Frequently Asked Questions: Look here first.

[Hootdaddy]

[quote="AntiM"]
Propnae or butane are your friends. Really.

Or maybe I'm just related to Hank Hill...[/quote]

Now Anti...any Hank Hill fan know that butane is "a bastard gas." :roll:

[honeyfire]

deeda, your query about altitude sickness is covered at the top of page 2:

viewtopic.php?t=4488&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

by honeyfire (that would be me, actually. ).

The importance of getting/staying hydrated can't really be overstated...

[Psyteknology]

Q: I'm a guy and was wondering if it is ever a good idea to walk around wearing just a tee-shirt with no bottoms?
A: Sure.... but beware of the pants cannon! I personally don't give 2 shits if people shirt cock or not. The pants cannon sounds like a fun way to participate and show off your matrix skills. LOL

[munney]

... but just as in the outside world nothing cools the heat of passion like a waft of desperation.

I just love the poetry of this verse
In addition, a good tip on getting laid, is to know the person, first or later, and it helps to hang out a bit, yet, If you do find yourself in a sexual position, ::::8)
A. Use Condomes, (If Appropriate)
B. Communicate as to what you like and don't like, (Feel free to experiment)
C. Good Idea is to Baby Wipe yourself Before the Boogie Down Production, and
D. Don't be a Deusche Nozzle, and do your best to mask your Desperation, Just Respect, Respect, Respect.

[honeyfire]

Q: I posted a question here on the eplaya and the only reponses i got were funny but, er, non-responsive.
Why didn't anyone just tell me how much carspace i need for my gear/where i should camp/where to find the best music/what size tarp i need/who has the good drugs/etc?

A: Odds are on it that the question you asked has a broad range of potential answers and you didn't give any, or enough, specifics.
It may also be that the info you are looking for is subjective. 3 people may give three totally different replies regarding "the best/most fun/coolest/most comfortable" whatever.

For example...

What size tarp?
Well, what size camp? How many people, how many tents? Are you even using tents? Will you be shading your vehicle as well? How are you planning to attach the tarp?

Where's the best music?
Well, what kind of music do you like?

How much room will i need?
Well, what are you bringing? Have you piled your stuff into a rough cube and measured it? Can you nest stuff in other stuff?

and so on...

You may have noticed that we're a little informationally Darwinian around here, so if you want a good answer, ask a good question.

[nadzinka]

Q: How should we find out about camp locations, there seems to be no info on that. Are there gonna be any handouts at playa with the list of theme camps and their locations? Or is there such list on internet? Thanks!

[AntiM]

A: You will be given a map and a booklet. The theme camps and villages will be marked, don't camp there. Everywhere else is open camping, it is first come first served. Find a likely spot, chat up the neighbors and see if that's where you want to camp. Don't try to find a spot in the dark.

[littlemissfancypants]

Q: How much is the coffee at Espresso Camp? And, is there cream? (I'll bring my own sugar substitute)

[badopie]

this may seem an odd question but here goes!
i'm a virgin burner planning to go in '08.
now if i decide to join in the nudity, being a man
if i get a hard-on should grab a towel to cover
myself?

[Tiahaar]

no just keep a bell on your pole to warn us you're coming

[badopie]

i think i've got an cowbell laying around here somewhere.
would that suffice? :D

seriously though, what would be playa ettiquet on this
particular situation???????????

[dedqgirl]

i'm a virgin burner too, but i would imagine that if nudity is your game, just crack a joke and move on. if you feel like covering up, do it, but from what i've gathered it's kindof do-as-you-will...

my own question, and I feel totally dumb for asking this but it bothers me constantly.

Q: How do you pronounce "playa"? Every time I read it I think of Snoop Dogg and his "hoes"... Is it "play-uh" or "plie-uh" or what? I don't speak spanish.... Thanks!

Also...
Q: I live East Coast and hope to fly, but is there anywhere I can rent a bike? Or is there some reasonable way of shipping one? Or are there used-bike stores where I can buy one cheap and sell it back after?

[theCryptofishist]

To rhyme with Zachariah. Or Ukiah. Or Maya. Or Buy a. Or Hiya.

Your bike will be so trashed post event. I know someone who worked in a bike shop and they would not service post playa bikes, because the playa dust gets in there and turns into cement. So, the bikes are basically worthless after the event. Look into shipping one on Greyhound.

[Valkyrie]

(Or you could say "ply-yah")

There's a (very hard to find) page on the BM website that details bike shops in Reno. Expect to pay through the nose. It'd probably be cheaper to ship something. But you'll also need to make arrangements to deal with it after the burn.

[dedqgirl]

[quote="Valkyrie"](Or you could say "ply-yah")

There's a (very hard to find) page on the BM website that details [u][url=http://burningman.com/preparation/travel_info/reno/reno_Bikes.html]bike shops in Reno.[/url][/u] Expect to pay through the nose. It'd probably be cheaper to ship something. But you'll also need to make arrangements to deal with it after the burn.[/quote]

If i rented a bike for $20/day, it would round off to $140 for the week, and considering the fact that my bike was stolen (from the family-friendly streets of Baltimore???? noooooo) a couple weeks ago, i'd have to buy another one, probably from Craigslist for a minimum of $50, probably more like $100, plus another god-knows-how-much for shipping. i might just research used bike shops in reno... then just give it back to them or sell it for scrap metal or something.

[mdmf007]

Mountain bikes at Wally world are only like 60-80 bucks new. Ride it at BM, clean it up, and give itt o a kid when you leave.

[Barbie]

saw kids outside Gerlach with signs asking for bikes this year...

[AntiM]

I saw at least three bike drop offs. If the folks taking in the bikes fix them up for next year, the availability of rental bikes should jump pretty well. Sure, that's commerce, but it is off-playa and benefiting locals directly. Could be a good thing. And if the bikes simply go to the local kids, well that's good too.

[Fried_Eagle_Mind]

Ok, I'm sure this question is rather open ended, but I would appreciate at least a stab at it.

Once one flies into Reno, how do they then get to Gerlach. Renting a car could be out of the question because everyone in my group is under 25 (I hear that car renters do not rent to those under 25??). Once in Gerlach is it easy to gather enough supplies (food, water)? And then how do I get from Gerlach to burning man?

[unjonharley]

Ok, I'm sure this question is rather open ended, but I would appreciate at least a stab at it.

Once one flies into Reno, how do they then get to Gerlach. Renting a car could be out of the question because everyone in my group is under 25 (I hear that car renters do not rent to those under 25??). Once in Gerlach is it easy to gather enough supplies (food, water)? And then how do I get from Gerlach to burning man?

\/
Reno is your last stop for supplies.. the little towNS have little to nothing to offer burners..

Hopefully there will be a garthering place offered in Reno.. Some where for people that fly in..
I would suggest you design your shelter, mess and clothing into your baggage.. ( I have done this in the past ) Next work on renting a "van" "now".. Most ride shares suck..Burners that drive to BM are packed with no extra room for ride alongs.. When you arrive Reno buy a cooler and water.. Or ship a cooler as baggage with camp gear inside.. Have your food planed out before hand.. buy food in REno..Buy your bike in Reno or chance getting one from a roadside vender..You steal my bike,I cut your dick off and feed it to you..
Keep reads this form for good points..

[pinemom]

whom ever moved this thread to the top....Hats off! Awesome idea!

[Donna Matrix]

Ok, I'm sure this question is rather open ended, but I would appreciate at least a stab at it.

Once one flies into Reno, how do they then get to Gerlach. Renting a car could be out of the question because everyone in my group is under 25 (I hear that car renters do not rent to those under 25??). Once in Gerlach is it easy to gather enough supplies (food, water)? And then how do I get from Gerlach to burning man?

2007 - there were buses from the airport. I read about them on the main page, but couldn't tell you how I found it. I think I did a search. Of course, you'd have to be prepared or find someone who could bring some stuff for you in their vehicle. Start a thread about finding someone to bring some of your camping stuff - might work.

[Fried_Eagle_Mind]

[quote="Donna Matrix"][quote="Fried_Eagle_Mind"]Ok, I'm sure this question is rather open ended, but I would appreciate at least a stab at it.

Once one flies into Reno, how do they then get to Gerlach. Renting a car could be out of the question because everyone in my group is under 25 (I hear that car renters do not rent to those under 25??). Once in Gerlach is it easy to gather enough supplies (food, water)? And then how do I get from Gerlach to burning man?[/quote]

2007 - there were buses from the airport. I read about them on the main page, but couldn't tell you how I found it. I think I did a search. Of course, you'd have to be prepared or find someone who could bring some stuff for you in their vehicle. Start a thread about finding someone to bring some of your camping stuff - might work.[/quote]

It is not the camping supplies I am Worried about getting there, that stuff seems easy enough to pack. Its the ridiculous amount of water I must obtain.

[Barbie]

AHH but don't think you can go without that ridiculous amount of water... you will need all of that and maybe more.... it might be better to go ahead and buy a cheap van... then you and your buddys have a place to get out of the dust for a moment if wanted or needed...

[BitterDan]

It is not the camping supplies I am Worried about getting there, that stuff seems easy enough to pack. Its the ridiculous amount of water I must obtain.

This makes me think that you are not prepared for what is out there. If you are only brining a backpack full of supplies you might end up short out there. Most of us pack entire carloads of stuff in order to survive the week out there, the water being only a small part of our load.

Imagine a sauna, that is what your tent is going to be like 9:00am until 9:00pm. That is, of course, unless you have a shade structure for your tent but then you are talking about more than a backpack of stuff.

Read the guides over and over and make sure you know what's in store.

[AntiM]

One of the best things you can do is forge contacts with experienced burners ... either face to face (best) or online. Our camp supports a couple people who fly in; I met them on Tribe. Luckily, they fit in with the camp right away. So, you could work on that angle, be a fly in who then goes to an established camp. Paying for water/supplies can be worked out in advance.

There's drawbacks to this method, but it is an option. If they flake out on you or fall through or are horrible people, you'll need a back-up plan. but then again, you may make lifelong friends.

[unjonharley]

As far as water,, Four bags of ice (from the ice camp) a day, will give you enough to cook, drink, and splash your pits..

When I camp lite.. I use a nylon 12x12 shade/w alum poles.. I have tryed these poles on the playa.. If your good at tie down they work fine.. Low poles on the sun side hi on the shade over the tent.. Also I have been useing plastice stakes for the last three years.. I don't use a tent anymore.. Just to old to be on the ground..

Do "not" fly with cooking fuel.. Buy it in Reno

I see Reno airport buses missing out on a market share, by not transporting fly in's to Burning Man

Less camp (shit) = more time for fun on the playa

[BAS]

Reading the guide can't be overemphasized! I read through it a few times, read a bunch online, and still wasn't really prepared. And, yeah, I had a carload of stuff I took with me. I didn't use all of it, but I did use a good portion of it.

One mistake I made was not testing out my idea for a shade structure. I found out the hard way I didn't know what I was doing, and got lucky when a passing (experienced) Burner took pity on me and, giving me some material, gave me a hand in putting up a small structure. (Still left my tent mostly exposed, part of the reason I spent so much time napping in Center Camp, but that's another story.)

How much camping experience do you folks have? I actually grew up with a fair amount of experience due to taking trips with my parents and the Boy Scouts. For me the hardest part was understanding what was needed for the desert. (Well, second hardest-- the first problem was that I should have made certain I was over that d---ed sinus infection! That "little" problem helped exhaust and dehydrate me to the point that, if I had stopped by a MedTent, I probably would have been sent to Reno to recover-- but that is another story.)

Where abouts are you located? And how many are you? As the date approaches, people do start looking for rides and passengers and the like.
And, well, there is always the buying your own, cheap, ride if worse comes to worse. With enough people, you might even be able to buy and old school bus...

[diane o'thirst]

Start a thread about finding someone to bring some of your camping stuff - might work.

Bad idea. There's a lot of very cynical tricksters in this community who get a kick out of screwing noobs who trust them with their gear. It's the BRC method of population control: dink with the first- and second-years and the trusting and chase them off that way.

For instance: my second year going, I accepted the "help" of some veterans who offered to take my stuff out there and drop it off at my campsite. They did, but when I went to their camp on Sunday and said, "So how are we going to handle getting it back to San Jose?" they gave me blank stares, then laughed in my face and basically said, "You want us to take it BACK?! Oh, that's rich!" I got left with the choice of going begging for help getting my stuff back to Defaultia, from people who were already dangerously loaded down, or making multiple round-trips from Black Rock to Sunnyvale and risked the wrath of DPW and Earth Guardians with the trace I appeared to have left.

Another guy I knew had one guy take his stuff back to San Francisco and store it while he helped with the cleanup effort. He got back to San Francisco a few days later and the guy had sold his gear off. And called him a capitalizt pig, to boot.

Since there's no way to tell if someone isn't straight-face planning to dick you over to teach you a lesson in radical self-reliance, I wouldn't suggest dealing with anyone except yourself. Cut out the middleman, do it all yourself.

[Donna Matrix]

Diane
wow - I had no idea. I will be four year in 2008. and have never relied on anyone for any of the camping I do. At BM I drive my self. my daughter drives her truck. We are both totally self-reliant - so I have never had any of those experiences. I guess I am still trusting because I don't trust anybody to do anything for me (oxymoron?).

I totally take back my suggestion then. Arrange it all yourself - best idea. That's what I do. I suppose that's what everybody should do.