Box truck camping tips..

[junglesmacks]

Since I'm coming from one of the furthest points you can get in the continental US, the choice was made to fly in to Reno and rent a 16' moving truck to camp in. Trying to logistically send out camping shelter, etc and also transport everything all the way to BRC just made this the best option. Luckily, I'm meeting beautiful friends and staying in a well equipped theme camp.

I plan to sleep and habitate in the truck itself when I'm not out playing or relaxing in someone else's shade area. Lighting inside will be solar LED's, and the inside will be pimped a little with donated furniture and assorted play things..

My primary concern is ventilation and/or heat inside the truck cargo area when sleeping.

Anyone that has done this.. any advice out there? Should I try and make some kind of filtration device so that I can crack the door open and still breath but not get a truck full of dirt? Any other helpful hints/comments/concerns?

[Fire_Moose]

the back of a truck is pretty easy to sweep out...i'd be more worried about smoeone locking the truck while you sleep.

[Zhust]

My primary concern is ventilation and/or heat inside the truck cargo area when sleeping.

Considering how hot those trucks get in normal summer weather, the heat inside during the day will likely be stifling. Definitely do some kind of ventilation. I'd think about building a box that fits across the width of the truck door and have the door close on top of it. This also solves that whole getting locked inside thing (although you can mitigate that with a padlock on the latch without the door fully closed). Furnace filters are cheap and will keep out the bulk of the dust. You'll definitely want some kind of fan to move the air around, probably quite a lot (which means energy ... like at least 100 watts ... more than solar can provide, but if you camp with people who use a generator all the time, you might be able to use some of that juice.

Good luck.

[swampdog]

One year we sat out a dust storm in a box truck and it wasn't horrible. We didn't try to live in it. Rigging a swamp cooler for it might be a big help.

[junglesmacks]

Luckily, I'll have a 15amp outlet for my use. I was planning on getting a cheap box type fan.

Maybe what could work is building a simple rectangle frame the same height as the box fan from like 2x2s or something.. and stapling some kind of fabric to it to act as a filter? Set the box fan to blow outwards as a vent..

[Token]

Allot of box trucks have the skylight type roof that let's a lot of light in.

You may have to cover that up.

[jofezasa]

I met a group of Brits a few years back who fly in every year, rent trucks, thrift furniture, shop for food, then come out, then on the way back resell the furniture.

They use the military type camo netting. (Take a look at Danger Ranger's spread out in the walk-in camping area, I think he gave them the idea.) They spend the days outdoors under the netting (strung between two trucks) and sleep inside. You could likely rig some PVC (flexible in the wind) on top of rebar to hold the outer part of the netting.

Leave the truck open to ventilate, close in dust storms, face the "closed" side more or less to the prevailing wind side--a toss up because it can go both ways. Whatever you do, don't get the inside of the truck wet or your will have playa plaster which is just downright ugly to try to remove.

[lucky420]

maybe rig up a big dark curtain across the opening for when you want privacy or partial privacy with out shutting the big door...

[junglesmacks]

maybe rig up a big dark curtain across the opening for when you want privacy or partial privacy with out shutting the big door...

Yeah.. after doing some more thinking, I just laid down $43 for the following setup:

19x 19 HD silver tarp - $23 - http://www.harborfreight.com/19-ft-x-19 ... 37975.html

8 x 30"canopy anchors - $20 - http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-30 ... 98966.html

I'm thinking that I can drape the tarp over the top of the truck about 1/3 of the way back, and secure with the anchors.. then have the other side come down to the anchors in front of the door.. 24" or so off the ground. This would give added personal shade and also a little privacy to the back of the truck with the door open..

[junglesmacks]

maybe rig up a big dark curtain across the opening for when you want privacy or partial privacy with out shutting the big door...

Yeah.. after doing some more thinking, I just laid down $43 for the following setup:

19x 19 HD silver tarp - $23 - http://www.harborfreight.com/19-ft-x-19 ... 37975.html

8 x 30"canopy anchors - $20 - http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-30 ... 98966.html

I'm thinking that I can drape the tarp over the top of the truck about 1/3 of the way back, and secure with the anchors.. then have the other side come down to the anchors in front of the door.. 24" or so off the ground. This would give added personal shade and also a little privacy to the back of the truck with the door open..

Ok so, expanding on this idea.. what if I got 2 of those tarps since they are on sale and connected them together.. making a 19 x 38 tarp. Make a kind of similar monkey hut with some kind of ribbing in the middle and cover the entire truck box with it, still coming down at an angle off the back of the truck. This could give some type of heat reflection and help keep the truck box at least tolerably cool to be able to sleep until maybe 10-11-12ish..

[Stickygreen]

just make sure that you have air space between the shade material, and the truck. If you drape the tarps directly over the truck, your cooling will be reduced significantly.

[junglesmacks]

just make sure that you have air space between the shade material, and the truck. If you drape the tarps directly over the truck, your cooling will be reduced significantly.

My exact thoughts. Wondering what the minimum space requirements should be. I was thinking that at very least the thickness of the 1" PVC would keep it off the truck at least that much.. and I could find something to put down the center of the roof to elevate the spine of the shelter even more..

[Stickygreen]

the purpose of having the air space between the shade material and the truck, is to get air flow, so more than the 1 inch of the PVC tube will be required, I'd try and get about 12" at least, but if you can rig something up that is adjustable then you'll be set for sure.

[VeganChoirGirl]

My friend Motz brings his box-truck to the playa each year. It's a white truck. At night it can get pretty cold in there. He either closes the door all the way or leaves it a crack open. It can get a bit dusty, but not bad. Bring a sheet to cover the bed. I have slept in it many times durring the heat of the day. It's warm, but not overwhelming. It does NOT become an oven like a tent would. If the dust isn't too bad, leave the door open and enjoy a nice breeze.

In conclusion...I think the box truck route is awesome! Enjoy you're time on the playa.

[junglesmacks]

I have slept in it many times durring the heat of the day. It's warm, but not overwhelming. It does NOT become an oven like a tent would.

Nice piece of testimony! I've been debating all day how much $$ and energy to put into a shade structure.. I think I'll go minimal and save the $$ for other goodies.. Thanks

In conclusion...I think the box truck route is awesome!

I think it's a pretty good solution for someone traveling in by plane, too.. I got it through Budget for $22/day + $0.16/mile. For that price, I get transportation for me and as much stuff as I want to fill it with, plus a completely wind proof shelter and whole living area. Who needs an RV? Post a Craigslist ad to pick up free furniture, and make yourself a mobile living room..

[davem]

I'd love to hear how this worked out for you. I'm looking at 2011 being my 1st year and am already planning ahead.

Just curious... how far in advance did you rent the truck?

:D

[sun4all]

We rented a box truck as our Playa abode and art transport for this year. We LOVED the box truck. I had two large, charged 12V gel batteries and these ran the led light strips and two mini 12VDC box fans. We used reflectix on the back of the truck to insulate it from the heat coming from the cab. We had some RMAX foam board that was supposed to be for a hexayurt, but, the hexayurt didn't get built. So....we used that to make a large box that covered our bed area. It NEVER got that hot in the truck as all the sides were fiberglass. The roof was aluminum and some reflectix on that would've totally taken care of the heat. Note that the Playa temps this year were really quite nice. It did get a bit cold at night, but we brought plenty of blankets. We also set up some shelves to hold food and stuff. The box truck was the MOST dust free solution we've used on the Playa. Previous years were a combo of a tent and a mini-van. Our first year was an RV (NEVER again!).

One BIG issue with a box truck is that it WILL amplify sound. We had a horrible bass problem on the outer most street in the city. It kept us awake! Given the noise issue and the hit or miss art offerings, we likely are done with BM. We've been going for six years and it's time to do something else!

[lucky420]

i reserved a 10 foot box truck in february. August 28th Budget gives me a 25 footer for the same price. i was kind of freaked at first cuz it looked so big.

We got out to the playa on Monday at around noon. The wind was kind of harsh and we were tired so we spent the first night in the back of the truck. It really wasn't so bad. We put up our hexayurt the next day. We continued to use the truck for storage ( i started calling it the garage) and as a place to change clothes.

As far as sound amplification goes i think the yurt was worse than the truck. We were camped at 9:30 and I and i swear that the noise was louder inside the yurt than it was outside. But that could've just been my expectation that the yurt would be somewhat soundproof (not).

Anyways, glad we had both the big truck and the yurt....

[junglesmacks]

So.. just got back from the playa, and the Budget 16' box truck ROCKED and was the complete envy from those rolling in the dirt.

Never really got hot late in the day except a few times, was totally breathable with the door down and just right, had plenty of room, kept most of the dust out, was totally windproof.. Overall the best option I think. It's like an RV but a fraction of the price.

My suggestion is to pick up a super cheap Craigslist set of couches and put them in back. I had a plush sofa and loveseat in there and didnt even need a bed.. I just slept and partied on the couch. I'll be doing the same exact thing next year for sure..

[davem]

Great reviews... I think the box truck may be how I go for my first burn in 2011.

[theCryptofishist]

bump

[motskyroonmatick]

I solve the getting locked in problem by locking(with an actual lock) the roll up door latch mechanism in the closed position while the door is open. This solves two problems for me. It keeps one from being locked inside and also will not let the door close all the way so that some fresh air ventilation is maintained at all times. I did totally close the door one night because it was sooo cooolllldddd. There was no death by suffocation although I was a little concerned about it.

I have been in the back with the door open about a foot in a raging dust storm and it was dusty in there but hugely less dusty than outside.

The sheet to cover bedding is a necessity and I recommend it for any place bedding is being used on the playa.

If you use an air mattress as I do you will need to insulate your self more from the mattress than the air. As the atmosphere cools at night the mattress acts like a big radiator and sucks heat from you distributing it to the surrounding air. It is a very effective process that makes you really cold. I now use a big opened up thick sleeping bag and have some wool blankets on stand bye if the sleeping bag does not cut it by its self as the bottom layer. Otherwise I use standard bedding because it is nice to sprawl and not be constrained by a sleeping bag.

I have carpet on the floor in the bed area so that walking bare foot is nicer and my feet don't collect a bunch of dust as I head to bed.

It is nice to be able to lock the back and have most of you camp secured when you go to the big burns.

Another nice perk of Box Truck Living is having your kitchen inside. It doesn't get as dusty as an outside kitchen and any moop you accidentally fling about is contained in the truck and easily cleaned up. My coolers are in there too and I put them up on blocks to insulate them from the floor. My stand by wool blankets for the bed are draped over the coolers to help them stay colder. I think it helps a little.

I'd say that I can get between 1 and 2 hours extra sleep once the sun hits the playa as compared to sleeping in my tent. YRMV.

I'm a big fan of Box Truck Living and will do so at the Burn until I pull off my next big idea.

[junglesmacks]

Sweet bump, fishy

I'm already planning my box truck v2.0 for this year. Honestly, not going to change much. I'm of the persuasion that I would rather keep things to a simple level, since in reality I'm never at my own camp anyway except to sleep, munch a little when I wake up, and "re-charge" through the night.

[lucky420]

I think that I am going to camp out of my box truck too this year. If the kids end up going then we'll put up the hexayurt. I am kind of looking to trick out the back of the truck though...

[VeganChoirGirl]

Thanks for the bump Fishy. Totally a good plan.

[junglesmacks]

I think that I am going to camp out of my box truck too this year. If the kids end up going then we'll put up the hexayurt. I am kind of looking to trick out the back of the truck though...

You know, I thought about this last year. I bought the material to make a monster beanbag, had plans for a fingerpainting station, everything. In the end, I was happy as a clam with a set of old couches thrown in the back, an overturned box as a coffee table, and a couple of blue solar LED christmas light strings for interior lighting. I mean really, all you'll be doing is sleeping and eating in there and maybe waiting out a dust storm or two. You find your chill bars, your friends camps, etc etc etc. The last place at BM that I really wanted to hang out was inside a box truck..

[lucky420]

lol good point, junglesmacks. Very good point...

[motskyroonmatick]

Glad we could help Rockin Maggie!!!

J/K will be along shortly to welcome you to eplaya properly.


Thank you Crypto for bumping this thread.

[gypsy68]

First time I heard about Burningman was also through Google. I remember it well. It was January of 2004, I was trying to find easy ways to prepare camp meals for a small group. That is when I discovered Heloise of the Playa. I was addicted after that. By the first of March I had saved up enough money to buy my ticket. Didn't know a single person, but I was going. I think 2004 will always be my favorite year, just because it was my first year!

[junglesmacks]

Aside from the issue of ventilation (which I'm grateful for you guys bringing up).

No.. honestly.. you would be AMAZED at how much ventilation you have with the door even all the way closed. Light and air get in fine around the edges of the door. I can see and hang out totally fine with the door all the way closed, and made it through a couple of dust storms that way. During the day for napping, I would just close it to almost all the way down.. leaving like 8" or so open at the bottom. Could not have been more comfortable.