First-time RV'ers...tips please!

dkim4biz · Post by **dkim4biz** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:40 am

We're renting a RV for the first time this year and driving it over to BRC. I'd appreciate any tips for renting a RV. What should I watch out for? Any horror stories? Anything will help and thanks!

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:32 am

to avoid the annoying "Clean-up" fees that can go as high as $2500 a vehicle especially if they KNOW you're going to burning man, i would leave my RV in gerlach and walk in.

then each night, bribe a gate person with sex or drugs or booze or municipal bonds, get a return stamp, go eat at bruno's, stay in your nice quiet, clean RV,
and laugh at all the dusty hippies from the comfort of your winnebago.

ps....if possible, could you bring a TV so i can join you on thursday night and catch the season premiere of 30 Rock?

i'll bring nachos.

Post by **Elderberry** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:15 am

There's a ton of threads on this. Do a search.

and Welcome to eplaya!

JK

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:05 pm

jkisha wrote:There's a ton of threads on this. Do a search.

and Welcome to eplaya!

JK

Awww gee JK, maybe he wanted his own thread

crstophr · Post by **crstophr** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 2:12 pm

Last year was my first time there with an RV I personally own. Here is my general advice. First of all for a rental get the cleaning fees, etc in writing up front. You will get the whole thing covered with dust, probably inside too. My first day the wind ripped off my door and deposited half the desert on the inside of my shiny clean trailer.

Surrender to the dust and quit fighting it. It will only drive you crazy. Make time to clean up after the event.
Post a warning sign about your generator so people at least know what to expect. I got by only running mine during the hot part of the day but it was noisy. Do what you can to quiet it down. You'll have to run it periodically to charge your batteries.
Be hospitable with your space. RVs are luxury at BM. Offer others the opportunity to hang out in the AC and share a cold one from your fridge or a snack. Some of the best times I had was with a group crowded inside the trailer.
Use it as a wind screen and park with your door upwind. (door faces NE).
Have fun!

--Chris

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:05 pm

10 years of RVing on the Playa:

1. Don't use the side mounted awing.. DON'T... The wind will rip it off..

2. Don't think you can use the shower. You will fill the tanks to fast..

3. Don't use the Toilet very much, and Don't use 2 ply paper. It may aid in plugging the tank later..

4. Don't use the water tank for drinking water. You don't want to get sick while on the Playa. It's a rental and you don't know how clean the tank is.

5. Remember, the generator can use up to .8gal of gas per hour. It won't run if your below 1/4 tank of gas.

6. Don't plan on getting your grey/black tank dumped while on the Playa. You just may not find the vendor when you need them. It can cost up to $75.00 cash, and a few ice cold beers...

7. Take lot's of photo's of the rig b-4 you leave the lot. We hear lot's of bad stories hear and getting screwed for this and that later.. We don't want to hear your crying later.. We just don't..

8. Try everything in the rig. Run the Gennie for 15-20 Mins and run the A/C, micro, lights , fridge. Don't be rushed to get off the lot. We don't want to hear your crying later..

9. Make sure your Propane tank is full and run the Fridge on gas while on the Playa. You should be fine.
10. DON'T FUCKING DRIVE ON THE ROAD LIKE YOUR IN YOUR CAR... DON'T FUCKING PASS ANYONE.. DON'T FUCKING BE IN A HURRY. DON'T FUCKING PULL ON THE SOFT SHOULDER TO WAIT FOR YOUR FRIEND AND GET STUCK.
11. DO handout cool treats while waiting in line to leave. Everyone likes that. Think otter-pops, But freeze them the night b-4.
12. When you pull off the road onto the Playa. Leave your windows up and switch the A/C to recirculate to keep the dust out of the vents. I run the Gennie and the roof top A/C while checking in.
13. Have lots of extra cold drink to get to "Gate" and to "Greeters" We enjoy it..
Blaaaa Blaaaa Blaaaa. If I/we miss anything, we don't want to hear your Crying..

Post by **Sham** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:09 pm

There is a roll of adhesive plastic almost like contact paper that is made to cover the floor of an RV. I used it on the carpet (yes, carpet) of my art car last year and it kept the dust to a reasonable level. I would highly recommend that anyone with an RV, rented or not, buy a roll of this stuff from an Rv supply store and cover as much of your vehicle as possible. Keep in mind, that everything you own, will have a thick haze of fine playa dust on it. At first you will think you can avoid this, but within a few days, you will just give up and let the dust take over your entire being. You will learn to love this dust and have an uncontrollable urge to roll naked in it. You will now be a true burner.
Have fun!

Playa Tom · Post by **Playa Tom** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:49 pm

No problem. Use the RV for a week, make sure it is insured, take it home and take out everything you want to keep then drive it down to your local homeless encampment and give it to some deserving soul. When you get back home report it stolen.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:23 pm

i like playa tom.

we think alike.

what's a little insurance fraud amongst friends....Just like Maurice 'hank' greenberg

sunn · Post by **sunn** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:42 pm

Besides covering the floor, cover the upholstered chairs inside with sheet and duct tape. As soon as we get to Pyramid Lake near BM, we cover all the windows we can with heavy paper, taping inside. Hang a sheet between the cab and back part to cut down on dust. Don't underestimate the playa dust! It's super fine and gets in easily. I keep a lot of clorox wipes and a small broom handy. Every day I wipe down the kitchen surfaces and sweep. It may seem futile but it does help. When we returned the RV we rented the first year, we camped overnight and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned before we returned it. Oh, and take my advice...don't tell the RV rental you're going to BM. :lol: We just said we're going to camp in the Sierras.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:49 pm

FUEL: I take along 15 gallons of spare gas in 3 poly gas cans. You might run the genie more than you think and it's always good to have the extra fuel to get you out the gate to the first gas station.

My first year with the RV we ran the tank fairly low. Thankfully our camp neighbors had spare fuel that we bought from them. From then on I always bring extra. Our last top off is in Cedarville which is about 170 miles round trip from BRC...that distance, plus waiting in line, and running the gennie (sparingly) is enough to seriously deplete your fuel.

DUST: I've never taken extreme measures to keep out the dust. We have people coming in and out all the time in all conditions. When the dust storms blow up we'll close the windows and lower the sun shade (everyone is trained to do that), but that's about it. Be one with the dust. We clean the hell out of the RV when we get home and never had a problem turning it back in to the rental place. BTW, we've never told them where we're going...just a family camping trip.

joemomma · Post by **joemomma** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:13 pm

What the hell is a genie?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:19 pm

SnowBlind · Post by **SnowBlind** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:25 pm

joemomma wrote:What the hell is a genie?

You know, its a little fancy bottle, and when you rub it a genie comes out and fulfills your wishes. Or something like that.

Edit: Dang, Ygmir beat me to it.

Gizmostarr · Post by **Gizmostarr** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:36 am

joemomma wrote:What the hell is a genie?

OK now.... let's tell the truth.... a "gennie" is a cool, hip, short form for generator. But a "genie" is that creature that comes out of a bottle when you rub it.

And, ygmir.... hey! How'd you get a signed pic (short for picture) of my dreamgirl from the 60's, Barbara Eden?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:17 am

Gizmostarr wrote:
joemomma wrote:What the hell is a genie?
OK now.... let's tell the truth.... a "gennie" is a cool, hip, short form for generator. But a "genie" is that creature that comes out of a bottle when you rub it.

And, ygmir.... hey! How'd you get a signed pic (short for picture) of my dreamgirl from the 60's, Barbara Eden?

secret eplaya/google search shopping button

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:14 am

dragonpilot wrote: My first year with the RV we ran the tank fairly low. Thankfully our camp neighbors had spare fuel that we bought from them.

You have commited the sin of Commerce. Please remain where you are while I round up the peasents with pitchforks and torches.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:55 am

Our best RV hint EVER: You have to be very careful about conserving your water - it's very easy to run out if you use the amenities of the RV.

Turn off the water pump. Make signs for over the sink and shower that say TURN OFF THE WATER PUMP. If you don't, any time you flush the toilet, there goes your precious fresh water down the drain. Use your dishwater (sparingly) if you have to flush.

There are two wastewater tanks in an RV with two dump valves. Grey water is from the sink and shower, black water is from the toilet. We drain the grey water into an evap pond. (Obviously, be extra sure which is which - TEST THIS AT HOME)

I concurr with ibDave - try hard NOT to use the toilet.

mattlavigne · Post by **mattlavigne** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:49 pm

We took our small travel trailer last year. At our last stop before heading to the playa, we ran 2-inch painters tape over all the window seams. I was very surprised how little dust we had at the end of the week.

What dust we did accumulate succumed to the little rechargable leaf blower I brought along.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Fri May 29, 2009 10:18 pm

Simon of the Playa wrote:ps....if possible, could you bring a TV so i can join you on thursday night and catch the season premiere of 30 Rock?

i'll bring nachos.

Be extra careful that they really are nachos...!

gypsy68 · Post by **gypsy68** » Sat May 30, 2009 9:53 am

Don't forget to clean the top of the RV before returning it!

Token · Post by **Token** » Sat May 30, 2009 11:55 am

Put a big matt in front of the door and clean it often.

Never ever enter the RV without taking your shoes off. Not even for a quick second or two.

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Sat May 30, 2009 4:33 pm

Any special precautions to take to protect the propane tanks from the sun/heat?

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Sat May 30, 2009 4:58 pm

Propane works better when it is warm in the tank, no precautions are necessary, it was sitting in the sun in a tank before they filled your tanks.

as to the above comments about not using the toilet ?

The toilet is the 2nd biggest luxury of having the RV in the first place.

Bring exra water and refill the tank when you use all of the first fill.

Do bring extra blue stuff for the toilet, as you will need it later in the week when your shit is decomposing .

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:01 pm

For use of the rv, trailer life has some excellent books.
I think I have all of them.
They range from basic intro to advanced maintenance.
A few are part travel info and less useful.

brcprincess · Post by **brcprincess** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:55 pm

As others have said, you will need to cover the floors, windows with paper, as well as setting up a paper or plastic barrier from the living area into the drivers area (if you have a cabover). You aren't really in and out of the driver area during the week, so there's no point filling that area up with unnecessary dust.

Remember to clean out the filter in your RV when you are cleaning your RV to return it. It gets filled with dust and will shake out as you drive.

Make sure you use blue painters tape when taping paper and plastic inside the RV as other types melt in the heat and can leave marks on the walls.

Get some extra fuel tanks for gas, that way you won't panic about running out and will feel relaxing about keeping the generator running and the AC on. Also, remember to top up your gas tank at the gas station in Empire, this way you arrive at BM with a full tank of gas.

We don't use our toilet as it tends to stink up. However, we do each keep an empty water bottle, the girls have funnels, and we just go into the bathroom and pee in that, then take empty it into the portaloos in the morning.

Don't take your RV key with you when you go out at night. Hide it outside somewhere. We usually attach it to something large like a BBQ tong and stick it in one of the undercarriages of the RV so it doesn't get lost. Then whoever comes home first can always let themselves in. And your key won't get lost on the Playa.

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:18 pm

Instead of pissing into a spare water bottle, use an empty large mouth detergent bottle. It's harder to make a mistake in the dark. If using a water bottle, mark PISS on it or put a bright label on it. Just sayin'.

First-time RV'ers...tips please!

First-time RV'ers...tips please!

Get it in writing and surrender to the experience

genie

Re: genie

Re: genie

Re: genie

Dust control