LVD | Burning Man 🔥🧔🏻‍♂️ 2022

What is Burning Man? 🔥👨🏻❓

Burning Man takes place in a desert 3 hours north of Reno, Nevada. There are no convenient stores nor grocery stores, so you'll have to sustain on limited resources for a week. The city is built a week prior in the middle of a desert. There are plenty of art and adventures in the city. There is no cell signal most of the time. The culture of Burning Man is all about gifting and no brand promotion. People there will help by gifting and providing free services. And yes, you should too. When you come, I encourage you to bring some gifts to gift other people including random people you meet. This is what makes burning man so special.

The Crew 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

Zo, Jacki, I came to Burning Man first. Ed joined the day after.

Sammy joined us on a couple of adventures. I shall name us, the night walkers. Sammy was kind enough to share her tent to sleep at night on the final day when we were homeless 🧡.

Budget 💴🧾

Burning Man is an expensive trip, you should budget for it. I would estimate the cost to be $3,000-$6,000/person. Costs include:

Ticket: ~$700 including fees
Flight: $143 roundtrip with 1 stop
Stayed at a hotel the day before and the day after: $400 (I split it)
Buying lots of things
Shipping your things: $60/bin, $100/bike
If getting an RV, it will cost more
If not an RV, bus ticket to get commute to Black Rock City: $223 roundtrip
Camp fees (assuming that you are joining a camp): $550

Ticket 🎟

Burning man tickets are very tough to get, make sure everyone checks when tickets go on sale and pray you get in the queue. Even if you don't get a ticket, plan on as if you will get one. There is another sale a few months down the line and if you join a camp, they might have extra tickets. Burner Express sales might also sell tickets but the departure is Monday instead of Sunday. If you are determined to go, a ticket will find its way into your hands.

To get an RV or not?

With RV 🚙
If you go with RV, then book an RV way in advance, at least 6 months out. Most RVs do not get rented out to for Burning Man. The RVs that do, might charge a hefty cleaning fee because of how dirty it will get on both the interior/exterior.

You will need to buy an RV pass during the ticket sale ($144) if you want an RV. Since we did not get an RV this year, I don't know the details for it. But getting in and out of Burning Man will be a ~8 hours each. RV could be worthwhile due to AC and personal bathroom.

Without RV ⛺️ 🚌
You will need to camp in a tent. Find a large tent that can house your air mattress, large bins, and luggages. We got a Kodiak Tent 10x14 for 4 people. I’ve seen people in yurts and shiftpods as well.

You can get there by bus/air via Burner Express. We took the bus. Each person must purchase both one-way bus (from and to burning man) tickets on their own.

Join A Camp! 🏕👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

You can go out there solo, but you'll have to be 100% sustainable on your own. I recommend joining a camp. A camp will help supply a lot of your needs, but will require a fee and you'll have to add in work hours during the week. We joined the camp The Refuge, a ~100 person camp. Different camps offer different amenities. You can find camps through Facebook Group or Spark.

Luggage & Logistics

Luggage 🧳
There are many things we need to bring with us, but it's difficult to lug around and especially with the limited amount of luggages to fly with. We used a couple of companies to ship bins directly to Burning Man. We bought a couple of bins from Lowes. They recommend 2 bins/person, but it's really up to how much you want to bring with you and luggages to carry with.

ChiCargo requires that each bin have zippy ties and a lock.

Bicycle 🚲
You will need a bicycle to travel around since the city is about 6 miles in diameter. Bicycles is a must. Things you will need for your bike:

Mountain bike or cruiser is recommended. Used bike and/or single-speed is sufficient.
Bike with shocks are nice because there are lots of bumpy areas.
The thicker your tires are, the better it is. Sand dunes make the terrain difficult to ride on.
Lots of lights on your bike. It's really dark at night and people need to be able to see you. Unique lighting will make it easier to spot your bike.
Bike Headlight to see bumps and dunes ahead of you.
Attach a basket so that you don’t have to carry your backpack.
Combination cable lock - so that people don't take your bike.
Get a kickstand and attach a tennis ball to it. The kickstand will get submerged into the sandy areas.
Bring spare tubes in case of a flat/slashed tire.
We shipped our bike roundtrip via ChiCargo.

Shipping Logistics 🚛📦
We shipped our bins, tent, and bike roundtrip via Burning Melon. These bins require a lock and zippy ties to close the bin. This was dropped off/shipped on 8/14 2pm-6pm near 35th/Ashland. I recommend 2-3 bins per person. You really don’t want to haul any luggages.

We picked up all of our shipped items at the Playa (location in Burning Man). Your camp can help transport things to the camp. The company has tools for the assemble/disassemble our bikes.

Things to bring 📝
The desert is much different than where you normally live. Cuts/wounds are very dangerous because it doesn't heal well. The air is very dry. Sandstorms can happen any time for any amount of time. At night, it's pitch dark and gets extremely cold.

List of important things to bring:

Jacket/sweater for night time.
Illuminating lights attached/sewn on your bike, yourself, and on your backpack - cuz people can't see you at night.
Head Lamps - to see in the dark.
Goggles - protection during the sandstorm.
n95 masks - sandstorm, dusty areas, smelly porter potty. Any other mask that completely cover would also be good eg KN95.
Sunglasses that cover your peripherals is recommended. Sand is everywhere.
Hat - great cover from the sun.
Watch - knowing the time is very useful.
Backpack with hydration pack ~2 liters - water is a must. Make sure that there is a cover on the tip of the hose to prevent sand from coming in. My backpack size is 18L to carry essentials.
Liquid IV with iced water is hydrating.
Work gloves for assembly/disassembly.
Spare of clean clothes when going home.
Metal mug/bowl with a carabiner. A lid would be nice to prevent dust.
Plate/bowl and spoon/fork to eat your food in. Don’t bring paper/plastic ware since it’s not sustainable.
Wet wipes to: clean your utensils, body shower, stool, and it’s always useful in the dry desert.
A single-ply toilet paper roll.
Witch Hazel or vinegar to neutralize the alkaline from the dust.
First aid kit
Water bandages to protect your cuticles from cracking.
Saline solution for moisturizing and cleaning your nose. Your inner nose will get very dry.
Ziplock bag (1 quart) for local MOOP. We don’t litter in the desert, carry your trash with you!
Highlighter for marking the Burning Man Book.
Cash for ice (only ice is for sale) and in case you need an emergency ride that you can pay people.
Extra ID in case you lose one.
Burning man ticket, do not forget it!

There are so many things to consider bringing, here is my Burning Man Checklist.

Travel Plan Agenda ✈️🏨🚌

Travel Logistics - TO PLAYA
1. Fly out from Chicago on Saturday (8/27) 3:45pm and arrive in Reno on Saturday (8/27) 5:35pm.
2. Take the hotel shuttle from the airport to the hotel.
3. Stay at a hotel for a night.
4. Hop on the Burner Express bus on Sunday (8/28) 1pm: Reno Tahoe International Airport - arrival baggage claims, look for signs for "Burner Express".
5. Go to camp at 7:15 C to drop off luggage. Ask for help to pick up bins.
6. Pick up items at Playa 4:45 G - ChiCargo area of MAD Recreational Movers

Travel Logistics - FROM PLAYA
1. Return bins, tent, bikes to ChiCargo area before the temple burn Sunday (9/4) 8pm.
2. Take the satellite bus which drops you off at the burner express bus area. This comes every 15-30 minutes.
3. Hop on the Burner Express on Monday (9/5) 8am. Arrive early to get on the early bus.
4. Stay at the Sands Regency Casino Hotel for 1 night, 9/5 - 9/6.
5. Fly out from Reno on Tuesday (9/6) 1:15pm and arrive in Chicago on Tuesday (9/6) 10:50pm.
6. Chicago - pick up bins/bikes/tent on (9/17) 2pm-6pm.

Burning Man 101 🔤

Weather 🌡
The humidity there is maybe ~20%. Its very dry and your body will get very dusty/sandy. During the day starting at 8am~9am, it gets very hot (80-115 degrees). After sunset, it feels very cool where you can be shirtless or a shirt can be sufficient. Around ~11pm, it will start to get a bit chilly, a long sleeve or light sweater will help. Around 4am or sunrise, it gets extremely cold (30-50 degrees).

Reference Book 📓
There are so many things to do where it’s impossible to do them all. Check out the city during the day and roam the playa or tour the city during the night. I received a book from burner express that shows all of the registered camps that offer arts/craft, care/support, classes/workshops, coffee/tea, food, games, gathering/party, healing/massage/spa, kid friendly events, live music, mature audience, meditation/movement/yoga, parade, performance, radical DEI, ritual ceremony, repair (bikes), sustainability, and others.

Street Layout ⏱
The city is built similar to a clock. The streets are circular starting from 2:00 - 10:00. Each street crossing through the circle are by half hours e.g. 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, etc. The streets represented by inner circles starts with Esplanade, which is the innermost circle. Then, its followed by A, B, C, D, E, .. all the way to K with K being the outermost circle. Center camp is where information desk, ice, etc is at 6:00.

The Playa 🏜

The playa/deep playa is the the central area of the city where all of the art is located at. The Man is in the direct middle that intersects 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. Going from art to art is very far which is why a bike is recommended. If you ever get lost, look for the man.

The address is in the form of a time and a letter e.g. 7:00 & C. The address can range in increments of :15 e.g. 7:00, 7:15, 7:30, 7:45. However, there are no streets for :15 nor :45.

The City 🌇

Before you start adventuring around, there are some places that I recommend you stop by first.

Your butt will be sore and hurting after a couple of days from bike riding. Go to a bike repair camp that adds padding to your bike seat.
Stop by center camp information desk and take a picture of the map with all of the registered camps.

The great events all have a long line (1+ hour). You have to come right when the service starts it order to avoid a long wait. Here are the great events with long waits:

Human car wash - I heard it is very fun where most people just bathe nude (not required).
Ice house - indoor truck that is 50 degrees. This is heaven in a desert.
Sonic Sphere @Playa - large globe where the hammocks are elevated. There is already a line at 4am.
Golden Guy - This is a remake of Golden Guy Alley in Japan. There is no line, but it can get very crowded. Going early is nice. They open around sunset.
Ramen @No Drama Bar camp - There are only 4 seats. We put our names down, roamed around the area, and then came back.

The Burn 🔥

The Man burned on Saturday after sunset. To have a good view, come early.

The Temple burned on Sunday 8pm. No music was played on the Playa for at least an hour.

My Experience

Art Cars 🎨🚙
Cool structural art is built on top of the vehicle.

My favorite is El Pulpo Mecanico - octopus shooting flames 🐙🔥.

Sculptures 🗿
Cool art and there is so much more art.

Sunrise 🌅
Sunrise begins at ~5:20am and the sun does a peek-a-boo at ~6:30am. It's beautiful. On one side, you see the day brightens while the other side is completely dark with lights and music.