Art project setup space in Reno needed

[carefactornil]

[mod note: subject was "Art project transport" and has been changed to reflect the change in ask]

Hi,

Cheese from the UK here. I'm planning on bringing another large-ish art project (an Ames room) to the playa this year. Normally, I've just hired a Uhaul in the past which has been cheap/great. This year (having not brought my own stuff since 2017) I'm discovering that Uhaul doesn't seem to want that. The prices are waaaay higher than normal and they won't even fully confirm a booking (with a credit card) and where I return the truck to until 2 days before the event - too risky.
At the moment, also assuming the project comes back and is recycled in Reno after.

Any tips on the best trucks to rent? I'm flying into Reno.

[trilobyte]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but not only have a lot of Burning Man related costs gone way up in the last 8 years, but transportation and vehicle rentals have been hit especially hard.

Even before the pandemic, most truck rental companies (including U-Haul) have been reducing the number of trucks they make available for Burning Man rentals, and significantly boosting the rental rates. We unfortunately can thank those who either tried their hands at living in the back of the truck or who returned the vehicles without cleaning and detailing the vehicles, a lot of rental operators have soured on the event. My camp rented trucks for years, and we had a long history of being good renters and returning the vehicles in pristine condition, and we found that our rental costs nearly tripled between 2015 and 2019 (coming from the bay area). From there, things unfortunately got a lot trickier, between the pandemic and supply chain crisis the rental truck market in the US got really tough. With companies facing severe inventory shortages, they seemed to either prioritize shorter term rentals (U-Haul's target market, for example, is people moving house who only need a vehicle for a short window of time), or their corporate customers who rent larger numbers of larger trucks to supplement their own fleets. Add the regular impact of inflation (repair parts and labor going up, increases in overhead, etc) going up, and.... yeah, rental rates are crazy. It is also worth noting that at a few points in the last few burns, U-Haul has had some incidents where locations have gone through bookings and just canceled Burning Man rentals... for that reason alone, I'd suggest looking at any other company first.

As a rule you want to book the rental as early as possible, which is often around 6 months from the pickup date on a rental truck. I know that ship has already sailed since we're only a couple months away at this point, but start making those calls and lock something down asap if you can - every day that goes by means less potential rental vehicle inventory and a higher potential booking rate. The second tip would be to look outside the primary metro areas. San Francisco, Reno, and Sacramento gets tough to rent quicker than a lot of cities, grab a map and look for metro areas further afield to try your luck. It may mean a longer drive, or changing flights to go through a different city, but if it can save a bundle of money or just get you availability on the vehicle you need, it's worth the hassle. Good luck!

[carefactornil]

Thanks Trilobyte.

I seem to have found a Penske deal for $30 day. Max 10 day rental but that's just about enough. Can return to same Reno location. They've confirmed OK with a UK driving license. I've not mentioned BM but they didn't ask and those dates are around BM.

Any reason to be cautious here?

[trilobyte]

I don't have any experience renting from that company, but do see their trucks in the desert every year. Perhaps someone who's done business with them can chime in with some tips?

[carefactornil]

From Penske just now....

"I am emailing regarding a reservation you made with Penske Reno Nv from 8/21/25-8/31/25.  Unfortunately, these are Blackout dates for Penske Truck Leasing due to the Burning Man event happening in our area, and no reservation times are available for these dates. Our trucks are not permitted to go to this event. Due to the requested dates of your reservation, I regret to inform you that we will be unable to provide a truck for the dates you requested."

So rule them out and that leaves me currently with no transport but not giving up just yet

[some seeing eye]

You might find the socials/discussion channels for https://regionals.burningman.org/ and ask there. Join Reno, then start expanding out. Sacramento is one to look at. The SF Bay area has several regionals. I'm in a different state and use Enterprise Truck Rental. I detail the van before returning it. You might also recruit a local renter to act on your behalf, since an out of country/out of state renter burn season is obvious.

There are many box truck camping threads which create possibilities for you and co-driver.

[carefactornil]

Thanks. Unfortunately, I booked my flights to Reno some time ago, thinking things would be the same as the last times I'd done this. And can't change those and it doesn't leave me time to get out to places like Sacramento and back in time.
Finding a kind soul to pick up a truck and bring it to Reno and then take into BM and back out on my set dates is worth considering, thanks. Any volunteers?

[trilobyte]

I had assumed that you had already booked flights. My point is that the cost of making changes to your flight travel will probably end up being less than the premium you'd pay to get a vehicle in Reno at this late stage. You never know, though, you may be able to find someone traveling through Reno who's traveling on your dates and has room for you and your installation. I'd recommend posting a listing on the Resource Sharing and Rideshare board, specify the date(s) you'd like to arrive and depart, and provide as much information about your cargo haulage requirements. Things like cubic feet, dimensions and weight will help people get an idea of your needs and if their vehicle can accommodate. Remember, for any early arrival dates, each person traveling would need their own Setup Access Pass valid for arrival on that date, as they're not transferable between camps and projects. Good luck!

[carefactornil]

Hi all,

I'm bringing an https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_room to playa this year.

I'm based in London, arrive Reno Wed 20th and head to playa on Sat 23rd. It's tight but I'm planning to cut and prep all the wood (mostly stud frames) in Reno. I can use the Generator for this - not too expensive just to have workshop.

But what I'd really like is to do a test assembly of it in Reno on Friday 22nd. Should be able to put up and take down in under a day.

The Generator will charge over $720 for this, because they only do 2-week slots and I only need a day.

I've asked Brad/Artech (used before) but think place shuts down 1 Aug.

So wondering if there are any kind souls who have or know of a Reno space for a 12' x 24' box (up to 10' high) for a day? Fine to be outdoors as long as ground is flat as the playa is.

[trilobyte]

If I remember correctly from when I lived in SF, our makerspace didn't do day pass stuff either. In their case it had more to do with liability insurance and other red tape that made it more difficult for them than it was worth for a short period. You may want to reach out to the Reno regional Facebook group and see if someone has a chunk of flat yard space that you can use. Hopefully you can find someone with space who's not going this year, since at that late date anyone who's going will have either already departed or be in their own final preparation and loading.

[carefactornil]

Ta, already done for Reno Burners.

In previous years I've had no problem doing stuff for free at Generator and Artech for a day or so around same time - seems things have changed in the interim.

[Els1992]

[mod note: subject was "Art project transport" and has been changed to reflect the change in ask]

Hi,

Cheese from the UK here. I'm planning on bringing another large-ish art project (an Ames room) to the playa this year. Normally, I've just hired a Uhaul in the past which has been cheap/great. This year (having not brought my own stuff since 2017) I'm discovering that Uhaul doesn't seem to want that. The prices are waaaay higher than normal and they won't even fully confirm a booking (with a credit card) and where I return the truck to until 2 days before the event - too risky.
At the moment, also assuming the project comes back and is recycled in Reno after.

Any tips on the best trucks to rent? I'm flying into Reno.

I may be commenting on this all wrong, apologies if I am. But I can assist you with this if you can reach out to me. Not sure the best way for you to do that

Thx