“Stay away from camps that offer ‘services’ like stylists, hair and makeup, staff, lodging and ticket packages,” Feldman says. “These are red flags. The people camping there probably won’t have much fun, and the whole camp could be shut down midway, leaving you without shelter, food, water, etc.”
If you want to camp more sustainably, bring your food waste to a composting camp, collect your cans and take them to a recycling camp, and look for a camp that has some sort of solar power system.
One trick to judging how good a camp is is to see how last year’s camps did in terms of leaving no trace. When Burning Man crews clean up the playa after the event, they record how much MOOP (material out of place, or trash) is left behind at each campsite. If a camp is in the red, that’s a bad sign.
Decide on an evacuation site
Shelter options include tents, RVs, trailers, or you could try the Shiftpod, a reflective shelter designed by Berner for desert camping.
Hardcore burners will swear you don’t need air conditioning to have a good time, just a battery-powered tent fan, but that may not be the case for much longer: Nearby Reno, Nevada, is warming faster than any other city due to climate change.
“I hate air conditioners because they’re bad for the environment, but in the heat they can be a lifesaver,” Collins says. Used air conditioners can be found for $200 to $500, she says. If your campsite doesn’t have electricity, you’ll need to bring a small generator; solar panels can’t power an air conditioner.
If you’re tent camping, make sure there’s a quiet, shaded and/or air-conditioned shared lounge area where you can nap during the day, or it’s good to know where your friends are staying who have air-conditioning in case of an emergency.
Hexa yurts, made from taped-together insulated panels, were once more popular, but because they were a pain to assemble and transport, they have been largely supplanted by Shift Pods, insulated domes that can comfortably sleep two people. In fact, Collins and Ruben Pacheco, who first joined Barn in 2009 and brought his gnome-themed art car to the playa, both own Shift Pods. Feldman bought a trailer years ago and may buy one in the future.
The ShiftPod sells for $1,600, comes in a big duffel bag, and can be set up in 20 minutes. It keeps out a lot of dust; people who stayed in one during last year’s heavy rains reported that the floor stayed dry. “It’s really a great investment,” Collins says.
Many Burners who fly into nearby cities choose to spend the rest of their trip in an RV. With built-in air conditioning, beds, kitchens and refrigerators, they offer more comfort and lighter loads. They’re also a lot more comfortable than lining up in a car for 12-hour queues waiting to depart. The downside is the cost (budget at least $2,000 per person for rental, fees and gas) and the stress of piloting that heavy monster around Reno and to and from Black Rock City, especially since Burning Man’s governing body, the Org, banned RV deliveries last year. Oh, and RVs are arguably the most polluting shelters at Burning Man. They have a high carbon footprint and the power consumption of generators adds to the noise and particulate pollution on the playa.
Decide how to get there
You can get to the Barn by Barn Bus, by coming in your own car, by RV, or by plane (in order of cost).
