Regular car feasible for two people?

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:13 pm

I'm riding into BM with a friend and we're in a 1999 Mazda 626, which appears to be a regular size car. Not small (that would be the 3-series) not an SUV or a taxi-sized car. Someone more experienced than me thinks we're not going to have enough space.
Our idea is to have one bike on the roof and the other on a rack mounted on the trunk and the rest of our stuff inside. I think we'll be fine and make it work, but wonder if I won't have many gallons of water in my lap as we drive in.

Anyone else have experience with 2 people in a car like this?

Token · Post by **Token** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:25 pm

Should be doable for a minimalist type camp. Pack as much into the trunk and save some space for water behind the front seats. Ten 2.5 gallon suitcases should be ample for two unless you plan to shower.

Why not get a trunk bike rack that can take both bikes? Then you can use a roof rack for light bulky items like bedding and pillows.

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:28 pm

Hmm, good idea. I'll check on that. I think the bike rack that's on the roof might be a permanent mount, but it's worth asking.

(The car is in Santa Cruz and I am in Philly, so the logistics are a bit strained. I'm also researching on mazdaforums what would be involved in removing the back seat.)

ConnieH · Post by **ConnieH** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:39 pm

Totally doable - I did it last year in a VW Passat (and plan to again this year), 2 bikes on a hollywood trunk rack, 2 tents, 2 shade structures, and 2 girls with lots of clothes ;-) The key is organization, pack things within things with holes, minimize packaging, use compression bags for sleeping bags, etc. I was even able to squeeze in my lafuma lounge chair, and that bugger takes up a lot of room.

gaminwench · Post by **gaminwench** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:15 pm

Mazda 626 allows the back seats to fold down to expand the trunk, that will help...

dewnorth · Post by **dewnorth** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:23 pm

I (a virgin) have the exact same question as Gaminwrench. I'm wringing my hands wondering if I can fit enough stuff going from Minnesota to BRC with my son in a Taurus sedan. Will we have to forgo cookware, stove, etc. to have enough room in the car, thus eating Spam, Spagetti-Os, trail mix and energy bars for a week. Even wondering if we'll have room for a cooler.

My compiled camping list would require an 18-wheeler. Gotta be realistic.

ANY comments from those who are minimalist car camping burners would rock my world!

THANKS!

laura* · Post by laura* » Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:11 pm

In 2008, my BRC neighbors had arrived in a similar sized car. There were four of them. They had a roof mounted storage container - and no bikes. Supposedly, between Reno and BRC, the back seat passengers were wedged in amongst a bunch of water jugs. In other words, what you're considering is very doable.

Two of the neighbors found alternate transportation back to the default world. (Their schedule and destinations differed from the car owner's.)

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:48 am

Suggestion: before loading heavily, check your shocks and the weight restrictions for your vehicle. Just so you know if you're dragging tail or not.

EspressoDude · Post by **EspressoDude** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:57 am

AntiM wrote: Just so you know if you're dragging tail

Somehow that just sound sexy when you say that Anti-M

Make sure you tires are very good, almost new. Use a full sized spare and keep it and the jack handy, not buried.

Also keep the heavy shit out of the ass end, but low and centered. Light stuff in back and on top. That way if you have to do "evasive manouvers" your car won't swap ends on the highway.

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:29 am

[quote="ConnieH"]Totally doable - I did it last year in a VW Passat[/quote]

You can pack a lot into a Passat! That's what I drive myself and took it to Alaska once (from Philly)
http://www.geocities.com/paylors/rt_index.html

I had a few daydreams about driving from Philly to Black Rock but can't justify the vacation time spent driving...

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:38 am

The roof mounted bike rack is permanently there so we can't use a rooftop container instead and put two bikes on the truck. I'm surprised that the rack would only hold one bike; thought they were all for two, but I've never bought one before.

We're part of a theme camp so alone, we should be pretty basic. No shower or shade structures, just food, water, tents and bikes.

On the other hand, we're backpacking beforehand and maybe afterwards, so we'll have stuff for that, but I really think that's just backpacks. Everything else we bring is pretty much also playa gear. It means I'm bringing a better quality sleeping bag than last year, but keeping it covered with a top sheet seemed to keep most of the dust out. It's also warmer (got cold last year) and 10 years old so not worried.
My backpack is an old-school external frame pack, but I think maybe we can secure it outside the car when it's empty. Or maybe that's too much like the Joads' truck. We'll figure it out.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/ltackmann/RxEUATby ... _wrath.jpg

I do also have firefighting gear (looks kinda like http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-product ... -by-Globe/ but in black and without the air mask & tank) since I'm helping with ESD this year but I think I can make that work too. I can wear the boots and pants in the car so then it's just a helmet and jacket.

Thanks for all the encouragement, I really think with the right attitude we can make it work!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:48 am

You could always buy a used car from a clown. They make extensive modifications to increase capacity.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 9:47 am

Or rent something spacious.

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:14 am

I thought renting cars was really expensive for the week and to coin a phrase, [i]fraught with peril[/i]. Don't you have to spend a lot of money afterward getting it detailed and cleaned out and still risk capricious fines?

Otherwise, yeah, I'm flying in from Philly so a car rental might have worked out.

And if I lived in the Bay Area, I'd give serious consideration to buying an old school bus, taking out 2/3 of the seats and running an airport - stores - playa - airport delivery service.

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:22 am

[quote="gaminwench"]Mazda 626 allows the back seats to fold down to expand the trunk, that will help...[/quote]

Any idea how easy it is to remove the back seats?

Lord Of Ruin · Post by **Lord Of Ruin** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:42 am

[quote="paylors"][quote="gaminwench"]Mazda 626 allows the back seats to fold down to expand the trunk, that will help...[/quote]

Any idea how easy it is to remove the back seats?[/quote]

I used to own a 626...they don't need removing...they fold down flat so that you have a pass through to the trunk.

Also, it might help for you to think of the trip in stages. You could, for instance, arrange to fly in to Sacramento or Reno. This would enable the other person to have a bit more room and leave you both cramped for just the final 90 min. or so from Reno to BRC.

You might want to also investigate simply buying playa bikes on the way to BRC...you can get them for as low as $20 or so...and simply drop them back off after the event. Again, leaving more room/better mileage for the bulk of the trip.

Make no mistake, you will be very, very tight in that configuration. I too would go for an additional rental car. You could rent in Sacramento and caravan out there keeping in contact via Talkabouts/cell phones. The rental could be used for exclusively hauling gear. You reach playa, unload quickly and lock it tight as a drum. Very little playa will get inside unless you keep accessing it.

Bag everything in clean trash bags going into the trunk and simply pay for the car wash on the way out.

One final thing...don't forget that we at Gate will need to search your car fully. This means that if your bike is lashed to the trunk, it'll need to be removed so the trunk can be opened. There are no exceptions to this...

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:55 am

Even if the seats fold flat (this is a '99 model that we have), if they are removed, it's more storage space in the car.
I was mostly thinking of the seat cushion/bottom because that was easy to remove on one of my cars. It's probably not easy to remove the seatbacks themselves.

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:10 am

Lord of ruin forgot to mention to pack a clean set of clothes in a ziplock or the like kinda bag. and leave this in yer car for the duration of the burn. then after finally getting out of exodus pull over somewhere and change yer clothes for a nice ride home

ConnieH · Post by **ConnieH** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:22 pm

You say you are part of a camp and don't need a shade structure? Then you should be fine! And you are a backpacker - pack the car as you would your backpack

Depending what type of bike rack your friend has, it may be possible to buy a second one - is it the "tray type" like Yakima or Thule? I see those on craigslist often for less than $100. Although putting both bikes on a hollywood rack and getting a rocket box for the top would give you more cargo space. But back to my point, how much do you really NEED to take? Food - take backpacker dehydrated meals, just add water and eat in the bag - only a spoon needed. Or Tasty Bite Indian entrees - boil in bag or eat cold (which is warm on the playa). We got by with a very small cooler last year, which mostly held beer and pickles.

Your biggest items will be:
Water containers
tent (pack down small and get rid of any excessive packaging/bags)
Sleeping bags (use a compression sack)
Sleeping pad/cot (use backpacking mats if you can, or inflatables)
Folding chairs (not much you can do to minimize those)
Shade structure (but you don't need to bring one - lucky!)
Cooler (the less cold stuff you need, the smaller you can get by with)
Food box (minimize packaging and buy small - no big bags of chips or things that take up too much space, tortillas instead of bread, instant coffee instead of french press, etc...think about all the food you want to bring and see if you can find smaller alternatives)
Liquor (beer takes more room, hard stuff less if you can forgo mixers)
Kitchen equipment (consider a one burner stove if mostly all the cooking you'll be doing is boiling water)
Clothes - this one is hard for me since I take a lot of costumes, I'll minimize my food before I minimize my playa wear

Think of everything and come up with smaller alternatives. It can be done!

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:45 pm

Lord Of Ruin wrote: One final thing...don't forget that we at Gate will need to search your car fully. This means that if your bike is lashed to the trunk, it'll need to be removed so the trunk can be opened. There are no exceptions to this...

Like hell there aren't... last year I drove right on in, in an RV towing a big trailer, and no one even looked at a thing.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:00 pm

Captain Goddammit wrote:
Lord Of Ruin wrote: One final thing...don't forget that we at Gate will need to search your car fully. This means that if your bike is lashed to the trunk, it'll need to be removed so the trunk can be opened. There are no exceptions to this...
Like hell there aren't... last year I drove right on in, in an RV towing a big trailer, and no one even looked at a thing.

Yeah...same with us...big RV stuffed to the gills and nary a peep from Gate! Just waved us thru after rousting us for beer and smokes! The thing I thought most memorable my first Burn was how thoroughly Gate went thru everything we had with a fine-toothed comb...made us clear the bed so's they could search under the mattress for our stowaways, opened all the closets and cupboards, and shit we all look like fuckin' ax murderers...then they rousted us for beer and smokes! Ah, the good ol' days when wearing clean underwear used to mean something at the Gate

Token · Post by **Token** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:08 pm

Just pull in a open trailer full of manequins and say: "Where's Waldo".

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:00 am

Like hell there aren't... last year I drove right on in, in an RV towing a big trailer, and no one even looked at a thing.
_________________

thats because you're the Captain, Goddammit.

Lord Of Ruin · Post by **Lord Of Ruin** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:03 pm

[quote="Captain Goddammit"][quote="Lord Of Ruin"]
One final thing...don't forget that we at Gate will need to search your car fully. This means that if your bike is lashed to the trunk, it'll need to be removed so the trunk can be opened. There are no exceptions to this...[/quote]

Like hell there aren't... last year I drove right on in, in an RV towing a big trailer, and no one even looked at a thing.[/quote]
Captain

Respectfully, if I'm not mistaken you get early arrivals do you not?

There are certain times where the searching and observation do get altered a bit, but users here should not take your case to be the norm.

The policy is that all vehicles will be searched, and participants should prepare for that accordingly.

LoR

Bounce530 · Post by **Bounce530** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:34 pm

AntiM wrote:Suggestion: before loading heavily, check your shocks and the weight restrictions for your vehicle. Just so you know if you're dragging tail or not.

I make my truck do that with no load at all, just hit the switch..(great for getting tailgaters to back off, when you drop the truck and shower them with sparks)

Oreally? · Post by **Oreally?** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:19 pm

You can always not bring bikes, bring and extra $100 and buy two bikes along the way in Gerlach. Get the bike rack, but save the hassle of hauling bikes both ways. Also, don't buy ice, groceries, or anything until you get into RENO or Sparks.

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:01 am

A few thoughts for space saving...

Get a few boxes of the large ziplock bags (3 gallon size) and bring extra cash for ice. Ice melt is perfectly fine to drink if it is kept clean and one bag will melt down into about a gallon and a half or so. Break down your ice into ziplocks and keep them upright. Once melted, pour them into collapsible 5 gallon water jugs. This is an expensive way to have water, but it alleviates some of the weight and storage from your vehicle.

If coming in from the east, there is a Super Giganto Wally Mart in Fernly right off of 80 about a mile before your turn to head north.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:15 am

Remember that driving off-road onto the desert is not for wimpy cars. It might offer you more wear and tear than you can afford.

paylors · Post by **paylors** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:35 am

Do you know people who have had trouble with their regular cars on the playa? I don't remember any ground clearance issues last year; the paths were all very smooth. We were a little concerned about duct taping over the air intakes to keep playa dust out, but my friend said there was no evidence of problems when he checked under the hood. He was mechanically inclined, as are most people who are still driving VW trucks.

So I'd wager that as long as the cooling system was up to effort of idling in the entry/exodus traffic, wimpy cars are fine for it?

Token · Post by **Token** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:53 am

Duct tape is no good. The fine playa loosens the glue and it falls completely off in a matter of minuter. You want to get a can of the weatherstriping foam from like Home Depot or Lowes and fill in the air intakes 1/2 way. Don't worry, the foam will expand and prevent any playa dust from entering.

Btw, the same foam makes awesome earplugs. Just squirt a smidgen in the ol' ear cannal and listen to it expand. In a couple minutes you are in blisfull - 69 dB silence. I do this every time I go to the Opulent Temple or Root Society.

I think you worry a bit too much. Just let go and take the ride.

Regular car feasible for two people?

Regular car feasible for two people?

better bike rack

What about cookware & food?

Passat

Bike rack permanent

don't want to rent

back seat removal

alleged dangers of driving regular cars onto playa