Tips on camping and saving money

[lbic2010]

Hey guys,

Myself and my boyfriend are heading to BM this year, i've been before and camped so I know what to expect but he has never been. We are using BM for our starting point for a year long adventure down through central and south america.

We are flying in from Ireland so can only bring so much with us and are going to have to buy things ( tents,sleeping bags,general equipment) in SF. But we dont want to spend too much money on stuff we will have to give away at the end of it as this will eat into our travel budget.

We will be renting a car/pick up and driving (giving extra people a lift if needed). At the moment its just us going and some friends arriving later in the week with an RV.

Any tips or advice or good places to shop to reduce costs would be great or suggestions for easy cheap shade strcutures. And suggestions of good charities/people in need we can give the stuff to once we've left!

Thanks
:P

[Lord Of Ruin]

Any tips or advice or good places to shop to reduce costs would be great or suggestions for easy cheap shade structures. And suggestions of good charities/people in need we can give the stuff to once we've left!

Thanks

I'd strongly suggest making a plan for your rental, but also maybe look at hooking up via the rideshare board and saving all that cash.

Also, I really, really, really suggest maybe joining a large theme camp. You'll spend a little money with them generally in the form of dues, but you'll probably get shared shade, kitchen and maybe other things. Lots of them are essentially "show up with your tent, pitch in on chores and you're good" which would fit really well for you. You'd probably only have to buy (or maybe even borrow from a fellow theme camp member!) a cheap, small tent as your only "throw away" item.

LoR

[C.f.M.]

Any tips or advice or good places to shop to reduce costs would be great or suggestions for easy cheap shade structures. And suggestions of good charities/people in need we can give the stuff to once we've left!

Thanks

I'd strongly suggest making a plan for your rental, but also maybe look at hooking up via the rideshare board and saving all that cash.

Also, I really, really, really suggest maybe joining a large theme camp. You'll spend a little money with them generally in the form of dues, but you'll probably get shared shade, kitchen and maybe other things. Lots of them are essentially "show up with your tent, pitch in on chores and you're good" which would fit really well for you. You'd probably only have to buy (or maybe even borrow from a fellow theme camp member!) a cheap, small tent as your only "throw away" item.

LoR

I agree with the last bit about joining another camp that will provide resources like food, water and shade.

It might not be as radically self-reliant as some would like but for those of us that aren't going away for the weekend (ie, live nearby and can just pack a car and go), it is a huge help.

[phil]

Take a look at Louise's Reno pages
http://civilizedexplorer.pbworks.com/CivExReno
and her recycling page at
http://www.cieux.com/bm/trash.html#_2007RS

I would suggest not shopping in San Francisco and then hauling all your supplies up the Sierra Nevada Mountains into Reno. Goods in Reno are probably cheaper than in San Francisco, and you won't have to buy extra gas to haul the heavy load.

Making charitable donations of gear used on the Playa might not be workable, as cleaning the stuff will be very expensive for the charity.

Instead of renting a car and buying food and gear, you might consider using the Green Tortoise bus, which operates in conjunction with a hostel in San Francsico. I can't connect to the site at the moment, but try this URL for more information:
http://www.greentortoise.com/adventure.travel.html

My recollection is that you get a group to camp with, transportation to and from the event (San Francisco-based), all meals, and they _may_ supply tent and bags, but check that on their site. You'll need to find their Burning Man specific page for information on what they supply and what they cost.

Additionally, Twin City Surplus has a program for out-of-town Burners; they will supply you with all your camping needs except food. You get all your gear, including water containers which you can fill at their store for $12. You can get your gear more cheaply by shopping around, but if you aren't familiar with the area, it may be more convenient to pay something extra for the convenience of driving up to one store and having all your camping supplies sitting there waiting for you. You'll then need to buy food, ice, and ice chests.
http://www.twincitysurplus.com/

Some years they have a special page for Burners. Their current page for Burners just lists tons of items, many of which are useless. Drop them an email and ask what they recommend for you in your situation.

There are alternatives to renting a car, but it that's part of your longer term plan, go for it. You'll know best what suits your needs. Be aware that the car will be seriously filthy after a week on the playa. (Heck, it'll be seriously filthy after a day.) If you plan on using it for a month after, I'd give it some reconsideration. You'll not only have playa powder all over the interior, you'll have it in all the air vents. Every time you turn on the air or heater, you'll get a blast of dust coming out of all the vents. With the right mind set, that's sometimes a pleasure, but not if you're going somewhere in nice clothes.

Good luck and have fun.

[Bob]

Ditto what Phil said, but by all means be prepared to camp at Burning Man as you would camp anywhere.

[Rommel]

over the last few years, the large supermarket in Fernly [sp] has had deals for people heading to the event. They stage allot of these items outside, in the front of the store. It's a good place to grab items you forgot, or have your last decent sushi for the next x days. The have pallets of water and other essentials, as well as a very well stocked deli section.

[lbic2010]

Hey guys,

Thats great help! I have been before and suffered an afternoon trying to clean dust from our rental car! Its not fun at all.

The idea of joining a camp is certianly a good one, and Phil I will look into the Green Tortise bus as we were thinking of staying there.

Also Twin City Suprles is a super suggestion, last time shopping around wasnt too bad but we found we spent a fortune. Is it risky to go to Twin City Surples on Sunday just before BM? I would be worried I'd arrive and they'd have nothing left and we'd be left with no tent etc etc.

Its giving me a lot to think about though! Some friend have come on board, so I think we may hire a pick up and drive and camp. Though I am a bit worried about a shade structure if we dont join a theme camp. Its their first time so they may want to be free from all responsibilites!!!
Any suggestions on that?

:)

[C.f.M.]

"or have your last decent sushi for the next x days."

Au contraire! I had some of the best sashimi I've ever had on the playa! AND sake. I was a happy little prom princess Hitler that afternoon.

They weren't stingy, either...they'll never know how happy their little gesture made me!

[epic_elite]

Its giving me a lot to think about though! Some friend have come on board, so I think we may hire a pick up and drive and camp. Though I am a bit worried about a shade structure if we dont join a theme camp. Its their first time so they may want to be free from all responsibilites!!!
Any suggestions on that?

you've created a difficult but attainable goal.

i think part of the hard stuff you have here is that your leaving the country again right after you arrive here. so you have to get rid of a lot of stuff upon the conclusion of the event without the luxury of craigslisting everything and waiting for a reply.

don't forget, there's a coffe shop that's about an acre of shade. and if you show up from foreign countries, esp. those over seas, people are going to be sympathetic to your situation and admire your spirit and will let you kick it with them durring the day. about 1 hour after we set up camp, some guys from the UK came and sat in our structure for about an hour, they brough their own pillows to sit on and passed up our several empty chairs as if this was what they planned on doing for the day.

BUT, you'll be at your own camp for some period of time durring the event, maybe to make food, and durring this time your going to want shade. our neighbors closest to the street came from Wisc. and packed very light. they bought one of those 10x10 canopys for 100$ and just left it on it's lowest setting instead of extending the telescoping legs, to let less sun in. Ive got one for off season camping here in oregon to keep me from the rain, and if i set it on top of a cooler, it fits in the back steat between the windows of my honda.

[trystanthegypsy]

Rent a cargo van or small u-haul, drive around back alleys behind apartments and pick up the least-manky mattress you can find. (it's close to the end of the month there will be lots Go to salvation army & buy lots of duvets/blankets. Instant RV!