“Avoid camps which might be offering ‘companies’ like stylists, hair and make-up, workers, or anybody bundling housing and tickets,” Feldman says. “These are pink flags. The individuals who shall be tenting there most likely gained’t be as a lot enjoyable, and the entire camp might get shut down mid-burn and also you’ll be caught with out shelter, meals, water, and many others.”
If you would like a extra sustainable camp, search for one which brings their meals scraps to a composting camp, collects cans to deliver to Recycle Camp, and has some kind of photo voltaic array.
One trick to find out how good a camp is, is to test how the camp did when it comes to Leaving No Trace final yr. When the Burning Man crew does a sweep of the playa after it’s throughout, they observe down how a lot MOOP (matter misplaced, or litter) is left on every camp’s website. If the camp is within the pink, that’s a nasty signal.
Decide Your Shelter
Your choices for shelter embody a tent, an RV or a trailer. You may additionally attempt a Shiftpod, a reflective shelter designed by burners for desert tenting.
Hardcore burners will swear up and down that you simply don’t want air-conditioning to take pleasure in your burn—only a battery-powered fan in your tent—however which may not be true for for much longer. Close by Reno, Nevada, is heating up faster than any other city resulting from local weather change.
“As a lot as I hate AC items as a result of they’re dangerous for the atmosphere, they are often significantly life-saving relying on the warmth,” says Collins. She says you’ll find a used AC unit for between $200 and $500. In case your camp doesn’t present energy, you’ll have to deliver a small generator—photo voltaic panels can’t deal with an AC unit.
For those who do tent camp, ensure your camp has a quiet, properly shaded, and even air-conditioned shared lounge space the place you’ll be able to nap throughout the day. Or know the place your mates with air-conditioning are staying, in case of emergencies.
The hexayurt constructed from taped insulation panels was once extra widespread, however it’s annoying to construct and transport, so the Shiftpod, an insulated dome that sleeps two comfortably, has largely taken its place. In reality, each Collins and Rueben Pacheco, who attended his first burn in 2009 and brings a gnome-themed artwork automotive to the playa, personal a Shiftpod. Feldman purchased a trailer a few years in the past however may get a Shiftpod sooner or later.
The Shiftpod sells for $1,600, is available in a big duffel, and might be arrange in 20 minutes. It retains mud out fairly properly, and folk who stayed in them throughout last year’s deluge reported that their flooring stayed dry. “Critically, an incredible funding,” Collins says.
Many burners who fly into a close-by metropolis decide to select up an RV to finish the journey. With its built-in AC, beds, kitchen, and fridge, it makes for extra consolation and lighter packing. It’s additionally far more comfy than a automotive in a 12-hour-long exodus line. The draw back is the expense (funds a minimum of $2,000 per particular person for rental, charges, and gasoline), and the stress of piloting that lumbering monster round Reno and into and out of Black Rock Metropolis, particularly since Burning Man’s governing physique, the Org, banned RV supply beginning final yr. Oh, and RVs are hands-down essentially the most polluting shelter at Burning Man, with a big carbon footprint and a big generator draw, which suggests extra noise and particulate air pollution on the playa.
Resolve How You’ll Get There
You may get to the burn (so as of value) by taking the Burner Bus, driving your personal automotive in, driving an RV in, or flying in.
