1st timer any abody want to help me out!!!

[Oldguy]

I suggest you set up a practice camp, if you have a backyard or similar area. You will find out if you have all the parts to your tent and shade structure before hitting the playa. Forgetting something is a bummer.

I pack my favorite foods to limit waste and bad experiments. Read all the guides again...If you buy ice in the desert, have a watertight container for it, the plastic bags leak. An insulated cooler works best, but a simple bucket or tin tub will suffice.

Find bargains near holidays for essentials, use thrift stores and dollar markets to find camping stuff. The lye playa is extreamly basic and your stuff will rust and destroy itself quikly. I store my crappy burner stuff in my burner box. Goodwill and Salvation Army stores are good for clothes and footwear. One thing a day and you'll have 365 things to bring in 2011.

[phil]

Here's a list of things you might consider bringing:
http://www.cieux.com/bm/things.html

and there are links to other peoples' links of things to brings at the bottom of the page.

[Kyle_Vendetta]

Here's a list of things you might consider bringing:
http://www.cieux.com/bm/things.html

and there are links to other peoples' links of things to brings at the bottom of the page.

thanks phil

[theCryptofishist]

One thing a day and you'll have 365 things to bring in 2011.

Break them all in half and you'll have 730 things for 2011.

On the second page of the thread we're allowed to get snarky.

[moonrise]

Kyle being from Sparks, you are so close geographically speaking you are conidered a "back yard burner"....the decompression party for Reno area is october 16th on 4th street...google it and there's a thread about it somewhere here on eplaya..10 bux a head pre event and is the biggest so far as to date! Located in a junk yard and spills out into some other areas...they donate to charities and it is 8pm to dawn! PM me for info if you need help finding the thread and you SHOULD have a ton of friends who have and still go to burning man, ask them BUT you might just be better prepared than they if you read eplaya throroughly and follow the advice!

The BEST prices for lighting yourselves up at night is from the vendors listed on this website under novelties...IMO, order online and get the good stuff and you'll save a bundle! Binklies set on flash mode can last you all the way through every night without having to change tiny batteries! Don't be a darkwad...hahaha...besides it's fun to be a part of the roving lit up crowd and try to go for art car art tours and rides to the big burns! And don't drink excessively, it's more fun to watch drunks than to be one (or deal with a nasty hangover)
EL wire is the coolest and is worth trying out, can light up your pack backs in interesting designs but remember to light front and back..they usually take AAA batteries, easier to deal with! colorful blinkies for frontal lighting come in all form, necklaces and yes, even strands of led xmas lights!

Should be some art cars and fire art at Reno's decompression party! also music etc btw, the head shop downtown sells tickets

Don't camp near the potties unless down wind...haha...and yes, pee jugs are realistic for NOT having to go out frequently in the night to piss, both you and she...what fun...unless you camp with a group with a padlocked potty or theme camp with same said (this can be a great way to go!) not just cleaner but CLOSER..you'll still need the pee jugs! cold.. brrrrr at night and a hassle otherwise!

you are already somewhat acclimated, but drink a gallon of water a day for a few days before you go and during, remember doedorant not with anti persparent..haha...I think you tend to evaporate rather than sweat so much but drink the water recomended and then some and yes if you stop sweating, oops it's too late and it'll suck! I never had an issue and if not for eplaya I would have been cluesless...it takes TIME to prepare and your friends will try to explain but they will forget stuff (like mine did..duh) eplaya is your helper

[Kyle_Vendetta]

Thanks moonrise
yea i know about the decompression party i've been to it the last 2 years
and thanks about the pee bucket im make sure to bring one haha i've printed off some list that other have sent me. so im just going to start collecting thing now and store them. thanks for all your help

[LostinReno]

Since your local....it's like camping at Pyramid....on steriods.

Seriously, we tested our shade structures at Pyramid last summer. made a few minor modifications that really seemed to help on the playa. Like Oldguy suggested, set up a "test camp". If it survives a few Pyramid windstorms, it should survive the playa. On that note, the weather is very similar, other than you don't have obvious lake to cool off in.

[Kyle_Vendetta]

yea ive camped out at the lake and my stuff made it. plus a couple friends have invited me to camp with them so i think im good they will get me ready for the burn.

[baconqurlyq]

Hi, Kyle! I was a newbie for 2010, so here's what I learned.

You will bring WAY more than you need, and that's ok. I think everyone is different in how they react to the conditions, environmentally and socially, and preparing for any and all situations out there is not a bad idea for your first year. Some people get playa foot really easily and need to wear shoes and socks all the time, some people wear sandals and just take care of their feet twice a day. That's just one example. I didn't even touch half the clothing I brought. I eschewed bras and underwear and stuck with bike pants and camisoles (aside from tutu tuesday, when I wore a zebra-patterned bra with my tutu).

Chef Boyardee straight out of a can tastes like freaking ambrosia. So does cheap-ass light beer. Stuff you normally hate in the default world will be awesome. I normally hate smoking. I smoked about five cigarettes per day on the Playa.

You will be a tourist your first year and feel like you didn't get the full experience. That's ok too. You can come back the following year and absorb it all. Hell, it probably takes a few years to really absorb it!

You will want a lightweight hat with a wide brim. While it gets hot on the playa, any shade will reduce temperatures down significantly, and keeping the sun off your head will make you so much more comfortable. But, bring different wild hats for at night, or for when you're hanging at camp in the shade. So much fun!

Since you're taking the time to research, you'll light yourself up well, but you'll be astonished by the amount of people who don't. Get yourself a good headlamp so you can see darkwads before you run over them (if you're biking at night). A good headlamp is nice for when you use the portos at night anyway, and for other very dark situations when you need your eyesight.

Don't bring a bunch of junk to gift. Bring extra of the necessities, maybe a few fun things, and you'll end up gifting those out. I gifted an art pencil to a campmate who was going to drawing classes, and I swear it was like I had given her solid gold. Little things mean so much in an environment where you just can't dash off to a shop.

Always have a little notebook and fine-point sharpie with you. You will meet a lot of excellent people randomly who will give you names, camp locations, etc. and you won't be able to remember. This was one of the most useful items I carried around with me.

Hope to see you at home next year!

[Kyle_Vendetta]

thanks baconqurlyq for the advice cant wait and hope i run into you at BM next year