RELIANCE Fold-A-Carrier, 5 Gallons

Why we love it?

Made in Canada Constructed of BPA-free, food-approved high grade polyethylene

Some comments about this we saw on the web:

* /u/mudclub on /r/BurningMan It’s totally doable but you’re going to have to work your ass off to prepare.

First things first: Find a ticket. Obviously.

Don’t freak out about finding a camp. You don’t need one to thrive out there. If you find a good one, that’s fantastic, but really, don’t stress. Your neighbours will be super great no matter where you wind up, and they’ll help you out with anything you need. Also, odds are good that if you don’t find a camp before you get out there, you stand a good chance of being invited to move in with one in pretty short order.

How are you getting there? You already have transport arranged? Is that how I’m reading that? If so, how much room is there in the vehicle for your gear?

Do you have any camping gear? A tent (teeny is fine - you won’t be spending much time in it) is a must unless (and this can and is totally done out there) you want to risk hopping from tent to tent with random folks you meet out there. On that note, take condoms. Don’t trust the other person to be safe/prepared/sober enough to think it through/etc.

The below assumptions are based on you going solo:

The mandatory packing list (off the top of my head - I’m sure I’m going to miss some bits) to survive:

Shelter

Water (minimum 1 gallon/day for drinking. These things are great: http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Products-Poly-Bagged-Carrier-Collapsible/dp/B001QBZI90 and run $8-$10 at your local army surplus store) Also, canteens/bottles to carry water around with you. It super sucks a: to run out of water far from home, and b: to haul around a 5-gallon bladder of water. Comical to everyone around you, sucky for you.

Food. Particularly because you’re doing this last-minute, I recommend canned food (don’t forget a can opened :D ) - I’m a huge fan of spaghetti-o’s and fruit cup type things - single-serving/meal-sized. Tins of chicken and some crackers are a good plan if you’re desperate for protein, but so are big bags of jerky. Anything non-perishable. Also quick and slow energy snacky things like trail mix/nuts/etc. Don’t bring chocolate or anything else that will melt. Oranges will happily survive out there, however. Note that your appetite will probably be greatly diminished. Don’t try to do anything super fancy.

Loose-fitting light-colored clothing. A hat/shade thing. Goggles (dust storms). A dust mask/bandanna/related, again for the dust storms.

Lights - a flashlight (ideally super light that can be thrown around your neck on a string) and some form of illumination for your person so art cars will see you and not run your ass over.

A cup.

Everything else is convenience/luxury.

Very nice to have:

A <$100 playa bike with a couple of blinky lights for visibility.

A shade structure. Don’t panic on this one. Everyone around you will have shade, and everyone’s always willing to share.

Take a couple of bottles of booze to share with the neighbours. That’s always appreciated and a great icebreaker. Note: ice is available for sale out there; don’t try to bring your own :D

I’ll think of more later, but in the meantime, read these:

http://burningman.com/first_timers/

http://burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/

Oh yeah, and if you’re soloing, finding a place to camp is daunting. Here’s how it works: After queueing to gate, handing over the ticket, getting the car searched, etc, you will be molested by your very own greeter. Greeters are awesome. If you have a cold beer in the car with you, give it to your greeter. Give your greeter a big hug :D

After greeting, you’ll drive (SLOW DOWN!) toward the outer rim of the city (back, center) and you’ll run into a fork in the road. Choose a path. I plan to choose left. Drive along a couple of long blocks until you decide it’s the right time to turn into the city proper. Do so. (SLOW DOWN!) Keep going. Turn left or right wherever feels right. Try to do it at an intersection, however. Amble about a bit more. Turn again. Go see what up that street over there. Eventually, you’ll find a spot that seems right to you. Pull in, park, get out of the car, look around, panic a little, and start setting up your camp right on the edge of the street Follow the lead of everyone around you. Secret: a lone female will probably get extra offers of help from everyone nearby. Use it. Make friends. Dish out some of the aforementioned booze you brought along.

Once you’re settled enough to feel like you have a place to sleep later on: Depending on the time of day, strap on some lights, and strike off down your street toward the port-a-potties. You MUST learn where they are. pre-dawn bathroom trips super suck when you don’t know where the bathrooms are. Then go back to your camp because it’ll be farther away than you thought. Get a sense of what’s around you. MAKE A BIG NOTE OF YOUR STREET AND TIME. Then go back to the porta potty intersection (that’s your first landmark) and head toward the Man. You’ll be able to see him.

Once you get to esplanade/open playa, walk out 100 yards or so, turn around, and figure out where you just came from. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. THIS IS HOW YOU GET HOME LATER. From there, fuck off and have a great time.

And don’t lock your keys in the car. Srsly.

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——* /u/lilygrove on /r/BurningMan I brought one of those 5 gallon collapsible portable water containers

Fill it up, use it, comes back smaller right? Nope- It easily slipped from closed to open and leaked all over the inside of our tent. Just what we needed after surviving set up in the rain early Monday morning. :(

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——* /u/HotterRod on /r/BurningMan DO NOT use collapsible water jugs. It seems like it’d be great to be able to squish them up for the drive back, but they are very prone to leaking.

If you don’t want to store containers between Burns or camping trips, buy the largest water containers you can get at a grocery store. 1-gallon or 2.5-gallon jugs can be crumpled and recycled after Exodus. The 5-gallon water cooler jugs are more efficient, but can be tricky to dispense: manual pumps and stands exist, but you can’t buy them at most grocery stores.

If you’re okay with storing containers (great for natural disasters!), I recommend the Reliance 6-gallon or 7-gallon containers.

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