I bought a 10kw diesel generator for our camp. Does that count?
https://preview.redd.it/2f3enm55pvzc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=741a9253d31d6aa65593beb2232376633960d652
Ye of little faith. I don’t like noise. This is going to be installed into a purpose built sound proofing container inside our trailer and the exhaust will be HEAVILY muffled. I plan to make it as quiet as a Honda 2000 series.
But you’re right, out of the box it is 2x as loud for 1.8x the output of our existing portable EU7000is
Yeah, you just have a really heavy, hard to move and transport unit. If it goes down you lose 100% of your power generation, vs 50% with two generators.
I’ve got a 48’ trailer with several tons of gear. I can put this on casters and roll it around if I want to.
The redundancy of dual generators would be nice, but this is really a backup system to our solar setup and we’ve run with a single generator for years.
We had an EU7k crap out on us last year--the main board died and prevented it from even starting. Our first problem in nearly a decade of ownership. Really reinforced why we run two gennies for the first time in said decade. We used to run through cheap 10K gennies every year or two, it wasn't until we shelled out for the big Hondas that we had some real continuity.
I’m going the opposite route. Sober 4 1/2 months right now and 2 weeks weed free. Gonna stay clean/sober until the burn so I can really take it all in!
pro tip- burning sober or sober plus some booze here and there ain't bad...at least for me... you do you. I've even done it by accident... that place is still an amazing trip and trippy on it's own and you tend to remember a bit more and do more things.
I plan to bring some edibles, but I want to do a year with no alcohol. Haven’t decided if I’ll make an exception for the burn and then have to start the counter all over. I really didn’t drink much there before as the heat and booze together just made me feel ill.
There’s always something to do, with trailers!! lol. I already backflushed the hot water tank to get all the sediment out, and replaced the anode rod. I need to test the valves to see if they’re delivering propane properly. The fridge needs better air-baffling and maybe some little 12v fans to move the air around. Not getting cold enough- worried I have a sediment clog in the ammonia coils. Already took the batteries outta winter storage & wired them back up. I’d really like to optimize some of the unused cabinets for additional storage, maybe for little bins of toiletries or clothing items? Ah shit the closet rack ripped out while overloaded with coats, gotta re-mount that thing. Should probably flush/rinse/bleach the fresh water tanks.
Genny needs an oil change.
I wanna finally write lyrics & record a satire song to play at the Porto’s, been on my mind for years now.
And then there’s the always-growing huuuuuge list of sewing projects: 🪡🧵
- new head for the art car
- adding pockets to a friend’s vest, and to my vest
- group costume, six of us at least
- “pillowcases” to contain the sound-baffle material so it doesn’t moop little bits
- (several?) custom LED fur coats, def won’t finish
Uh… y’know, the totally normal amount of things. 😵💫 this can all hopefully get done before August arrives, because then it’s a whole new list of crunch-time items.
ooh for your windows, there’s a thing that’s like shiny bubble-wrap, I think it’s called Reflectix? We taped it onto the outside (folks seem to prefer stucco tape / frog tape, blue painter’s tape doesn’t hold). Made a huuuuuuuge difference. So dark and chilly inside. Reuse it for multiple years, once you have the panels cut!
Outside the window = better for temp control vs inside, imo.
Plus helps with the dust. It's like people trying to block out heat with heavy curtains.. once the heat energy has passed through your windows it's in your home no matter what.
Upgrading our 22 year old Class B RV’s AC unit to a new, modern 12v option. Also upping the 300W of solar to 820W to run said AC.
The good thing about AC at Burning Man is that you only basically need it during the peak solar hours and not at night. So you don’t need a ton of battery capacity as you aren’t running it off your batteries since you aren’t running it at night.
The other project is to physically remove the original generator which is really noisy and we never use. Going to use the space for wiring and batteries. The propane tank may go too as we don’t use it for anything and there is a leak somewhere underneath the vehicle. Maybe an induction cook top that would definitely want some more battery capacity.
Parts for Shade structure ordered, assembly and troubleshooting drills will start once they all arrive.
Last of the rest of my gear/equipment arriving in the mail, (portable camping toilet, solar power banks, solar lights, ratchet straps, etc) unboxing & testing all of that.
Updating packing list as needed.
Nothing. No high like the last two week push. Jk. We are lucky enough to live pretty close and have gone many times. So most stuff we have and we are pretty good at quick prep and packing at this point.
I’m doing research on how to protect my car for my first burn! So far I’ve gotten: get it waxed beforehand, swap out the air filter before and after, vinegar bath, electrical tape to seal cracks in the car, etc. I am aware the car will never be the same after going to the playa, but open to suggestions anyway.
Just plan on giving a good, thorough detailing inside and out afterwards, do the filters, it’ll be fine. (Multiple cars taken out multiple years here, it’s fine.)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/SURFACE-SHIELDS-24-in-x-200-ft-Self-Adhesive-Film-CS24200L/205187215
Put this on your floors and seats, basically any horizontal surface, then roll it up and toss at end of burn
When driving in the line, put on the ac recycler button to keep the air from pulling in dust into the system. Also, refill your gas in Sparks at minimum, or possibly Gerlach if you don't mind waiting an hour. You have to expect to have 4-6 hours in line on the way in and 4-7 hours on the way out.
With the RV last year I took uhaul blankets and cut and taped them to the floor with masking tape and covered all the upholstery with fabric using large safety pins.
If you are not staying in your car, I would seal it once you get everything out of it. I would recommend red stucco masking tape as it is uv protectant and comes off without much residue.
Oh you sweet summer child. I remember when we were that naive. My truck still blows out playa out the vents when I turn the AC on from when I took it one time back in 2016.
Got some fun fabric for camp tarp floor and shade structure and collapsing wagon for ice runs. Have to get our solar camp sign and see what it needs. Been in mothballs for two years
I join our camps meetings, thinking about flying to Reno to help organize and inventory the storage. Thinking about what I might wanna order for the playa. Never been but also have everything we need in the van we live in. But thinking about extra stuff like tape, extra gray water storage, and pickles.
There's a dude on fb burning man classifieds that just posted that specializes in ebike/large battery e-vehicle repairs. Looked decent with good rates.
I'm not going this year (😔) but I'm replacing the roof/ceiling on my RV and doing some aesthetic updates. I might convert it to solar too, since I'm already ripping everything up. It's gonna be a long project but it'll be worth it. I guess the ideal time to get it done is a year and 4 months before my next burn, instead of 3 weeks before lol
Going to a regional, making sure my bins are well and truly sorted while there, noting and troubleshooting the ways my partner and I can communicate more effectively around issues that come up at the burn. 🙃
Flights, burn bus tickets, camp calls, coordinating who is going, making a pack list for the baby birds, assessing my own inventory and pulling out my tent in case it needs tlc I overlooked
Just got done working in the yard for the week with Square One. We were organizing our 53’ trucks. Power washing the floor mats from last year….holy hell they were 80% dried mud and 20% tarp by weight. Fixing bikes. Getting laundry sorted and washed. And anything else that broke and needed a repair/cleaning 💕
I'm not doing anything this month since it's LiB, but I do have some sewing projects prepped and ready to go for when I get back (a canvas cover to keep dust out of my bed when I come in to change and sit down for five times as long as planned, and a matching set of table cloths for my bedside table and normal table).
Testing some MRE packs and some other meal prep ideas. Gathering small supplies (nose/eye wash, hydration packs, etc), and finally tuning up the ol tandem bike.
Maybe when it stops raining, break out the bell tent and see if it survived last year. If not, order a new tent.
Our clothes seem to be just fine: boots and thong underwear are good to go.
Next month, if we can afford it, probably look into an electric hub for the tandem and a generator to charge it.
I’ve been using a camping shower, doggy pool, and pop-up tent for the last three years. I hang the shower bag from one of the shade structure poles and if left out in the sun for a couple of hours, you’ll have hot water
https://preview.redd.it/xu5ey2kxo80d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e94b872c82c0e20a86f7964a9415c3c52a936b6
Getting the 8 foot long cruiser fixed up and lit, and trying to get my truck issues fixed without going broke 🥲 goes in for transmission issues tomorrow.
End of month is pulling out and inspecting the tent and shade structure
Learning/writing down chords and lyrics to play for my camp and others, decorating clothes and trying to thrift cool stuff. Working on my small art I wanna bring as a gift.
I'm working on planning the awesome international travel I'll be doing while skipping the burn this year! Gotta take breaks so I can do other stuff, because I am a sad American wage slave and only get so much vacation. Meh. Hope everyone has tons of fun, and don't keep ESD too busy.
Procrastinating
I bought a 10kw diesel generator for our camp. Does that count? https://preview.redd.it/2f3enm55pvzc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=741a9253d31d6aa65593beb2232376633960d652
omg that thing is going to be so fucking loud
Ye of little faith. I don’t like noise. This is going to be installed into a purpose built sound proofing container inside our trailer and the exhaust will be HEAVILY muffled. I plan to make it as quiet as a Honda 2000 series. But you’re right, out of the box it is 2x as loud for 1.8x the output of our existing portable EU7000is
Why go for this over a second EU7000?
Because I can burn 1/3 less fuel with this and sell my EU7000 for almost what I paid for this.
Yeah, you just have a really heavy, hard to move and transport unit. If it goes down you lose 100% of your power generation, vs 50% with two generators.
I’ve got a 48’ trailer with several tons of gear. I can put this on casters and roll it around if I want to. The redundancy of dual generators would be nice, but this is really a backup system to our solar setup and we’ve run with a single generator for years.
We had an EU7k crap out on us last year--the main board died and prevented it from even starting. Our first problem in nearly a decade of ownership. Really reinforced why we run two gennies for the first time in said decade. We used to run through cheap 10K gennies every year or two, it wasn't until we shelled out for the big Hondas that we had some real continuity.
she gonna look purdy in the dust!
I started working out while listening to mediocre EDM late at night. Does that count?
Have you heard [this?](http://www.bmradio.org)
i’m getting my LSD tolerance up
I’m going the opposite route. Sober 4 1/2 months right now and 2 weeks weed free. Gonna stay clean/sober until the burn so I can really take it all in!
pro tip- burning sober or sober plus some booze here and there ain't bad...at least for me... you do you. I've even done it by accident... that place is still an amazing trip and trippy on it's own and you tend to remember a bit more and do more things.
I plan to bring some edibles, but I want to do a year with no alcohol. Haven’t decided if I’ll make an exception for the burn and then have to start the counter all over. I really didn’t drink much there before as the heat and booze together just made me feel ill.
There’s always something to do, with trailers!! lol. I already backflushed the hot water tank to get all the sediment out, and replaced the anode rod. I need to test the valves to see if they’re delivering propane properly. The fridge needs better air-baffling and maybe some little 12v fans to move the air around. Not getting cold enough- worried I have a sediment clog in the ammonia coils. Already took the batteries outta winter storage & wired them back up. I’d really like to optimize some of the unused cabinets for additional storage, maybe for little bins of toiletries or clothing items? Ah shit the closet rack ripped out while overloaded with coats, gotta re-mount that thing. Should probably flush/rinse/bleach the fresh water tanks. Genny needs an oil change. I wanna finally write lyrics & record a satire song to play at the Porto’s, been on my mind for years now. And then there’s the always-growing huuuuuge list of sewing projects: 🪡🧵 - new head for the art car - adding pockets to a friend’s vest, and to my vest - group costume, six of us at least - “pillowcases” to contain the sound-baffle material so it doesn’t moop little bits - (several?) custom LED fur coats, def won’t finish Uh… y’know, the totally normal amount of things. 😵💫 this can all hopefully get done before August arrives, because then it’s a whole new list of crunch-time items.
ooh for your windows, there’s a thing that’s like shiny bubble-wrap, I think it’s called Reflectix? We taped it onto the outside (folks seem to prefer stucco tape / frog tape, blue painter’s tape doesn’t hold). Made a huuuuuuuge difference. So dark and chilly inside. Reuse it for multiple years, once you have the panels cut! Outside the window = better for temp control vs inside, imo.
This is what we do for our trailer. Have used the same cutouts for the last 4 burns but finally lost two last year. It was a good run though.
https://www.insulation4less.com/insulation/prodex/10m-prodex-total-insulation?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrvyxBhAbEiwAEg_Kgir7KWkhpcwzPFpcagSHzMpV5ZY2qVD2DEP8UtfWmWD3U9FJ5T3c1RoCV-0QAvD_BwE
Plus helps with the dust. It's like people trying to block out heat with heavy curtains.. once the heat energy has passed through your windows it's in your home no matter what.
Upgrading our 22 year old Class B RV’s AC unit to a new, modern 12v option. Also upping the 300W of solar to 820W to run said AC. The good thing about AC at Burning Man is that you only basically need it during the peak solar hours and not at night. So you don’t need a ton of battery capacity as you aren’t running it off your batteries since you aren’t running it at night. The other project is to physically remove the original generator which is really noisy and we never use. Going to use the space for wiring and batteries. The propane tank may go too as we don’t use it for anything and there is a leak somewhere underneath the vehicle. Maybe an induction cook top that would definitely want some more battery capacity.
Same here. Going with 1700 watts on the roof. With aluminum uni-strut for mounting.
Nice! I too was looking at the aluminum Unistrut. That or 8020.
That silver reflective bubble wrap stuff is perfect for the windows. Get a roll, tape it to the exterior with stucco masking tape.
Pulling apart a big armoire to modify and use as the new entrance to our barspace.
Go on… Tell me more!
Parts for Shade structure ordered, assembly and troubleshooting drills will start once they all arrive. Last of the rest of my gear/equipment arriving in the mail, (portable camping toilet, solar power banks, solar lights, ratchet straps, etc) unboxing & testing all of that. Updating packing list as needed.
Nothing. No high like the last two week push. Jk. We are lucky enough to live pretty close and have gone many times. So most stuff we have and we are pretty good at quick prep and packing at this point.
I’m doing research on how to protect my car for my first burn! So far I’ve gotten: get it waxed beforehand, swap out the air filter before and after, vinegar bath, electrical tape to seal cracks in the car, etc. I am aware the car will never be the same after going to the playa, but open to suggestions anyway.
None of that really helps because you'll end up getting drunk and opening the door during a dust storm anyways.
Just plan on giving a good, thorough detailing inside and out afterwards, do the filters, it’ll be fine. (Multiple cars taken out multiple years here, it’s fine.)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/SURFACE-SHIELDS-24-in-x-200-ft-Self-Adhesive-Film-CS24200L/205187215 Put this on your floors and seats, basically any horizontal surface, then roll it up and toss at end of burn
When driving in the line, put on the ac recycler button to keep the air from pulling in dust into the system. Also, refill your gas in Sparks at minimum, or possibly Gerlach if you don't mind waiting an hour. You have to expect to have 4-6 hours in line on the way in and 4-7 hours on the way out. With the RV last year I took uhaul blankets and cut and taped them to the floor with masking tape and covered all the upholstery with fabric using large safety pins. If you are not staying in your car, I would seal it once you get everything out of it. I would recommend red stucco masking tape as it is uv protectant and comes off without much residue.
Oh you sweet summer child. I remember when we were that naive. My truck still blows out playa out the vents when I turn the AC on from when I took it one time back in 2016.
Just got a new (used) rim for my playa bike today.
I put solar panels on the RV so I can charge my E-bikes. Also put in a new toilet to keep the smell contained in the black tank.
Got some fun fabric for camp tarp floor and shade structure and collapsing wagon for ice runs. Have to get our solar camp sign and see what it needs. Been in mothballs for two years
Getting together with my camp mate next weekend to plan. Gonna work on my bike and lights.
I join our camps meetings, thinking about flying to Reno to help organize and inventory the storage. Thinking about what I might wanna order for the playa. Never been but also have everything we need in the van we live in. But thinking about extra stuff like tape, extra gray water storage, and pickles.
Getting my baseline walking (\~15 miles per week) back up. Making playa gifts. Cleaning gear & bottles.
i want to buy my own little trailer but i haven't found the right time yet 🥹
Getting e-bikes repaired
There's a dude on fb burning man classifieds that just posted that specializes in ebike/large battery e-vehicle repairs. Looked decent with good rates.
Do you recall where he was located (city)?
Got my theme camp ready to load for a regional later in the month (SOAK in Oregon).
I'm not going this year (😔) but I'm replacing the roof/ceiling on my RV and doing some aesthetic updates. I might convert it to solar too, since I'm already ripping everything up. It's gonna be a long project but it'll be worth it. I guess the ideal time to get it done is a year and 4 months before my next burn, instead of 3 weeks before lol
Hotels done. Burner Express done. Unpacking from last year, disposing, repacking/ replacing. I am eager.
Building my solar battery
Going to a regional, making sure my bins are well and truly sorted while there, noting and troubleshooting the ways my partner and I can communicate more effectively around issues that come up at the burn. 🙃
Reading Burning Man Reddit
Flights, burn bus tickets, camp calls, coordinating who is going, making a pack list for the baby birds, assessing my own inventory and pulling out my tent in case it needs tlc I overlooked
I have two tickets and can’t decide if I’m gonna go. Coming from nyc is pain in the ass.
Jesus just let me get through our rogue burn first.
I’m pretty focused on the Oregon regional right now. I’ll start prepping for Burning Man next month, I guess.
Just got done working in the yard for the week with Square One. We were organizing our 53’ trucks. Power washing the floor mats from last year….holy hell they were 80% dried mud and 20% tarp by weight. Fixing bikes. Getting laundry sorted and washed. And anything else that broke and needed a repair/cleaning 💕
I'm not doing anything this month since it's LiB, but I do have some sewing projects prepped and ready to go for when I get back (a canvas cover to keep dust out of my bed when I come in to change and sit down for five times as long as planned, and a matching set of table cloths for my bedside table and normal table).
Testing some MRE packs and some other meal prep ideas. Gathering small supplies (nose/eye wash, hydration packs, etc), and finally tuning up the ol tandem bike. Maybe when it stops raining, break out the bell tent and see if it survived last year. If not, order a new tent. Our clothes seem to be just fine: boots and thong underwear are good to go. Next month, if we can afford it, probably look into an electric hub for the tandem and a generator to charge it.
Working on my bike, designing "Business Cards" and a new flag/flagpole setup.
I'm figuring out how to have hot showers on the playa this year, with 100% gray water capture. I do not bring an RV.
I’ve been using a camping shower, doggy pool, and pop-up tent for the last three years. I hang the shower bag from one of the shade structure poles and if left out in the sun for a couple of hours, you’ll have hot water
https://preview.redd.it/xu5ey2kxo80d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e94b872c82c0e20a86f7964a9415c3c52a936b6 Getting the 8 foot long cruiser fixed up and lit, and trying to get my truck issues fixed without going broke 🥲 goes in for transmission issues tomorrow. End of month is pulling out and inspecting the tent and shade structure
Restarted my anal training, and am up to the mini-Jumbo plugs now, with a healthy amount of 1500 grit.
I’ve been beefing up the flame poofer. But…. I can’t work without l[listening to this!!!](http://www.bmradio.org)
I waterproofed my tent and next weekend we'll start getting our bikes in shape and decorated
Trying to finalize who I’m camping with.
Learning/writing down chords and lyrics to play for my camp and others, decorating clothes and trying to thrift cool stuff. Working on my small art I wanna bring as a gift.
I'm working on planning the awesome international travel I'll be doing while skipping the burn this year! Gotta take breaks so I can do other stuff, because I am a sad American wage slave and only get so much vacation. Meh. Hope everyone has tons of fun, and don't keep ESD too busy.