This post is a bit delayed as I have had difficulty getting internet and power out in the middle of nowhere, and the mysterious (actually not so mysterious anymore since the burner has now been caught) early burning of the man deserved some immediate attention. For much of our stay in San Francisco, we ran around like headless chickens trying to accomplish everything necessary to prepare a theme camp for 20 residents. Among some of the things we had to plan for include the main structures, furniture, food, water, transportation, and some nice non-essentials.

The Structures

The main structure of our camp is a 60-foot diameter parachute, which has been used for years past. It acts as shade from the very hot sun that beats upon us for most of the day. It's also a good place to park our tents so that they don't get exposed to excessive heat. Basically we rented huge scaffolding to hold it up, got some rebar to secure it in the ground amidst strong desert storms, and the final touch was to add pvc tubing to elevate the parachute, allowing the wind to flow underneath and puff it up evenly. The other structure we were very happy to acquire at the last minute is a 20-foot diameter geodesic dome. It weighs about 400 lbs and requires some other type of material to cover/decorate the wireframe.

The Furniture

Comfortable furniture is the next key ingredient after shade to ensure that our camp will be an attractive place to hang out. Various people within the camp contributed different items. We have at least a couch, cushy chairs, other chairs, futons, mattresses, carpets, rugs, pillows, blankets, and tables. Some people had old furniture lying around, and people just found things, like the table I found while driving around San Francisco.

Food and Water

Planning for Burning Man means that everything necessary to survive out in the isolated desert needs to be both packed in and packed out, and that includes the bare necessities of life. We brought the truck to a grocery store, and they helped us load 300 gallons of water into the truck. That should be enough water for the camp residents and also enough to give away lemonade to the random passerby. People who explore the playa during the day like to stop by various camps and relax in some shade, and what better place is there to go than one that offers delicious nourishing refreshments? We also prepared most of the food we will eat during the week so that we can just re-heat it and eat. Even though we started with a lot of kitchens of friends in San Francisco, coordination of cooking didn't come together until the last minute. We spent all of the last day shopping around the city for food and all of that night making the food. Ziplock baggies, vacuum-sealed bags, and ice chests will preserve our food for the duration of our stay. They say our stomach shrinks and appetite decreases out in the desert, so it's important not to pack too much food.

Transportation

To get everything to the desert took some coordinating of everyone's contributions so that we could load it all in the truck. We rented a massive truck to load all the furniture, water, food, etc, and to hold all the bikes we got for the group. There's a friendly bike shop in Reno, NV, on the way to Burning Man, that supplied us with some decent used/re-assembled bikes.

Other Things

Other non-essentials are also nice to have. Glow sticks serve the dual purpose of lighting our bodies up in the dark night to make sure people can see us and also as fun play things at the various camps that have music and dance areas. Many camps also serve drinks, but you usually need to have your own cup, so we got some sippy cups to bring around. Camalbaks are also very important to make sure there is always water readily available. Costumes! Just about everyone is dressed in costumes at Burning Man, and the more the merrier. We brought many other various things help make the stay at Burning Man fun and comfortable while trying not to over pack.