Only second burn - how can I find a camp with RV hookups?

[delle]

Dam. That musta been the raccoon. I threw the strawberries into the compost bin yesterday.

[divegirl]

Hahaha! Thanks, Captain Goddammit. I do rather enjoy my other electrical amenities, and the lights....oh yes, the lights....

I have decided to take the advice given and simply bring a good supply of extra fuel. Thank you all very much.

AntiM: I'll try to seek you out at E-11 this weekend and introduce myself. Getting very excited to go play! I am working box office for a while on Saturday, but you'll probably be there by then. I saw your post about an art garden you are hosting or something? I'll have to go back and look for it. See you soon.

DG

[Eric]

Y'know, this messy little thread is becoming one of my favorites, and it's kind of nice to see where ePlaya is moving as a community - we're still a bunch of fucko's, but we're way more likely to acknowledge errors now than in the past, and just look how this thread moved on Page 3, like Simon pointed out. Even the OP stuck around through the whole thing, and got the information she needed. Way to go us!

As for me, I can't wait to see all you fucko's at the Meet 'n Greet - in less than 2 months. eek.

[divegirl]

OMG, you guys I'm really sorry I missed all this last night! This has been my first chance to really read all the replies, and I'm super embarrassed to admit that I didn't realize there were four pages of them! Wow, you have given me some great perspective and advice.

I admit, I should have introduced myself first, before asking for help. That is only good form. I am just kind of frantic right now because as AntiM pointed out we are doing our own regional burn this weekend, and I'm prepping and packing my RV right now for that, and was last night as well, hence me not coming back to read the thread until now (while I'm at work, hehe.)

I chose poor phrasing when I said "Hookups" and would never have realized that unless someone pointed it out, so thank you for that. Oops. I just meant power. I don't expect anyone to clean my shitter or drain my gray water or supply fresh water out there, I promise. But like I said, we're not campers by nature, so the difference was lost on me.

Thank you to all of you who responded--I appreciate you taking your time to contribute to the thread. All replies have been read, and I would love to thank a lot of people by name, but there is no time--gotta get home and start packing up my costumes and lights and cook food for us and to share with others and go buy alcohol and mixers and wine to drink while working the box office and......well, you know the drill. You can maybe see why I'm a bit frantic right now. Please forgive that. I'll be around again. You all (well, most of you) sound like a very fun bunch to chat and snark with.

Again, thank you all for the great advice and quite a few good laughs!

[AntiM]

Hahaha! Thanks, Captain Goddammit. I do rather enjoy my other electrical amenities, and the lights....oh yes, the lights....

I have decided to take the advice given and simply bring a good supply of extra fuel. Thank you all very much.

AntiM: I'll try to seek you out at E-11 this weekend and introduce myself. Getting very excited to go play! I am working box office for a while on Saturday, but you'll probably be there by then. I saw your post about an art garden you are hosting or something? I'll have to go back and look for it. See you soon.

DG

Yep, coming in on Thursday. My project this year is the Art Yard, a place to paint or draw, just be silly with art. I'll be between chefdaddy's canoe club and the potties. Whewhoo!

[divegirl]

And I would argue further, that as a group here our efforts to discourage helpless dependency and encourage intelligent preparedness are an asset to Black Rock City.

You may be surprised to know that I actually agree with you wholeheartedly on that point.

[divegirl]

Yep, coming in on Thursday. My project this year is the Art Yard, a place to paint or draw, just be silly with art. I'll be between chefdaddy's canoe club and the potties. Whewhoo!

Sweet! We're coming in Thursday afternoon/evening. See ya soon!

Hugs,

DG

[Savannah]

Hahaha! Thanks, Captain Goddammit. I do rather enjoy my other electrical amenities, and the lights....oh yes, the lights....

I have decided to take the advice given and simply bring a good supply of extra fuel. Thank you all very much.

I realize you're tied into your local community, so this may never have been a concern, but one of the best things about having your own power is that your choice of camp is based completely in friendship or enjoyment of what they do.

Or you can be completely free. Free!

*runs cackling through a field of daisies*

[Lonesomebri]

....as long as we can all agree that these generators, independantly owned and operated or communal, will not be running 24/7 over near my camp, right?

[divegirl]

Hahaha! Thanks, Captain Goddammit. I do rather enjoy my other electrical amenities, and the lights....oh yes, the lights....

I have decided to take the advice given and simply bring a good supply of extra fuel. Thank you all very much.

I realize you're tied into your local community, so this may never have been a concern, but one of the best things about having your own power is that your choice of camp is based completely in friendship or enjoyment of what they do.

Or you can be completely free. Free!

*runs cackling through a field of daisies*

You're so right, Savannah. I was just discussing that very thing with my husband last night. We would be very footloose and fancy free if we just got over our fears and stood on our own!

(We're a little traumatized after the first time. I think I need therapy.)

At our own burn I am not worried about where we end up camping or with whom. It's all good. But at the main burn it's good to consider the freedom option. I'd love to camp with the people I've found, but I've calculated the dues for just us three, and it's quite a bit. So if we don't end up with them, we'll save a good chunk of money. Either way, it'll be fine, but the dues would buy a whole lotta extra fuel. So yeah....there's that.

[divegirl]

....as long as we can all agree that these generators, independantly owned and operated or communal, will not be running 24/7 over near my camp, right?

Agreed. We only run it for the peak temperature time in the afternoon, and when we need it for something in particular (like me having a temperature conniption for no damn reason, which as I've mentioned sometimes happens.) We place those reflective emergency blankets all around our RV inside to keep the heat out of the windows, and we keep the curtains drawn. We use those office clips to clip the silver blankets up--it really, really helps cool things down. That way we can keep the windows open for a draft, but not let the sun in very much. Plus it's pretty cool looking with all that silver everywhere reflecting the Christmas lights when the sun goes down. (AAA battery operated ones-no geni required, and they sure are sparkly.)

[theCryptofishist]

....as long as we can all agree that these generators, independantly owned and operated or communal, will not be running 24/7 over near my camp, right?

Bwahahahaha! You can tell "Snowball" that we'll have a brand new hell for him on-playa. He'll be surrounded on all sides by noisy generators, all blowing hot exhaust his way! He'll miss his inferno by Tuesday, Wednesday max!

[Lonesomebri]

I will only be running my passive aggressiveness when it is most needed and necessary; during the peak heat of the day, during the cool quiet of the evening, the early morning hours and during the coming twilight, and sometimes in-betweens. It will be lit, sometimes lividly. Generators will continue to outrage me, until, of course, I find myself slinked in an RV enjoying all the comforts of home out on the playa……come to think of it, I got no AC or cable even here at the house…. Sure, I enjoyed the generator provided ice cream treats and what not that others provided, but they were not set up next to us. Last years’ RV neighbors came out of their AC cooled behemoth three times a day to take photos of themselves in whatever outrageous costumes and then disappear back behind a wall of noise. Fortunately we set up on the edge of a main road so on that side the RVs are moving, going somewhere, so it kinda makes sense that they are making a bunch of noise, and I really enjoy sitting out in the sun and dust watching them continue on, moving, going somewhere else. All I can hope is that come burn night, some of the people behind me shouting that I should sit down, have the opportunity to cool down in generator cooled comfort.

[CornMan]

The proliferation of inverter generators have seriously reduced our rancor against generators. You can hardly hear them running as long as they are not overloaded. Before I make any statement for or against generators in general and/or in particular, it might help to find out if the consensus here on eplaya is against or in favor of the continued running of loud, open frame generators as an act of radical self-expression and to be encouraged for any and all to do so. Just once I'd like to be on the most popular side of an issue.

[Eric]

Just once I'd like to be on the most popular side of an issue.

You think you can get a consensus on generators at Burning Man?
There is no most popular side, just your side and other peoples sides. I think Burning Man is like the old joke that if you ask two Jews an opinion you get three answers. Trust me, it's true (I'm usually good for at least two opinions)

[graidawg]

I think Burning Man is like the old joke that if you ask two Jews an opinion you get three answers. Trust me, it's true (I'm usually good for at least two opinions)

its not an old joke to me. i admit to laughing at that and intend to add it to my list of crap jokes

what do you call a fly with no wings? a walk

[Ratty]

Divegirl, Welcome, Can't wait to meetcha. About those emergency blankets.....Go to the nearest hardware store and buy a couple of rolls of that insulated reflective stuff. (Looks like tin foil tiny bubble-wrap.) That will probably set you back $40. Get a roll of 2 " wide blue tape. $5 or $6. Don't buy 1" because it doesn't stick to itself. Cut it to fit the OUTSIDE of your windows. Mark each one with a sharpie for easy installation. When you get there, tape up all the windows. THAT will keep the heat out. Stuff on the inside, not so effective. It's not a huge investment because it lasts forever if it doesn't blow away. I did it last year on my van and slept durring the day with one door open for ventilation.

go to board index , Preparation, Keeping cool for all the best help on that subject.

[Lonesomebri]

The consensus is in favor of RVs and generators, I’m sure, like all that is truly evil and enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll bark and roll over if tossed a bone, you know….if any of ya’all have extra space in your rig…heck, we can put the first 36 hours of gen run time on my American Express…contact me…I’m great company in enclosed spaces.

[Canoe]

... that insulated reflective stuff. (Looks like tin foil tiny bubble-wrap.) ... Get a roll of 2 " wide blue tape. $5 or $6. ...

Foil-sided bubble-wrap is very effective, particularly when taped over the windows (and their frames) on the outside (seal all around). You'll use a lot less a/c compared to space blankets on the inside. If you're doing a large window, do it it two pieces, one installed first, so the middle is also secured to the RV & window so the cover doesn't get sucked off buffeted off by the wind.

But do NOT use the blue tape for securing covers outside, even with washing and drying the surface first. You don't want it blowing off in the heat or in one of the 75mph wind storms.
Some duct tape holds in the playa heat, some doesn't. Most leave a sticky mess to cleanup. Reports of duct tape damaging RV surfaces when removed.
It's expensive, but use Gaffer's tape if you want to know it will stay on, have easy cleanup and the least chance of surface damage. It's a lot cheaper than fixing or replacing surfaces.

Emergency blankets on the inside are a distant second, but definitely worth doing. Use painter's tape to tape it to the walls beyond the frame. If you tape all around the sides, you'll seal it against convective flows circulating between the glass & the blanket. You'll still have heat conducting through and then air convecting against the blanket as its a heat source. You'll notice the frame conduct a lot of heat through, so foil-sided bubble-wrap also provides some insulation against that, but is much more effective on the outside.

(foil tape will join cut pieces of the foil-sided bubble-wrap together)

[Canoe]

...Last years’ RV neighbors came out of their AC cooled behemoth three times a day to take photos of themselves in whatever outrageous costumes and then disappear back behind a wall of noise..

o m g

Some treasured mementos of a once-in-a-life-time trip...

[divegirl]

Wow, I'm getting even more great info that I'd dreamed. We thought we were so tricky and smart with the emergency blankets Hehe. Thanks for the tip on the bubble foil stuff, I'll definitely invest in that. The cooler we can get the RV in the first place, the less I need to run the geni, and that means less fuel, less worry, less expense. I love having an RV and would not part with it in this kind of camp situation for anything (I am squarely on that side of that debate--you can have it when you pry it from my dry, dessicated, playafied hands)....but the less I have to turn on that geni the better.

Thanks, great ideas! I'm listening.

Sorry for the fly by post but this is my last email check before running out to our own local burn. Have a great weekend everyone!

[Just_Joe]

Foil-sided bubble-wrap is very effective, particularly when taped over the windows (and their frames) on the outside (seal all around).

One of the windows is an emergency exit. Look for the red handle(s) on the inside. I wouldn't seal this one with tape, mebbe just tape the insulation directly to the glass

[Ratty]

Thanks for reminding me. BUY A SMALL FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!

[Canoe]

One of the windows is an emergency exit. Look for the red handle(s) on the inside. I wouldn't seal this one with tape, mebbe just tape the insulation directly to the glass

Taped to the glass outside for max heat rejection, or install inside as it is easily removed as you're using painter's tape on the inside. Considering labeling which windows are exits and which aren't.

Cover on the inside or outside, if they're in the sun, you should consider covering the frames with gaffer's or painter's tape, and then foil tape on top (not touching the frame or sides). This greatly reduces the amount of heat the frames can absorb and transfer to the inside. I burnt my finger touching a frame on the inside, well before noon.

There's tons more details to get the max performance, but the essence is in a summary is here.
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 60#p945038

[Eric]

We do the bubble-film on the inside, because we like to remove it so we can look out (like when we're eating, or escaping the heat for a bit). Having them sealed completely would make it a little claustrophobic for me, I'm afraid. I might try the outside trick this year on the windows we don't use though, like the ones on the cab & the over-cab bed, and the one over the sink.

[International Incident]

Is this thread still going...

[Eric]

Is this thread still going...

Wait - you're surprised that a thread on ePlaya keeps going? This has only been a couple days, that's nothing around here...

[Ratty]

Oops, I have nothing to say so I'll just say that. Tapping my foot to the very sloooow beat of this party.

[Canoe]

To help with the claustrophobic, and make it more pleasing to be inside:

• On the North facing windows, with the FSBW on the inside, don't tape it all the way around. The curtain cords will often hold it in place. This lets some light leak in around the edges (no sun so there's minimal convection between the glass and the wrap).
• Also on the North windows, cut a 2" square in the middle of the wrap: minimal heat intrusion but you get day-lighting. (only on the North windows or you'll be letting in a surprisingly amount of heat)

And for the windows in the sun where you have the FSBW on the inside, do take the time to do the frame treatment outside. Significant reduction in heat. And cut the FWBW covering the windows larger so it extends out past the frames to insulate against what heat does get through.

[Savannah]

Fabulous advice, Ratty and Canoe. I've still never gone the RV route, but I still love to store up new information like nuts for winter.

And indeed: the whole Keeping Cool forum is relevant to divegirl's interests. Ratty rules for mentioning it!