Repurposed Stranger danger pamphlet.
First and foremost I’m really happy that you are coming to Burning Man it’s an amazing experience.
There is plenty of information on the web and especially on the Burning Man website to help get you started. We’ve been doing this for a number of years and we have a lot of infrastructure already in place. Like dealing with grey water and washing dishes,we’ve figured that out,so don’t worry about that sort of thing. Usually we have a good kitchen and shade structure too. Make sure you read the first timers guide its chock full of good advice and the survival guide that you get with your ticket should be read and followed. It’s hard to explain what to expect in terms of the event itself but environmentally it’s a big dry salt flat. Its the desert and during the day it gets hot. At night the temperature can plummet though usually it’s pleasant and a little chilly in the wee hours. Besides dealing with the heat the two biggest factors are the wind and the dust. The weather can change suddenly going from hot and sunny to cold and freezing rain and mud in moments,though this isn’t that common but it does happen. It’s camping,if you’ve never camped before ask one of the more experienced members of the camp or a friend for some advice.
What you really need to bring:
bring around 15 gallons of water (per person),what you need to be comfortable and an open mind.
That’s basically it.
I would strongly recommend that you bring the following
1) WATER!
1a) A way to CARRY water
2) A Bicycle
3) Goggles
4) A dust mask
5) Sun Protection,hat,sunscreen etc…
6) Light for yourself and your bike
7) A good ice chest.
The rest is just common sense,of course you are going to need food. No don’t bring your puppy. Repackage things so you have less or no trash to take home. The event is a pack it in and pack it out kind of thing and we really make a point of Leave No Trace camping. The wind will blow away things if you don’t secure them.
Once again I’m really happy to be able to share this unique experience with you.
See you on the Playa!
tomic adds:
i usedta laugh at people with camelbaks until i ended up in the med tent one saturday dehydrated. you can do this without one —they’re pricey —but bring some way to carry a quart or two with you. plan on drinking a gallon a day and peeing out half of that. the playa newspaper was called PISS CLEAR because that is what you should be doing —your urine should be clear. if it is yellow you are in danger of dehydration. don’t fuck with this. if you are getting headaches or stomach aches YOU ARE DEHYDRATED. a couple of gatorade jugs full of water bungied onto your bike is very nice. ps:we don’t bring yellow gatorade because us boys use gatorade jugs as piss jars. YOU WERE WARNED.
it’s not sand it’s salt. my only real comfort complaint about the playa is that my hands become painfully cracked and my fingernails all break. it’s highly alkali. i have rough calloused hands from working on shit and in 3,4 days my hands are literally like they have been sandpapered. hand lotion and sleeping in cotton gloves would be considered effete but fuck what anyone thinks. eve brought a bit of vinegar and a bit in water was really nice on your hands.
put electronical shit into ziplock bags. your camera will be ruined in two days otherwise. bring extras.
we generally bring dust masks to hand out. they can be a pain to find locally. the dipshit paper kind from the hardware store are pretty crappy. real painters type mask with “P100″filters are best. They come in size S,M,L,XL,work great,cost about $15. Those are best.
goggles should be “motor cycle type”,i tape up vent holes as necessary in dusty conditions. usually when it dusts up it’s the 4 –6pm solar energy drop that fucks with the lower atmosphere. when the lower air has all evened out by 7pm it usually stops. ‘usual’doesn’t always mean much though. if it were wholly predictable it wouldn’t be such fun. and it’s not like you have an appointment to keep,if it really sets in just hang out with whoever you’re near,they’ll be cool. if not,light their camp on fire out of spite. tell them i said it was OK.
you WILL be out all night,so bring warm clothes,RADICALLY ALIGHT your bike. small flashlights or best yet,a headlamp. LED headlamps are like $15 now at auto parts stores,and they’re great.