Considering the amount of playa supplies we buy at Costco, there should be a Kirkland Embassy in Black Rock City. I have always been a minimalist camper, so some of these tips may not apply to your camp. Almost all of my camp furniture is recycled from thrift stores, or was found on the sidewalk. My furniture is mostly wicker, bamboo or wood, which gives the camp a kind of jungle safari bedouin vibe. My shade structure is designed to let air thru rather than block the wind. When we first came to the Black Rock desert in the early 1990s, we thought a used 60’ cargo parachute would make a good shade structure for center camp. Then we discovered that parachutes are designed to catch the wind. And I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a Costco Carport flying thru the air. The curved top on the carport makes a nice airfoil, which provides lift & sends it straight up. Flat shade structures are the best. They should be covered with a fabric cloth. If you use shade cloth, you may need 2 layers in order to get over a 75% shading. Avoid plastic- Nothing is more annoying to your neighbors than a giant BLUE tarp flapping noisily for hours on end. I have had good results with ‘monkey huts’ (shade cloth over pvc hoop frames) which are great shade for small tents. Also Hexayurts (invented by Vinay Gupta) are another good housing solution on the playa, but the larger ones can be susceptible to disintegration if they are not properly constructed & anchored.
As for anchors, rebar & concrete stakes are a thing of the past. Lag bolts with a 2 or 3 link piece of chain are the only anchor to use on playa. You can even find kits on Amazon- search “lag bolts burning man”. Easily screwed into & removed from the playa with an elect drill or impact wrench (the hex driver to socket adaptors can be found at Harbor Freight or at most power tool suppliers). Lag bolts should be driven straight down into the playa, not at an angle like tent stakes. My preference is 14” long 3/8 lag bolts. I have also seen large art structures anchored with a welded loop on steel plates that have numerous lag bolt holes (check with your certified engineer for needed specs).
On the subject of power, (I really only need enough electricity to run my microwave, coffee maker, phone charger & the crystal chandelier hanging in the center of my shade tent) the Honda EU series of inverter generators are the best. They are reliable, efficient & most important of all, they are super quiet. Don’t get a cheap, noisy generator. (I do want to note that my small camp went all solar many years ago- thank you Tesla Powerwalls.)
Water- you will need 1 gallon of drinking water per person per day (2 gallons is too much to bring). As for showers, you really don’t need to shower that often in the dry heat of Black Rock. I have constructed a shower for my camp with an on-demand propane water heater, but that’s a longer story than I can do here. Basically, my campmates bring a gallon of water for their shower, then take away their gallon of grey water when done. As for evaporative grey water systems- they don’t work. Haul your grey water away.
Ice- I don’t bring any food that requires refrigeration. The only reason you need ice on playa is for cocktails & keeping your beer cold. Get a good ice chest. If you really need a fancy meal at BurningMan, go to one of the many fine restaurants that are found in Black Rock City, or just drop into a giant plug-n-play camp at dinner time & tell them you are with the health department & need to sample the food.
Other playa hints:
-Always bring extra keys for your car/truck/trailer/RV. Hide or wire the extra key under the vehicle, or attach a combo keybox, or have someone else hold your spare key.
-Use a combo lock & a flexible steel cable with loops (Harbor Freight is a source for those) to lock up your bikes. Don’t lock your bike to an art piece or lamppost. It’s easy to lose where you parked your bike, especially out on the playa at night- so when you walk away from your parked bike, after a little way, turn around & look back. Note what you see, the position of lampposts, their angular relationship & street location. Your bike will have a better chance of not being one of the two thousand or so lost bikes left behind after the event.
-Put your name on your cellphone.
-Download the newest ‘iBurn’ app. It will show you where you are in Black Rock City & also the location of the porta-potties.
-Bring earplugs. Noise cancelling earphones are even better.
-If you ever changed a flat tire on playa, the first thing you notice is the jack goes down instead of the car going up. Bring a piece of plywood to go under the jack. A 12”x 12” piece will work fine.
-Bring a 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid that can be used as a potty in case of a mudpocalypse.
-When 2 people are getting into a car/truck at the same time during a dust storm, open only 1 door at a time.
– motion sensor lights are great to put around your camp. LUMINAR battery powered night lights from Harbor Freight are my favorite.
-close fitting, wrap around sunglass are best because they reduce the amount of wind that is drying out your eyeballs.
-Never leave a window open in your car or trailer if you are going to leave your camp.
-the best way to get the dust off your windshield is to wipe it off with a dry teddy bear.
-Finally- instant mashed potatoes are delicious.
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(photo credit: Cult teeshirt by Simon de la Playa, Flaming Cap by Playa Pete)