Playa gift ideas

[VultureChow]

(Burgin here)

Just curious if these are stupid ideas:

-lighters
-cigs
-small sanitizer bottles
-wet wipes
-dust masks
-gum
-travel size mouthwash (only if I'm about to kiss them)

Sound reasonable? I just want to ensure I'm contributing. I will be in a camp of awesome people who were kind enough to allow me to join them, even though we've never met in person. My biggest "gift" will be to be an awesome campmate (respectful, help cook, help clean, don't be an ass, etc.). I also plan on doing anything I can to help people who are lost, too drunk, just looking for a friend/companion to walk around with, etc.

Thanks!

Those sound fine, but don't go nuts with the amounts. As a virgin, you nailed your biggest gift. Participation. The best gift you can give is to not be too big a burden. I only qualify that because no matter what, except in the super rare case of the stealth virgin, you will absolutely need help. I thought I was prepared last year, and still needed a lot of help. Volunteer, offer drinks and food and have a good time. In many cases your delight and awe will be the best gift you can give some of the more experienced burners.

[Savannah]

(Burgin here)

Just curious if these are stupid ideas:

-lighters
-cigs
-small sanitizer bottles
-wet wipes
-dust masks
-gum
-travel size mouthwash (only if I'm about to kiss them)

Sound reasonable? I just want to ensure I'm contributing. I will be in a camp of awesome people who were kind enough to allow me to join them, even though we've never met in person. My biggest "gift" will be to be an awesome campmate (respectful, help cook, help clean, don't be an ass, etc.). I also plan on doing anything I can to help people who are lost, too drunk, just looking for a friend/companion to walk around with, etc.

Thanks!

Those sound fine, but don't go nuts with the amounts. As a virgin, you nailed your biggest gift. Participation. The best gift you can give is to not be too big a burden. I only qualify that because no matter what, except in the super rare case of the stealth virgin, you will absolutely need help. I thought I was prepared last year, and still needed a lot of help. Volunteer, offer drinks and food and have a good time. In many cases your delight and awe will be the best gift you can give some of the more experienced burners.

Agreed. If you bring 20 small hand sanitizers, for example, you might end up giving away only 2 or 3 (unless you set out a bin or something, which is no fun). Some things are hard to offer spontaneously.

Food and drink, on the other hand, is not hard to offer at all. Yelling at passersby to come in for a snack is a time-honored practice.

[Sham]

I love passing out bike locks and will be bringing 50 this year. I enjoy setting up and hawking them like I'm scalping tickets to a baseball game. "Hey buddy, come here. I got something for you".
I look for people with bikes, but no lock, then just ham it up from there.

[Eric]

Sound reasonable? I just want to ensure I'm contributing. I will be in a camp of awesome people who were kind enough to allow me to join them, even though we've never met in person. My biggest "gift" will be to be an awesome campmate (respectful, help cook, help clean, don't be an ass, etc.). I also plan on doing anything I can to help people who are lost, too drunk, just looking for a friend/companion to walk around with, etc.

This. Like others have said, the perfect gifts, and you don't need to bring anything else. Really.

[Chowski]

(Burgin here)

Just curious if these are stupid ideas:

-lighters
-cigs
-small sanitizer bottles
-wet wipes
-dust masks
-gum
-travel size mouthwash (only if I'm about to kiss them)

Sound reasonable? I just want to ensure I'm contributing. I will be in a camp of awesome people who were kind enough to allow me to join them, even though we've never met in person. My biggest "gift" will be to be an awesome campmate (respectful, help cook, help clean, don't be an ass, etc.). I also plan on doing anything I can to help people who are lost, too drunk, just looking for a friend/companion to walk around with, etc.

Thanks!

Last year, I made twenty or so lighter/Necklaces (really, just string tied around a lighter, then held in place with colorful duct tape). I smoke cigs, so people often saw me smoking and asked me for a light (at least three times a day). A lighter is nice, but a lighter on a necklace, now that's a gift to a smoker without a light! All my necklaces were gone by the time I left, and when the receiver got home, they could just cut off the necklace part and keep the lighter. But yeah, helping out is cool too.

[9ah]

I love passing out bike locks and will be bringing 50 this year. I enjoy setting up and hawking them like I'm scalping tickets to a baseball game. "Hey buddy, come here. I got something for you".
I look for people with bikes, but no lock, then just ham it up from there.

Someone gave out bike baskets along the 7:30 side of center camp one year... I was really grateful for that!

[Savannah]

I love passing out bike locks and will be bringing 50 this year. I enjoy setting up and hawking them like I'm scalping tickets to a baseball game. "Hey buddy, come here. I got something for you".
I look for people with bikes, but no lock, then just ham it up from there.

I remain delighted by your gift idea.

You could lie in wait anywhere people congregate and pssst! the ones who don't lock when they hop off.

[BBadger]

I love passing out bike locks and will be bringing 50 this year. I enjoy setting up and hawking them like I'm scalping tickets to a baseball game. "Hey buddy, come here. I got something for you".
I look for people with bikes, but no lock, then just ham it up from there.

I love those utility gifts.

For shits and giggles, you should yell "HEY! Is that your bike?!" as if they stole it or something. Then if they say sheepishly or defensively say yes, you respond, "well you better go catch... I mean, you better protect it... with a lock."

I'm a bit cheaper with such gifts though... I just give darktard/glowsticktards fingerlights. Still, it's like they've never seen something so bright or cool.

[illy dilly]

I like to try and give gifts that the recepient can take with them and will last forever. Not just some piece of junk they could loose or throw away.
So, each year I give as many people as I can Chlamydiae!
They never MOOP it, never leave it in the Porta Potties, and hopefully they regift it to other Burners.

[BBadger]

I like to try and give gifts that the recepient can take with them and will last forever. Not just some piece of junk they could loose or throw away.
So, each year I give as many people as I can Chlamydiae!
They never MOOP it, never leave it in the Porta Potties, and hopefully they regift it to other Burners.

That's so sweet! It's like gifting a breeder reactor!

[Machina]

Great thread.

Best gifts I received: Packets of Emergen-C. Fruit. A bandana with the man printed on it. A hand-blown glass bead. Hugs/high-fives.
Worst: Plastic zipper-pull thingy that broke when I tried to attach it to something.
Best thing I gifted: Sleeves of instant decaf coffee to the only other decaf-drinker in my camp, who was otherwise SOL because the very word "decaf" is almost a sin on the playa. She was ecstatic.

I never know what to gift since I fly in to the burn and have limited luggage space, so I usually stick to being one of those "helper-outter" type people. This year, though, I bought a serger and discovered I can make all kinds of bandanas and scarves out of fabric scraps quickly--and they look sweet. I may bring those and something else... fruit, sweets... we'll see.

[GreyCoyote]

Best received: A roll of Tums. A freshly cleaned seat in the JonnyCan.
Best given: A sleigh-of-hand magic trick, to a tired 7 year old, who spent the rest of his burn trying to duplicate it.
Best witnessed: The HellCo production.

[Dr. Pyro]

The best gifts that I have seen are the ones with a certain degree of flair attached. One of our campmates Wildman brings liquid nitrogen and instantly freezes grapes, Otter Pops, or anything else imaginable. Flash frozen grapes are wonderful. I have a video (it will be in our next newsletter but is NSFW) of a couple of ladies trying them for the first time and they're in heaven. Swag is nice, but swagger is better.

[Sham]

A good rule of thumb is to offer something that you would really want to receive as a gift. A plastic whistle from the Oriental Trading Company is not something you'd want to get or give.
Some ideas:
Small tissue packets
Chap Stick
BM specific jewelery
socks
temporary tattoos
water bottles
snacks (prepackaged)
frozen treats

One of my camp mates a few years back (thank you Kelly) handed me a fist full of plastic crap she received that day and told me it was a gift to me. I thanked her and found the trash barrel.

[Ratty]

I bought an alphabet stamp set at the hardware store. It's heavy steel with little letters I've been stamping everything from old metal jewelry to leather. I like my swag to have a year. PLUS...I found I can buy those little keychain lights for a quarter, (free shipping), online. That was a truely appreciated gift when I got one.

[9ah]

A good rule of thumb is to offer something that you would really want to receive as a gift. A plastic whistle from the Oriental Trading Company is not something you'd want to get or give.
Some ideas:
Small tissue packets
Chap Stick
BM specific jewelery
socks
temporary tattoos
water bottles
snacks (prepackaged)
frozen treats

One of my camp mates a few years back (thank you Kelly) handed me a fist full of plastic crap she received that day and told me it was a gift to me. I thanked her and found the trash barrel.

I HAPPILY gifted most people at my camp's bar temporary tattoos... I self applied them so they got a nice shot of cold water on their skin in the process. From what I recall (it was on my birthday) it was a good time that afternoon. One tattoo said 'Kiss me, I'm awesome' and the other said 'Big Guns'... I have a few that I'm bringing back for this burn. I do have a few tubes of chapstick tucked away as well.

[VultureChow]

I forgot. I did sunscreen as well. Had a ton of the spray on stuff and was hanging out at a bar one day watching people line up for ice. I went down the line asking if anyone needed a spray. That seemed to go over well.

[tattoogoddess]

Last year I brought those soakable head neck wraps with gel in them still have about 60 left. This year I'm bringing those back and I'm making about 50 custom ashtray tins. They are super cute. Come find me!

[Apprentice Dreamer]

Awesome thread, lot of really cool ideas. This'll be my first time & I'm flying in so space/weight is at a premium so I'll mostly try to just help folk out & give water/ cold sprays stuff like that. May bring some multivitamin packs along too, those sound useful.

[Earthwalker]

I'm sure people would love an Emergen-C pack. An altoid tin for ashtray (assuming they are good people and don't just toss on the ground). Chapstick in a tube with a screw on lid so it doesn't leak all up in their pack. LIghters. Condoms. Cigs.

I wonder if I can gift potato guns

[theCryptofishist]

An altoid tin for ashtray (assuming they are good people and don't just toss on the ground).

Screw that. I'm going to grab packs of cigarettes from people's hands screeching about how I'm making them better people. Except for Turtleburp. He scares me.

[Foxfur]

Last year I was gifted a frozen burrito. Still frozen. WAAAY better than an ice cream sandwich! It was a red-hot spicy El Monterey that confused my mouth and brain but cooled me off and delighted mah tummah. I'd think a frozen corndog would make a dandy popsicle replacement.

[FIGJAM]

With tabasco!

[Savannah]

An altoid tin for ashtray (assuming they are good people and don't just toss on the ground).

Screw that. I'm going to grab packs of cigarettes from people's hands screeching about how I'm making them better people. Except for Turtleburp. He scares me.

I'm envisioning a camp event: Last Pack Cigarette Wrestling. Referees in striped shirts & rhumba panties. Small pool filled with dessert.

Best for people who secretly want to get pinned (& perhaps elbowed in the face).

[MacGlenver]

I handed out cash... was that wrong?

[Foxfur]

An altoid tin for ashtray (assuming they are good people and don't just toss on the ground).

Screw that. I'm going to grab packs of cigarettes from people's hands screeching about how I'm making them better people. Except for Turtleburp. He scares me.

I'm envisioning a camp event: Last Pack Cigarette Wrestling. Referees in striped shirts & rhumba panties. Small pool filled with dessert.

Best for people who secretly want to get pinned (& perhaps elbowed in the face).

I handed out cash... was that wrong?

Cash will never end up as moop. I think you did the right thing.

[Burner2B]

Are my buddy and I allowed to set up a table with seats at our camp and gift alcohol? Or do we need a permit?

[AntiM]

Are my buddy and I allowed to set up a table with seats at our camp and gift alcohol? Or do we need a permit?

No permit needed if you are just doing mixers and booze. Ice is okay if handled right, use a scoop and not your hands. No garnishes, that raises it to permit level (fruit slices, celery, olives). Be sure to ID, the fine for underage is hefty.

[Raoul]

Last year, I had a small bottle of eucalyptus essential oil that I kept in my pack to apply to the inside of my dust mask. With the daily dust storms, I started offering passersby a few drops in their masks. Even though I couldn't see their mouths, the way their eyes lit up showed that there were big smiles underneath their masks. You would have thought I was handing out winning lottery tickets. Best part of all is that it was a completely unplanned gift.

[ZigZag]

One gift I am planning on comes from my woodshop. I am making about a hundred wooden whistles on a lanyard with the idea that if you get lost in deep playa or a whiteout, you can make some noise in a way that someone will find you or at least not run over you. Could be fun at a party too.

I have done some in cherry but most of them will be in pine.

I still want to put the BM logo on them if I have time.