Only second burn - how can I find a camp with RV hookups?

[ranger magnum]

Divegirl

Dont worry too much about running your generator. If it makes you feel better, have an rv or small motor repair shop give your generator a once over. More than likely you have an Onan or Kohler, and they are pretty bulletproof.

Fill the rv fuel tank in Gerlach. Depending on the rv (class A or class C), you have up to 100 gallons of fuel. More than enough for the duration of the event, though most rv generators will stop running once the fuel drops below a 1/4 tank.

You can bring extra fuel if you want, but dont transport it inside the rv. Instead, get a cargo basket. Most rv's have a trailer hitch, and a cargo basket fits in the receiver. The hold about 200 pounds, and thats more than you need for fuel. Plus you have room for an ice cooler!

Last year I ran the generator about 4-5 hours a day, and probably used less than 10 gallons.

[Eric]

Divegirl - make sure you test the RV genny before you head out to make sure it works correctly. We had a year with a crap genny, and, like last year for you, it was hell. We were basically camping in a tin box while trying to get all our food into the booze cooler since the fridge didn't work (rental RV, we didn't test the genny when we rented & it died the second day). We now have a back-up genny just in case (you can rent one) and use just some pieces of wood as a baffle box (to keep the sound down for our neighbors). Since you own your RV (sorry about the circumstances), make sure you have the correct cables to connect the generator to the RV - which you should be able to find out if you rent a backup.


[mod hat off]

To no-one in particular, but to everyone rolling around in the tired tent vs. RV muck:
Anyone who wants to tell me that staying in my RV with air-conditioning and a generator we bring ourselves is "doing it wrong" can go fuck themselves. There IS NO CORRECT WAY TO BURN, period. There is only the way that works for you. To assume that your way to camp will work for anyone else, let alone everyone else, is the height of presumption. To assume that your answers for camping are correct for everyone because they work for you, regardless of the needs of the other person, is the same arrogance that drives a male legislator into telling a woman how her body works (when he hasn't a clue).

[mod hat on]

[Leo]

You should check out camp KOA. They have electricity, propane, 30 amp service, swimming pool, club house and mini golf.

[tummler]

Do I detect a faint whiff of Burnier-than-Thou in the air?

[theCryptofishist]

Does everyone know she's found the answer she needed? Or are you just being fuckos?

[Elderberry]

I just discovered the downside of being a moderator.

Just!?

There's somebody in this thread that's workin' my nerve and it's not the OP. I hate those burnier than thou types, one burn and they know it all. Would you like an excuse to moderate me?

And just how does one "own" a 30 person theme camp anyway?

[International Incident]

I just discovered the downside of being a moderator.

Just!?

There's somebody in this thread that's workin' my nerve and it's not the OP. I hate those burnier than thou types, one burn and they know it all. Would you like an excuse to moderate me?

And just how does one "own" a 30 person theme camp anyway?

Ah you make me laugh!!!!

[theCryptofishist]

And I was curious enough to go back and look at the posts of someone I've had blocked for a loooong time.
"The rest is silence."

[tattoogoddess]

Jkisha... just say its directed at me.

To own a camp... Meaning all the gear (bar,shade,geni,sofas, kitchen ect belongs to us. We purchased it)


I'm not being burner then thou. But damn part of the fun of bm is roughing it. To get a break from comfort. In my eyes bm should make you get out of your box (no pun intended) ,make your skin crawl a bit. I guess my first year I jumped in with both feet and took it alllll in. Voleenteers, blisters, being locked in my tent with no lock thanks to a camp member,survivor island complete with vote outs, marrying man I knew two days in front of Larry Harvey, man moves to Iowa after burn..still here.. I burned pretty fucking hard my first year lol. Sorry I'm jaded from some of the stuff I did see last year from the plug and play camps along with a certain bar. Those people are not nice! So yeah if it seems like a plug and play... I'm not going to be all hugs and rainbows and I am going to tell them to come down to fucking economy class. Hey we have better peanuts anyways and "fucking tents" !!!!

[edited - Eric]

[some seeing eye]

This is an excellent opportunity for the OP to learn all the details of the power hookup to an external source for the loads in the new RV before the burn.

So finding the Watts of each thing, then the Watts of any plug loads and if it's 220, what is on each phase, will be useful in negotiating shore power-camp grid power needs. If using a camp grid, knowing the distance to, wire gauge needed and plug type for the spider box is important.

Covering the windows on the outside with reflective opaque material will reduce heat gain and use less AC power.

[Savannah]

I just discovered the downside of being a moderator.

Just!?

That made me laugh, too.

[trilobyte]

TG - And that's pretty much a perfect example of someone being burnier than thou. What you do in your first year (or any year) doesn't give a person the right (or make it right) to tell others off because they burn differently. Starting your own camp (like many thousands before you) doesn't make it right either.

SSE - thanks for the pro tip, great advice!

[ygmir]

[mod hat off]

To no-one in particular, but to everyone rolling around in the tired tent vs. RV muck:
Anyone who wants to tell me that staying in my RV with air-conditioning and a generator we bring ourselves is "doing it wrong" can go fuck themselves. There IS NO CORRECT WAY TO BURN, period. There is only the way that works for you. To assume that your way to camp will work for anyone else, let alone everyone else, is the height of presumption. To assume that your answers for camping are correct for everyone because they work for you, regardless of the needs of the other person, is the same arrogance that drives a male legislator into telling a woman how her body works (when he hasn't a clue).

[mod hat on]

this^^^^^^^^^^^^fuckin Eric, that is it!!
I've expressed the same sentiment in the past, and so agree with you.

who, the fuck, is ANYONE, to tell ANYONE else, "how to burn"?
What makes "slumming" any better than creature comforts? Fuck that. You do, what makes you comfy and happy.
If others don't like it, fuck them, too!
Jealousy comes to play, a lot, when a "have" is seen by a "have not" and said "have not" resents the others ability to have something they want.......and so to easy their insecurities they put the other down as "not as good" because they have a microwave, when everyone else is cooking with gas.

How about people just enjoy what they do, what they see, whomever they like, whatever they bring?
how about being thankful, when another offers you something, helps, or just makes your day better?
How about minding your own business, and having a ton of fun. Someone elses RV, etc, should have no impact on your good time (save running a genny exhaust into you rtent), unless you are weak and insecure anyway, and feel others are judging you.

fuck that.

you, insecure person, are just as fucking good, pretty, smart, as anyone in a limo with caviar and a bathroom attendant with gloves and baby wipes.

let go of the jealousy, fear, resentment. If they are not directly stepping on your toes (metaphor), move on.
But to judge? and opine, on how someone else "should" do it? To say what is "fun" or "right" as if you can answer for all mankind........

sweet Jeebus, what's it all about, Alfie?

[tattoogoddess]

Sigh, I give up. I'm not jealous. No way, shape or form. You could not pay me to stay in an rv. The closest I will ever be to posh living is a yurt... And Tom says no. So that won't be happening. I like my tent with a little geni. Maybe it is the whole growing up in Iowa in Amish country. I enjoying roughing it. I have never understud the posh toss money at this and this and this mentality. Just seems silly to me. And most rich people temd to look down on me as a 3rd class citizen like i am not good enough, cool enoigh, pretty enough. has been this way my whole life and even continues out at burning man in certain areas of the playa.. aka plug and plays.im fat, tattooed and make my own outfits with thrift shop finds. sorry i cant shell out $1,000 on a disco helmet.Ehhh. End of rant before I get to pissed off any say some things I will regret later.

Ok back to finding a place for her to plug her geni in.

[Eric]

I'm not being burner then thou.

You are being the textbook definition of "Burnier Than Thou" - someone who is positive that their way, and only their way, is the correct way. It has nothing to do with jealousy, it has everything to do with the certainty that you have the only right way - which is what all your posts in this thread have been saying. If you don't see that, you need to slowly re-read all of them, because, as you can see, it's obvious to everyone else.

As for the rest, well, I'm also fat, tattooed, make my own outfits out of thrift shop finds & I can't shell out $1,000 on a disco helmet either, but that has nothing to do with telling someone how to camp or being Burnier Than Thou.

[ygmir]

but see TTG, that's just it:
you are good enough, pretty enough and smart enough, many think your tattoos are super cool, and love your outfits........and if "they" don't see it, fuck em.
you don't need anyone's permission or acceptance, to have all the fun you want, any way you want (again, with the stepping on toes metaphor).

and that door swings both ways. Others only have the power over you, that you give them.
so, if their opinions don't count, why would it bother you?
Conversely, if you love tents, rattlesnakes, lemon pudding and rubber boots, and others think you're nuts, so the fuck what?
do what you like, share with whom you will, and allow others the same dignity.
Judge not...............

just some random thoughts

[International Incident]

I'm not being burner then thou.

Actually you are. Take a deep breath and please stop criticizing the way others want to go about doing their burn.

I'm always astounded by the levels of creature comforts some of my fellow burners have. Good luck to them. It's their burn... not yours!

[tummler]

For the love of John Frum! This thread is riling me up.

TG, just a gentle invitation to consider honoring the principle of radical self-expression. That is, how we burn, to each our own, in our own way.

[CornMan]

In a way, it's kind of like the Hell's Angels letting their members drive to rallies in cars rather than ride motorcycles. Of course it should be permitted, but it just wouldn't be right. The Hell's Angels is a motorcycle club, and Burning Man is basically a pseudo desert survival art club. A full hookup RV pad? Give me a break. Again, we come back to Hal's campsite gentrification in Malcolm in the Middle goes to Burning Man. If somebody wants to radically express themselves like the burners thought Hal was, that's one thing. Just trying to make things as easy as possible and live in luxury above the reality of the playa, that's another.

[Eric]

I don't think the Hells Angels analogy applies at all - they are a motorcycle club, Burning Man is a camping trip in the desert, with fire & things that go *boom*. It makes no difference if someone wants to camp in a tent, an RV or a swinging from a hammock in a shade structure with no closure around themselves at all (I know someone who did just that in '10), they're still camping in the middle of the damn desert. It doesn't matter if they're camping in a way that anyone else approves of; not you, not me, not Larry-fucking-Harvey gets to approve someone else's camp.

The original OP has clarified, multiple times, about the RV pad misunderstanding in the beginning; using that initial post in an analogy at this point of the thread is like using the fact that Bilbo didn't want to go on an adventure in the first chapter of the Hobbit to argue that he wasn't actually on one during the Battle of the Five Armies. [/geek]

[trilobyte]

I think it's probably also worth pointing out a miscommunication in the original post in the thread, one that caught me too. When I read "RV hookups" I think KOA campground RV hookups and concrete pads (which is what it sounds like Corn Man thought too). In the OP's replies, it sounds like she's not looking for that, so much as she's looking for someone who can provide power. Lots of camps provide power for campmates in one form or another.

[AntiM]

I think it's probably also worth pointing out a miscommunication in the original post in the thread, one that caught me too. When I read "RV hookups" I think KOA campground RV hookups and concrete pads (which is what it sounds like Corn Man thought too). In the OP's replies, it sounds like she's not looking for that, so much as she's looking for someone who can provide power. Lots of camps provide power for campmates in one form or another.

I agree. She's in an RV for health reasons, and not some fancy rented one, an inherited one with a crap gennie. She's just looking for reliable power, not luxury.

[mgb327]

Wow. I am impressed. So glad to not be in charge of anything but myself. My hat is off to the Mods. I could not be so tactful.

[GreyCoyote]

Original Poster: i like playing with infrastructure, and we have a powered camp. I cant support the kinds of loads I think you will draw, but I can share some thoughts on how to maybe make this work without breaking the bank or needing a lot of power.

There is an older couple that tends to camp near us every year who have an RV. They bring a little Honda generator with them to run a small window AC. They only cool the sleeping area. The rest of the RV is cooled by two box fans. Opposite windows are opened, HEPA filters taped over them, and the judicious application of duct tape makes the fans draw filtered air through the cabin and discharges via another filter. This keeps the dust mostly out, and the interior cool. The rig is parked so natural crossflow is encouraged. They also run a tarp with airspace over the rig to provide shade. Maybe this is possible for you?

If you cant find a power source on-playa that meets your needs, and you are worried about carrying enough fuel, you can actually get fuel delivered on-playa. Most of the die-hards will chafe at this notion, but services are available if you contact the vendors in advance. But it wont be cheap. Make sure you tell them you are fighting a medical issue when you contract with them.

Lastly, you can rent anything from a portable genny to things in the megawatt range. Renting from construction power providers assures you wont pay a cleaning fee, since this equipment spends its life in the dust anyway. If you can find other folks with similar needs, you might start your own camp and share the expense. Just locate it away somewhat from tent campers and nobody will care. There is a LOT of room available. Put out a general invite here and ignore the resulting snark.

As others have said, there is no right or wrong way to burn. For those with unique medical needs, sometimes just being on the playa at all is a major step forward in radical reliance and a logistical challenge.

[Simon of the Playa]

wow....all this time i thought "RV HOOKUP" was what happened in the back of Doc Pyro's...


silly me.

[Captain Goddammit]

I'm just gonna point out one little thingie: staying in an RV doesn't mean you spent lots of money. Tatonka is coming in a '72 F250 with a free camper on it. I'm coming in an '86 GMC with a camper I paid $1500 for. Ygmir is coming in an old fire truck with a 30 year old camper on it. My camp mate has a 25 year old trailer...
The OP mentioned hers was a modest sized older rig.
A form of self reliance is being resourceful and using what you can scrounge up to provide shelter and comfort out in the desert. My personal preference is having a cool dark place to sleep during the hottest part of the day, and being all refreshed to get out there and "burn". Others prefer the "total immersion" being out there in it 24/7 plan.

TattooGoddess, Eric, Trilobyte, AntiM, everyone else here can all come out art-tour cruising after the meet and greet, have some margaritas, and laugh about all this shit! Oh and I hope Clocks & Mirrors is there too.

P.S. Larry Harvey has a camp with RVs & full hookups!

[MegsLegs]

I'm always curious when someone's first post is asking for something- particularly when looking for a pay-for-service- and then you never hear from them again. It's like crashing a party to take a dump in the can and lifting a bottle from the host bar as you cruise back out the door. Not really in the spirit of participation. Even though the OP seems to be one of those (or just scared off), I am glad she got what she needed. The only real time I've spent in an RV is searching them at the gate- and those few minutes of a/c are real sweet (as are the looks on the faces of the squeaky clean princes and princesses when they see dirty dirty me).

Another bit of advice for RV Generator running- the new ones are usually quiet enough it's not an issue, but if you sport an older model (and even if you don't) it's a good idea to make sure it's not bothering the neighbours. A lot of theme camps are assigned plots in pretty tight quarters, and for those of us in tents, noise and fumes behind our heads first thing in the morning are the freaking worst.

[AntiM]

I am hoping I have the chance to talk to divegirl this weekend at E-11. I don't know her as an eplayan, but I might actually know her IRL. She's volunteering, and may be too busy to spend time here, we're all in a mad rush.

[delle]

Give her a hug from me. Not that I know her or anything.

This thread has been another one of those rides that can make you downright queasy for its ups and downs.

Personally I say Cudos to the OP for knowing her needs, looking after her needs (so as not to negatively impact others as well as herself) and enquiring about sharing available resources (perhaps even fulfilling someone else's need to offset a costly purchase) as a first step rather than going out and buying something she may not need......... and adding that much more pollution (noise and otherwise) to the playa.

Can't for the life of me figure out how doing your homework to potentially benefit everyone concerned is not being self-reliant.

[VultureChow]

Give her a hug from me. Not that I know her or anything.

This thread has been another one of those rides that can make you downright queasy for its ups and downs.

Personally I say Cudos to the OP for knowing her needs, looking after her needs (so as not to negatively impact others as well as herself) and enquiring about sharing available resources (perhaps even fulfilling someone else's need to offset a costly purchase) as a first step rather than going out and buying something she may not need......... and adding that much more pollution (noise and otherwise) to the playa.

Can't for the life of me figure out how doing your homework to potentially benefit everyone concerned is not being self-reliant.

Ehhh, the original question came off wrong. Like a request for an orgy camp. I think we all clicked on here expecting some sort of train wreck or troll. If anything, it show the benefits of the "Page Two Rule." Answer the question and get more info from the poster before going nuts.