You have a ticket to the Butn, now what?

 

Well, babes, you start your planning. 

Here are the major things you'll need to work out:

How do I get all my crap to the Butn? 

As much as we love the Butn, we hate how much waste it generates. We do not recommend that you buy all this crap in Reno, unless that is your only option. 

Your city likely has a group of Burners, and they probably have decent infrastructure for getting your gear to the Butn. 

For example, DC Burners send shipping containers full of gear (by train and truck), which are delivered directly to the Playa.  

So, review your options as part of the planning process. Yay, a research project! 

Sleeping Shelter:

What are you sleeping in? Here are a few options: 

1. RVs or Camper Vans - these tend to rent quickly, and some companies won't rent to Burners. So, best to book early. If you camp in one of these, there are many tips and tricks (e.g., Reflectix and tape on the windows, to save your interior) that will help you avoid crazy cleaning fees after the Butn and make it more comfortable during the week. Yay, a research project! 

Reminder: You'll need a Vehicle Pass for any shelter that doubles as transport. 

2. Box Truck - a few years ago, a friend's rental car fell through. So, she drove a Budget truck in, instead. With a real, king-sized mattress. It was basically a palace. This was a pretty solid Burner Hack. 

2. Car camping - I've heard this is done. But people also bake cookies on their dashboard at the Butn. So, I don't recommend it.  

3. Non-Butn Tent - you can bring a standard camping tent, and the Google can recommend the Burner-favorites, which people like for their a) limited mesh windows (less playa dust on your pillow) and b) roominess. Yay, a research project! 

4. Butn Tent - some folks have invented tents that are more Playa-friendly, like the ShiftPod. Maybe try to find a used one on Craigslist (do we still do that?). Shit's expensive. 

5. Hexayurts - are the devil. Not really, but they take an army to set up and breakdown. The one exception is the 6-foot stretch design. We got that one up in 13 minutes, our first Butn.  

Transport to the Playa:

If you're tent camping, likely you'll need a ride to the Playa and also a Vehicle Pass if you're taking a car or RV/van. 

The vast majority of folks drive in from Reno in rental cars. Book early and if you are car pooling, consider all the gear you'll be carrying with you. Bigger is better, if there will be more than 2 of you in the car. Build in time after the Butn to do a solid cleaning, all over the car (even under the hood) or risk a huge cleaning fee. 

I'm a huge fan of the Burner Bus, provided that you have someone else bringing in your big gear. I will always take the Burner Bus, if it's an option. 

You can also fly in to Black Rock City, provided that you are basically packing sunblock and pasties for the week (the weight limit for bags is restrictive). 

Food, Groceries, Kitchen: 

Food at the Butn will be a separate post. 

For planning/packing, we'll have a basic camping kitchen set up with tables, a camping stove and a camping grill. 

Plan to bring your own pots, pans, utensils, plates, bowls,  cups (so many cups, have one for water in camp, and another for your day pack) etc.

Plan on having at least one good cooler, we recommend 2, lined with Reflectix.  The Reflectix makes a huge difference.  Keep perishables in one, drinks in the other. Keep the perishables heavily iced and only open it occasionally.

Here are good cooler tips: https://burningtribe.com/html/CoolerAdvice.html

Shelter, Lounge Area: 

We have some pretty large shade structures for the kitchen, lounge, and some tents. 

If you have Playa-appropriate shade structures or material (no Costco pop-ups) and you want to bring it for your tent, go ahead. Otherwise, you can rely on camp's shade. 

Camp chairs are clutch. As are comfy things for sitting on the Playa, like poufs. The lounge in camp is basically BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair). 

Misc. Personal Gear-Must Bring:

I'll address most personal items in another post. But this will get you started. 

Bike + lights + bike lock - a pain for travelers, and a must. The Burning Man website has some good local options, which are alternatives to buying new from Walmart and discarding (***donating***) after the event. 

Air Mattress - one with a built in pump is best, so you can re-fill over the week.  

Day Pack with water bladder (e.g., camelbak)- this is a must. Your bladder should be at least 1 Liter, and the pack should be big enough to hold things like TP, goggles, LED lights, sunblock, and snacks. 

Lights - bring many battery-operated light options, including lights for your tent, your bike, and your body. Puck lights, LED light strings, headlamps, and lanterns are your friend and you'll need a plethora. Bring a battery recharger (we will have power when we run the generator, so you can plug in and recharge) and rechargeable batteries. 

Water - Bring 1.5 gallons per person per day. If you plan to drink a 6-pack of canned bubbly water each day, you may be able to bump this down to 1 gallon. 

First Aid/Body Care - radical self reliance means we will likely have 755 bandaids in camp because everyone will bring some, and that will be a good thing. More in this later. 

Cash - for ice (camp ice and personal ice)

Don't Panic, Watch this Video!

Click here if the video player doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxRAg9Pcpm4

From our very first Butn, in 2012. Perhaps play your own music, I suggest Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Off." 

The 10 Principles

 

Burning Man is a city that exists for one week a year, and life there is unlike anywhere else. This is due, in large part, to the 10 Principles. 

Here they are, in the words of BMORG: https://burningman.org/about/10-principles/

Here are some practices that flow from the 10 Principles:

1. Radical Self-Reliance: Burners come to the Playa with everything they need to survive in a challenging-to-hostile environment for a week. This blog won't tell you everything you need to know, because it differs from person to person, and based on your sleeping quarters. Yay, a research project! 

For example, I require some physical comfort on Playa, and need to be highly organized. So, I do a lot of body care (lotions, oils, clean pajamas and cozy socks I don't wear out of my tent) and I spend the first 3 hours there organizing my shit in packable/folding bins.  

Do some soul searching about what you need, and be as generous with yourself as you can be (knowing you have to schlep it all in and out). 

2. Leave No Trace: Pack it in, pack it out takes extreme form at the Butn. Grey water is the biggest one. 

Tooth brushing, hand washing, shower water, the coffee ground rinse--it all has to come out with us, and that means you. Re-think your waste water and come up with a plan to reduce it, now. 

For example, I wash my face in a black plastic carry out container, and then it becomes its own evap pond. I lay it out in the sun and away from dust, and the water evaporates before my next face washing. I brush my teeth with food grade peppermint oil (a teeny dab) and spit the rinse water out into a separate container that I set out to evaporate and/or bring home.

Consider bringing cold brew or coffee granules that dissolve. And have a plan for how you'll clean that bacon grease with paper towels and wet wipes. 

Prepare to take one or two showers, max, at the Butn. Yep. Otherwise, we'll all be packing 5-gallon buckets of dirty shower water out in our rental cars.  

You'll mostly get clean with baby wipes and some vinegar or lemon juice (more on that later). Wet hair on Playa is a nightmare anyway-the dust turns to clay in your freshly washed hair. Embrace the dry shampoo look. 

We'll also be bringing out all of our trash. Cans and crushables are ideal, on Playa. We'll talk more about this in the Food discussion. 

3. MOOP: Matter Out Of Place is anything that does not exist naturally on the Playa. This means beer cans and food packaging. 

It also means glitter, sawdust, sequins, grey water, that hot, half-drank IPA you decided you didn't want at 4 am (my least favorite kind of MOOP), and other human waste. 

None of it can be there, when we leave. And you're responsible for all of the MOOP you generate. Got a beer at a bar on Playa? That empty can is yours, now.  

You're also responsible for other people's MOOP. This is because someone else will be picking up that safety pin that fell off your backpack at the Temple. 

This takes consistent effort and awareness, so MOOPing is a verb (MOOPing: to engage in the act of identifying and disposing of MOOP). 

That paper towel you left on the table will be miles away in seconds, if a dust storm kicks up. So, Burners have a good rule. Just don't put it down. If you do, come back in short order to put it away. 

Also, don't bring costumes that shed. I know the Playa Chickens look glorious in their feathered outfits on the Insta. But they shed like crazy. This means I leave glitter and sequins at home, and ya'll KNOW how much I love the shiny. 

4. Gifting, De-commodification: There is no capitalist economy, on Playa. Fuck yeah! We're all socialists, and it's grand! This means you can't buy anything on Playa, except ice. 

The Butn is not a gotdamned "barter economy" either.  We gift, and we receive, in a non-transactional way. 

We all gift many things, including: 1) our MOOPing efforts; 2) our attention, presence, and authentic selves; 3) a helping hand with someone's tent, heavy ass ice wagon, lack of TP at the porta potties, etc.; 4) our patience and self-soothing when shit's all going to hell; and 5) camp set up, during-the-week camp maintenance, ice runs, and break down.

More formally, the camp will throw some happy hours, which will be our gift to the Playa. Likely, it will be cold cocktails from a keg and Richard Cheese playing on the sound system. More on this later. 

Some people bring things to "gift" to other Burners. Necklaces, small pieces of art, custom stickers, custom patches, etc. 

Others volunteer for BMORG or art projects. The JackRabbit Speaks newsletter will have info about how to volunteer, as will the Burning Man website, if you choose to gift this way. 

Some people share or bring extras of their favorite "survival item." I'll stand out onto street with a mister full of cold water with peppermint oil on a hot day (it's air conditioning, seriously) for passers by. I also bring extras of my favorite natural chapstick, to share.  

Gifts of extra bandanas and LED lights are always useful, especially late in the week when everyone has lost or broken theirs. 

This is all gifting. 

If this is your first Butn, you do not need to worry so much about gifting physical goods. I wouldn't overcommit on volunteering, either (all my volunteer efforts my first year failed). 

Instead, plan to help out in camp, give your time and money for camp ice runs, and maybe bring some extra blinky or bandanas to share with those in need. If you come back, it is likely that you'll be with a Theme Camp or art project, and then you'll have the opportunity to gift in a more substantial way. 

And prepare to receive! 

5. Radical Self-Expression, Participation, Immediacy:  Some people come to the Butn to become the fullest expression of their "Burner Selves," the person they can't be in the Default World. They take up a goofy name (which they will use to introduce themselves, like "Hi, I'm Fancy Tits") and never take off their unicorn ears. 

Others play pranks that will escalate over the week and loudly crack jokes in a bullhorn at 4 am, just because it pisses you off. 

I like to engage in performance art, and it never goes as planned. Like that time I wore my Creepy Bunny costume and handed out easter eggs with babydoll heads to try to weird people out. But everyone just thought I was adorable. 

Bottom line, think about what you want to do more of, in your daily life. Then, plan to do that at Burning Man. Want to be more naked? More silly? More connected to your vulnerability? More connected to your badass side? More at ease? Do that. Do all of it. 

Just leave the feathers at home. ;) 

  

Food Tips from a Pro!

I had the best cheese plate of my life at our last Burning Man (so many cheeses, crackers, fruits, meats!), thanks to BM Chef Extraordinaire, Liz Burks. Here are her tips for food prep/planning on the Playa: 

•  A good mindset when thinking about what you’ll eat on the playa is “camping in the desert, with no campfire” and “mindful grocery shopping”.

• Once you’re there, there will be no opportunities to make a quick trip to the outside world for forgotten items. The only thing you can purchase at Burningman is ice. In previous years, Center Camp had a coffee bar, but that is no longer, so be mindfully prepared! 

• Speaking of ice, bring cash to help contribute to the camp ice restocking. Depending on the weather, camps are typically restocking ice every day or every other day. Between keeping all the food cold in the coolers and using it in beverages, ice goes quickly. 

• Camp typically has extra coolers for everyone to use. However, do not do a huge grocery shop that is going to require a large chunk of cooler space, unless you have your own cooler (and even then, you probably won't be able to store a week's worth of food in one cooler). Space for cold items can be limited, especially at the beginning of the week, so be mindful when bringing items that must be on ice/in a cooler. You'll want to pack some storage containers as well, to keep cooler water out of your M&Ms. 

• Foods need to be easy to prepare and require minimal equipment and effort. If prepared, camps will have a heat source (i.e., grill or propane burners) so there will be the ability to heat up water and simple meals that only require 1 or 2 pots or pans. Think spaghetti, grilled cheese, ramen, cup of noodles, canned items, oatmeal, etc. Meals that just need hot water to cook or minimal cooking/preparing are the best. Meals can definitely be more elaborate, just keep in mind you’ll be tired, eating at odd times, and not in an environment that is easy to cook in. 

• For easy one-pan/shelf-stable options, Trader Joe's has some great choices for eating well out of plastic packets and cans...like couscous, rice mixes, curry sauce, canned salmon, pasta with canned clams in red sauce, etc. MountainHouse meals are quite delicious, and only require boiled water. Shelf-stable pudding cups and shelf-stable milk (like coconut milk) are convenient dairy-like options. 

• There will always be a way to cook bacon….you’ll see and understand why once you’re there. 

• As hard as it may be, fresh fruits and veggies will not be your best grocery purchases. Fruits and veggies will last only a day or two so if you bring them, eat them at the start of the trip. There may not be enough space to keep these cold all week, plus it can be so hot during the day that spoilage comes on a little quicker than normal. We bring shelf-stable fruit cups that don't need to be cold, and some baby carrots and sugar snap peas for early in the week. 

• Bread gets stale quickly on Playa. Flour tortillas hold up better, and you can make anything into a taco if you try hard enough.

• Snacks, snacks, snacks. Regardless of how meals are planned with a camp, bring your own snacks and sweets to share with others, but also just to have when you need to recharge between meals, in the middle of the night, whenever. Salty snacks are good for replenishing electrolytes. Just remember, if you bring that giant jar of pickles, you have to bring the juice home with you.

• Electrolyte powders are a good way to rehydrate on hot days. 

• Camps will often "gift" delicious food to fellow burners. So, there are plenty of opportunities to eat food out on the playa. You just need to plan for it and get there early as camps will “sell out” of their playa meals fairly quickly. Personally, I wouldn’t have the mindset that you don’t need to plan for x, y, z meal because you’re going to visit a camp that is serving food. As mentioned, when camps are serving food, it goes fast. It’s always a nice surprise to stumble upon a camp that is serving food, but never a guarantee.

• WATER!!! Plan for 1 to 1.5 gallons, per person, per day. 

• Bring a reusable water bottle and a plastic or metal coffee cup. Water bottle to rehydrate with, coffee mug for camp beverages.

• Coffee. If it brings you life each morning, bring it! Starbucks instant coffees are a super easy way to get your fix each morning, with no coffee-ground clean up required. Large cold brew bottles are good, but will take up a lot of cooler space. 

• A small bin with a lid or a Home Depot bucket with a lid are great ways to store your non-perishable food items. The dust is everywhere, and it can be crazy windy, so it’s optimal to have a container for food items that you don’t want covered in dust.

• Reduce your MOOP before you even leave Reno. Groceries come with crazy amounts of extra packaging. Remove as much as you can and throw it away. (This is always done in the grocery store parking lot, FYI). In other words, don't even "pack it in" and you won't have to "pack it out." 

The Ins and Outs of Getting In and Out of the Butn

Getting into and out of the Butn is a unique adventure. 70,000 burners are all trying to take a two-lane road to the vast open landscape known as the Playa. Here are some tips for the trip:

1. Getting in and out of BM is a process that takes 1.5 to 2 days on either end. Give yourself plenty of time before and after the event, which technically runs from Sunday to Sunday.  The hotels in Reno are delightful in their own way. If you're flying in, plan to stay at least one night in town before and after the Butn.

2. When driving, stay off the shoulders and don’t pass other vehicles.  The roadside is mostly dust and pebbles. Only pull over on pavement or gravel parking lots, or you may get stuck. And don’t pass other cars. You may be tempted to try and zoom past the RV in your lane. But guess what’s in front of it. Another slow ass RV. Take it easy, and get there safely.

3. Gas up before you leave Reno. There aren’t many places to stop, and lines will be long in Gerlach.

4. Observe the speed limit! You’ll be passing through small towns, and the limits are to protect the residents. Once you hit the Playa, its 5 mph. This is a CRAWL, but the police will ticket you and probably harass you (more on this later) for exceeding it. So slow down.

5. Leave no trace covers the road to the Butn. Secure your gear (including trash on the way out) and don’t leave any MOOP. Do consider leaving some dollars at the roadside Indian taco stand, just mind where you park.

6. You will likely wait in long, creeping lines for hours to get in. So have real food and water handy in the car.  Try to avoid sitting in your car in the baking desert sun at 2pm (time your arrival/exit). And assume the dust is coming in your AC vents.

7. If you stop to use a portapotty on Gate Road, park the car. Don’t have someone drive ahead, thinking you’ll find them. It is MUCH harder than it sounds, and you could easily find yourself stranded miles from your camp. It happens every year.

8. Gate Road Radio (broadcast once you get to Gerlach) is never accurate. We listen to it anyway.

9. Will call is almost always crazy. Make some friends, share some cookies, enjoy the ride.

10. Do the thing the Greeters want you to do. You'll be happy you did. Just trust me.

11. During Exodus, we "pulse." When the road out of the Butn gets congested, they stop letting people leave for an hour. Everything stops moving on Gate Road. Sleep, do soduku, make a foolish attempt to brush your hair. Turn off your car. This is great because once you do make it to the pavement, you typically keep moving until you're back to Reno. It also helps to keep tired drivers off the road.

12. Don't drive tired. This is the No. 1 cause of fatalities during the Butn. Find some pavement to nap on or switch drivers. We love you and want you back next time! 

Law Enforcement at the Butn (Just Say No!)

Ah, the police. If you do get pulled over by the police, your entire goal is to keep them from searching your car. A "search" means they take all your crap and throw it on the ground. Socks. Carrots. Chapstick. It's all going on the ground, piece by piece.

 Likely, they'll be nice at first. They'll say something like "mind if we take a look around?"  The answer is "I do not consent to a search." If they threaten you or persist after you say no, ask "am I free to leave?" Ask until they answer. If they don't let you leave, record how long you have to wait until they do. It's irritating, but some police do cross the line. 

Once you're at the Butn, you'll want to assume everyone who is not from your camp is an undercover cop. If someone offers you drugs (even a puff of their vape pen), decline and leave. If someone asks you for drugs, reply that you don't have any and leave. 

Only undercover cops talk about drugs at the Butn. I've met three undercovers at BM, and a friend was actually making out with one in his tent before he realized it. 

If a new "friend" is in camp and offers/asks for drugs, make them leave. If you say yes and it is an undercover cop, they can and will toss the whole camp looking for drugs. If you're smoking weed, expect some cops to show up and start throwing things on the ground. Don't plan on smoking weed at the Butn. It's the fastest way to make everyone hostile.  

The local counties make a lot of money fining Burners for drug possession, and getting busted (or getting campmates busted) can ruin your day/week or worse. So it's best to have a bright line rule. 

Just say no, y'all!