A couple of first-timer questions. . .

[Blackbird]

I've read and re-read the survival guide, and I'm sure everything on the burningman site. I planned to go last year, but due to a ridiculous amount of drama (which, strangely enough is present this year as well), could not attend. I really really hope these aren't in the FAQ, I did read it so I'm pretty sure they aren't...Anyway On to the Questions!

I realize a shade structure is needed...Do most people build their own from "Scratch" or will a premade one do? Also (I am afraid I will be yelled at for asking this...so please be nice. If it is dumb, I sincerely apologize.) Is there any safe way of rigging the shade to the bed of a truck?

As far as water, is it usually purchased in neighboring towns? I can't imagine people hauling that much water from several hundred miles away.

And finally, what should one expect to spend on supplies? Obviously it depends a lot on what I already have and what I want to bring...but is there any way someone can give me some ideas of what to expect?


Thanks!

[timburly]

Welcome, and yea you will probally get some hell.....its the norm :-p

As far as shade goes, there are alot of internet sites as well as posts available around the forum. Just search around. Shade to the side of a pickup is easy, just make sure it will hold up to the high winds.

And water, yup its hauled in. Reno is the biggest town around to get supplies about an hour or so south. All the towns near the man are small and only have limited supplies themselves.

[Dork]

There's a good mix of pre-made and home-made shelters out there. There's a ton of different options - do some searching here and on Google and come back with specific questions if anything isn't clear.

Reno is a popular place to pick up water for people who don't want to haul all that weight up Donner pass. Most paths take you through Fernley, which has a big burner-friendly grocery store. When I was coming from California I used to get my water and last minute supplies there. Pickings get pretty slim the rest of the way up from there.

[Zulegoona]

One thing to pay a little attention to if it’s a newer truck is you don’t want to have any tarp or ropes that are loose enough to grind or polish the playa dust into the paint when they blow in the wind.

[AntiM]

Whatever you decide for your shade, practice setting it up at home first.

And Welcome Home!

[pinemom]

always practice any structure at home, and preferably in the strongest winds your area has to offer, if you can get it up when the wind blows, and keep it up, you'll have a good time....ar ar

Duct tape...the new Viagra!

yes, and welcome home!

P.s. Drama hint, yes it will be there when your leaving, and when you get home...if at all possible give children and parents a forwarning...no drama shall hit your ear for 24 hrs post! I didnt get 24 hrs but I got around 16 hrs, that alone was very nice! so shoot big settle for less!

[dragonfly Jafe]

...one of the most common errors is underestimating the force of the wind. Whatever stakes you normally would use, get ones that are twice as long (12" is not long enough - 18-24" is about the minimum usefule length) because the ground can be like sand. And whatever number you normallty use, double it (along w/ lots of strong cord or rope). Cheap tarps tend to shred as they flap back-and-forth for days. Include bungi cords to take up the slack without overtensioning the system. The environment changes between windy - cold - rainy (sometimes at least) - hot - dusty. Ideally you should be able to easily alter the structure (drop/raise sides as wind changes, etc). We haven't had any significant rain for the last few years, but you should plan on it raining.

Pre-made carports are a common choice, if you go this route I recommend 2" posts instead of 1-1/2" posts and go with the heaviest tarp material you can get. Bring something to put on the ground under the carport so you are not living in the dirt/dust. Then set-up a tent under the carport to actually sleep in.

Another common choice is using 1" pvc pipes (in 20' lengths) to create arches that are secured to the ground using rebar. An arch every 2 feet or so in a line, then cover with a tarp. A 20' pvc pipe bent into a semi-circle makes an arch appx 12' across on the ground. 12'x20' is a common tarp size, so an arched structure that has 12'x20' of floorspace is easily constructed.

Good luck!

[Ron]

I try not to leave home without *everything* I plan on needing during the two weeks I tend to be on playa. Including water. Yes, it means carrying that water around 700 miles, but then I don't have to worry about stopping or finding that anyone is sold out when I try to get my H2O...

Ron

[misfit]

we leave nothing to chance, everything we need is packed in at home,,,ie: water, food, lube, dry ice.....
as for our shelter, we love pvc with a cotton tarp. versatile, cheap, and lite...
pre-made shelters are OK, but they take the fun and imagination out of the build.

[phil]

Whether shelters are home made or store bought is up to you. Louise and I have a sectionon shelters at
http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html#abodes
which has articles that talk about successes and failures. For success, we stand on the shoulders of giants in achieving stylish shade, but never understimate the power of standing on the shoulder of failure to undertand success.

We also have a guide for first timers at
http://www.cieux.com/bm/BriefGuide.html
with information, a list of stuff to take, and links to other lists of other stuff.

And see
http://civilizedexplorer.pbwiki.com/CivExReno
for Louise's links to where to shop in Reno. It's very extensive and sorted by stuff and by highway exit.

As others have said, Louise and I try to leave home with everything, including water. You never know what's going to be sold out when 40,000 burners hit town. However, I normally find that I've forgotten something, and I've always been able to find it. I'm sure you'll be able to stock up on water and such.

[Blackbird]

Wow, thanks for all the help, everyone.
Pinemom, the awful part of the drama is it's going to be camping next to me. The rest of the people in our group are perfectly fine with it (me going), but this one guy is just insisting on making everything a lot harder for everyone.
Again, thank you for all your answers, hope to see you there!

[Bob]

Is there any safe way of rigging the shade to the bed of a truck?

Easier if you can stretch tarps over and/or tie off to a lumber rack.

But, no, the truck isn't likely to blow away unless it's a Volkswagen tied to a cargo chute.

[Blackbird]

Alright, well I was going to post a link to the structure I already own, but apparently the company has almost no website. It is is "Quest" brand (parents company: Northpole, from what I can figure anyway) "screen house" as it says on the owner's manual. it has guy lines attached and is referred to throughout the manual as a "tent" ( I imagine it is used for all of their products) though I'm not sure I would classify it as such. The only time I've used it is on the beach =\ but It worked fine there... If anyone knows anything about what I'm talking about, I'd appreciate your opinion in regards to the safety and effectiveness (of a similar structure) on the playa. Gracias!

Easier if you can stretch tarps over and/or tie off to a lumber rack.

But, no, the truck isn't likely to blow away unless it's a Volkswagen tied to a cargo chute.

Could you maybe elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean by lumber rack.

[EvilDustBooger]

My 1st year I designed my own shade structure using 1" PVC and ripped in half 2x4`s. The size was roughly 12` x 30`.
I found that the 2x4`s were great for poles, but the PVC would torque and pitch like a sail in the wind....ALOT.
I got them to work with lots of duct-tape though...here`s how it looked.
Pretty cool. But a lot of work to put together.







the next year I went with a easy up shelter fortified with 1" EMT and guy wires....easier to put together and no wind problems.

personally I prefer to design or modify my own shade structure and then put a nice store bought tent under it.

[Zane5100]

I can't imagine people hauling that much water from several hundred miles away.

You don't have to imagine it--some of us haul water from over 1,100 miles away. It's a bigger pain in the ass to unpack, fill and repack then to just have it filled up and packed from the get-go.

Do not assume you can get all your water in Gerlach or Empire. Get it before you leave I-80--that is if you want to put it off for whatever reason.

As to camp drama, you might want to think about camping on your own a fair distance away from the problem individual. Things are not going to get better out there if you already have tension with this person.

[Blackbird]

Do not assume you can get all your water in Gerlach or Empire. Get it before you leave I-80--that is if you want to put it off for whatever reason.

I wasn't assuming. If I said that, I misspoke, and I apologize. There's a reason I asked: If no one ever asked questions, we would all have to learn from mistakes, and that makes for quite a messy world.

As to camp drama, you might want to think about camping on your own a fair distance away from the problem individual. Things are not going to get better out there if you already have tension with this person.

I am thinking about it, though as a first timer I'm not sure how camping all by my lonesome would work out. . . the rest of the group is cool, enjoyable people and such, I would hate to have to sever ties because of one jackass.

[Jamm'in]

Blackbird, I think we're going through the same thing. Ill be going home for the first year, 07', and will be alone. All I can say though, from everything Ive read, listened, and observed......I feel real happy to be going alone.
I know it sounds kind of scary, but sounds like a wonderful place to meet new people and start fresh.....move on from that "jackass" and have fun. with open arms, good luck maybe see you on the playa
J

[Dork]

Blackbird, I think we're going through the same thing. Ill be going home for the first year, 07', and will be alone. All I can say though, from everything Ive read, listened, and observed......I feel real happy to be going alone.
I know it sounds kind of scary, but sounds like a wonderful place to meet new people and start fresh.....move on from that "jackass" and have fun. with open arms, good luck maybe see you on the playa
J

I'd suggest finding a relatively jackass-free group if you can and camping with them. Come early Summer there will be plenty of people looking for help with projects or more people to share resources. Bring enough gear so that you can bail and go camp by yourself if things get messy.

[Blackbird]

Dork, and everyone, thanks for the advice. At this point I am not going "with" them as in sharing equipment or tents or such, perhaps making the journey somewhat together, but the main idea is just to set up camp next to them. I'm sure I will figure it out. Honestly, the drama is not my main worry, the shade structure is the main thing I need to figure out (along with what food to bring). I do believe if the so-called "jackass" is ignored, he can have all his drama to himself. As long as I don't feed into it, it will be fine.

[skygod]

Treat your first visit as an Extreme 7-day desert backpacking trip and everything else will sort itself out as long as your comfortable and self-sufficient.

[MikeVDS]

Treat your first visit as an Extreme 7-day desert backpacking trip and everything else will sort itself out as long as your comfortable and self-sufficient.

I wouldn't say extreme or backpacking, just desert camping. Camping + desert covers it pretty well. People say it's extreme because they either don't do much real camping or they do not understand what desert climate can be like. Desert camping may be extreme for people, but as far as desert camping goes, it's not extreme. It's quite pleasant actually.

[CapSmashy]

Having a car or truck next to you that can be crammed full with water, food, clothes, booze, blinky lights and gizmos, tents, geodesic domes, tarps, DJ set-ups, generators and an occasional refrigerator and lord knows what else, pretty much eliminates the notion of backpacking or even extreme camping.

Extreme desert backpacking for a week would probably kill 95% of the residents in BRC. Not a slam or an insult, just saying there isn't too much extreme involved in living out of what you can pack into a car or truck for a week. If you plan it right, the experience could be quite luxurious.

[Bob]

I'm not sure what you mean by lumber rack.

A lumber rack which goes on a truck with a bed, which you said you were using at Burning Man for tying off shade.

Never mind, just bring your screen house, tent, couple small tarps and a few bundles of cord and 12" stakes and you'll be fine. Worry about more elaborate stuff next year.

[Blackbird]

Never mind, just bring your screen house, tent, couple small tarps and a few bundles of cord and 12" stakes and you'll be fine. Worry about more elaborate stuff next year.

Danke.

[CapSmashy]

And duct tape....lots of duct tape.

[EvilDustBooger]

...and a good pair of goggles and dust mask.

[CapSmashy]

And a Yak...

[Blackbird]

[quote="EvilDustBooger"]
...and a good pair of goggles and dust mask.[/quote]


Those are two things I will definitely NOT neglect to bring. Does anybody here have experience with presricption sunglasses and/or goggles? I don't know how I feel about bringing my glasses to the desert and I can't wear contacts ( I mean they can't make my script in contact-form), so if it's not ludicrously expensive (very likely) I might get some script goggles/sunglasses.

Y'all are great, thanks bunches.

[Blackbird]

[quote="CapSmashy"] And a Yak...[/quote]

That just makes me think of Tankgirl, who really would be the best person to be in the desert. That is, if one had the ability to change personas. One never knows. . .

[AntiM]

I have prescription sunglasses, they work fine during the day. I wear my glasses at night, even after six years I haven't felt the need to spring for prescription goggles. I did get a pair for mylarry, but they weren't airtight enough for him. He's not that nearsighted, so he can use regular goggles instead.

Or I go without glasses at night and just squint a lot. All depends on how blind you are and how much dust in your eyes bothers you.