My solo virgin Burning Man trip, 2018

Burning man is a temporary community that celebrates art and self expression. To help you visualize, it’s a 70,000 people strong camp that ends up being the third largest city in Nevada once set up. The city is called Black Rock city with a USPS postal code too. It’s in the river bed of Black rock desert. Very hot, dusty and dry, it’s subject to dust storms of 70 mph obscuring the blinker of the car right in front of you. The structure of ‘the man’ that burns, the temple and other themed displays of art are in the circular center called the deep playa. Camps are organized in a semi circle around it with lanes of the alphabet and streets from 2 o’clock to 10 o’clock with 15 minute intervals. Plus the epic people watching 🙂
My camp mate described it as a medieval war movie. I saw most folks in rave party/ carnival wear during the day and faux fur at night. It lasts for one week every year including labor day weekend

I want to get into disaster relief part time at some point. I thought this would be a good exercise in self reliance. And, I’ll enjoy some art on the way. I like being badass 🙂
My campmates like it so they can be themselves without judgement. To get you started: https://survival.burningman.org/culture/the-10-principles/

I am in the US. I spent $3000-$4000.

I recommend the book ‘Surviving Burning Man: A Packing List for First-Timers’ by Jesse Newburn. I went by her spreadsheet

As I was a virgin burner i.e. a first timer, I wanted to get the ticket well in advance, around Jan or Feb, I bought the ticket for $1700 or so. If someone wants you to perform, you could get it for free. The actual rate in the year 2018 was $425. They sell out in 2 minutes or so once posted. The STEP program allows you to buy it for $1200, in April. There are other sales including the OMG sale a week before. I paid more than anyone else I knew :p If you know someone who can hook you up with a ticket, call them January.

You want to stay cool and control dust. So either get a tent and join a camp or take an RV. I got a 9X8 6 feet tall Kodiak tent and joined a camp. I got smaller than the standard choice because it was cheaper and tall enough for me to stand upright in. Camps provide some shade structure, a community and something to offer for example juice like my camp. It makes things a little easier for the first time. I chose not to take an RV because the official website recommended I do not. As their principle is ‘radical self reliance’, an RV defeats the purpose. I agree. RV folks have their own woes. If the a/c breaks down, it gets really hot during the day and very cold at night. You have to be on top of checking leaks. You’ll need to wait for the potable water truck for water. Also, they need more maintenance. They are harder to clean. I had no experience renting one. I have camped several times. So, a tent was my choice this time. Next time, I’ll likely take an RV. I think it worked out to about $300 bucks per head if split between a few friends. I have friends who are down to share and more information on what it takes. I’d like to not have to set up after a long drive from Seattle and shower easily. Plus, I won’t have to hustle for shade if I want to stay longer than the man burn. If you plan to rent a U-Haul, hitch a ride with a buddy or ride the burner express, my understanding about tents is as follows:-

Pros:-
– Easy set up
– Cool
– Windproof
– Dark enough to sleep during the day
– Festive look 🙂

Cons:-
– Need filters to keep all the dust out
– Not as sturdy as the Kodiak

Pros:-
– Sturdy
– Easy set up
– Keeps the dust out

Cons:-
– Gets hot in the afternoons

Pros:-
– Very wind proof
– Very dust proof

Cons:– $$$
– Bulky

Pros:-
– 2 rooms
– moderately sturdy

Cons:-
– REI does not recommend it for high winds
– Gets hot very easily

Pros:-
– Cheap and comfy
– Very popular so plenty of community support setting them up
Cons:-
– Cumbersome to set up alone
– Bulky

There are are other options like the spring bar and the no bake tent. Coleman tents are very popular too. My camp lead has been burning for 8 years. He does not use stakes. His storage bins and water hold it in place. I personally got the Rebar and my campmate hammered all 16 of them in. The regular stakes are useless for dust storms afaik. I saw several folk hammer the rebar halfway and then use punctured tennis balls to cover the side that’s out. This is to prevent you from scratching yourself as you tumble in drunk at night :D. I much prefer using a big hammer to drive them all the way in. If you pour water on them and hammer them sideways, they come out easily. I tried this myself. I am 5’2” and weigh 110 lbs.

I don’t go to a ton of raves or music festivals. So this was a challenge for me. I also thought we had to dress according to the theme. This is not the case at all. My steampunk leggings looked dope for the iRobot theme, however. I am not going to lie 😉 My personal favorite was a purple bra I sewed golden lace on, leggings, 2 plaits, light wool socks, hiking boots and a UV protection cap with neck flaps and a dust mask. It keeps the dust off my legs, protects my face and exposes some skin for evaporative cooling. Nudity is a common occurrence here. Some ladies pulled off body paint/ glitter instead of a bikini really well. No pictures for obvious reasons 🙂 My buddy sported an embroidered bikini, paisley cotton poncho and hot shorts really well. Add jewelry. There were several ladies in thongs but I didn’t like the idea of my skin on the bicycle seat. I didn’t take earrings to avoid MOOP. I could have taken long chains but I got several from fellow burners. I used fake lashes just once. I didn’t know they obscure vision lol. I avoided eye make up for most part. A lot of ladies swear by dollskill.com. I found it $$$. I got my stuff from trendy Wendy opposite my place and Amazon. I got a few things from Poshmark. Shop well in advance just in case there are delays in shipping and you need to return stuff. Speaking from experience :/. I got my faux fur jacket and lipstick from Boohoo. I got several woolen inners for the night. I got leggings from Northface for 30 degree temperature. They worked really well too. A scarf would have been a good idea but I missed it. I wore party lights every night. I wore a safari backpack from Northface for most part. If you have a camel back, it’s very useful at the burn. I didn’t and didn’t want to ruin a new one and/ or clean playa dust off of it. It worked for me. The traditions are tutu Tuesdays, white Wednesdays and fishnet Fridays

I watch my diet quite a bit as is. For a month before the burn, I dieted more carefully. That is, I avoided processed sugar and carbs even more and added more fiber. I worked out at least twice a week. I included a  moderate dose of cardio, weights and did planks and crunches almost everyday. I wanted to be fit enough to set up/ tear down my shelter, weather harsh conditions and look good. I didn’t want to look like the body positive one when everyone else looked hot :p

Step 5: Personal Care

Step 6: Safety

Step 7: Transport & Navigation

Step 8: Food & water

I carried a ton of things and used may be half. Canned sardines were too salty. The smoked trout in olive oil was my favorite. I hacked up a recipe with canned beans, salsa verde, french onions and canned chicken. Not bad :). My campmates made mac ‘n’ cheese. That needed hot water. I had a stove and a pot but I didn’t want to clean it. It’s not worth it. Camps like Epic and Spoonful of friends serve delicious meals if you are close by. We had 2 hot dog camps close by. They taste so delicious if you are hungry no matter how big of a food snob you are 🙂 I carried a full water bottle and a camping cup. Ooh and cheese and crackers. They are an awesome desert meal to share with your mates. I suggest and you can disagree, avoid perishables. Ice makes a mess in the cooler. I burned through fruits and cheese quickly and didn’t bother replacing the ice. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t bother with ice. Canned green beans, mushrooms and soups are not that bad. I carried a complete nutrition shake just in case. I didn’t use it at all but I think it’s a great back up. I ate and shared dates. I didn’t touch the nuts. I carried 10 gallons of water. I used half because so many camps offer water. My biggest pain point was checking the water leak. I separated the jugs out for a while and then turned the nozzle to the leaky one up. Boom! fixed. One time, gray water leaked in my tent. It sucked. I used it as an opportunity to wipe out all of the dust. You want to do this quickly so as to not ruin your canvas tent. I stored trash in plastic bags that I would finally accumulate into one large trash bag. I washed my spoon with a wet napkin with a little camping soap. Then wipe it again with a napkin just wet with water. Seriously, if there’s a leak in my apartment, maintenance is on it. Sifting through my wet garbage bags shed me of all inhibitions that night. Gross, but that’s life.

Step 9: Identification and camera

Step 10: Offerings

Step 11: Your responsibility with respect to MOOP/ gray water/ trash/ fuel

MOOP is matter out of place or another word for litter. In a dust storm, it becomes a safety hazard. So please don’t bring anything or leave anything around that becomes this. Don’t take any packaging with you. It will become trash you will have to haul in and out and may turn into MOOP. Gray water needs to be dumped outside of Black Rock city. Not in the port-a-potties. BMIR has more information about storage of fuel.

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I didn’t plan my days. They give you a booklet on entry about all the events throughout the week. So I checked it and did what I felt like.

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