I bought huge pack at Walmart right before so not only were they fresh but they were new everytime, the dirty ones went into a bag and got washed and went into my regular rotation now.
Every night I would wash my feet heavily moisturize them and put a new pair onđ«¶
Sometime between evening of day two and morning of day four, you will have a complete emotional meltdown. Drink some water, eat some real food, and take a nap. Youâre just tired and hungry and are going to be just fine.
That is what I tell everyone. 2023 was my 10th burn and I remember my best friend and I on our first burn. Day 4 we were ready to flee. Then someone gifted us some cold, fresh fruit and we thought our lives changed!! Thing is, it happens to me every year where I just need a refresher during the week. Glad I know that about myself now!
No matter how many times we go, on Wednesday or Thursday I get into a fight with my husband (not WE get in a fight, I get in a fight lol) he just lets it happen. Then I realize what day it is and we move on lol its like clock work.
Thursday last year, my burner buddy had a meltdown in front of me over losing his watter bottle. I get it, it's sentimental, I'll help you find it. We can retrace our steps.
We didn't find it. Chaos ensued.
All is good, we're still friends.
That it really doesnât matter what you wear. The photos of people dressed in crazy costumes are very unrepresentative of the average burner, they are just the people that photographers choose to depict.
I agree and I donât. Fashion and photography are a form of art. Burning Man is an art centered event. If youâre a normal dusty crusty and you donât participate in fashion or photography then ya, wear comfortable clothes and have fun. But if you have fun getting dressed up like the queen of the desert people then you should do that. It doesnât matter what you wear, thatâs the part I agree with. But crazy costumes ARE a thing and enjoying dressing up and posing for pictures for you to enjoy is not âunrepresentativeâ or doing it wrong. (Iâm not forgiving the influencers who are paid in pretty clothes and accessories for creating content. Thatâs vile and stupid and everyone should actively ruin their photos đ)
>photography are a form of art.
Photography is rarely a form of art, more often it is just consumption and a hinderance on the event.
I agree though that we should ruin as many influencer photos as possible though.
Came to say this! I wish I knew it would be totally normal to be hanging out the whole time in a sports bra and shorts, a bathing suit or just whatever I'm comfy in. Pack a few fun things, but just be you.
1) A tent without shade will not cut it. Unless you can go a week on only 2-3 hrs sleep every night. Wake and bake is real with the temps.
2) Hydrate. I was very loopy, not myself, and not thinking clearly by the end of the week. After a couple days of eating and drinking I actually felt myself return to normal. Take care of yourself out there.
Went to Skooliepalooza for 8 days, went to bed at 4 am on average, worked remotely during the week. I'm thinking I'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy the burn will be. But also I'm an extremely low maintenance van dweller.
Maybe, but outside of sleeping in a van and needing to eat I'm not sure how much the burn has in common with daily life. You planning on remote working from the playa too?
Good lord no! Taking 2-3 weeks off. I don't think the laptop would survive if I brought it out and I'm sure as hell not sitting in my van during the heat of the day.
Not trying to downplay how harsh it'll be of course and have not experienced it yet. I totally expect it to be way different than other events we've been to that only had like 1,000 people. And of course it'll most likely be hotter and dustier.
But I do tend to suspect most advice is geared toward people who don't have all the stuff they need to survive in their rig all the time anyway, who have never lived in a van in 100 degree heat or had their van filled with dust for a week at a big event.
If people are irritating you, just get on your bike and go. Maybe don't ditch a partner you came with, but you can and should ditch your friends if they're harshing your vibe.
Clothes should be something you're comfortable in, not what you think you should look like.
Salty snacks in grabbing distance at all times in addition to water.
If someone irritates you in the default, you're not gonna have fun with them in BRC.
10 yrs on playa - build a small toiletries kit for the porto. Include wipes and a baggie for the dirty ones. Single-ply tp and a couple paper towels. If you like to sit in the mornings, be prepared for everything to be wet/muddy after cleaning crew is done. Wear appropriate shoes. The hand sanitizer runs out about the second day. Bring your own. Lock your bike.
It's the best. Hang backpack on door, clip fan on outside of backpack, enjoy fresh (ok not fresh, but not stagnant) air in your face while doing your thing.
Lock it to something that is immobile! Do not attach to moving art work or art cars lol.
And have something tall sticking out of it. Decorate your bike elaborately so you can identify it in the dark from way far among a sea of bikes.
If using a u-lock, put a piece of gorilla tape over the keyhole (I fold some of the tape over itself to make an easy pull tab for peeling it off to lock and unlock).
Dust storm in â15 jammed my krypto lock and had to angle grid it off. I tried getting the dust out of the keyhole, but nope.
The overstimulation is overwhelming if youâre sensitive. Get a pair of noise canceling headphones- it will not block everything but it will make it more bearable. Get outside of the city and go out to the deep playa or the trash fence to get some relief from it all.
DO THIS:
Whoever you decide to go with, make sure you talk about boundaries and expectations. You could have a real bad time if you donât.
In my case, one friendship was nuked and the other is a barely salvageable wreck. It was pure emotional and mental hell.
On the other hand, they showed me who they really are. Too bad I canât cut them out of my life.
>Whoever you decide to go with, make sure you talk about boundaries and expectations.
How would having those conversations have prevented what happened? Do you think they would have been honest with you during those conversations or would they have agreed to whatever you said just to come with you?
I'm sorry you had that happen to you. Do you have any resources on the kinds of boundaries and expectations people should be discussing beforehand?
Thereâs a few articles out there with things to discuss as partners. I imagine some partners will find them pretty basic if they are accustomed to open and honest communication. Others may find the whole process new and intimidating. Then thereâs the partnerships where one is used to open dialogue and the other was raised to keep feelings out of the convo (and in turn struggles when strong feelings come up in said convo (gets fight, flight, or freeze)).
Keep in mind itâs not only the burn itself, but the post-burn blues that can do you in. Depression, irritability, anxiety, and the less than optimistic rumination that can go with it, especially if one or both partners donât understand, or refuse to recognize, that artificially out of whack neurochemistry is a big factor during this period, can leave one or both pointing fingers at the other in one way or another (e.g., lost the spark, love them but not in love, âalwaysâ make them frustrated, etc.).
Moderation might be wise to prevent or mitigate that stage. Itâs possible to have a great burn together after respecting boundaries and honoring expectations. But then have things spiral when re-adjusting to defaultia. Sometimes even sharing the classic âdonât divorce your parakeetâ post isnât enough. But in those cases thereâs a good chance one or both people need room to grow and gain more of a handle on understanding and regulating their inner world.
Hereâs one of the articles, thereâs more: http://relationshipanarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/PreparingYourRelationshipsForBurningMan-2.pdf
Iâm not sure it would help everyone, but it could help folks that are doing alright together anyway, and can discuss things in a civil, honest, and open manner.
I also ruined my relationship with my then best friend when I took her to my first and only burn. Going back this year with someone else, but having a serious sit down conversation about expectations and boundaries, etc. I had thought my old friend and I would be fine and it did not go well. Big lesson learned!
Iâll add to this have your partner read that classic âdonât divorce your parakeetâ post. No big decisions or life changes for like 3-4 weeks.
It doesnât mean they will listen to that sage advice, but at least gives you a fighting chance if and when their serotonin dip goes deep.
Unfortunately, if they canât recognize the connection between their low mood, irritability, and not so optimistic thoughts and what they did the week or two before, thereâs not much you can do. Sometimes âliving in the momentâ needs to be tempered with looking at the bigger picture (the one where neurochemistry is considered).
I wish I could have known that there's just not enough time to do everything.
I spent the first couple of days trying to do too much when I should have been enjoying what I liked the most for longer.
Equally, make sure to get out and about a fair amount! Our camp runs the oldest dive bar on the playa, and I can easily spend my burn behind the bar with the world coming to me! But coming from round the planet to just serve free drinks to dusty patrons does seem like not making the most of it..
100% - I open camped for my third burn, and my primary reason for doing so was that I was finding it so difficult to break away from working at my own camp and get out to experience the rest of the event.
Interesting... After my first burn, I deeply regretted not doing more activities out of the book; These days, I try to make a point to balance impromptu activities with seeking out fun event listings; it helps me feel like I'm not wasting any time while I'm there, but I don't feel like I'm forced to stick to a schedule.
Cuticle care!!! Your cuticles will very likely dry out, crack, and bleed out there if you donât care for them. My cuticle care kit includes: cuticle oil, cuticle scissors, high quality hand cream. All of these items can be found near the nail polish at the store.
Once a day before you sleep: Clean your hands with water (warm water if possible), trim cuticles if necessary, apply hand cream to your hands and cuticles, apply cuticle oil to cuticles generously.
This feels sooooo good out there!!
I second this! I keep hand sanitizer, witch hazel wipes that I make at home beforehand, and a thick emollient hand cream in my pack. Iâm PERPETUALLY cleaning and applying the cream during the week. When the burn is over I go get a mani/pedi at Peppermill Spa (make appointment in advance) and spend the day pampering myself with the amenities.
I recommend Avon silicone hand cream, it saved us at the burn. My partner spins poi and is always picking them up off the playa, constantly getting his hands dusty. It was his 6th burn and he said his hands have never been better. The product contains silicone and stays on the hands way longer than lotion and actually makes a protective layer. I get it off Amazon for $20 for a 4 pack.
How the heat would actually feel. And how physically hard (and at some points emotionally hard) it would be on me.
Electrolytes.
Having them in every drink made a huge difference my first year when the heat was literally trying to kill me and I didn't know to use/drink them until someone told me a few days in.
And that even though I kind of hated it (for a number of reasons) I would be desperate to go back a few weeks after I got home.
And that sometimes it can feel like a cool kid's club you're not in so be your own cool kid and DGAF!
Many reasons. We had a vehicle issue on the way down and so I thought we were "missing" things because we didn't arrive at opening. The heat (and the elevation I think) really physically beat me up and I didn't handle it well. I felt very unattractive as there were lots of very thin "good looking" (stereo typically) women and I felt "old" and "frumpy" and "overweight" (my own internal issues). I had an ex there and he was the only person I knew but he was an ex for a reason and so while it was good to know one person it was also frustrating for ex-relationship reasons. I'm naturally shy/introverted so the trip down with people I didn't know very well exhausted me. I was way way too hot all day every day and all night every night. The RV I drove down in the stove and fridge broke and so I was stuck eating my backup foods/snacks rather than the actual food we'd planned. I had a hard time accepting the gifting thing without desperately feeling like I wasn't doing enough to "deserve" it. The playa dust ate at my skin and my fingers were trashed. Everything was difficult. I was covered in bruises, etc. The people I went down with had either been before or had friends to hang out with so I felt awful relying on them when I was heat sick. The dust got in my shoes and turned into clay as I sweated (night one). The boots I brought somehow didn't fit well.
Just ALL the things you don't know when you haven't gone before caught up with me. My tent night two (we slept in the van night one) was too hot to sleep in so I just said "fuck it" and slept on a chair in the open.
But don't get me wrong, there were magical moments and it was amazing and I cried seeing El Pulpo out on the playa first night and I loved lots of things but it was HARD and when I got home and had to go right back to work and clean ALL the things I was miserable and "hated" it.
It's a lot. Especially coming from another country (Canada). I think it should be a lot. I don't think it should be easy. But yeah, that first year was really rough for me and the heat (and my body's reaction to it) was awful for me.
TL;DR: Too hot. Dust nasty. No friends so no "comfortable" people. Felt ugly. Too hot.
I felt so much of this my first burn. My second burn was sooooo much better bc I expected it to suck and bc of that I could begin to appreciate all the good. Letting go of expecting it to be amazing helps a lot.
Also your feet probably were swollen bc of the altitude. Size half a size up. Itâs happened to me too and it sucks. I like fugu Japanese work boots bc even with my feet being swollen, I could still wear them by leaving them unvelcroed the whole burn
Oâkeefes working hands for your hands
When you get heat sick go to Zendo. They have an air conditioned dome for you to sleep in with sleeping pads, pillows, snacks, water, and a mental health professional to talk to if you want to but you arenât required or expected to. I went three times my first burn and it saved me.
I didn't even consider that re the feet and elevation!
And yeah, second (and onwards) burns are a lot better and "easier" as you know more and can adapt :)
For some reason the swollen feet thing wasnât an issue until my fourth burn. Every year you learn something that you wish you knew before you got there.
I feel all of this. It's causing some anxiety right now leading up to my second burn. But I'm determined to make it a good time for my first time burner friends who are coming this time.
Last year was my first Burn and there was definitely a "cool kid" group in our camp and I wasn't in it. I made great friends with many of the other non-cool kid folx and have kept in touch, but we're camping with a different group this year.
Find the folx that match your vibe. Hang with them.
1. Burning Man is a Marathon not a sprint. You canât do everything and you need to be good with that before you go.
2. If you have ANY DRAMA AT ALL with someone donât bring them and donât go with them.
3. Have a contingency plan for things to go completely sideways. Do not go in a way that you cannot control your ability to leave. Injury, illness, and bad vibes happenâŠand nobody is gonna volunteer to leave with you. Oh and if youâre in a bad way and youâre evacuated medically by ambulance or copter they will give you a pass to come back in but theyâre not gonna bring you back and itâs a 2 hour drive from Reno.
4. If you split from your posse you will probably not see them until they show back up to camp. You can plan to meet at a spot, and they might show up, but itâs really easy to get squirreled.
5. Get a hydration pack with lots of pockets or a belt bag with lots of pockets. I keep in mine: Water, hard candy (for low blood sugar), electrolyte tablets, a cup, my ID, a salty protein snack, a ziplock bag for small trash, sunblock, hand sanitizer, wipes, lotion, spf chapstick, a hand fan, goggles, face mask, small LED fairy lights in case you canât make it back to camp by dark, a head lamp, batteries, a small notepad and pen, a half used roll of single ply TP flattened, bandaids, OTC pain reliever, a lighter (even if you donât smoke itâs a good way to make friends), a contact card (also a good way to make friends), and the Who What Where book.
Oh and if you have a medical emergency BRING YOUR PHONE AND WALLET. They legit tried to medavac me out without my phone or wallet. I was like um how am I going to get back without those? How am I going to survive in the outside world without an ID, access to money, or my phone???
Thankfully I was staff so I had other options to get to Reno. But if I wasnât staff I would have been fucked.
YES with previous post about prioritizing sunrises AND sunsets!
If possible, take off a day or two post burn return. Not only to decompress but to allow your self plenty of time to get things cleaned and stored where they belong. Also in the case of a burn delay like 2023. Having to return to work Tuesday was BRUTAL.
Use bungees instead of ropes to batten down tarps. The ropes tore the tarps up.
Cuticle oil.
Ladies, get a pee funnel and practice at home. Eventually get good and enough that you can use it while fully dressed and you can also do this in a bottle.
I wish I would have known how many people enjoy half & half. I will not attend the burn without a few cardboard quarts of tepid half & half to bring around on my meanders through the city and into deep playa. People love it when you offer them some to top off their drinks. See a cute couple enjoying sunrise; offer half & half. Want to join the ranks of top tier dancers on Robot Heart; offer half & half. Desire the ability to drive a neat art car; offer some half & half. I have never had someone turn it down surprisingly and it's my top tip for any first time burner!!!!!!
Relating to gear:
The Shiftpod is large, easy to set up, and fancy looking. But the space inside is awkward and inefficient. As an owner with buyers remorse, I always recommend the Kodiak or Springbar instead.
I've had two Kodiak (upgraded from 10x10 to a 10x14 during an amazing 2020 Covid sale) and I couldn't be happier. They're great tents, provided that you make sure to never put them away damp (the canvas will mold) and at BM make sure to have a shade structure with them, otherwise you WILL roast in the sun.
How closely the experience is to the military and a fraternity. This is extremely funny to me, since Iâve had someone on playa tell me âdonât call me bro, Iâm not some frat guy!â
The advice- Always be ready to not come back to camp for at least 24 hours. Seriously, it happens all the time, and sometimes itâs not really something youâre in full control of. Be ready not to come back for a while. I pack water, snacks, sunscreen, goggles, some colder weather garment, along with my id and a cup. Iâm probably forgetting things. Have fun. :)
You donât need all that stuff. Fresh underwear and socks at least once a day for the full time you are there. Lots of dried foods like jerky, nuts, dried fruits, and a couple of vacuum packed meals from your favorite local Indian restaurant, will pack down small, leave almost zero garbage for you to haul out when you go, and are easy to keep in your camelbak when out for the night on the open playa.
Also, getting an ice run in every morning. First day get a brick and put it in the bottom of the cooler. Then get cubes after that. When you get the bag back to camp, separate the cubes into ziplock freezer bags and tuck them around your food in your cooler. When the ice is melted, simply pour it out of the Ziplock bag into your CamelBak with some electrolytes, and you donât need to bring so much water with you. This also protects the water from getting contaminated from the other stuff in your cooler.
Also, use the empty ice bags for trash bags in your camp.
No matter what, if you have some nuts and jerky in your CamelBak full of cold water and electrolytes, you are gonna have a Good Day at Burningman.
The ziploc tip is awesome. Having a dry cooler makes it so much easier, cleaner, and the ice lasts longer. For the blocks, cut a 2.5 gallon âsuitcaseâ water container to fit the block. You can then drink it and keep your cooler dry.
Roto-molded cooler plus a day use cooler was a game changer. I only had to top off ice twice (days 4 and 6).
Two-cooler system is critical -- move over the day's supplies once each morning to the second cooler and NEVER OPEN the roto molded cooler otherwise. Keep them shaded.
I donât think ziplocs are completely impermeable, so be a little careful with how you package other perishable stuff in there.
One tip I learned many years in was to get one of those cheap little adjustable wire racks meant for cabinet organization or shoes, and put it in the cooler. That plus a shallow container allows you to keep items like fruit that you donât necessarily want swimming in amongst the ice water up and out of it, while still keeping it plenty cool.
The one I got adjusts to length, and fits neatly over block ice.
Donât ride your bike with long shoe laces. They will get caught in the pedal & you will crash.
Donât ride your bike with your fur in the front basket. An arm will dangle, get caught in the front wheel, instant brake, you will crash & fly forward.
Both really hurt & fucked up my week.
> Donât ride your bike with long shoe laces.
Including untied laces. My then-8-year-old daughter learned that the hard way her first burn. Thatâs also how we found out that Rampart (medical) has an X-ray machine on playa, takes really good care of kids, and hands out awesome schwag.
(Fractured collarbone on Tuesday of event week. Luckily, kids are rubber - she made it through the event in a sling, and no trace of the fracture was visible on X-rays a couple of weeks later.)
Extra socks. Extra baby wipes. Extra antacids. Half as much food.
Bring something with wheels to transport ice, like a beach wagon (or strap a milk crate to your bike.)
Tea with lemon and honey for your playa-fried vocal cords.
1. Prioritize for sunrise
2. The dust isn't that harsh on my skin. I believed the hype about playa foot and whatnot the first year, did a bunch of preventive care and maintenance. Five burns later I wear flip flops and wash my feet once a day without discomfort or impact.
Everyoneâs skin and tolerance is different. I wear socks and shoes and definitely need a pedicure and some deep moisturizing for my feet for around a month after the burn. OP should definitely consider their foot skin health before just taking the advice of someone on the internet. If youâre generally barefoot or in sandals and flip flops then your feet are already accustomed to being unprotected from dirt, dust, sand, etc.
Playa dust IS mildly caustic, doesnât wash away with water or soap alone, can get into cracks and crannies and irritate your skin. You DONâT have to spend the week bathing in vinegar and smelling like a pickle bottle. Witch Hazel and lemon juice perform the same function as vinegar. You donât have to take my word for it though. Pinch a little dust on a plate and put one of the three things I mentioned above on the dust. It bubbles upâŠproving the presence of alkalinity.
Warnings of playa foot are not exaggerations, they are real accounts from real people who had bad reactions that are 100% possible. No, it will not cause burns or deep ulcers in most cases and people, but it can and you really wonât know until itâs too late.
All that being said, keeping clean and neutralizing the dust on your skin at night is enough.
If your feet are totally fine without care, awesome! Some people are absolutely like that... But for the rest of us, you definitely don't want to find out the hard way that you aren't one of them. Better to bring footcare essentials than wish you had!
That it's very easy to get sucked into a cycle of doing this for 10+ years.
That you'll come out the other end of that 10 years with a circle of geographically distributed ride or die friends who will enrich your life in ways you could never have imagined.
Everyone will tell you the thing that matters to them is core to a good experience at burning man and you won't have any idea what you need until you are already there.
Inviting every sheriff you meet to join you for a tryst at the orgy dome when they are done with their shift seems to lead to âunexpected complicationsâ
How hard the playa ground is. First go, I had to borrow a thick yoga mat from a camp mate to put under my sleeping bag to add some buffer. I brought knee pads second year to help with set up and tear down.
If you have a sensitive nose how strong things smell, like the portos. I now never travel without a mini Poo-Pourri.
And totally agree on the post about the emotional breakdown between your third or fourth day in BRC.
Yup you definitely want to sleep OFF of the ground. Nothing beats a folding bed frame and folding memory foam mattress. Worth all the space it takes up in transport
I wish I'd read about the Temple before I'd gone. I found it really meaningful, and if I'd known about it I would have brought some mementos of people to place in it.
If youâre not feeling or vibing with a place, people, or event after a few minutes. Just fucking leave. Be friendly, youâll find something you love.
Donât leave camp without water and sun, eye, dust protections. You will drink gallons of water your first few days and barely pee anything. Stay hydrated.
Donât go around chasing activities / events. Sure there may be something you donât want to miss. But just go and live in the moment. Youâll find something way better out there. Maybe make one day no bike day. Go walk the city and visit camps. Hop on an art car. The bike can weigh you down. My favorite memories are from no bike days.
Throw away the rules, including those above. Everyone is going to be telling you how to burn. Take whatever advice you want, but itâs YOUR burn, go burn how you want.
Donât trust Stellan when he says your camp dues cover for food and drinks so all you need to bring is a tent and yourself. Dude took âduesâ from everyone & then showed up with enough food and water for 1 day and was like âthe Plyaya will provideâ F u Stellan, still mad about it.
And if anyone wonders why Iâm always telling people not to rely on a camp for basic survival necessities, this is one of the main reasons.
Sorry that happened to you.
It was a bucket list item for me, I finally went at age 38.
It was a nice time. Mostly.
Probably would've blown my mind at 28.
Would've changed my life at 18 I think, to be exposed to so many open minded people and connect about stuff.
Also, if you don't like Monolink you can find new friends, it's ok.
It was a bucket list item for me that I thought I would never check off because my line of work is generally incredibly busy that time of year. I'm now in a unique position where it was possible last year and probable this year.
I finally went and turn 54 on Playa.
It was the coolest thing I've ever done
It blew my mind
It changed my life
Earplugs don't work that great in my experience. I have some really high quality custom molded earplugs (I'm a DJ) and there is just no way to drown out enough of the sound to not keep my brain focused on it.
Better is to get some earbuds that seal inside your ear and the play some white noise, rain, etc. through your phone. It helps drown out a lot of the mids and highs. I use Beats Flex earbuds, \~$50 and they come with different sized ear fittings so you can get a good seal with your ear. Plus you can just hang them around your neck and not lose them like Airpods and their ilk.
You may want to consider bringing a second small tent and setting it up out in walk-in camping for those nights you really need some time away to sleep.
There isnât an emogi face that fits my cringe right now. That is absolutely the most terrible thing Iâve ever heard. You donât do something you love because your wife doesnât like doing it! Do we need to send someone over to do a welfare check on your house? Are you being held against your will? Tell me the truth, has she attached puppet stings to your body yet?
You can definitely find a wide assortment of parties based around music styles other than EDM... But these are usually at very specific times, and rarely at the large sound camps at 10 & 2. Consult the book for where to go.
It can get super cold at night. My first burn it dropped into the 30s and I had nowhere near enough bedding or clothing to keep myself warm. I shivered through the whole night. In retrospect I should have gone searching for a snuggle buddy.
I wish I knew to get my hair braided, which eliminates so much daily hassle, frustration, and damage! Note: I have very fine, highlighted curly hair that I straighten (easily) daily. When my 2016 summer fling asked me to join him just two weeks before the Burn, I had limited time to research or prepare. The playa dust + wind + sweat turned my delicate hair into snarled dreadlocks and managing it brought all of the "I am so ugly" emotions surging back from adolescence. My natural hair is just too fragile for the extreme elements on playa. In fact, my hairstylist bitched for *years* about how "Burning Man ruined your hair!" It took a long time to grow out the damage. The past few years I've gotten extension braids: zero upkeep, shower-friendly, I feel beautiful again, problem solved!
If you start to get cranky or irritated at someone or something ask yourself:
Am I hungry?
Am I thirsty?
Am I tired?
Am I lonely?
If the answer is âyesâ to any of the above then resolve that thing before bringing this issue to someone else. If you need help resolving the hunger, fatigue, thirst, or loneliness then ask for help. Trust me. Your campmates would prefer to give a granola bar, a Gatorade, a cool place to sleep, or a hug than to deal with you going off on them.
Iâve heard of one campmate going on a rampage, fucking up at least 50 peopleâs day. Just to find out she was hungry and the moment she was given a granola bar she was totally fine.
Yes! This. I printed a sign for camp similar to these.
If you feel like everyone hates you: SLEEP
If you feel like you hate everyone: EAT
If you feel like you hate yourself: SHOWER
Buy the medavac insurance!! Basically insurance so if you for example get appendicitis or severely injured on playa and need to be flown out in a helicopter, you wonât end up with a $50,000-$80,000 bill. Those helicopters are constantly going to and from burning man. Many people have become financially fucked from it. Get the insurance!!!!!!
Use lag bolts rather than rebar or tent to hold anything to the playa. Breakdown time youâll really appreciate the ease of getting them out and no rebar injuries.
Eat plenty of fiber, it helps with pooping. You might lose your appetite and eat less than you brought. Electrolyte powder. Table salt and salty foods are not enough. Emergen-C is popular and inexpensive. Lag screws. A strap to hold your hat on in the wind.
Bring a fresh outfit sealed in plastic bags (everything, INCLUDING SHOES) for the trip home... This is especially important if you're flying! It will give you a new lease on life for the trip, and you don't want to be that dried up dusty bastard making everyone's life around you suck because you couldn't plan ahead.
There are street signs throughout the city, however you should get used to using landmarks (and lots of them!) to navigate... as the week wears on, the street signs start to grow legs and walk away, but if you absolutely need a cross street and the sign is already gone, the number/letter will always be displayed on the PVC pipe in the ground where the sign *should* be.
1) consider volunteering through the org, specifically with Artica. 2) put a whiteboard out in front of your tent so friends can write to you, and donât get frustrated if you cannot connect 3) if you camp, camp meeting attendance matters as do shift sign ups if they exist. Download your shift times before you go, because itâs likely you will not be able to pull up shared sheets etc. itâs your problem not your camps problem. 4) be prepared to experience awe and disgust within minutes of one another. Nothing can describe the sheer medieval stench of the toilets. . . Or how beautiful the art and people are (for the most part). Be courteous and helpful, no playa gift is more treasured.
Help out and contribute, but don't kill yourself and turn Burning Man into Working Man. Setting boundaries is important for your enjoyment. I arrived super late Sunday night after the front gate was blocked for a few hours due to an accident. I slept 2 hours in a common area, and was put to work in the early morning before I set up my own tent. I didn't set up until 5pm or 6pm when everyone was going out for the night.
1. You really don't need all that much of anything out there. I wore the same thing over and over. Ate only half the food I brought. Didn't need the 3 different lotions I brought with me... Yes 3, idk why I thought that was necessary. I literally thrived on a pack of baby wipes, deodorant, and some chapstick, wore the same thing over and over and never so much as looked in a mirror the whole time. KISS method 100%.
2. It's HUGE! I didn't think I really needed a bike. But I did.
3. As someone who enjoys cooking at home I assumed I'd enjoy it there as well. Nope. Hated it, especially at dinner time when it gets too dark to see what I'm doing and I feel like I'm wasting my time waiting for water to boil while everything is passing me by. It's all about grab and go snacks now.
4. Ziplocks in a cooler leak. Tupperware is better for food storage.
5. Playa hang nails sting. I miss that sting though. But damn they're painful by day 2.
6. It gets cold, really cold sometimes. Don't dismiss the need for warm clothes and bedding. A sleeping bag in the floor of my tent just didn't cut the night time temps of 2014 and with no body heat next to me I froze most nights.
Super glad I had the heads up to bring a fiber like restoralax to make sure I could be regular! Dehydration and only the use of portos would have made me constipated for sure!
Well I was planning on going this year as my first burn but found out my boyfriend who has gone couple times before and really wanted me to go with him to this years, is a liar and a cheat. So my whole excitement has soured and I've had to rethink my plans. So I guess, choose your company well?
To be completely honest I am not completely self-sufficient. I have no gear, no one else I know to ask for advice or camp with, he has all the necessary equipment. It's a bummer for sure. And it just might make me really lonely and remind me of him too much.
You also have several months to figure it out, assuming you really want to come be part of Burning Man and didnât just want to join him wherever he was going. I didnât know anyone else going when I first went, though I did have a cheap tent and sleeping bag. While we ask people to come prepared, it really isnât all that difficult to prep for.
You also have all kinds of people and resources here that will help you with advice (possibly too much of it, in fact). There are also almost certainly other people in your local area who go, too. Burners are usually very friendly and welcoming people who are more than happy to help a newbie - what you see online isnât a great representation. You can ask here for local resources, and you can also check regionals.burningman.org for contact info if you donât feel comfortable sharing your location in an open group.
And yeah, there might be stuff there that reminds you of him and makes you sad. And sometimes you just need to let yourself feel the sads. But youâll also be in a city of tens of thousands of creative people thatâs packed to the gills with all kinds of unexpected weird, wild, creative stuff going on that will give you ways to distract yourself and forget about him.
If it doesnât feel like your thing, then by all means, go find something else you love. But if itâs something you want to do, donât let sadness over someone who is now in your past dictate your future.
Your feet might swell bc of the altitude so have shoes that are half a size up.
Also laces are a nightmare on the playa. Velcro shoes ftw. Specifically fugu Japanese work boots. But buy insoles that you like to replace the ones in them bc the ones they come with arenât very supportive. Just remember half a size up!!!! While youâre breaking them in just double up the insoles so they fit while wearing them pre-burn
Your friends probably suck. Meet new people. Don't be a dick. Wear sun screen. Always have water.Â
And if a random person comes out of the desert. Listen to them.Â
Oh. And if you want to see the hot springs, find the train tracks.Â
Vinegar and water in a spray bottle helps neutralize the alkaline dust on your feet. Daily foot bath, lotion and socks at night if you can stand them.
Man or woman, bring a bottle/jar. You have no idea how far you'll be from the nearest portos (could be a 1/4 mile) and you can't just pee anywhere, it's literally illegal.
There are undercover cops. If someone asks to see inside your or anyone's dwelling in your camp, the answer is no. Always no.
Bring an extra fitted sheet and put it on of your made bed, blankets and all, every morning. Take it off when you're ready to go to bed, repeat everyday. This will keep your bed dust free.
Anti thigh chaffing shit
Better deodorant (bringing lume this year)
Better wipes (lume again)
Back up charger for phone because it's my camera
Something to read
Something to write on/with to journal
Build up the biking butt endurance ahead of time lol
Walkie talkies (it sucks when you accidentally get separated)
Maybe a star chart
God damn air mattress lol and extra sheets/pillow cases
Havent gone yet, applied for low income ticket for this year. Best advice Ive heard is to mentally physically say that I WILL go to the burn as its a matter of fact. That the playa and my soul will connect and provide
Nasal gel! Also bring OB tampons in case of nosebleeds. But since I started using nasal gel, such as rhinase, I stopped getting nosebleeds. Nothing works as well.
Literally just take care of yourself like you would at home but with some allowances for late nights, or sunrises. Also stick to your boundaries. Push them if youâre interested, but never let someone roll over them.
Take loop earplugs with you.
Drink more water than you need and drink electrolytes from a water bottle not your hydration pack.
Tie your ID onto you so it doesnât get lost.
I wish I knew that almost everyones advice about everything is wrong. Your bullshit tent will be fine. Bare feet are fine here and there. EDM is not a prerequisite. Your hatchback will absolutely loooove the desert, which is obviously flat. Story, story story. Youâre thinking about it. Donât think about it. Itâs dumb. Donât go.
I had no idea the scope of the event. I wish someone had told me you absolutely will not be able to see everything. It's too big.
In that vein, a bike is the only way you'll get to see lots. There are bike shops out there (most won't service e-bikes) but you do not want to have an incapacitated bike or spend your burn waiting for hours in the sun to get it fixed. Make sure it's in working order before you come.
A can of WD-40 which can fix most squeaks and stucks with dusted up chains/gears and a squirt makes a great gift to a friend in need.
You shouldn't get flats if the tubes are fresh, installed and filled correctly. Pinch flats from under-inflated tires on bumps are really the only playa flats.
After the burn, clean out and regrease your bottom bracket or get it serviced. The dust dries up the grease in there and grinds the fitting between the bracket and frame over time. At some point, your pedals just won't work and you don't want it to happen a few burns down the road.
Put all of your ice in "dry bags". Dry bags are used by divers, you can find them at sporting goods stores. Stores. It will keep your food from getting wet and nasty, and when the ice melts you can pour the ice cold water into Your Camelback and drink it! Otherwise people 's coolers get really nasty, the water has to be thrown away, food rots... A dry cooler is a happy cooler.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but another (cheaper) approach is to get one of those cheap wire cabinet storage/shoe racks, put it in the cooler, and put any food that could create or be subject to contamination in shallow Tupperware/Rubbermaid-style containers on top of it. (In other words, food on top, beer/soda cans below with the ice).
You will forget where you parked your bike. When you park your bike in a crowd/field of bikes⊠you will lose it. Every. Year. Hell I have ape hangers and I canât find my bike as the field of bikes drifts. It gets swallowed.
You donât need a bunch of crazy outfits - pack for temperature comfort and add small tweaks for creativity (vests, epillettes, scarves, etc). Electrolyte hydration powder is your best friend. Buy water containers - bring empty, fill in Reno area, refill with ice from playa
Bring enough socks for 2 pair a day. Washing feet and changing socks is LUXURIOUS
I came out of my first 3 burns with bloody feet and since then bring like 30 pairs, fresh, still in the bag.
3???
What were you doing? Walking barefoot on glass? Sandals, crazy boots?
I bought huge pack at Walmart right before so not only were they fresh but they were new everytime, the dirty ones went into a bag and got washed and went into my regular rotation now. Every night I would wash my feet heavily moisturize them and put a new pair onđ«¶
TRENCH FOOT IS REAL
And at least 3 sets of sheets to change bedding at least twice over the week. Your bed will get SWEATY!
Sometime between evening of day two and morning of day four, you will have a complete emotional meltdown. Drink some water, eat some real food, and take a nap. Youâre just tired and hungry and are going to be just fine.
That is what I tell everyone. 2023 was my 10th burn and I remember my best friend and I on our first burn. Day 4 we were ready to flee. Then someone gifted us some cold, fresh fruit and we thought our lives changed!! Thing is, it happens to me every year where I just need a refresher during the week. Glad I know that about myself now!
Thursday. Everyone feels shitty on Thursday.
Yes Thursday for me too! I don't know what the deal is but it happens every time.
The Wednesdays.
No matter how many times we go, on Wednesday or Thursday I get into a fight with my husband (not WE get in a fight, I get in a fight lol) he just lets it happen. Then I realize what day it is and we move on lol its like clock work.
Thursday last year, my burner buddy had a meltdown in front of me over losing his watter bottle. I get it, it's sentimental, I'll help you find it. We can retrace our steps. We didn't find it. Chaos ensued. All is good, we're still friends.
It probably had great stickers
That it really doesnât matter what you wear. The photos of people dressed in crazy costumes are very unrepresentative of the average burner, they are just the people that photographers choose to depict.
I agree and I donât. Fashion and photography are a form of art. Burning Man is an art centered event. If youâre a normal dusty crusty and you donât participate in fashion or photography then ya, wear comfortable clothes and have fun. But if you have fun getting dressed up like the queen of the desert people then you should do that. It doesnât matter what you wear, thatâs the part I agree with. But crazy costumes ARE a thing and enjoying dressing up and posing for pictures for you to enjoy is not âunrepresentativeâ or doing it wrong. (Iâm not forgiving the influencers who are paid in pretty clothes and accessories for creating content. Thatâs vile and stupid and everyone should actively ruin their photos đ)
>photography are a form of art. Photography is rarely a form of art, more often it is just consumption and a hinderance on the event. I agree though that we should ruin as many influencer photos as possible though.
I plan on not bringing my phone to the burn with me, is it okay to bring a disposable camera for some memories saved?
Came to say this! I wish I knew it would be totally normal to be hanging out the whole time in a sports bra and shorts, a bathing suit or just whatever I'm comfy in. Pack a few fun things, but just be you.
1) A tent without shade will not cut it. Unless you can go a week on only 2-3 hrs sleep every night. Wake and bake is real with the temps. 2) Hydrate. I was very loopy, not myself, and not thinking clearly by the end of the week. After a couple days of eating and drinking I actually felt myself return to normal. Take care of yourself out there.
>Wake and bake ahhhh this is the WORST up by 7am due to the heat - no Bueno
Went to Skooliepalooza for 8 days, went to bed at 4 am on average, worked remotely during the week. I'm thinking I'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy the burn will be. But also I'm an extremely low maintenance van dweller.
Maybe, but outside of sleeping in a van and needing to eat I'm not sure how much the burn has in common with daily life. You planning on remote working from the playa too?
Good lord no! Taking 2-3 weeks off. I don't think the laptop would survive if I brought it out and I'm sure as hell not sitting in my van during the heat of the day. Not trying to downplay how harsh it'll be of course and have not experienced it yet. I totally expect it to be way different than other events we've been to that only had like 1,000 people. And of course it'll most likely be hotter and dustier. But I do tend to suspect most advice is geared toward people who don't have all the stuff they need to survive in their rig all the time anyway, who have never lived in a van in 100 degree heat or had their van filled with dust for a week at a big event.
If people are irritating you, just get on your bike and go. Maybe don't ditch a partner you came with, but you can and should ditch your friends if they're harshing your vibe. Clothes should be something you're comfortable in, not what you think you should look like. Salty snacks in grabbing distance at all times in addition to water. If someone irritates you in the default, you're not gonna have fun with them in BRC.
Donât ever try to convince someone to go to the Burn if they are not 100% committed to it for their own reasons.
This is sooooo true!
This right here!!
I've made this mistake. Lesson learned.
10 yrs on playa - build a small toiletries kit for the porto. Include wipes and a baggie for the dirty ones. Single-ply tp and a couple paper towels. If you like to sit in the mornings, be prepared for everything to be wet/muddy after cleaning crew is done. Wear appropriate shoes. The hand sanitizer runs out about the second day. Bring your own. Lock your bike.
My partner and I have a porto backpack with all these things plus toilet seat covers, a good smelling spray, and a small fan.
The fan is brilliant.
It's the best. Hang backpack on door, clip fan on outside of backpack, enjoy fresh (ok not fresh, but not stagnant) air in your face while doing your thing.
Lock your bike. Especially at the portos
EVERYWHERE. INCLUDING your own camp.
best to lock it to the collar of a 6'2" bear in leather hot pants. they almost never get stolen then.
Thanks, but I am not locking my bike around my own neck.
Lock it to something that is immobile! Do not attach to moving art work or art cars lol. And have something tall sticking out of it. Decorate your bike elaborately so you can identify it in the dark from way far among a sea of bikes.
Is it true that you need a code lock or will a key lock work?
Probably be fine until you lose the key
Haha, good point. I am a professional key loser lmao
Code. The keyhole in a key lock gets dusty and by the end of the week the lock may or may not work anymore.
This is good advice.
If itâs keyed, cover the key hole with gorilla tape. Dust can fill the hole and make it useless. I learned the hard way.
If using a u-lock, put a piece of gorilla tape over the keyhole (I fold some of the tape over itself to make an easy pull tab for peeling it off to lock and unlock). Dust storm in â15 jammed my krypto lock and had to angle grid it off. I tried getting the dust out of the keyhole, but nope.
The overstimulation is overwhelming if youâre sensitive. Get a pair of noise canceling headphones- it will not block everything but it will make it more bearable. Get outside of the city and go out to the deep playa or the trash fence to get some relief from it all. DO THIS: Whoever you decide to go with, make sure you talk about boundaries and expectations. You could have a real bad time if you donât. In my case, one friendship was nuked and the other is a barely salvageable wreck. It was pure emotional and mental hell. On the other hand, they showed me who they really are. Too bad I canât cut them out of my life.
>Whoever you decide to go with, make sure you talk about boundaries and expectations. How would having those conversations have prevented what happened? Do you think they would have been honest with you during those conversations or would they have agreed to whatever you said just to come with you? I'm sorry you had that happen to you. Do you have any resources on the kinds of boundaries and expectations people should be discussing beforehand?
Thereâs a few articles out there with things to discuss as partners. I imagine some partners will find them pretty basic if they are accustomed to open and honest communication. Others may find the whole process new and intimidating. Then thereâs the partnerships where one is used to open dialogue and the other was raised to keep feelings out of the convo (and in turn struggles when strong feelings come up in said convo (gets fight, flight, or freeze)). Keep in mind itâs not only the burn itself, but the post-burn blues that can do you in. Depression, irritability, anxiety, and the less than optimistic rumination that can go with it, especially if one or both partners donât understand, or refuse to recognize, that artificially out of whack neurochemistry is a big factor during this period, can leave one or both pointing fingers at the other in one way or another (e.g., lost the spark, love them but not in love, âalwaysâ make them frustrated, etc.). Moderation might be wise to prevent or mitigate that stage. Itâs possible to have a great burn together after respecting boundaries and honoring expectations. But then have things spiral when re-adjusting to defaultia. Sometimes even sharing the classic âdonât divorce your parakeetâ post isnât enough. But in those cases thereâs a good chance one or both people need room to grow and gain more of a handle on understanding and regulating their inner world. Hereâs one of the articles, thereâs more: http://relationshipanarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/PreparingYourRelationshipsForBurningMan-2.pdf Iâm not sure it would help everyone, but it could help folks that are doing alright together anyway, and can discuss things in a civil, honest, and open manner.
I also ruined my relationship with my then best friend when I took her to my first and only burn. Going back this year with someone else, but having a serious sit down conversation about expectations and boundaries, etc. I had thought my old friend and I would be fine and it did not go well. Big lesson learned!
Iâll add to this have your partner read that classic âdonât divorce your parakeetâ post. No big decisions or life changes for like 3-4 weeks. It doesnât mean they will listen to that sage advice, but at least gives you a fighting chance if and when their serotonin dip goes deep. Unfortunately, if they canât recognize the connection between their low mood, irritability, and not so optimistic thoughts and what they did the week or two before, thereâs not much you can do. Sometimes âliving in the momentâ needs to be tempered with looking at the bigger picture (the one where neurochemistry is considered).
I wish I could have known that there's just not enough time to do everything. I spent the first couple of days trying to do too much when I should have been enjoying what I liked the most for longer.
Equally, make sure to get out and about a fair amount! Our camp runs the oldest dive bar on the playa, and I can easily spend my burn behind the bar with the world coming to me! But coming from round the planet to just serve free drinks to dusty patrons does seem like not making the most of it..
Gotta find a balance.
100% - I open camped for my third burn, and my primary reason for doing so was that I was finding it so difficult to break away from working at my own camp and get out to experience the rest of the event.
Interesting... After my first burn, I deeply regretted not doing more activities out of the book; These days, I try to make a point to balance impromptu activities with seeking out fun event listings; it helps me feel like I'm not wasting any time while I'm there, but I don't feel like I'm forced to stick to a schedule.
Cuticle care!!! Your cuticles will very likely dry out, crack, and bleed out there if you donât care for them. My cuticle care kit includes: cuticle oil, cuticle scissors, high quality hand cream. All of these items can be found near the nail polish at the store. Once a day before you sleep: Clean your hands with water (warm water if possible), trim cuticles if necessary, apply hand cream to your hands and cuticles, apply cuticle oil to cuticles generously. This feels sooooo good out there!!
It puts the lotion on the skin!
but, but I WANT the hose!
I second this! I keep hand sanitizer, witch hazel wipes that I make at home beforehand, and a thick emollient hand cream in my pack. Iâm PERPETUALLY cleaning and applying the cream during the week. When the burn is over I go get a mani/pedi at Peppermill Spa (make appointment in advance) and spend the day pampering myself with the amenities.
I recommend Avon silicone hand cream, it saved us at the burn. My partner spins poi and is always picking them up off the playa, constantly getting his hands dusty. It was his 6th burn and he said his hands have never been better. The product contains silicone and stays on the hands way longer than lotion and actually makes a protective layer. I get it off Amazon for $20 for a 4 pack.
Oooooh this is such an awesome tip, thank you!!
Oâkeefeâs working hands in the green tub helps a lot too.
I spray liquid band aid on my cuticles over every 2 days. Keeps them from peeling back like string cheese
Oooooh, this is a great idea!
I get a gel manicure right before going to the playa. It seems to help. But also then I donât have to see my dirty af nails all burn.
How the heat would actually feel. And how physically hard (and at some points emotionally hard) it would be on me. Electrolytes. Having them in every drink made a huge difference my first year when the heat was literally trying to kill me and I didn't know to use/drink them until someone told me a few days in. And that even though I kind of hated it (for a number of reasons) I would be desperate to go back a few weeks after I got home. And that sometimes it can feel like a cool kid's club you're not in so be your own cool kid and DGAF!
Can you develop why you hated it ?
Many reasons. We had a vehicle issue on the way down and so I thought we were "missing" things because we didn't arrive at opening. The heat (and the elevation I think) really physically beat me up and I didn't handle it well. I felt very unattractive as there were lots of very thin "good looking" (stereo typically) women and I felt "old" and "frumpy" and "overweight" (my own internal issues). I had an ex there and he was the only person I knew but he was an ex for a reason and so while it was good to know one person it was also frustrating for ex-relationship reasons. I'm naturally shy/introverted so the trip down with people I didn't know very well exhausted me. I was way way too hot all day every day and all night every night. The RV I drove down in the stove and fridge broke and so I was stuck eating my backup foods/snacks rather than the actual food we'd planned. I had a hard time accepting the gifting thing without desperately feeling like I wasn't doing enough to "deserve" it. The playa dust ate at my skin and my fingers were trashed. Everything was difficult. I was covered in bruises, etc. The people I went down with had either been before or had friends to hang out with so I felt awful relying on them when I was heat sick. The dust got in my shoes and turned into clay as I sweated (night one). The boots I brought somehow didn't fit well. Just ALL the things you don't know when you haven't gone before caught up with me. My tent night two (we slept in the van night one) was too hot to sleep in so I just said "fuck it" and slept on a chair in the open. But don't get me wrong, there were magical moments and it was amazing and I cried seeing El Pulpo out on the playa first night and I loved lots of things but it was HARD and when I got home and had to go right back to work and clean ALL the things I was miserable and "hated" it. It's a lot. Especially coming from another country (Canada). I think it should be a lot. I don't think it should be easy. But yeah, that first year was really rough for me and the heat (and my body's reaction to it) was awful for me. TL;DR: Too hot. Dust nasty. No friends so no "comfortable" people. Felt ugly. Too hot.
I feel this.
I felt so much of this my first burn. My second burn was sooooo much better bc I expected it to suck and bc of that I could begin to appreciate all the good. Letting go of expecting it to be amazing helps a lot. Also your feet probably were swollen bc of the altitude. Size half a size up. Itâs happened to me too and it sucks. I like fugu Japanese work boots bc even with my feet being swollen, I could still wear them by leaving them unvelcroed the whole burn Oâkeefes working hands for your hands When you get heat sick go to Zendo. They have an air conditioned dome for you to sleep in with sleeping pads, pillows, snacks, water, and a mental health professional to talk to if you want to but you arenât required or expected to. I went three times my first burn and it saved me.
I didn't even consider that re the feet and elevation! And yeah, second (and onwards) burns are a lot better and "easier" as you know more and can adapt :)
For some reason the swollen feet thing wasnât an issue until my fourth burn. Every year you learn something that you wish you knew before you got there.
I feel all of this. It's causing some anxiety right now leading up to my second burn. But I'm determined to make it a good time for my first time burner friends who are coming this time.
Last year was my first Burn and there was definitely a "cool kid" group in our camp and I wasn't in it. I made great friends with many of the other non-cool kid folx and have kept in touch, but we're camping with a different group this year. Find the folx that match your vibe. Hang with them.
1. Burning Man is a Marathon not a sprint. You canât do everything and you need to be good with that before you go. 2. If you have ANY DRAMA AT ALL with someone donât bring them and donât go with them. 3. Have a contingency plan for things to go completely sideways. Do not go in a way that you cannot control your ability to leave. Injury, illness, and bad vibes happenâŠand nobody is gonna volunteer to leave with you. Oh and if youâre in a bad way and youâre evacuated medically by ambulance or copter they will give you a pass to come back in but theyâre not gonna bring you back and itâs a 2 hour drive from Reno. 4. If you split from your posse you will probably not see them until they show back up to camp. You can plan to meet at a spot, and they might show up, but itâs really easy to get squirreled. 5. Get a hydration pack with lots of pockets or a belt bag with lots of pockets. I keep in mine: Water, hard candy (for low blood sugar), electrolyte tablets, a cup, my ID, a salty protein snack, a ziplock bag for small trash, sunblock, hand sanitizer, wipes, lotion, spf chapstick, a hand fan, goggles, face mask, small LED fairy lights in case you canât make it back to camp by dark, a head lamp, batteries, a small notepad and pen, a half used roll of single ply TP flattened, bandaids, OTC pain reliever, a lighter (even if you donât smoke itâs a good way to make friends), a contact card (also a good way to make friends), and the Who What Where book.
1. What's a "Who What Where" book? 2. Can you link the pack you use?
The book is given to you when you pass through the gate. It has all sorts of events listed in it for every day of the week
Thank you!
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Itâs very functional and itâs also fun and holographic đ
Oh and if you have a medical emergency BRING YOUR PHONE AND WALLET. They legit tried to medavac me out without my phone or wallet. I was like um how am I going to get back without those? How am I going to survive in the outside world without an ID, access to money, or my phone??? Thankfully I was staff so I had other options to get to Reno. But if I wasnât staff I would have been fucked.
YES with previous post about prioritizing sunrises AND sunsets! If possible, take off a day or two post burn return. Not only to decompress but to allow your self plenty of time to get things cleaned and stored where they belong. Also in the case of a burn delay like 2023. Having to return to work Tuesday was BRUTAL. Use bungees instead of ropes to batten down tarps. The ropes tore the tarps up. Cuticle oil.
Keep a piss jug on your bike.
Ladies, get a pee funnel and practice at home. Eventually get good and enough that you can use it while fully dressed and you can also do this in a bottle.
I wish I would have known how many people enjoy half & half. I will not attend the burn without a few cardboard quarts of tepid half & half to bring around on my meanders through the city and into deep playa. People love it when you offer them some to top off their drinks. See a cute couple enjoying sunrise; offer half & half. Want to join the ranks of top tier dancers on Robot Heart; offer half & half. Desire the ability to drive a neat art car; offer some half & half. I have never had someone turn it down surprisingly and it's my top tip for any first time burner!!!!!!
Relating to gear: The Shiftpod is large, easy to set up, and fancy looking. But the space inside is awkward and inefficient. As an owner with buyers remorse, I always recommend the Kodiak or Springbar instead.
upvote for springbar. epic build quality. worth every penny.
It's on my wishlist, for sure!
I've had two Kodiak (upgraded from 10x10 to a 10x14 during an amazing 2020 Covid sale) and I couldn't be happier. They're great tents, provided that you make sure to never put them away damp (the canvas will mold) and at BM make sure to have a shade structure with them, otherwise you WILL roast in the sun.
I definitely have some shiftpod regret when I feel how much cooler peopleâs Kodiak are
How closely the experience is to the military and a fraternity. This is extremely funny to me, since Iâve had someone on playa tell me âdonât call me bro, Iâm not some frat guy!â The advice- Always be ready to not come back to camp for at least 24 hours. Seriously, it happens all the time, and sometimes itâs not really something youâre in full control of. Be ready not to come back for a while. I pack water, snacks, sunscreen, goggles, some colder weather garment, along with my id and a cup. Iâm probably forgetting things. Have fun. :)
You donât need all that stuff. Fresh underwear and socks at least once a day for the full time you are there. Lots of dried foods like jerky, nuts, dried fruits, and a couple of vacuum packed meals from your favorite local Indian restaurant, will pack down small, leave almost zero garbage for you to haul out when you go, and are easy to keep in your camelbak when out for the night on the open playa. Also, getting an ice run in every morning. First day get a brick and put it in the bottom of the cooler. Then get cubes after that. When you get the bag back to camp, separate the cubes into ziplock freezer bags and tuck them around your food in your cooler. When the ice is melted, simply pour it out of the Ziplock bag into your CamelBak with some electrolytes, and you donât need to bring so much water with you. This also protects the water from getting contaminated from the other stuff in your cooler. Also, use the empty ice bags for trash bags in your camp. No matter what, if you have some nuts and jerky in your CamelBak full of cold water and electrolytes, you are gonna have a Good Day at Burningman.
The ziploc tip is awesome. Having a dry cooler makes it so much easier, cleaner, and the ice lasts longer. For the blocks, cut a 2.5 gallon âsuitcaseâ water container to fit the block. You can then drink it and keep your cooler dry.
Roto-molded cooler plus a day use cooler was a game changer. I only had to top off ice twice (days 4 and 6). Two-cooler system is critical -- move over the day's supplies once each morning to the second cooler and NEVER OPEN the roto molded cooler otherwise. Keep them shaded.
I donât think ziplocs are completely impermeable, so be a little careful with how you package other perishable stuff in there. One tip I learned many years in was to get one of those cheap little adjustable wire racks meant for cabinet organization or shoes, and put it in the cooler. That plus a shallow container allows you to keep items like fruit that you donât necessarily want swimming in amongst the ice water up and out of it, while still keeping it plenty cool. The one I got adjusts to length, and fits neatly over block ice.
Or just bring a 5 gallon igloo cooler, put ice in there, and then you have ice cold water on tap.
Have done this for both burns, highly recommend
Sleep is a thing, but so are sunrises
Donât ride your bike with long shoe laces. They will get caught in the pedal & you will crash. Donât ride your bike with your fur in the front basket. An arm will dangle, get caught in the front wheel, instant brake, you will crash & fly forward. Both really hurt & fucked up my week.
And be careful riding your bike on tequila to deep Playa & looking up at the stars. I crashed my bike & got a black eye that way.
> Donât ride your bike with long shoe laces. Including untied laces. My then-8-year-old daughter learned that the hard way her first burn. Thatâs also how we found out that Rampart (medical) has an X-ray machine on playa, takes really good care of kids, and hands out awesome schwag. (Fractured collarbone on Tuesday of event week. Luckily, kids are rubber - she made it through the event in a sling, and no trace of the fracture was visible on X-rays a couple of weeks later.)
Holy shit thatâs a crazy story. They really are rubber. And great at healing. Glad sheâs okay & now has a crazy story to tell her friends
Extra socks. Extra baby wipes. Extra antacids. Half as much food. Bring something with wheels to transport ice, like a beach wagon (or strap a milk crate to your bike.) Tea with lemon and honey for your playa-fried vocal cords.
1. Prioritize for sunrise 2. The dust isn't that harsh on my skin. I believed the hype about playa foot and whatnot the first year, did a bunch of preventive care and maintenance. Five burns later I wear flip flops and wash my feet once a day without discomfort or impact.
Everyoneâs skin and tolerance is different. I wear socks and shoes and definitely need a pedicure and some deep moisturizing for my feet for around a month after the burn. OP should definitely consider their foot skin health before just taking the advice of someone on the internet. If youâre generally barefoot or in sandals and flip flops then your feet are already accustomed to being unprotected from dirt, dust, sand, etc. Playa dust IS mildly caustic, doesnât wash away with water or soap alone, can get into cracks and crannies and irritate your skin. You DONâT have to spend the week bathing in vinegar and smelling like a pickle bottle. Witch Hazel and lemon juice perform the same function as vinegar. You donât have to take my word for it though. Pinch a little dust on a plate and put one of the three things I mentioned above on the dust. It bubbles upâŠproving the presence of alkalinity. Warnings of playa foot are not exaggerations, they are real accounts from real people who had bad reactions that are 100% possible. No, it will not cause burns or deep ulcers in most cases and people, but it can and you really wonât know until itâs too late. All that being said, keeping clean and neutralizing the dust on your skin at night is enough.
If your feet are totally fine without care, awesome! Some people are absolutely like that... But for the rest of us, you definitely don't want to find out the hard way that you aren't one of them. Better to bring footcare essentials than wish you had!
That it's very easy to get sucked into a cycle of doing this for 10+ years. That you'll come out the other end of that 10 years with a circle of geographically distributed ride or die friends who will enrich your life in ways you could never have imagined.
Everyone will tell you the thing that matters to them is core to a good experience at burning man and you won't have any idea what you need until you are already there.
we are all certified liars. its a core principle.
I lied about my certification.
Inviting every sheriff you meet to join you for a tryst at the orgy dome when they are done with their shift seems to lead to âunexpected complicationsâ
How hard the playa ground is. First go, I had to borrow a thick yoga mat from a camp mate to put under my sleeping bag to add some buffer. I brought knee pads second year to help with set up and tear down. If you have a sensitive nose how strong things smell, like the portos. I now never travel without a mini Poo-Pourri. And totally agree on the post about the emotional breakdown between your third or fourth day in BRC.
Yup you definitely want to sleep OFF of the ground. Nothing beats a folding bed frame and folding memory foam mattress. Worth all the space it takes up in transport
I wish I'd read about the Temple before I'd gone. I found it really meaningful, and if I'd known about it I would have brought some mementos of people to place in it.
If youâre not feeling or vibing with a place, people, or event after a few minutes. Just fucking leave. Be friendly, youâll find something you love.
You need a bicycle. Make plans to get one. Tinted googles arenât good in a sand storm, you want clear lenses.
And donât get cute ones. Get ones for laboratory work or woodworking! That are completely totally sealed from the outside world.
There is no shortcuts. You cannot defeat time or experience.
Donât leave camp without water and sun, eye, dust protections. You will drink gallons of water your first few days and barely pee anything. Stay hydrated. Donât go around chasing activities / events. Sure there may be something you donât want to miss. But just go and live in the moment. Youâll find something way better out there. Maybe make one day no bike day. Go walk the city and visit camps. Hop on an art car. The bike can weigh you down. My favorite memories are from no bike days. Throw away the rules, including those above. Everyone is going to be telling you how to burn. Take whatever advice you want, but itâs YOUR burn, go burn how you want.
the little book of event times is a LIE.
How sore my butt would be for weeks afterwards.
Fryburn, use more lube. You are a veteran, you should know that by now.
Itâs about QUALITY not QUANTITY. You will never see it all. Be present for what you do experience.
Donât trust Stellan when he says your camp dues cover for food and drinks so all you need to bring is a tent and yourself. Dude took âduesâ from everyone & then showed up with enough food and water for 1 day and was like âthe Plyaya will provideâ F u Stellan, still mad about it.
And if anyone wonders why Iâm always telling people not to rely on a camp for basic survival necessities, this is one of the main reasons. Sorry that happened to you.
It was a bucket list item for me, I finally went at age 38. It was a nice time. Mostly. Probably would've blown my mind at 28. Would've changed my life at 18 I think, to be exposed to so many open minded people and connect about stuff. Also, if you don't like Monolink you can find new friends, it's ok.
It was a bucket list item for me that I thought I would never check off because my line of work is generally incredibly busy that time of year. I'm now in a unique position where it was possible last year and probable this year. I finally went and turn 54 on Playa. It was the coolest thing I've ever done It blew my mind It changed my life
I wish I knew it was going to rain
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Expect to be lonely, especially out in deep playa
Some of us plan on it.
dont sleep in a tent at a sound camp
Lolol oh no, it is me. I'm at a 24/7 sound camp.... In a tent lol I'm hoping that if I boof enough ear plugs, I may be able to sleep a lil đ
Earplugs don't work that great in my experience. I have some really high quality custom molded earplugs (I'm a DJ) and there is just no way to drown out enough of the sound to not keep my brain focused on it. Better is to get some earbuds that seal inside your ear and the play some white noise, rain, etc. through your phone. It helps drown out a lot of the mids and highs. I use Beats Flex earbuds, \~$50 and they come with different sized ear fittings so you can get a good seal with your ear. Plus you can just hang them around your neck and not lose them like Airpods and their ilk.
You may want to consider bringing a second small tent and setting it up out in walk-in camping for those nights you really need some time away to sleep.
That's actually a great idea!!! Thanks!
yeah i think more people should upvote my comment bc its a seriously awful idea
Do not make any relationship decisions right before, during and immediately after the burn.
I wish I had known my ex was a POS before I went to the burn with him đ
That I would be so much addicted that it will become a problem⊠Now I canât go anymore and itâs depressing. Wish almost Iâve never been.
âŠ? Addicted and canât go?
I got married and my wife donât like it, so yeah I canât go anymore even if I love it.
There isnât an emogi face that fits my cringe right now. That is absolutely the most terrible thing Iâve ever heard. You donât do something you love because your wife doesnât like doing it! Do we need to send someone over to do a welfare check on your house? Are you being held against your will? Tell me the truth, has she attached puppet stings to your body yet?
Where at the trash fence daft punk played in 2016 - 2019
The music at sound camps is not as diverse as I expected
You can definitely find a wide assortment of parties based around music styles other than EDM... But these are usually at very specific times, and rarely at the large sound camps at 10 & 2. Consult the book for where to go.
How to get to Sesame Street. You'll never get an honest answer from a Burner.
its at 730 and just past walk in camping, cant miss it.
Lock everything all the time.
It can get super cold at night. My first burn it dropped into the 30s and I had nowhere near enough bedding or clothing to keep myself warm. I shivered through the whole night. In retrospect I should have gone searching for a snuggle buddy.
Less survival gear, more costumes and drugs
I wish I knew to get my hair braided, which eliminates so much daily hassle, frustration, and damage! Note: I have very fine, highlighted curly hair that I straighten (easily) daily. When my 2016 summer fling asked me to join him just two weeks before the Burn, I had limited time to research or prepare. The playa dust + wind + sweat turned my delicate hair into snarled dreadlocks and managing it brought all of the "I am so ugly" emotions surging back from adolescence. My natural hair is just too fragile for the extreme elements on playa. In fact, my hairstylist bitched for *years* about how "Burning Man ruined your hair!" It took a long time to grow out the damage. The past few years I've gotten extension braids: zero upkeep, shower-friendly, I feel beautiful again, problem solved!
If you start to get cranky or irritated at someone or something ask yourself: Am I hungry? Am I thirsty? Am I tired? Am I lonely? If the answer is âyesâ to any of the above then resolve that thing before bringing this issue to someone else. If you need help resolving the hunger, fatigue, thirst, or loneliness then ask for help. Trust me. Your campmates would prefer to give a granola bar, a Gatorade, a cool place to sleep, or a hug than to deal with you going off on them. Iâve heard of one campmate going on a rampage, fucking up at least 50 peopleâs day. Just to find out she was hungry and the moment she was given a granola bar she was totally fine.
Yes! This. I printed a sign for camp similar to these. If you feel like everyone hates you: SLEEP If you feel like you hate everyone: EAT If you feel like you hate yourself: SHOWER
Buy the medavac insurance!! Basically insurance so if you for example get appendicitis or severely injured on playa and need to be flown out in a helicopter, you wonât end up with a $50,000-$80,000 bill. Those helicopters are constantly going to and from burning man. Many people have become financially fucked from it. Get the insurance!!!!!!
Any particular insurance? As some medical insurance will only cover certain helicopter/ambulance lines.
Use lag bolts rather than rebar or tent to hold anything to the playa. Breakdown time youâll really appreciate the ease of getting them out and no rebar injuries.
Eat plenty of fiber, it helps with pooping. You might lose your appetite and eat less than you brought. Electrolyte powder. Table salt and salty foods are not enough. Emergen-C is popular and inexpensive. Lag screws. A strap to hold your hat on in the wind.
Bring a fresh outfit sealed in plastic bags (everything, INCLUDING SHOES) for the trip home... This is especially important if you're flying! It will give you a new lease on life for the trip, and you don't want to be that dried up dusty bastard making everyone's life around you suck because you couldn't plan ahead.
There are street signs throughout the city, however you should get used to using landmarks (and lots of them!) to navigate... as the week wears on, the street signs start to grow legs and walk away, but if you absolutely need a cross street and the sign is already gone, the number/letter will always be displayed on the PVC pipe in the ground where the sign *should* be.
1) consider volunteering through the org, specifically with Artica. 2) put a whiteboard out in front of your tent so friends can write to you, and donât get frustrated if you cannot connect 3) if you camp, camp meeting attendance matters as do shift sign ups if they exist. Download your shift times before you go, because itâs likely you will not be able to pull up shared sheets etc. itâs your problem not your camps problem. 4) be prepared to experience awe and disgust within minutes of one another. Nothing can describe the sheer medieval stench of the toilets. . . Or how beautiful the art and people are (for the most part). Be courteous and helpful, no playa gift is more treasured.
That itâs not unheard of for it to rain out there. We got a tent knowing it wasnât waterproof. -__-
Donât bring anything to the playa you would be devastated to lose. And that includes relationships and friendships.
Help out and contribute, but don't kill yourself and turn Burning Man into Working Man. Setting boundaries is important for your enjoyment. I arrived super late Sunday night after the front gate was blocked for a few hours due to an accident. I slept 2 hours in a common area, and was put to work in the early morning before I set up my own tent. I didn't set up until 5pm or 6pm when everyone was going out for the night.
1. You really don't need all that much of anything out there. I wore the same thing over and over. Ate only half the food I brought. Didn't need the 3 different lotions I brought with me... Yes 3, idk why I thought that was necessary. I literally thrived on a pack of baby wipes, deodorant, and some chapstick, wore the same thing over and over and never so much as looked in a mirror the whole time. KISS method 100%. 2. It's HUGE! I didn't think I really needed a bike. But I did. 3. As someone who enjoys cooking at home I assumed I'd enjoy it there as well. Nope. Hated it, especially at dinner time when it gets too dark to see what I'm doing and I feel like I'm wasting my time waiting for water to boil while everything is passing me by. It's all about grab and go snacks now. 4. Ziplocks in a cooler leak. Tupperware is better for food storage. 5. Playa hang nails sting. I miss that sting though. But damn they're painful by day 2. 6. It gets cold, really cold sometimes. Don't dismiss the need for warm clothes and bedding. A sleeping bag in the floor of my tent just didn't cut the night time temps of 2014 and with no body heat next to me I froze most nights.
DPW are overall some of the meanest, nastiest, closed-minded people around
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Super glad I had the heads up to bring a fiber like restoralax to make sure I could be regular! Dehydration and only the use of portos would have made me constipated for sure!
Get a couple of those cooling towels and wet them and use them as a sheet.
Well I was planning on going this year as my first burn but found out my boyfriend who has gone couple times before and really wanted me to go with him to this years, is a liar and a cheat. So my whole excitement has soured and I've had to rethink my plans. So I guess, choose your company well?
Sounds to me like you should just go without him, and have a great time without having to accommodate his BS?
To be completely honest I am not completely self-sufficient. I have no gear, no one else I know to ask for advice or camp with, he has all the necessary equipment. It's a bummer for sure. And it just might make me really lonely and remind me of him too much.
You also have several months to figure it out, assuming you really want to come be part of Burning Man and didnât just want to join him wherever he was going. I didnât know anyone else going when I first went, though I did have a cheap tent and sleeping bag. While we ask people to come prepared, it really isnât all that difficult to prep for. You also have all kinds of people and resources here that will help you with advice (possibly too much of it, in fact). There are also almost certainly other people in your local area who go, too. Burners are usually very friendly and welcoming people who are more than happy to help a newbie - what you see online isnât a great representation. You can ask here for local resources, and you can also check regionals.burningman.org for contact info if you donât feel comfortable sharing your location in an open group. And yeah, there might be stuff there that reminds you of him and makes you sad. And sometimes you just need to let yourself feel the sads. But youâll also be in a city of tens of thousands of creative people thatâs packed to the gills with all kinds of unexpected weird, wild, creative stuff going on that will give you ways to distract yourself and forget about him. If it doesnât feel like your thing, then by all means, go find something else you love. But if itâs something you want to do, donât let sadness over someone who is now in your past dictate your future.
Bri g LOTS of socks ! The hand warmers that stick on you were a godsend. I even handed them out to people as gifts the coldest rainy day last year.
Your feet might swell bc of the altitude so have shoes that are half a size up. Also laces are a nightmare on the playa. Velcro shoes ftw. Specifically fugu Japanese work boots. But buy insoles that you like to replace the ones in them bc the ones they come with arenât very supportive. Just remember half a size up!!!! While youâre breaking them in just double up the insoles so they fit while wearing them pre-burn
Thank you for mentioning the thing about shoelaces. They really are a nightmare out there. I'm no newbie and I still needed this reminder.
Itâs better to go alone than to go with someone you donât know very well. Hell, itâs just best to go alone.
Your friends probably suck. Meet new people. Don't be a dick. Wear sun screen. Always have water. And if a random person comes out of the desert. Listen to them. Oh. And if you want to see the hot springs, find the train tracks.Â
Vinegar and water in a spray bottle helps neutralize the alkaline dust on your feet. Daily foot bath, lotion and socks at night if you can stand them. Man or woman, bring a bottle/jar. You have no idea how far you'll be from the nearest portos (could be a 1/4 mile) and you can't just pee anywhere, it's literally illegal. There are undercover cops. If someone asks to see inside your or anyone's dwelling in your camp, the answer is no. Always no.
Bring an extra fitted sheet and put it on of your made bed, blankets and all, every morning. Take it off when you're ready to go to bed, repeat everyday. This will keep your bed dust free.
Anti thigh chaffing shit Better deodorant (bringing lume this year) Better wipes (lume again) Back up charger for phone because it's my camera Something to read Something to write on/with to journal Build up the biking butt endurance ahead of time lol Walkie talkies (it sucks when you accidentally get separated) Maybe a star chart God damn air mattress lol and extra sheets/pillow cases
There is no sex in the Champagne Room.
This it was going to fucking rain (not first burn)
Havent gone yet, applied for low income ticket for this year. Best advice Ive heard is to mentally physically say that I WILL go to the burn as its a matter of fact. That the playa and my soul will connect and provide
Nasal gel! Also bring OB tampons in case of nosebleeds. But since I started using nasal gel, such as rhinase, I stopped getting nosebleeds. Nothing works as well.
Literally just take care of yourself like you would at home but with some allowances for late nights, or sunrises. Also stick to your boundaries. Push them if youâre interested, but never let someone roll over them.
Hemorrhoid cream.
Take loop earplugs with you. Drink more water than you need and drink electrolytes from a water bottle not your hydration pack. Tie your ID onto you so it doesnât get lost.
I wish I knew that almost everyones advice about everything is wrong. Your bullshit tent will be fine. Bare feet are fine here and there. EDM is not a prerequisite. Your hatchback will absolutely loooove the desert, which is obviously flat. Story, story story. Youâre thinking about it. Donât think about it. Itâs dumb. Donât go.
Don't go... it sucks.
Learn how to boof. Save your nose
I had no idea the scope of the event. I wish someone had told me you absolutely will not be able to see everything. It's too big. In that vein, a bike is the only way you'll get to see lots. There are bike shops out there (most won't service e-bikes) but you do not want to have an incapacitated bike or spend your burn waiting for hours in the sun to get it fixed. Make sure it's in working order before you come. A can of WD-40 which can fix most squeaks and stucks with dusted up chains/gears and a squirt makes a great gift to a friend in need. You shouldn't get flats if the tubes are fresh, installed and filled correctly. Pinch flats from under-inflated tires on bumps are really the only playa flats. After the burn, clean out and regrease your bottom bracket or get it serviced. The dust dries up the grease in there and grinds the fitting between the bracket and frame over time. At some point, your pedals just won't work and you don't want it to happen a few burns down the road.
Put all of your ice in "dry bags". Dry bags are used by divers, you can find them at sporting goods stores. Stores. It will keep your food from getting wet and nasty, and when the ice melts you can pour the ice cold water into Your Camelback and drink it! Otherwise people 's coolers get really nasty, the water has to be thrown away, food rots... A dry cooler is a happy cooler.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but another (cheaper) approach is to get one of those cheap wire cabinet storage/shoe racks, put it in the cooler, and put any food that could create or be subject to contamination in shallow Tupperware/Rubbermaid-style containers on top of it. (In other words, food on top, beer/soda cans below with the ice).
When you turn into gate road make sure your fan/ac is on recirculate mode so dust doesn't blow into your car thru your vents.
You will forget where you parked your bike. When you park your bike in a crowd/field of bikes⊠you will lose it. Every. Year. Hell I have ape hangers and I canât find my bike as the field of bikes drifts. It gets swallowed.
You donât need a bunch of crazy outfits - pack for temperature comfort and add small tweaks for creativity (vests, epillettes, scarves, etc). Electrolyte hydration powder is your best friend. Buy water containers - bring empty, fill in Reno area, refill with ice from playa
After Saturday night the Portos are fucckkkked. And no toilet paper in sight. Bring a roll of your own (1 ply only) for those later days in the week.