Finally making the journey :D

[ViveEnElMomento]

The stars have aligned and it looks as if I will finally be partaking in my first burn this year.

We will be road-tripping down from Toronto, Canada (so far me + 3 other virgin burners, but still looking for 1 more to join in our VW bus of love).

Looking forward to my first BRC experience See you on the Playa! 57 more days.

[goathead]

Welcome

Bring bacon.

[Savannah]

Hi Vive! Welcome to the board.

Read this, if you haven't (and get your fellow virgins to do so, so they're not totally dependent on you):
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/

You & 3 other people in one VW bus of love might be plenty. If you're tough & experienced backpackers, ignore me, but you might be surprised how much space 4 people and their water can take up, once you're packed.

[dragonpilot]

Let's see...I never was good at math, but...

One person and 12 gallons of water, 1 case of beer, 1 case of sodas, food for 8-10 days, fuel for cooking said food, a thing for cooking said food, clothing/costumes, tentage, sleeping bags/blankets, personal hygiene items, 2 ice coolers (one for daily use/one for long term storage), air mattress/cot...plus anything I've left out...you're right about 230-250 pounds per person X 4 = 920 to 1000 per VW bus give or take...

Pretty good load for a VW bus! But doable...if she's running good. Save weight by waiting to buy your water and beverages until you get to the last big town on your route (Fernley, NV coming East or West...Alturas or Cedarville coming from the Northwest.

[Savannah]

Indeed. The reason I brought it up is that I remember how the Tequila Mockingbird & I filled up a 2-seat cargo van very well with just the two of us. Of course: we were bringing two bikes (inside) and a PVC shower structure, in addition to shade and 2 tents, 2 cots, etc . . . so we weren't totally barebones. If there had been a third seat, we could have packed a third person's stuff . . . if they didn't have much.

So 4 people in a VW bus definitely seems ambitious. And of course most people put their bikes on the outside. But I'm just hoping they are really careful about adding a 5th person.

And then I think to myself "people are going to do what they're going to do . . "

[Elderberry]

Hey there, welcome to eplaya!

Have questions? Read this first: http://www.burningman.com/first_timers/
Everybody on eplaya is always excited to help first timers; but in sympathy for some of us old timers, please get your required reading out of the way before posting. As hard as it is to rein in the the excitement and enthusiasm, and as unbelievable as it might seem, most of your questions have already been asked and answered, if you just take a moment to read.

Now, let the adventure begin!

[ViveEnElMomento]

good point about the number of people in the van. perhaps 5 people was a tad ambitious. Hopefully the group is cool with chipping in a little bit more for the added space and weight considerations.

[holl23]

Watch out for the doughnut shops at 10 and 2 o'clock

[illy dilly]

Welcome to eplaya!

The previous posters advice should be followed closely!
About 3-4 weeks give the VW-Bus a test load. See how much stuff you really have, and how much space you have.
Then if you need to it will give you a few weeks to round up a trailer, or maybe all you need is a roof rack luggage container.

[ViveEnElMomento]

Watch out for the doughnut shops at 10 and 2 o'clock

Police?

[mudpuppy000]

Indeed. The reason I brought it up is that I remember how the Tequila Mockingbird & I filled up a 2-seat cargo van very well with just the two of us. Of course: we were bringing two bikes (inside) and a PVC shower structure, in addition to shade and 2 tents, 2 cots, etc . . . so we weren't totally barebones. If there had been a third seat, we could have packed a third person's stuff . . . if they didn't have much.

So 4 people in a VW bus definitely seems ambitious. And of course most people put their bikes on the outside. But I'm just hoping they are really careful about adding a 5th person.

And then I think to myself "people are going to do what they're going to do . . "

Haha, I fill up my SUV to the roof and it's just me.