RV like conditions without an RV at Burning Man this year ?

zanek · Post by **zanek** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:07 pm

So I've been to BM 5 yrs in a row and this year I really want a shower (at least every 1-2 days) and a semi cool place to sleep.

I've found my biggest problems over the years have been :

- feeling completely gross from being sticky for 3 days without a shower
- going to bed at 6am and waking up at 8am, soaking in sweat in a 100+F degree tent

I know some people will be like, "suck it up, its part of the experience", but I would strongly disagree.

The thing is, most of the RV's are rented out already (in Reno, SF, Sacramento,etc), so thats out. I'm going to just rent a car this year.

I know there are camps that have showers that they make (I've had solar showers with me previously), but you can only shower during the day when its really hot with them, so I'd prefer a way to shower at night. Also my girlfriend is coming (1st timer) so I'm trying not to rough it as much. I can sleep through noise, I just cant sleep when its unbearably hot.

I'm really not handy at all (software engineer), so building some complicated structure may be just a dream. Hopefully one of my fellow burners has an idea I havent thought of. I'm up for camping with a new camp (and paying for it), though I'd prefer one closer to the Esplanade.

Anyone know of a camp that offers or a way to get a warm shower while on the playa (I'm willing to pay !) ? Suggestions for the best way to keep cool when sleeping during the early morning ?

Thoughts on ways to keep reasonably clean and keep cool while sleeping ?

Flame on ...

chiefdanfox · Post by **chiefdanfox** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:12 pm

This would work. And I hear speedos are all the rage at BRC this year.

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:14 pm

Thoughts on ways to keep reasonably clean and keep cool while sleeping ?

Sleep at night.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:14 pm

You can rent a shower truck.

I can't tell you how reassuring it is that you work on software, yet call yourself unhandy.
I'll think of that, the next time everything crashes.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:18 pm

There are several companies that make hot water on demand camping showers. We have an RV but it still uses less water to use the solar shower - just heat the water for it up over your camp stove and mix it in your solar shower for showering at night.

Put shade over your tent, then use a sprayer or just douse yourself with water when trying to sleep. It makes a huge difference if you are wet and "evaporating". Doing this we don't run the AC in the RV at all.

zanek · Post by **zanek** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:20 pm

Nice play on the word crash

However, the quality of my software is not correlated with my unhandiness !

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:34 pm

zanek wrote:Nice play on the word crash

However, the quality of my software is not correlated with my unhandiness !

I must be missing my own joke.
Clue me in?

A garden sprayer works for showers and even a mister.
If you get the stainless type, you can heat them on a stove.

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:54 pm

> And I hear speedos are all the rage at BRC this year.

So is wearing your underwear on the outside of your tights.

As to showers, people have mentioned garden misters/sprayers and those hang-in-the-sun bags with a shower head attachment. They both work. Whether they'll be too cold when you shower at night or early AM is a question for you to determine. You can also take 'spit baths' from a big dish basin or similar container - wet yourself by hand, soap up, rinse off from the bowl, then drink it so you don't sully the playa with your soapy washwater.

I have a couple of friends who swear that putting three tarps over their tents with space between the tarps keeps the tent as cool during the day as it was during the night. You need to keep enough space for air to flow through freely. I've never tried it.

I also heard that if you take 60% camo netting and double it, you get 120% shade, which makes the tent too cold to sleep in during the day. Just don't leave water under it, and I think you'll be okay.

uncle sticky · Post by **uncle sticky** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 3:05 pm

Look at a pop up or a tow behind trailer. Many on them have showers. We use a bucket bath inside an enclosure, but it is too cold at night.

For keeping cool, a fan and wet sheets or cloths works nicely, as do misters and similar approaches.

EB · Post by EB » Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:16 pm

I swear by my teepee shower. Folds up into a small duffel:

http://www.pahaque.com/products-tepee.shtml

I haven't tried a heater but I'm sure it would do the trick if you wanted to shower early morning:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanC ... asenum=215

chiefdanfox · Post by **chiefdanfox** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:25 pm

The coleman works like a champ. Used one last year, 7-8 showers and didn't burn through more than two canisters of gas.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:45 pm

For showering/cleaning off:

Method 1;

Bring kiddie pool.

Stand in kiddie pool.

Utilize a garden sprayer to wash and rinse off.

Water is trapped in kiddie pool.

Bring a few old towels (or buy some cheap cotton ones) to soak up water in kiddie pool.

Hang towel over kiddie pool to dry and evaporate the water.

Repeat process for next shower.

Method 2;

Buy several packages of bathing wipes.
Such as:
http://www.norinse.com/outdoorbathingwipes.htm

Typically sold as no rinse bathing. Can also be found at drug stores for inhome care of bed ridden people.

2 of these wipes will take care of most cleaning needs in one sitting.

The mighty and wise Zulegoona added the extra step of soaking down a wash cloth or small towel with water and toweling yourself off after the bathing wipe down. It will remove that lingering feeling of not quite soapy residue.

Leaves you feeling clean and refreshed and no gray water to worry about.

For hair washing, check the Who, What When, Where for camps offering this service. Most are BYOW but soooooooooooooooooooooo worth it. Having my hair washed and scalp massaged last year in the middle of the week was orgasmic.

Sleeping cool.

Shade, air space, shade, air space, tent.

Mister and fan combo would be the simplest set up.

Generator, air conditioner, some ducting material and making a blanket fort inside the tent would be a complex but effective method.

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:54 pm

Get a good sized truck or trailer.
Get a GP Medium tent, with liner.
Get a lot of beer.
Use the beer to get a bunch of people to help with the tent.
Build a shower.
Takes showers.
Hook a swamp cooler up to the GP Medium tent.
Get a generator and a bunch of gas to run the swamp cooler.
Use the (filtered) shower water in the swamp cooler.

See, showers and a cool place to sleep!

Martini Steve

skibear · Post by **skibear** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:14 pm

Or the easiest solution is:

Visit the Human Carcus Wash

They're open every afternoon.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:37 pm

If I were going to camp in the middle of a fucking desert in August, for FUN, without an RV, I'd get a swamp cooler for my tent and a propane-heated shower setup. Maybe even a little quiet Honda EU2000 generator to run the cooler. (And whatever else.) If you can afford to rent an RV, you can easily afford those things.
Go buy them now, and try them out and learn how to use them before you go.
It's not hard. Do it or be dirty and fry and have your girlfriend hate it.

zanek · Post by **zanek** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:04 am

Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone !

I really appreciate it ! I've written all of them down and will be monitoring this thread for new ones as well.

I'm going to definitely try the layered camo nets, wet towels, kiddie pool, and swamp coolor (or fan) on a generator ! I'm also looking into the propane heater shower solution. Thanks EB also for the link to the Coleman water heater. I'll probably get that (you rock).

Yay, I love Burning Man people !

Marscrumbs · Post by **Marscrumbs** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:57 am

Frankly, my 30 second strip and run drill is the highlight of my day at BRC. Nothing like being hosed by the water trucks, compared say to those light water saving camp showers.

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:12 pm

Marscrumbs wrote:Frankly, my 30 second strip and run drill is the highlight of my day at BRC. Nothing like being hosed by the water trucks, compared say to those light water saving camp showers.

Umm.. do you people ever bother to read what is written on the back of those trucks? The huge sign that says don't come in contact with the water? Non-potable?

I'll stick to clean water for my shower, thanks.

Badger

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:25 pm

Blocking all the light and heat is best for shade.
Silvicool looks good and solid aluminet is great if you can find a source.
I can't find it in the usa.
Some cheap tarps have sunblock.
Some billboard tarps work too.
Even a full block tarp directly on a tent works.
Spacing helps.

Reflectix is great stuff for the inside.

Intubater69 · Post by **Intubater69** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:43 pm

I read another post somewhere in a galaxy far, far away in which the author would take a sheet, get it wet and drape in over themselves when crashing.

Post by **trilobyte** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:25 pm

I've never camped in an RV. I've always had a shower at camp. It's not that tough - on the low/basic end you can do a solar shower for cheap that does the job and keeps you clean. On the higher end, you can get something that requires juice but is powered/pressurized. It's not that tough, and not very expensive if you're splitting the costs between a few campmates.

Trilo

Hoolie · Post by **Hoolie** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:15 am

Marscrumbs wrote:Frankly, my 30 second strip and run drill is the highlight of my day at BRC. Nothing like being hosed by the water trucks, compared say to those light water saving camp showers.

I've done this a few times. Good fun. But your feet get caked in playa mud, so you need a footbath afterwards.

joemomma · Post by **joemomma** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 4:47 pm

Non-Potable means you can't drink it. Bad fomites....
I stayed in a 25ft 5th wwheeler last year.virgin year, how spoiled... went to the green penis shower 1 day, did the truck thing a few other days.... by the 4th or 5th day, ready to use the camer shower.
Damn neighbors, took showers and used up all the water...didn't take navy showers, kept the water running...and we didn't even get laid!!!!!!
This year I'm going by myself, will try the solar shower, but not sure how much water I can bring in my subaru.....beer will be taking up too much space......

MedullaB · Post by **MedullaB** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:07 pm

Keeping cool while camping is all about layered shade. If you can get a shade over your tent with about a foot or so of clearance to allow air flow you should be good. A second layer would be even better. Remember to put extra shade on the eastern side so that it doesn't start to cook in the am sun...

We have a little 14ft boler trailer with a 10x10 white canopy that sits over top and allows for air flow over top and it was generally cool enough to sleep until 10:30am before I got too sweaty. I was even able to take a couple of naps inside during the afternoon heat!

Bring a deep cycle battery and a 12V oscillating fan and you could probably get another hour of sleep.

You sure you want to bring the girlfriend? Sounds like you are trying to make it more 'bearable' for her - but is it really for her if that's the way it needs to be? What if things get rough (weather wise) out there? Will she go squirrely on ya?

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:38 pm

Folks...the water coming out of the water sprayer trucks is reclaimed agro runoff...most of the solids are filtered out, but this stuff if it gets in your system can cause serious illness. I know it looks all cool and fun, but it can ruin your day if you ingest it or get it in an open cut...get a clue.

Mosin · Post by **Mosin** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:59 pm

[quote="Captain Goddammit"]If I were going to camp in the middle of a fucking desert in August, for FUN, without an RV, I'd get a swamp cooler for my tent and a propane-heated shower setup. Maybe even a little quiet Honda EU2000 generator to run the cooler. (And whatever else.) If you can afford to rent an RV, you can easily afford those things.
Go buy them now, and try them out and learn how to use them before you go.
It's not hard. Do it or be dirty and fry and have your girlfriend hate it.[/quote]

+2

That is, if I was stupid enough to participate in aformentioned fucking desert camping in August.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 12:21 am

dragonpilot wrote:Folks...the water coming out of the water sprayer trucks is reclaimed agro runoff...most of the solids are filtered out, but this stuff if it gets in your system can cause serious illness. I know it looks all cool and fun, but it can ruin your day if you ingest it or get it in an open cut...get a clue.

man, you guys and your water truck warnings....

ok, so i've never followed the truck for more than, say, a minute, and i've not played mouth squirty or douched my eyes,......but after getting pretty splashed countless times i've not had one problem.

don't fear the water truck

...I've also jumped off a lower westside pier into the hudson river, so eat me!

phreakshew · Post by **phreakshew** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 12:55 am

we are bringing our van to live in -

bought the cheapest, smallest home AC unit we could find

acquired small 1800 watt generator

Placing AC unit on driver's seat atop small platform- steering wheel helps keep it from falling off seat - duct tape plastic sheeting around driver's window, and attach hose to catch any condensation from bottom of AC to pan on floorboard

plug AC into generator - roll down window - let er rollll

as for the other - we don't take showers as we are part cats - we just lick ourselves clean.

RV like conditions without an RV at Burning Man this year ?

RV like conditions without an RV at Burning Man this year ?

trailer

Timing is everything.

Re: Timing is everything.

Re: Timing is everything.

cheapo coolio