard to provide for yourself at all (the only thing I had help with my first Burn was a rideshare). There's this illusion that everyone's spending thousands per person on food and water and RVs, and that's really not the case. Fully half of us (like me) are in tents, if I remember the results of the recent census.

Focus on shade, easy food, sufficient water, something soft to sleep on, warm coats, comfy broken-in shoes, good goggles, and artificial tears. Bring a canteen or camelback. Don't forget a backpack and flashlights and lights for your body. Bring only 1-ply t.p.

Be ready to be awesome and kind and to participate. You're almost certainly going to be fine.

Welcome!

[Jay_Whistler89]

Your photo from Longhorn Saloon patio? Reason I ask, we ski Whistler every year; have even met burners at Apres! Camp on your own---we did first 2 years---you'll have terrific time! Might want to check out Midnight Poutine too.

Nah, the photo is actually from Dusty’s down at creekside, taken on Canada day. Ahh sweet, will defiantly have to check out poutine if there is some there, thanks for bringing that to my attention!!!

[Jay_Whistler89]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys!

Yeah, it was just a couple of large camps that I had seen that offered to take care of shared meals and water, but as you say, things can go wrong so I think we will be better off taking care of our own food, and saving a fair amount of money as some camps seem to be pretty pricy. I think that not going with a camp will simply allow us to head off and just meet people at different camps that we come across as we head out exploring!

I don't think you'll regret it . . . ! Many camps are placed and have . . . . Stuff, & Things, but they have their own flaws & liabilities--they're not foolproof or Certified or all-powerful, there may be politics or drama on occasion, and you will almost certainly not be able to get a refund if you're dissatisfied. (They will have rightfully spent that money on food, gas, storage, supplies, etc.)

It's not too hard to provide for yourself at all (the only thing I had help with my first Burn was a rideshare). There's this illusion that everyone's spending thousands per person on food and water and RVs, and that's really not the case. Fully half of us (like me) are in tents, if I remember the results of the recent census.

Focus on shade, easy food, sufficient water, something soft to sleep on, warm coats, comfy broken-in shoes, good goggles, and artificial tears. Bring a canteen or camelback. Don't forget a backpack and flashlights and lights for your body. Bring only 1-ply t.p.

Be ready to be awesome and kind and to participate. You're almost certainly going to be fine.

Welcome!

Yeah, we decided we are pretty capable of taking what we need for ourselves. Got most of our clothing sorted, just working the lights into them all. Most other things we seem to be on top of.

Artificial tears though, I haven’t actually herd of these, something I had missed, will have to have a look see what they are all about!

I have been tasked with making some sort of shade structure, so currently having fun with trying to gather stuff for that! I have some pic piping and was planning to make a sort of half dome structure against the side of our van. Having trouble deciding what to cover it with yet though. Our budget is pretty thin, but I’m sure I will be able to find something more suitable than a load of old bed sheets to cover it.

[Savannah]

Artificial tears are just eye drops made specifically to moisten your eyes (instead of clearing redness). I don't like redness reducers because frequent users can have a rebound effect where your eyes are red daily unless you use the drops.

So for me, artificial tears are better. A bottle of eye saline is also okay for this, although less portable. Bonus: you can drip it up your nose regularly to prevent nosebleed.

Eye irritation is not uncommon out there. If you wear contacts, bring glasses as a backup.

[Jay_Whistler89]

Artificial tears are just eye drops made specifically to moisten your eyes (instead of clearing redness). I don't like redness reducers because frequent users can have a rebound effect where your eyes are red daily unless you use the drops.

So for me, artificial tears are better. A bottle of eye saline is also okay for this, although less portable. Bonus: you can drip it up your nose regularly to prevent nosebleed.

Eye irritation is not uncommon out there. If you wear contacts, bring glasses as a backup.

Excellent, thanks for the tip there Savannah! I would have guessed you would need some sort of eye drops, but having never really used them I would have had no idea that there is a more specific one that would be useful, so thanks, I’ll keep my eye out for them!

[Blueschaser]

Don't know how I didn't recognize Dusty's! Only uplifted from the gondola there maybe sixty times over the years; and almost as many days at Apres there. Enjoy your burn...

[anghared44]

Hello Jamie, Willy, Lucy!

Not sure if you're still looking for a place to stake your tents, but we've got plenty of room if you're interested. A little bit about us... A few friends and I started coming back in 2010 - showed up with the bare necessities, found a little spot of sand to call our own, and the rest is history. We've returned every year since as Street Life (Sesame Street meets hip hop, because why not?). As a rule we happily make space for orphans every year (that’s how we’ve met some of our favorite fellow burners), and this time around we'll be at 9:30 & Eulogy.

We're an easygoing, fun camp without a lot of rules, on the smaller side (about 15 people). Many of us either live in, or met in, NYC, but at this point we're a bunch of thirty-somethings from up and down the east coast that come together every year on the playa. We already have a few virgins in the mix this year and I can't wait to show them the ropes and join them for lots of adventures.

Everyone brings a bit of booze/snacks/etc to share, but for the most part we all take care of our own food, water, etc so we're definitely not into the have-everything-provided-but-get-tied-down-with-responsibilities approach. That can work really well for some camps, it's just not our bag. Instead, we just make sure there are always a few coolers full of ice, you can bring as much or as little water as you want for the sunshower, impromptu communal meals can happen involving whoever is around and whatever they feel like cooking, so on and so forth.

We'll be throwing afternoon happy hours on Mon, Wed, Fri and otherwise when we're around we just hang, play music, and share drinks and snacks. There are usually a few RVs and some people camping in tents, along with an outdoor shower, a shipping container kitchen, and a big shade structure that serves as a living room / chill space. You can reach us at [email protected] if you're interested. Hope to see you out there!

Cheers - Bronwen