Renting a motorhome for BM 2004

[Cruz'n Connie]

I am planning to rent a motorhome for BM 2004.

What should I consider, while I am still in the planning stages? One person suggested renting in Reno rather than close to home -- any suggestions about that?

Any and all hints, tips, suggestions are appreciated, about all aspects of taking a motorhome to BRC.

Connie

[Atomic Gardener]

Well dear, i do love my creature comforts, but found that an RV was not as amazing as I had thought, as well as being good for about 3 days only with the shower and potty action, to say nothing of the sink.....and they are just a big metal box so when someone moves in the front, the whole thing moves...etc.......having a dust free area is nice, but if you open the widows at all (and you will...metal box, remember) ooops, that lets in some dust.....sofa is nice...but you can get one....and lets not forget they are expensive and not available in RENO......I have a good experience overall will EL MONTE, and they are traditionally buring man friendly....let me know if you have any other ques with a direct email, dear, and good luck, AG

[Blenderhead]

There was a thread somewhere on the board discussing some of the pros and cons of some of the RV rental places in the Bay Area, but now I can't find it for all the damn chatter. If I come across it again, I'll direct you to it, Connie.

[Chai Guy]

I strongly discourage people from renting an RV for Burning Man.

1. They are expensive, both in rental costs and fuel.
2. They are impossible clean (plan on spending 5-6 hours cleaning if you want your deposit back).
3. Numerous headaches from the rental agency (see other threads).

There are other alternatives to renting an RV.

1. Rent a box truck (moving van/truck) load the back a couch, bed, fridge, all the comforts of home. You should be able to find all the stuff you need at garage sales or the local thrift shop. When you return just donate back to the thrift shop (if still reasonably intact), and hose out the back of the truck and return. Check out leasing one for the week if you own your own business, or renting from a independent rental company. You can also rent a small quiet generator to power your stuff, or better yet check out wind/solar power.

2. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined you can do something similar and purchase a van, use it for the week and sell if when you return. If you have the spare cash, and little mechanical know-how, it might not end up costing you anything!

Both of these ideas need a sink and shower set-up so go check out the Shower thread in the Structures folder.

[Blenderhead]

Chai Guy wrote:
(if still reasonably intact).

now THAT'S funny.

[Tiahaar]

I am planning to rent a motorhome for BM 2004.
Any and all hints, tips, suggestions are appreciated, about all aspects of taking a motorhome to BRC.

Connie

Second all of the above replies, plus add this: have you rented an RV before? If not do so or beg into someone elses (go camping for the weekend at some nice lake) and see if dealing with all its systems is something you want to do.
Also, you didn't say whether you've been to BRC before or not...all stories of the dust are true!! My group brought an old bus for our transport and stuff hauler this year, never fired up the generator or A/C, let the dust blow where it may and had a great time. Its one thing to just wipe the dust away enough to see the floor again and then bring the rig home and park it till next time, and getting a rental RV back in sparkling return shape thats for sure!

[Cruz'n Connie]

I appreciate all of your posts! A few more comments:

*This will be my first trip to BRC. Making a very long story, short: I've wanted to go since I first heard about BurningMan in the mid-90's. I'm a single mom, and I've been waiting for my son to become old enough to either stay with someone else for 10 days, or else be interested in going to BRC with me.
Both have recently happened. For my son, the onset of adolescence has brought out a previously unseen streak of independence -- as well as an almost insatiable interest in playing with fire. So he is looking forward to going to BRC in August.

*Yes, I have rented RVs before, and the experiences have been generally positive. A few times I've flown into Phoenix and rented RVs there, for trips around the Southwest -- including during summer months so I've had to deal with things like mechanical failures (OK - a few were due to operator-error), and extreme heat, but not the dust.
One acquaintance, who went to BRC two years ago, recently told me, "The sand and dust get into EVERY nook and cranny -- including YOURS."
(You may have heard that before, but to me it was funny -- and a point well made.)

*I did several searches in the archives, and Blender, I agree, its difficult to find information in the midst of all the chatter. That's why I posted here.
While searching the archives I did of course learn about the animosity that exists among some burners towards RVs at BRC. Still, I'll probably go the RV route this time and look at other options for future years. Just being there will help me see what might work for us, and what won't.

[Badger]

Another thing to consider...

Just because the law allows a car qualified driver to get behind the wheel and drive it off the lot doesn't mean everyone can do it that easily.

My own experience from having tried it once is that it scared the hell out of me. Too big, too slow, too expensive, too intimidating. All these thoughts were swirling around my head simultaneously for the duration I was driving the thing.

[Eric]

What should I consider, while I am still in the planning stages? One person suggested renting in Reno rather than close to home -- any suggestions about that?

I was in an RV this year- it was great during the whiteout on Sunday after the burn, and the fridge and microwave were nice.

However- I only slept in it half the time as it was hotter than hell in the morning once the sun hit it (like someone else said- big metal box), the dust got everywhere (if you rent one- cover every inch you can in plastic before getting anywhere neat the playa- esp. the fabric covered things), and the shower/ toilet are pretty much useless. The shower tank isn't big enough to hold the gray water for a week, and you really don't want to live with stinky toilet smell for a week.

All that being said- I still haven't decided if I'm getting one next year. Definitely will if the boyfriend goes as he'll want an escape place, don't know otherwise.

Hows that for a long winded useless answer?

[robbidobbs]

RV's are nice during major dirt storms to be sure. I don't recommend renting one for the above reasons. The box truck idea works very well, and is perfectly comfy if you toss in some carpet, couches and throw pillows. It's WAY cheaper, and less hassle to hose out. The furnature you can get at thrift stores, then just pass by the dump on the way home to unload it. Having worked at the thrift store, I KNOW I'd not want to receive your dusty donations. And since you have offspring still under the wing as it were, try to get into KidsVille. There should be contact info on the BM website. The shower issue can then be solved communally. Try to hook up and participate in the infrastructure of KidsVille. Good experience and participation opp for a 1st time burner as yourself.

[blyslv]

IYou can also rent a small quiet generator to power your stuff, or better yet check out wind/solar power.

Best yet, just go without electricity. It's fun, educational and doesn't cost a dime.

[Chai Guy]

Best yet, just go without electricity. It's fun, educational and doesn't cost a dime.

Agreed, but I was trying to offer an alternative to the RV that would be comparable.

[bearsnest]

Hello, My wife and I have had several Rv's and have never felt comfortable hanging out with the general population of people who own RV. Don’t get me wrong...we have met a lot of really nice people but the last few years we have opted to drive way the hell out in the desert and hide from the masses. We are Alaska people who live in the Bush and we are also old Hippies. So far, haven’t run into a lot of old Hippies that drive Rv so don’t hold it against us. We will be going the 2004 burning Man with our 1988 33 foot rv and hopefully painting it some other color than the drab state it is in now as to not offend too many. We have solar power and wind generation back up so we can produce all the electricity necessary, which my wife will use to sew costumes for the event. Apparently they are good wind breaks for the tent people as well. When we were 20 and 30 years young we also would have pitched a tent and ruffed it along with everyone else but us old hippies have old bodies that require a little more tending to so please excuse our rv and know that if my wife gets her way it will become an art project in it self. We are coming to reenergize our lives and do our art and the box we happen to arrive in has nothing to do with who we are as people. We will be there to become one with the world of burners... see ya there Bear

[Tiahaar]

Would be cool if you could get your RV to look like your avatar, Bearsnest : ) Burning Man is about as far from a retired folks RV Samboree Convention as you can get, and many thanks-to-all-the-powers-that-be for that! Even with a vehicle to sleep/live out of its nice to have a shade canopy to sit outside under so you can feel a part of the action even when resting.

[bearsnest]

Do you have any pics of your bus? or is it the white one with kind of an balcony and other cool stuff. saw that one.. No we are not retired people, however we are close to that age... age is more in the attitude than the physicial body altho it would be nice if my body would stay as young as my mind... but it aint that way and all here will be there one day. No, our RV will be retro fitted to Burning Man standards. Cant wait until next year.. only a few months away.. time flys... Bear

[vic]

If you take an RV to Burning Man, these suggestions may be helpful.

DUST - In addition to keeping the windows and vents closed most of the time, it will be helpful to close up (duct tape, plastic, whatever) any other places where dust can get in. To help control the dust that does get in, cut a piece of scrap carpet to fit the floor. In addition to making clean up easier, it serves as a dust trap. Plan to drop it off at a landfill when you get home.
Ask your camp mates and visitors to leave their shoes at the door. Also, bring a large piece of carpet to put down on the playa in front of the door.
Cover couches and other fabric surfaces with tightly woven cloth covers. Plan on a full-day of clean-up when you get back. A powerful vacuum helps get dust out of fabric.

HOLDING TANKS - They are not going to be as big as you would like. Use the festival potties as much as you can to conserve holding tank space. It would be a good idea to flush out the black water tank before you get to the playa, and then use twice the recommended dose of holding tank deoderant. (Be sure to use holding tank deoderant.)
For showering, you will be better off setting up an outside shower with an evaporation pond for grey water.

WATER CONSERVATION - The water tanks on RVs may not be the best place to store your drinking water. Unless you know the water tanks are completely clean, it would be a good idea to carry your drinking water in separate containers. Use the RV water system for washing, filling shower bags, and so on. Avoid using the pressure water system for rising dishes. I have seen people go through 20 gallons of water just washing the dishes from one dinner. Put your rinse water in a pan and rinse your dishes there.

PACKING - Plan on a full day for packing the RV before you get started. The temptation is to just throw everything in and take off, figuring that you can pack things away later, but this defeats a major advantage of the RV, it's much easier to set up camp when you get there. Careful packing really pays off.

GENERATOR - You will want to run the generator for a few hours each day, just to run the airconditioning if nothing else. This also allows camp-mates to recharge their batteries, run glue guns, electric drills and other tools. On hot days, you will probably bring in a few camp mates and new friends who are having trouble with the heat. If you are just running the thing for a few hours a day, you will not burn enough gas to make a difference, even if you are there for a full week.

[bearsnest]

Thanks Vic, actually I own an RV and have camped extensivly in the desert however we all can learn things, especially like the door tip with the carpet. I spent 3 months camping in the desert last winter but I was only 5 miles from a water sorce. I will pack in plenty and conserve as well. Again.. thanks for the tips they are very helpful bear

[Dustdevil]

All the above posts are on target. Having gone RV 3 times and camping 3 times, I find there are pros and cons to each. I don't care which way I go, but my wife does prefer the RV. The only two things I would add to the above are 1) Fill up with fuel in Gerlach on the way in. That will avoid the mass rush and trying to pull up to the fuel island on the way out and most RV generators shut off when the fuel level in the tank reaches 1/4 full. 2) I spent 6-8 on clean up after I got home. That was with four of us working. I have always gotten my deposit back, but it really is a lot of work. Enjoy!!!

[SHARPER]

I started a thread under Newbie questions called RV-help. I received a lot of usefull advise. I have a motorhome that I plan on driving up in for BM2004 but I am also keeping in mind all the helpfull info I have been receiving in regard to dust - eyesore - ect. Renting one -how do you plan on covering all the logos sponsoring the rv rental place? Rv's don't necessarily provide greater comfort. The only reason I am coming in my motorhome is that its big enough to bring me and my stuff! I plan to be inside only during the wee hours of the night for napping and when I want to cook. I am rambling -sorry - see rv-help thread for more.

[harleyb]

Hi All! I bought a camping van and brought it to BM 2003. It has a toilet and shower, and the issue of gray water management was the real challenge (only a 20 gallon gray water tank). I brought 30 extra gallons in paint buckets (the cheapest storage I could find), and found that the good people who pump out the muck had not problem pumping out the tank and the inflatable wading pool I had next to it for overflow (I added a little bleach to keep it from getting too nasty) and didn't charge any extra. The shower heads in RVs tend to waste A LOT of water, so this year I will try to duct tape over a bunch of the holes on the shower head (there is a cutuff switch on the handle so you don't need to adjust the temp all over again). I used only a 120 watt solar panel for electricity (no gennies allowed at AEZ), and with an inverter, powered a small evaporative cooler for when I was inside during the hottest days...it worked great! This year I have promised to decorate it a bit from the beige bomb that it is. [/i]

[Mitch]

I think I agree with all of the advice I saw above for those deciding to RV.

Here are some other things that work for me:

1. Bring fuses. You can easily overload one by running too many appliances at once, and it's a bore to have to move the remaining ones around. They are inexpensive and easily found at any RV campground. Which leads me to point

2. Stay at a campground the night before you hit BRC. Check out the store, make sure you have supplies that might come in handy. Even if YOU don't need them, somebody else might. Fuses, toilet chemicals and paper, stuff like that.

3. A big decision is whether to rent a class A RV (the ones that look like buses) or class C (the ones with the bed over the cab). Class C's are cheaper, easier to manuever, usually offer two private sleeping spaces (vs one for a class A), and are often more spacious. So why would anybody rent a class A? The tanks are larger (70 gallons fresh, 68 gallons sewage vs 30 gallons fresh, 53 sewage). Two people, conserving water, should be able to make it for the whole week without pumping in a class A. The class A's also offer tons more storage space, so if you're involved with a camp, or hauling stuff for one, that might also be a consideration.

4. Water conservation. You have to be careful with water in the desert, even in an RV. You don't really shower, you rinse off and soap up and rinse that off. You can do that with about 2 gallons, and it works best during the day when it's warm.

Washing dishes is, as noted, really wasteful, so you should aim for meals that aren't too messy and use paper plates that you burn. Having an RV means trash isn't much of an issue, you'll have plenty of room for trash bags, so you can use aluminum foil to line things, and you can buy microwaveable stuff that doesn't require any dishes at all.

You can bring extra water, though you'll have to figure out how to get it into your tanks. You shouldn't use the RV tanks for drinking water, it's not that they aren't safe but its usually more efficient (and tastier) to drink bottled water, and, don't forget, you can put a couple of those bottles in the fridge at any given time so you can drink COLD bottled water. Or beer...

5. Sewage tank conservation. It's a good idea to use the potties when you can, especially early in the event. That's not so much for space in the tanks as it is for lack of decomposing material in the tanks for a long time. I've found that the black water tank never gets full, while the gray water often does (especially in the early years before I figured out that military-style showers were the way to go). You can transfer gray water into the black water tank (use a bucket, pour it down the toilet), especially on the last day or two, if you're sure you have enough room in the black tank.

6. Windows: keep 'em closed. If you have to, you can use the a/c during the day, but how much time were you going to spend in your RV during the day? Maybe around lunch time you want to fire up the generator and put the a/c on while preparing something.

That's all I can think of now. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[dann c]

as with everything in life there are good sides and bad . rv's can be rented in almost any city in the country . the closer you are to BM the better . but you need to start now!!! rentals run out early for that week .
greywater : i took a large sheet of black plastic and made an evaporation pond with a couple of 2x4's approx. 8x8 and it handled showers and dishwater for four people. a shower should not use more than 3 gallons of water . get wet ,soap up,rinse done .
dust : there is almost no way of stopping it allbut with a little prevention it can be lessend take a sheet of clear plastic and block off the drivers compartment this will save you at least four hours cleanup keep all cabinate doors closed close windows on the windward side of the RV and crack open the sky light this will keep the heat down inside and leave the smallest openings for dust
blackwater: should you fill your black water tank help is not far . there are trucks that make the rounds in the mornings that empty your tanks and refill your potable water it cost me around 60dollars and i had it done twice.

[dj_john69]

If your considering renting an rv here in the Reno area...good luck. Most rv rental places are sold out a year in advance usually. If you do happen to find one with an available rv, they plan on raping your of all your cash. It's best to make your reservations right after BM ends for the following year. Just some words of wisdom.

~John - Reno

[Dr. Pyro]

If I may make another suggestion. In Sacramento, the manager of the downtown AVIS dealership is very burner-friendly. I have referred a number of people to him and they tell me that his rates are about 50% less than his competitors when you're looking to rent large vans. A 12-person van or a cargo van with the seats removed is a very viable alternative to an RV. You can either e-mail me or call me from anywhere in the U.S. at (800) 458-6006 and I will give you his name and direct number. The point is, a lot of burners from the east coast fly into Sacramento rather than Reno and pick up their van here because unlike Reno, we are rarely sold out six months in advance; but that doesn't mean you shouldn't book early. I hope this helps.

The Doc

[theBrooke]

I took one with four friends, no children. It was my fourth burn and the first with any walls of substance. I must admit having a fridge was super nice, as was the toilet (which we only used for middle of the night dont wanna walk situations)... but I will be returning to the tent this year. I've had so many fun memorable times being outside that metal box, we're in some form of a box all of the time. I found that as soon as I would fall asleep, everyone would come roaring in and that thing would pitch and sway. I like not being attached to the freaks I go with 24/7. RV is going to be almost a necessity if you have children, my suggestions... Don't use your toilet all the time unless you are going to have it pumped while there. And bring a tent anyway, sleep under the stars one night, highly recommended

Brooke

[affinity]

Allen Plunk at Cruise America in San Francisco is very burner friendly and a nice man. Check him out, he is currently booked but if you call soon he will try to find an RV that he can call in from another location. 415.552.5240

[jbelson]

A good alternative to the RV is a pop-up tent trailer. We did it for 2k3 and everyone was comfortable. It had a king and a queen bed. Small dinette, plenty of food storage, and a small fridge (make sure and leval it though or it'll leak). You also wont be charged milage which adds up when you reach into the hundreds.
I thought of upgrading to an RV this year, but might do the trailer again for price (cost me $250 last year) and logistic reasons.

[Icepack]

A good alternative to the RV is a pop-up tent trailer. We did it for 2k3 and everyone was comfortable. It had a king and a queen bed. Small dinette, plenty of food storage, and a small fridge (make sure and leval it though or it'll leak). You also wont be charged milage which adds up when you reach into the hundreds.
I thought of upgrading to an RV this year, but might do the trailer again for price (cost me $250 last year) and logistic reasons.

We looked at pop-ups for sale, and it crossed our mind that the playa dust would probably come right in through the mesh canvas. Are we right? I realize everything will get dusty, but I thought they would be like living in a screen house- extra dusty.

[stuart]

I strongly discourage people from renting an RV for Burning Man.

1. They are expensive, both in rental costs and fuel.
2. They are impossible clean (plan on spending 5-6 hours cleaning if you want your deposit back).
3. Numerous headaches from the rental agency (see other threads).

it's all been said before, so do a search. But in brief...

1.RV rental is expensive, but you know that already. BTW what part of burning man isn't expensive?

2. Not impossible at all. The key is to take precautions during the event. Again, it's been covered, but don't wear shoes. Don't leave anything open during dust storms. Don't run the dash A/C while driving in or out. It takes our crew about 2 hours to clean the thing up better than when we took possession.

3. Headaches? Never had one really.


do not use the toilet or shower!

it's a fine thing

[Layne]

That may still have an RV available?

Regards
Layne