Matt Freedman's Burning Man Packing List

From Burning Man 2008: A Photo Essay by Matt Freedman, which is Now Available on the iTunes App Store.

This is an annotated version of my personal packing list, provided to give new Burning Man attendees a starting point for developing their own lists, and possibly to provide a few new ideas even to experienced burners. Note that the Burning Man Survival Guide you receive with a ticket purchase does include a packing list, and it is strongly recommended that you use my list as a companion piece, not a replacement for that list. You must bring everything with you that you need to survive for a week in a harsh desert climate. The only things for sale at Burning Man are coffee and ice; this is not like other festivals where you can buy a pizza or bottles of water, so you must plan ahead.

This is a pretty comprehensive list – even I, the king of over-packing – do not necessarily bring everything on it. You will have to fine-tune it to your own needs. Also be sure to see my Burning Man Links page. You can also contact me if you comments/suggestions for updates to this list.

Note that I always camp with a large established theme camp, which provides basic infrastructure like shade structures, generator, a kitchen, meals, a shower, and water. If you are going it alone, you will definitely need to supplement this list with some of those basics. My thoughts on what camera equipment to bring are covered in the Photography at Burning Man document included in Burning Man 2008 a Photo Essay by Matt Freedman.

Camp

  • Tent You want a fairly big tent that can stand up well to high winds. If it all possible, you want a tent where all the panels zip up completely – if there is any open mesh, even if it is under the rain fly, your tent will fill up with dust. Unless you are going to spend huge money for a four-season expedition tent, this combination is hard to find. The only affordable option I am aware of that fits this criteria is the Eureka Equinox 6, which is the tent I brought in 2008 – I was quite happy with it. I have heard very good things about Springbar tents, but they are very expensive, and hard to get, as they sell out early every season.
  • Tent Cover If you do not somehow block the sun from your tent, it will be completely uninhabitable from about 9AM to 6PM. Temperatures inside an uncovered tent can easily reach 150 degrees during the day. There are many many approaches out there for shading your tent. My suggestion for this particular tent is to get six 50"x82" Emergency All Weather Blankets (i.e. small rectangular plastic tarps with highly reflective mylar on one side, and grommetted corners). You can zip-tie three pairs of them end to end, then throw them over a hexagonal dome tent like the Eureka Equinox 6, and secure with bungee cords. This is much faster and easier to put together than most other approaches, and is quite effective. Whatever you do, make sure you get it figured out and tested at home – do not put it together the first time on the playa.
  • Champ Chair and/or Other Camp Furniture
  • Battery Lantern You will want more light inside your tent than a headlamp.
  • Camp Shower One of those hanging bag camp showers can be handy, especially if your theme camp has a structure to hang it in; you will also need to rig a greywater system for disposing of shower water, as it's a violation of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) permit to dump it right on the desert floor. The Burning Man website has lots of information about greywater disposal.
  • Extra Stakes Make sure you have plenty of tent stakes, including at least a couple rebar stakes. For those, make sure the tops are candy-caned – that will make it much easier them out of the ground.
  • Small Brush and Dustpan For cleaning out the tent. Be religious about taking off your shoes every time you enter as well.
  • Bedding
    • Bed You need a bed of some sort. Many people use some type of air mattress, if you use one, make sure you know how you are going to inflate it. I.e. if it has an electric air pump, do you know where you will be getting your juice the first day you arrive?
    • Sheets
    • Pillow
    • Sleeping Bag A cheap warm one.
  • Kitchen Again, I am writing this for camping with a theme camp that has a big group kitchen, so this is just for personal items.
    • Personal bowl, plate, cup, silverware
    • Insulated Sealable Cooler Cup It can be handy to mix yourself a cocktail before heading out for the evening, and carry it in an insulated cup that can be totally sealed. And there are many theme camps at Burning Man which give away free beverages, but they are almost always bring your own cup; there is also a special line for people who bring their own cups to the Center Camp Café Coffee Shop.
    • Cooler You may want to have your own personal cooler for keeping beverages cold. Get a Coleman a 5 or 6 day rated cooler – these have much more insulation than normal coolers (though less interior space as well). Ice will actually last two to three days in them at Burning Man. Keep your cooler in the shade and wrapped in a mylar blanket as well.
    • Paper Towels Never hurts to have your own roll.
    • Kleenex You will be amazed to see what comes out of your nose at Burning Man.
    • Ziplock Bags Both sandwich size and one gallon. Surprisingly useful.
    • Can Opener Assuming you are bringing canned food.
    • Biodegradable Liquid Soap I like Camp-Suds.
    • Garbage Bags The "contractor weight" bags are the ones you want.
    • Water 1.5 gallons per person per day is the recommendation (includes drinking and washing). If your camp is not supplying your water, I recommend getting water in the 2.5 gallon jugs. The secret is that they arrive at the store in cardboard boxes holding two, which are nice stackable cubes. So have them bring you some unopened boxes from the back.
    • Ice Get some ice for your cooler at the very last possible ice stop before you enter Burning Man. Ice is for sale but the lines can be long, so it's nice to enter with your coolers already stocked.
  • Camp Decoration You may want to consider decorating your tent and/or personal camping area. Cheap lawn decorations (flamingos anyone?) always make a good starting place – just make sure that whatever you choose will not flake, break, or otherwise leave a mess. Leave No Trace!
  • Bicycle The common wisdom to bring a craptastic playa bike that can be trashed. I can not stand riding crappy bikes any time, and especially not in the difficult conditions found at Burning Man the last couple years. I would recommend a decent mountain bike – a full suspension would have been extremely helpful in 2008. Be prepared to spend some money getting it serviced afterwards.
    • Bike Lock Absolutely essential, even for the crappiest bike. Consider whether you are more likely to lose a key or forget a combination, and shop accordingly. If you go for the key version, make sure you have a couple extras.
    • Panniers Look for some panniers that can hold a couple bags of ice. An old fashioned bike basket can be extremely handy as well.
    • Seat If you are not bringing a full suspension mountain bike, at least consider getting an extremely cushy seat. The playa surface can get very bumpy. Your butt will thank you.
    • Water Bottle Don't forget a frame mounted water bottle or two.

Supplies

  • YOUR TICKET!!!! You would not believe how many stories I have heard of people leaving for Burning Man with their tickets still at home.
  • Maps/Directions If you are driving, are you sure you know where you are going? The middle of nowhere is not as easy to find as you think.
  • Extra Set of Car Keys Make sure somebody else in your party also has a set of the car keys, and put them away somewhere safe as soon as you arrive – you are not going to need them any time soon. There are no official locksmiths available at the event!
  • Clean Clothes for Drive Home Put a set of clean clothing in zip locks, and do not put them on until you are actually ready to pull out on the last day – or maybe not even until you actually arrive at the first running water. You will thank me for this tip.
  • Earplugs Absolutely essential. Absolutely essential – there is sound and music literally 24 hours a day, so you'll need them to get any sleep. You may even want to talk to your doctor about sleeping pill options.
  • Headlamp For small easily losable absolutely essential items like a headlamp, I recommend bringing two, in case you or somebody in your camp loses theirs.
    • Spare Batteries for Headlamp
    • Spare Bulbs for Headlamp
  • Box(es) of Baby Wipes There is nothing like a baby wipe sponge bath in your tent after a hard day at Burning Man! Please note that under no circumstances are used baby wipes or similar products to be dropped in the portapotties. This is very bad news, and causes major problems down the line.
  • Stacking Rubbermaid Bins This is probably how you are going to get most of your stuff to Burning Man. I like the medium sized ones more than the really big ones, as they are easier to live out of once you get there. Make sure the lids fit securely or you'll be chasing them in the wind!
  • Plastic Drawers Can be very handy for keeping your tent organized.
  • Backpack and/or Fanny Pack You will need something to carry your survival supplies around in. A lot of people swear by the Camelback hydration packs because they carry your drinking water and have extra pockets for your stuff.
  • Toolkit Make sure all your tools are labeled with your name! Some handy items to consider for your toolkit:
    • Work Gloves Even if you do not bring your own toolbox, bring your own work gloves.
    • Duct Tape The all-weather rated kind.
    • Zip Ties Always in demand.
    • Snipper Always in demand on teardown day, because of all the damn zip ties.
    • Sharpies Did you know that if you leave a sharpie in a hot enough tent, literally all of the ink will leak out into the cap? And then when you open the cap, you get a hot ink bath?
    • Scissors
    • Bungee Cords
    • Citrus Hand Degreaser If you have to work on your bike, you will be glad you remembered this.
    • Bike Tools, Patches, Spare Tubes, Pump
    • Mallet somebody in your camp better have one if you are going to get your rebar stakes in the ground.
  • Misc/Optional Supplies Here are some random items you may want to consider:
    • Personal Business Cards Print up a cool playa card so you can easily give somebody your email, or even playa address.
    • Bandanas
    • Flask (don't forget the funnel so you can fill it).
    • Pee Funnel For the ladies. Plus you can fill your flask!
    • Sewing Kit If you know how to sew, it could be handy.
    • Walkie-Talkies If there are people you really need to stay in contact with, this is the only way.
    • Toilet Paper Actually, I am not sure I have ever seen a portapotty out of toilet paper at Burning Man, but people seem to live in fear of this, and often bring their own. Maybe that's why they never actually run out? If you do bring your own, make sure you have the type that is designed for RV and boat sanitation systems, which dissolves more easily than normal TP.
    • Notebook/Journal So you can write down all the stuff you need to bring next year.
    • Pens See above.
    • Watch You may at some point find that you are interested as to what time it actually is. Or not.
    • Alarm Clock You are waking up at 5:30 AM so you can get out and photograph the sunrise, right? Right? Hello?
    • Rubber Boots The idea is that if it rains hard you will want rubber boots for the mud. Somebody told me that in 1999, and I have been bringing them every year since then. Haven't used them yet.
    • Hydration Drink Powder This is starting to get into specific food and beverages, which I am not covering here. But I highly recommend something like Vitalyte (formerly known as Gookinaid). There are many similar products.
    • Pocket Knife
    • Books/Magazines Somehow I always think there will be a time when I will want to chill out and read. When will I learn how ridiculous it is to think that?
    • Swag/Gifts Lots of people bring stuff to give away. If you do so, please make sure it isn't stupid crap that is going to end up as moop (Matter Out Of Place, i.e. litter). I recommend those tiny individual cocktail sized liquor bottles.
    • Phone Charger No, your phone will not get reception on the playa, but you will want it for the drive home. A car charger might be a good option here.
    • Pee Bottle Many people keep a water bottle in their tent for late-night peeing. I recommend a three gallon water jug. Really minimize your trips to the portapotties to empty it, as well as the temptation to pee on the playa.

Clothing and Desert Protection

  • Costumes Duh. But no feathers or sequins that can fall off and become MOOP!
  • Sensible Desert Clothing Sometimes you just don't want to put the costumes on.
  • Blinky/Glowy Stuff This is not just fashionable, it is a safety issue – you really need to be lit at night so you do not get run over by wayward bicyclists and art cars. It is way cheaper to order this stuff online.
  • Big Faux Fur Coat Fashionable, and necessary for the cold nights.
  • Shoes These will get trashed – don't bring ones that ever need to look good again. Bring at least one pair of extremely comfortable shoes. Consider ones that slip on and off, that do not have to be tied.
  • Socks I tend to just wear polypropylene hiking sock liners.
  • Sandals Comfortable, but definitely put you at risk of heel splits/cracking skin in the very alkaline desert environment.
  • Sun Hat Yes, the giant orange foam cowboy hat is tempting, but I find a simple straw cowboy hat cooler and more practical. Bring at least one backup hat.
  • Warm Hat It gets a lot colder than you think, especially at night.
  • Warm Clothes And it can get even colder than that some years. I have seen 40 degrees at night, with 25+ mph winds – that is below freezing with wind chill. Bring long underwear, fleece jacket, windbreaker, gloves, etc. just in case.
  • Rain Gear It could happen. At least throw a cheap poncho in.
  • Sunglasses Bring two pairs.
  • Goggles You want desert dust/sand goggles, not swim goggles, ski goggles, or vented safety goggles. These are absolutely essential. Try to find dark ones for day, and clear ones for night. Even desert goggles sometimes have air vents though – you may want to put duct tape over those (on the inside).
  • Dustmasks Have you heard it is dusty there?
  • Water Bottles
  • Basic First-Aid Kit

Toiletries etc.

  • Sunblock Look for the sweatproof kind.
  • Lip Balm Make sure it has sunblock in it – I have seen second degree sunburn on lips at Burning Man – it is not pretty.
  • Moisturizer
  • Flexitol Brand Heel Balm This stuff is amazing – can cure heel cracks like nothing else. Use it every night and morning to prevent them from starting, especially if you are going to wear sandals.
  • Nasal Spray Believe it or not, I bring three kinds with me:
    • Prescription Nasal Steroids In 2004 I had nose problems for 6 months after Burning Man. I got a prescription for Nasarel which cleared it right up. Now I start a course of it a week before, use it all during the event, and for about a week after. Consider talking to your doctor about getting a prescription.
    • Saline Nasal Spray This is a great way to clean the crap out of your nose. Even better would be a Neti Pot, though I have never brought one.
    • Afrin If you really get congested, nothing works like Afrin. Be careful though – it is as addictive as crack.
  • Saline Eye Drops
  • Charcoal Pills for Hangovers "Chaser" brand is the one you see everywhere, but HangoverStopper (which you can order online) work better and are cheaper. Hangovers tend to be much worse at Burning Man because it is so easy to get dehydrated. If you are going to drink, these make a huge difference – follow the directions to take them with plenty of waters.
  • Immodium You probably won't need it, but if you do, you are going to be really glad you brought it.
  • Ibuprofen
  • Everything Else Whatever medications and toiletries you normally use.