How much water, really?

[jbelson]

The baby wipes are great for picking your nose too. You'd be suprised how much dust gets up there.

[Captain Goddammit]

Holy shit, you guys are making me feel like a conspicuous decadent! I bring 100 gallons so I can use the shower all I want. I stay in a camper on my pickup and I carry all 100 gallons of grey water back out in 33 gallon plastic garbage cans. MAN it's nice to take a long hot shower on the playa every day (my girlfriend likes it too) .
I come to BRC from the north; the general store across from the Chevron in Alturas, CA lets burners (generally friendly people who come in and buy lots of stuff) fill up with their hose out back - a mutually beneficial arrangement - so I only have to carry the extra 800 pounds from there. Hey, if you're driving a big truck with a big trailer full of whatever insane shit you're bringing like most burners are then why not? Fuck, man. Goddammit.

[stuart]

Just for balance,

I drink well over a gallon of water a day on the playa. This amount is going to vary quite a bit from person to person. How active are you, what else are you drinking, are you ingesting anything that acts as a diuretic, do you dehydrate easily? Know these things about yourself before you start thumbing your nose at the amount suggested in the survival guide. Don't skimp on water. If you find you are running over just take a super-luxo shower or donate it to the DPW on your way out.

[diane o'thirst]

The thing to remember is that apart from your vehicle, your water will probably represent the greatest weight and for the average camp that isn't actually an installation, definitely in the top five of bulkiest items you'll be carrying in. It is also, behind your ticket, the most essential: without water you <b>cannot</b> be there. The trick is to accept that — and plan your packlist around it. You can cut back and trim down everything except your water dunnage.

As for me, I'm definitely going to bring enough water for bathing next time. I do anyway, but I've resolved to shower at least once a day.

The reason? A friend just sent me some pictures. By Saturday, I'd taken a total of two showers and I <i>looked like hell!</i> Hair tousled (in spite of daily combing), frizzy and dusty, dings and scrapes aplenty, and while dimples are a definite attractor they aren't when they've become dustpits

Shower forego-able? Not even!!

[Captain Goddammit]

And more importantly, how are you gonna wash the blender without ample water? That's the main thing you NEED it for. Well, that and making ice cubes. Gotta have margaritas to survive, and gotta have a clean blender and ice cubes to have margaritas.

[talisen]

gotta have a clean blender and ice cubes to have margaritas.

And Tequila as well, yes?

[DangerMouse]

And more importantly, how are you gonna wash the blender without ample water? That's the main thing you NEED it for. Well, that and making ice cubes. Gotta have margaritas to survive, and gotta have a clean blender and ice cubes to have margaritas.

Well, theoretically if you make margaritas 24/7 you don't need to wash it out as all the gunk cycles out into the new ritas as you go right?

[Sanjanaclouds]

Here's a question.

I'll be coming in from Maryland. I'd prefer not to drive all the way to Nevada because thats a week long trip, from the east coast, so i'll be flying in. There's absolutely no way i'm shipping water across the US unless I have to.

So the question is this:

Is it a good idea for me to wait and buy not only water but most of my supplies in Reno once my flight lands?

I'm not worried about the cost as much as the availability, if everyone else is shopping too. Do you think its likely that i'll arrive and not be able to find a sufficient amount of water and any extra camping gear that i didnt bring with me

[Guest]

Do you think its likely that i'll arrive and not be able to find a sufficient amount of water and any extra camping gear that i didnt bring with me

That's a good question. I've seen unscented baby wipes in astonishingly short supply all along the way to the burn. Water I think you'll be able to find, especially if you have empty containers to fill. Extra camping gear - I wouldn't count on that, though as I recall there was a Jack Rabbit Speaks that talked about a store in Gerlach (Black Rock Hardware at www.blackrockhardware.com) stocking up for the burners on their way in.

[Sanjanaclouds]

Thanks for the link, I'll have to give them a call.

[sphene]

Sanjana, another possibility is to find a local group that is renting a big moving van to take stuff out. There is one in my area that I am considering using for my camping gear and other items. The nice part is that your stuff ends up on the playa and you don't need to find a way to get it into the event. My recollection from reading about this is that you pay a portion of the rental fee based on the amount of cubic feet you need. You help load and unload both ways.

[precipitate]

> Is it a good idea for me to wait and buy not only water but most of my
> supplies in Reno once my flight lands?

Yes. Ship or pay for extra baggage for tent, clothing, sleeping bags, shade
if your airline won't take them for free. Buy your food and fer fuck's sake
all your water in Reno. Might want to buy a bike in Reno, too. There is
ample shopping there, both in megastores and in smaller mom and pops.

[Sanjanaclouds]

I know that this should go in the "who do you love" thread but i really have to say that I LOVE EPLAYA you all are sooo helpful. Thanx.

[actiongrl]

We've always put 2 gallons per person per day in the Survival Guide, but noted that it frequently seemed that everyone we knew went home with extra water. So two years ago I decided to put "a gallon and a half per person per day" instead. Whaddyaknow, that year I and a lot of the people I know who took that advice actually ran out of water. SO we went back up to 2 pp/pd.

Believe it or not, I'm told the DPW gets too much water donated at the end of the event and ends up turning it away.

I'm of the "really don't shower much" camp, I have short hair that wears best when it's filthy, and I fill my bottle more often at the camps where I work than the camp where I live, but I still bring close to the recommended amount. I never go home with much. Now it's got me wondering, though, where all my water goes if I'm not really cooking and not really showering. My exboyfriend (and RV cohabitant) is a bit of a handwasher, so maybe that's it.

[KellY]

You know, I've heard from a few different sources that Americans are chronically dehydrated. When you consider our massive intake of alchohol, coffee, and soda this really isn't surprising. I've read that dehydration is the number one cause of headaches (maybe it's the glass of water you drink with your painkiller that really helps you out); it's also the number one cause of daytime fatigue and a host of other maladies.

Maybe the secret reason people feel so good on the playa is that, ironically, once we hit the desert we actually start drinking enough water!

[Captain Goddammit]

O.K., everyone seems to have a handle on the water situation - now what we NEED to concentrate on is establishing an absolute minimum specification of the amount of tequila each participant MUST bring or be denied entry. I, for one, have experienced DANGEROUSLY low tequila levels toward the end of the week; obviously this is a hazardous situation that should be addressed in future times. As someone just pointed out, margaritas require a blender, ice, and TEQUILA!! I mean really, you could shower with tequila but you couldn't make margaritas with water, now could you?

[Remark]

Warning: You CAN spend too little on Tequila.

Am I just being snobby? Or does anyone else seem to have worse hangovers for cheaper stuff. Mixed drinks or straight...aye mi head.

[Captain Goddammit]

Absolutely! I only bring at least mid-grade boozahol to BM. Top-shelf stuff is usually WORTH it! I can't possibly afford to dispense unlimited drinks to the whole city, so supplies are limited, but if you get a drink on the Playa Cruiser it won't be bottom-grade pisswater; I could afford more of it, but who wants more if it's cat pee? I'm enjoying a vodka martini right now with Grey Goose vodka. SMOooooooth...
Try this- it's my brother JohnB's (from L.A.) recipe, a "Johnnies Cozy";
Glass of apple cider
shot of Goldschlager (cinnamon schnapps)
shot of Buttershots (butterscotch schapps)
heat up in microwave
top with lots of whipped cream and nutmeg
MMmmmm.