Essentials on low budget

[easyfeazy]

Hi everyone,

My wife and me are going to our first burn this year and we can't wait! As I hungrily scour this forum and read about preparation, I can't help but notice everyone seems to have a lot of stuff that would be really nice to have on the playa.

We don't really have any money (I sold my motorcycle to get the tickets) and live our lives on a shoestring budget with a lot of free time. We do have some camping gear, an REI 2-person tent, decent sleeping bags, a couple cheap beach chairs, and an inflatable mattress.

I don't want to be dependent on others, so what are the bare essentials to get us by without any serious suffering? I don't think we'll be able to spend more than $300-$400 excluding gas for the trip. What's the best way to spend that amount?

Thanks in advance!

[ragabashpup]

Water and Food.
Sunscreen and lip balm.
Googles and some sort of dust masks.
Rebar to help stake the tent down.
First Aid kit.
Baby Wipes.
Also remember radical self reliance
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/

[ygmir]

I saw a bunch of good lists, including the above, on a thread here somewhere, you might try the search feature......(I can't use it very well, so, can't really tell you how).

but, there has been a lot of info posted.

[TomServo]

...plus, get a big blue or silver tarp, attach one side to two poles, park your car on the opposite edge...voila! Shade

[lonestoner916]

Water and Food.
Sunscreen and lip balm.
Googles (or goggles even!) and some sort of dust masks.
Rebar to help stake the tent down.
First Aid kit.
Baby Wipes.
Also remember radical self reliance
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/

Pretty much all you need! Any extra can go towards booze and/or gifts. You don't even NEED the first aid kit, the folks at the Med tent will hook you up with bandaids and bags of IV fluids...

[ragabashpup]

It can be mildly complicated to actually find the way to the med tent sometimes though especially at night..when you are a virgin..and its dark..and the music is pulsing and for some reason you are easily distracted. I like to have it just in case....

[easyfeazy]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I'll count the rest of the stuff we bring bonus.

I've also been hearing about tents breaking and air mattresses popping. How likely is that? Is it a bad idea not to have backups?

[ragabashpup]

Air mattresses are hit or miss anyway so that part is up to you. So far I have not used one while there but have been tempted.
Tents on the other hand...well the one I used my virgin year managed to snap a pole while I was sleeping in it during a dust storm. That was...entertaining to say the least.
If you have a high quality tent and put it up close to your car you should be okay.

[Sham]

My wife and me

My wife and I

Cut everything down to the bare basics. There is no need to bring any type of gifts. As far as food, you would be eating no matter where you are, so you will not be spending any "extra" money. Plan your meals ahead and make lists of exactly what you will need for each meal. Even if you bring extra food, you can always use it later.

It's huge that you have camping gear already. Keep an eye open for the clearance areas in the big box stores and buy only things that you really need at deeply discounted prices.

Again, food and shelter are the biggest expenses and it sounds like those are under control.

Best of luck---WELCOME---and sorry for the English correction above.

[gyre]

If you are going to ride a bike, then a headlamp of at least one watt.

Flashing stuff, best with batteries that can be changed, for visibility.
Reflective helps too.

Fluorescent material works great in cloudy daylight, dust storms, etc

[Sham]

Another great source for playa supplies, clothes and lighting is yard sales. You will need to be diligent and hit several every weekend, but you can get camping stoves, tents, air mattresses and even very funky clothes that can be taken apart and modified for the playa.

Most people having yard sales are glad to make a few buck and happy to pass on their things on to someone who will be using them. Recently I bought a single burner propane stove, with the tank included for $1.00.

[Sail Man]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I'll count the rest of the stuff we bring bonus.

I've also been hearing about tents breaking and air mattresses popping. How likely is that? Is it a bad idea not to have backups?

Depending on your tent and it's poles, you may find repair kits for the poles. Here's a place to check, they also have a myriad of other supplies and not priced out of this world: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Sto ... &langId=-1

Also take a repair kit for your air mattress. If you bring a spray bottle for misting each other, you can also use it to spray soapy water on the mattress to help locate a leak.

It wouldnt hurt to take extra blankets from home that you can use to sleep on in the event of a total blow-out of your mattress.

[AntiM]

Flashlights at a minimum at night. We've been trying to pick up the free ones from Harbor Freight for spares/gifts, but I think they switched to free tape measures.

Truckstop clearance bins have light up things now and then.

[easyfeazy]

I hadn't thought of tent pole repair kits. Actually, one of our tent poles does have a broken shock cord, so we need to get some of that anyway. Thanks!

As far as shade, someone suggested a tarp attached to two poles and the car. How would you secure the poles, and where do you attach the tarp to the car?

[phil]

Check here:
http://www.cieux.com/bm/things.html
List of some stuff, list of links for more stuff at the bottom.

My minimum recommendations would include ground covering under your shade structure, tent, mattresses, sleeping bags, clothes for the time you'll be there, food, water, beverages, sunblock, hats, lights for night, depending on your needs and flexibility - chairs and table under your shade, cookstove and fuel, ice chest and ice, canteens, eating utensils, plates, bowls, and cooking pots and pans.

On water, you need enough to drink and cook; if you want to bathe, you'll need water for bathing.

Much if the gear can be bought second hand if you don't have it already. Louise and I trash pick carpet remnants outside places that install carpets and use that as our ground cover. (Which reminds me, whatever you pack in you'll have to pack out and maybe pay for disposal at Reno or wherever. )

Look through the long lists and trim to suit yourselves. I highly recommend lights at night. You don't need them to see, you need them to be seen. Please don't be a darkwad.

Things people don't ordinarily think of: extra sanitary napkins (Burning Man seems to cause menstrual flow for some reason), bandaids and more for cuts and scrapes, ear plugs, warm clothes, saline nasal spray.

You'll find out what you need your first year, then you'll get better your next few years as you learn and trim down what you bring and didn't need.

[dragonfly Jafe]

#1 Shade

It gets HOT during the day, and it lasts for 12 hours or so. You want personal shade, big enough for you and your Wife to nap in those chairs of yours. A rug or two will keep the corrosive Playa off you feet and other things.

#2 lots of personal lights for walking around

It gets DARK at night, and certain agencies are driving vehicles around at speed who are not focused on avoiding you - and there are also Mutant Vehicles driven by Burners that can't always stop or turn on a dime, so they need to see you from a ways off. Don't be a "Darkwad"

#3 Dust Masks

the wind blows almost every day (there have been years with almost no wind, but don't plan on it!). Winds can exceed 50mph, although most days 20-30mph is typical. It gets DUSTY. Within a day or two you will either accept the dust or flee screaming. You will come to regard eating some dust in your food or sleeping with some dust in your sheets as "OK".

[shiznicks1]

Ya id agree that food, shelter, and water are the essentials. If you have a stove, I say pancakes for breakfast, grill cheese for lunch and spagetti for dinner. You can do this all week and keep it pretty cheap. Goggles, bandana, and lights are also a must! Already said, but dust storms at night can be dangerous if your not seen by some crazed mutant vehicle. Check thrift stores, yard sales, craigslist, and estate sales. If you can, bring a bike too. The Playa is quite large. Its amazing how everything else just seems to take care of itself. And dont fear asking your neighbors for a little help here and there, im sure it will be mutual eventually. If everything you bring fails, dont worry, youll still be fine.

[Elorrum]

(If you don't mind canned goods and noodleroni types of things) I always check when I go to the store and see what's on sale. chicken noodle soup was 69 cents this weekend, grabbed a couple of cans. My favorite playa meal is canned chicken noodle soup. maybe add some sundried tomatoes, or other something, dried seaweed, wasabi oil. Little by little, I stock and refresh my earthquake/burning man supplies. When I pack to go, I see what I have already bought, then I can afford to buy treats. Swampdog had an interesting evolution of preparing canned soup. I think the last version was to leave the can in the sun, or in the car in the sun... hey presto, hot soup.

[Victorian]

I've been garage saling myself every payday, I buy one to two items, sometimes more a paycheck (I'm on a budget) as I need them.

I've got a giant 50+ coffee maker to share with camp-5$

I got a great air matress with foot pump that has NO leaks (I checked) for only $10.00

Tons of tupperware, I basically got a trash bag of used ones for free from one lady...

That is what I would suggest. The average American camps once or twice, and then has a bunch of left over gear in their garage...

And I strongly agree, that there's nothing a nice big hammer, or duct tape can't fix if something breaks while out there.

I'm taking a memory foam matress pad as well as my air matress, just in case holes happen, as I've read can occur...

[plumblove]

Bikes. Bikes. Bikes!

And don't be afraid to ask for help from your neighbors. Some of the best things that have happened to me and my camp at BM have happened when we had to ask for help (flat tire on mutant vehicle) or helped others (food, car repair).

And don't forget to bring a bike. The Playa is enormous and you won't see hardly anything if you have to walk it.

[danibel]

1) Shade. I picked up a North Pole Party Tent for $99 on ebay (including shipping). These things seem to be made for the playa and they were everywhere last year. I know $99 might seem like a lot but shade is an essential. My sister put her two man tent inside it and we still had room for two card tables, a twin size futon, coolers, and chairs. Add 8 rebar stakes and you are golden!

2) Hankerchiefs for dust masks and hair coverings. About $1-2.

3) A bike for sure. I bought a cruiser off CL for $40. I found an old basket and popped it on, plus a line of EL wire (about $12 if you shop around).

4) A hands free light of some kind. The porta potties are DARK at night and you don't really want to set things down in there. I picked up a 3 LED headlight from a box store for less than $10. It was worth it!

5) Thrift store clothes. I am lucky to live in Santa Cruz and we have great thrift stores here. You can also get plastic plates, cups, and bowls on the cheap (if you don't already have some).

6) HUGE zip locks from the dollar store. Great for keeping your clothes and towels mostly dust free (before wearing or using - LOL). I also picked up some cheap 18 gallon plastic bins at HD for clothing and kitchen supplies (less than $5 each).

7) A good bed. I posted a wanted ad on CL for futon mattresses and got a queen and twin for less than $50 total. I was lucky to have the space in a cargo van for both. If traveling space is an issue - An air mattress may be your best bet. Bring a repair kit for it, just in case.

And of course water and food. But you need to eat anyway. =)