abercrombaby wrote::D
SOOOO im thinking on being a first timer out there this year...annnnd im just wonderingggg from all my mo's....can a bitch handle it out there? Like ive read the site and it seems super hardcore (no cell reception, and domes? tents?) but ummm ive heard its a party like no other...and i can take stayin in a tent or whatever but what are these domes about? Im just new to it all and wana get some feedback from y'all. Lemme knowww!
Abercrombaby:
Yes, it true that it's a bitch to be out there AND a party like no other. The real key to having it not be a really bad experience is prepare, prepare, prepare. You can't just decide the week before to go and just run out there like it's a trip to Vegas. It's gonna require some prep time on your part to figure out what you'll need to bring out with you to survive, and how to get it all out there. Our camp has made some
helpful lists of stuff you'll need to bring with you. Spend a few weekends gathering up the stuff you'll need: tent, bike, etc. You may just end up saying "girl, that's just too much work" and you'll know Burning Man isn't the thing for you. But if you DO put the effort into it, trust me it's worth it!
Don't worry about a dome. They are fun but not something you wanna try to do your first time. Just get a nice sturdy tent and you'll be fine. Don't go for the cheapest K-Mart tent you can find, you'll be sorry. RVs are nice, but really expensive. They charge upwards of $5,000 to rent one for the week of Burning Man, so even divided amongst 5 or 6 people that's at least $1,000 apiece. Seriously just spend a couple hundred on a good sturdy tent.
Joining or creating a theme camp can really enhance, or ruin your Burning Man experience. You may want to get a group of friends together that live near you and all rent a RV or truck and get a big tent and go together. That's how our theme camp started. Or you might want to join an established camp.
Gayburners.com posts a
list of gay camps. Different camps will provide different services and require you to do different things. Some will have shared meals (expecting you to pay for a percentage of the food and help cook / clean) or have rented a truck that you can use to haul your stuff out. Most will expect you to help with camp activities. In our camp, that entails serving snow cones to folks in a skimpy apron outfit at some time during the week. Some of the bigger camps with more ambitious activities will require quite a bit of work out of you.
For your first year, don't try anything too ambitious as far as fancy dome, trying to take on a lead volunteer position or really elaborate gifts to give out. Your first time you'll want to just see what it is all about and get acclimated to the climate and culture so if you want to come back you'll know what to expect and have a better idea of how you can contribute.
as they say, but i have extensive camping, carpentry and design experience.