How to Pack it. We pack our heavy items in durable bins and clothing in lighter bins, each of which we clearly label on all sides. We also print our packing list, and annotate where each bin is stored in our RV. We have found spending a bit extra for tough bins is worth the money because you can stack them high when they are being stored. Cheaper bins will break under the weight of the bins above them.

• White gaffer tape. It’s more expensive than painter’s tape but leaves no residue on RV.

• Blue painter’s tape (if gaffer tape runs out). Blue tape will leave a residue if left in the sun. So we only use inside our RV.

• Ikea mat for entrance way inside RV. We bought a stack on sale for $1 each at Ikea. We stack 5 on top of each other and just peel off the top one every other day (to be cleaned at home and reused the next year - they hold up surprisingly well to machine washing.

• Old bed sheets to cover surfaces

• Clips to keep sheets covering furniture in place

• Press n’ Seal Glad Wrap to help cover dash board and other surfaces

• Corn husk broom or similar style broom for RV (we found small handheld “Dustbusters” not be to be effective)

• RV Septic Drop-ins. If you rent, your RV will likely come with these, but you’ll need to confirm.

• Small humidifier for RV

• White noise generator, which is surprisingly effective for a better night’s sleep

• USB wall chargers. One with multiple charging outlets is best

• USB backup batteries. For charging or powering any USB device.

• Tapestry for RV protection and decoration.

• Star Laser - Do an image search of the laser above - a lot of places sell the identical product under different names and different prices. They are all the same. $50 is a good price.

Electrical (Bin 2)

• Generator tarp A tarp to keep generators off the Playa. It protects the ground from oil/gas, and reduces dust in the generator significantly. We use a 5x7 foot canvas tarp. It’s worth spending more if you will use it for multiple burns. Our canvas 5x7 cost $50 and has been in use for a decade. It also folds easily.

• Lag bolts to secure tarp (including chain links). Read the Burn.life link to understand why you want these.

• A way to screw lag bolts in (socket wrench, ratchet wrench…. or impact driver if you own one). Hammer the bolts in an inch or so, then start turning. A hand socket wrench will do the trick if you don’t already own an impact driver.

• Socket head for lag bolts (1/4” most of the time)

• Cable to lock generators. Generators get stolen. Lock yours.

• Lock for generators. Use a re-settable combo lock so you can have the same code for all the locks.

• (2) Extension cords Long enough to get power anywhere you think you’ll need it. Bright color help if it’s going to be running somewhere people can trip on it.

• (2) Plug bars. Cheap 6 way or 8 way bars. If being used outside, put tape over all unused outlets, and place entire bar in a zip lock bag.

• Parallel cord for generator. If using two Honda generators, you’ll need this cord.

• Adapter for RV if needed [50 amp to 30 amp] (attached to extension cord)

• 30 Amp extension cord. Cord to plug generators into RV

• Hammer (Old heavy-duty hammer). Buy one at a Goodwill donation-type store for $2 and leave in your bin year round.

• Fuel containment system. You are required to store fuel in a containment system. These kiddie pools work fine. Underinflate. Keep your five gallon fuel jugs in a contractor bag for protection from the dust. Your generator tarp will also help ensure you don’t end up with fuel on the playa.

 Tools (Bin 3)

• Latex gloves (used during fuel/oil handling and other times).

• 1 QT Mobil 1 Advanced Economy 0W-30 oil for oil change on the Playa. Our Honda generators’ oil can be changed in two minutes. Here’s how.

  • On the playa do an oil change on a windless, mostly dustless day. Simply pour out the oil from both generators into the aluminum pan (positioned on your tarp to minimize damage from oil spills. Then pour the fresh oil into both generators. Then pour the used oil into the oil can the fresh oil came in.

  • Note: Honda 2200i takes 14 ounces of oil, so a single quart (32 ounces) is too much for two generators, so be careful not to overfill generators.

• Tool box containing:

  • Screwdrivers, and other basics

  • Super glue (small, one-use tubes work best)

  • Small roll of duct tape (you can buy small rolls or just roll duct tape around a pencil).

  • Scissors

  • Razor blade knife

• Tie down gear

  • Strap baggy. It’s useful to have old climbing straps/runners and daisy chains. These sell cheaply used (never use used gear for climbing!) and are very useful in life in general. Any good collection of zip ties, tie downs, bungees, etc. will do, however.

  • Carabiners

  • Webbing.

  • Bungee cords

  • Elastic bands

  • Zip ties, assorted sizes including some 250 lbs zip ties.

• Duct tape roll

• Safety tape. Caution tape used to mark anything that won’t be visible in the dark, or might be dangerous.

• Bike Supplies

  • chain oil

  • chain wax

  • tire irons

  • spare tubes (consider Slime tubes)

  • spare chain

  • bike cleaning equipment (if it rains, you’ll be happy you had a chain brush)

• Fix-a-flat cans. If you RV gets a flat, fix-a-flat isn’t your first choice. But it may be a life saver if you learn a tire change is three days away - this has happened. If you have a rental RV, using fix-a-flat may result in you having to buy another tire for the RV.

• Pan for used oil (aluminum foil type from a grocery store is fine)

• Oil funnel (paper or improvised is fine). We use a heavy magazine cover rolled up into a funnel shape.

• Generator service baggie

  • Spark plug socket tool

  • Spark plug gap tool

  • (2) spark plugs

• (2) Feet soaking bins It’s nice to have two if you really enjoy soaking, but if water is short, a single shared bath is more efficient.

• RV white hose. We use two of these. One for standard RV refills. And one to go from the drill pump to water barrels. See Drill Pump below.

• Electric drill for drill pump. Any decent electric drill will do. Corded is fine if you have power readily available. $20 on Craigslist type drill is fine.

• Drill pump. We bring a pump because our RV requires pressure to refill the water. Being able to refill water from 5 gallon jugs is very useful.

• Hand fuel pump. Not a key item, but if you need to get gas out of an RV or car into a generator, better than improvised siphons.

• Contractor bags. Heavy-duty contractor bags are a must. We put or gas cans in them. All trash eventually ends in them. Many uses. Get as thick as you can find.

Clothing Bins

• 12 changes of socks (some people bring more but my boots keep my socks relatively clean.)

• 12 changes of underwear

• 1 pair black tactical pants.

• 1 pair tan desert pants like these. For working around camp during hot daylight times.

• 2 pair cargo shorts like these. One black, one tan. These are my go-to pants. This plus a hat and accessories gets me through most days. Mine are from the etsy shop linked above. $65 isn’t cheap, but they are extremely well made, and have lasted years. Overall, the guy’s stuff is great, and most is made to measure. (No affiliation whatsoever, just a big fan.)

• 10 t-shirts. Three simple black t’s, the rest less traditional. I am shirtless almost always until too cold in day to do so. Then I put on a t-shirt.

• 3 to 5 long sleeve shirts, which I seldom wear. I find that if in a long sleeve, I also probably have my fur coat on, so these shirts are very functional in nature - solid tan or black.

• 2 cowboy style hats. A leather style stetson like this. And a lighter straw style stetson like this. Add draw string if one is not included on any hat.

• Lots of accessories. Many are gifts from past years, but also etsy stuff and home made stuff. I’ll give away much of what I bring each year.

• Sunglasses. Cheap ones with UV protection. Mine will be gifted, lost or broken by end of burn. Last year I brought 10 of these, and gave away a pair each day to the first person that commented on them. A fun playa gift, that made people super happy.

• Long faux fur coat. Goodwill has good ones. Worth spending $50 to get a good quality one. It will last many years unless you lose it. Helpful suggestion: Lose key items of clothing the last day, not the first…leaving your fur coat on an art car is a bummer any day, but Sunday is best for such oversights!.

• Two pair of work style boots, one black one beige

• One pair tennis shoes

• One pair gloves for warmth

• Rain jacket. Rain isn’t frequent, but when it comes, it impacts you.

• Compact/ultra light puffy hiking jacket in case of extreme cold can be worn under fur jacket. The type of jacket designed to be wear under an outer shell work great. I use a vest rather than one with sleeves, as I find it most comfortable under my fur jacket and my arms stay warm with a long sleeve shirt on.

• Skull cap type hat for cold weather (not decorative but can be worn under other hats)

• 1 pair long underwear (top and bottom) for extreme cold. I have a merino wool pair from Icebreakers, purchased in New Zealand a few decades ago before they went international. They were expensive, but are still in great shape after 20 years of regular winter use and a few uses on the playa too.

Note: Many of these items just stay full time in our packs, such as a dust mask, clear goggles, a shemagh, sunscreen, chapstick, notebook, ID, etc. We also keep a bin handy for when we pull things out of our packs so we can easily find them when needed.

• (2) Backpacks. Etsy is full of backpacks for reasonable prices.

• Food/Hydration

  • (2) Camelbak bladders. We like larger bladders, with neoprene drinking tubes, which have a wire to allow the tube to remain in any position. The Mil Spec style are thicker and less likely to be punctured. We prefer the 90 degree bite ending to the standard straight one. Get one on the larger size for long days. If you only fill it half-way, “bleed” out all the air before you put it in your pack to avoid all day sloshing.

  • Water bottle. You can use a standard bike water bottle, but Hydro Flasks are unusually effective at keeping drinks cool albeit expensive.

  • Road cup/sippy cup

  • Snacks

  • Gum

• Dust Management

  • Goggles. You will want a clear set and a tinted set. We use motorcycle style glasses like these (you need to plug the small holes many goggles include). These welding goggles work well in bright light too, and look cool - but we seem to end up with the motorcycle type most days.

  • Dust mask. We swear by these masks. You can get them on fast, they are comfortable and fairly effective with N99 filtering.

  • Shemagh. Shemaghs can be used as your primary dust mask, but we tend to use them in connection with a N99 dust mask. Putting a shemagh over a dust mask adds another level of breathing protection, while keeping dust off your face and hair. You’ll want to perfect tying at home with one of the many online videos. Practice in the dark to get it right. Plus count on strong wind to make matters worse.

  • Buff. Can be used as a basic dust mask. Nice to keep you warm on cool nights. Tiny to store.

• Spray on sunscreen for on the playa

• Chapstick type stuff.

• Small notebook and a pen

• Doorbell remote. To ring the doorbell attached to our bike basket.

• Offering of the day

• ID/ID copy, Note most, but not all camps will accept a clear photo copy of your ID.

• Medical Insurance card (copy)

• Porto-bag (replenish as used)

  • 1-ply toilet paper

  • disposable gloves

  • ziplock of clean wet wipes

  • empty black ziplock bag (for used wipes)

  • Hand sanitizer

• Night Lighting

  • Extra batteries (AA, AAA, 32s)

  • Fairy light screwdriver (eyeglass size screwdriver, to change fairly light batteries)

  • mini flashlight

  • Headlamp

On Bike (Some in basket, some in saddlebag)

• bike lock

• bike multi-tool

• bike pump

• bike tube

• tire irons

• spare tubes (consider Slime tubes)

Items Loaded in RV (Not in Bins)

All of the following items will be packed up in moving boxes before we load our RV. But the items are all loaded directly in the RV storage, and the moving boxes are left at home.

Kitchen/Load in RV box

• Latex gloves for food handling and prep

• Sponges

• Real Plates, cups, bowls

• Metal eating utensils

• Disposable plates, cups, bowls and eating utensils

• Cooking utensils

• Can opener/bottle opener

• Spatulas

• Whisk

• Stirring Spoon

• Liquid Measuring cup

• Jigger for liquor

• Corkscrew

• Spatula

• Tongs

• Peeler

• Ladle

• Scissors

• Cutting board

• Mixing/Serving Bowl

• Tupperware

• Zip lock bags

• Debbie Meyer Green bags for food storage (see here)

• Paper Towels

• Kitchen Towels

• Nuun convenient drop-in fizzing electrolytes. Very mild flavor. (Add some crystal light to your water for more flavor)

• Coffee Machine and coffee.

• Clip on fan. A small electric clip on fan can be a wonderful luxury in an RV or tent. Place a humidifier in front of it for a cool moist breeze.

• Humidifier. If you can spare the water, a humidifier, especially while you sleep at night, is a nice addition. Ours goes through about 1/2 gallon per night at a fairly low setting, which is plenty of added humidity.

Trash bucket with tight-fitting lid 

Hardware stores like Home Depot sell 5 gallon buckets and matching lids for about $5. Just make sure the lid is fairly easy to put on and remove. We have found these to be the best playa garbage cans, although you’ll need to get some 5 gal trash bags like these. On the drive up to BRC, we use the trash cans to transport stuff we don’t want to spill around the RV, such as:

• White vinegar (1 gal)

• Spray bottle for vinegar solution

• 409A Cleaner

• Biodegradable dish soap

• Distilled Water (1 gallon)

Bath

• Spare toilet paper (porta-potty safe)

• Washcloths

• Small bath mat (towel style). Any decent old towel works well too.

• Toilet brush. We buy a very cheap one that comes with a holder each burn and throw it out after the burn.

• Shampoo

• Conditioner

• Body wash

• Toothpaste

• Hand sanitizer (large)

• First aid kit

• Foot care kit. We don’t have big foot issues on the playa, but some do. If you think you’re prone to problems, meet John Vonhof, the guys who wrote the book on foot care. But we bring a decent foot care kit, which includes a lancing needle to drain blisters, moleskin, leukotape and Activflex Bandaids. I also have a small printout of foot care tips, such as how to lance a blister and how to use moleskin in various scenarios.

Bedroom

• Good pillows.

• Warmie. A microwavable buckwheat pillow is a nice way to warm up a cold bed.

• Blanket or comforter for cold nights

• Hangers for closet

• Extra sheets for bed. Three sets gives clean sheets every few days. An extra sheet can be used to cover the bed when you aren’t sleeping in it to keep in cleaner.

• Bath Towels. Bring extra because they can get dirty/muddy quickly. Expect white towels to stain.

• Floor length mirror if RV doesn’t have a decent mirror.

Not in boxes

• Generator and companion generator.

  • We use a Honda EU2200i inverter generator and a Honda EU2200i “Companion” generator.

  • These two generators are very quiet and can be linked together to deliver 30A, 4400 watts surge power and 3600 watt continuous operation power. Together this provides a good amount of power to run an RV with a decent sized AC.

  • Because they are inverter generators, when power draw is low they run at a low speed, for low fuel consumption and quiet operation. If you can afford $1k for one or $2k for both, this is the best BM generator solution you’ll find.

  • We cut key parts of the owner manual out and tape them to the inside panel of the generators. How to change oil, filters and spark plugs plus the meaning of the cryptic error lights are explained. Most is pretty common sense, but when exhausted it’s nice to have clear instructions.

• Gas funnel (stored in contractor garbage bag). Ideal for filling car or RV with gas, and helpful for generator too.

• 5x - 5 gal fuel containers. This style, however I remove all spouts except for one, and use simple gas caps. I ditch tricky spouts and use a very simple vented spout, similar to this. The auto shut off style are terrible and you will end up with more gas on you than in your generator/vehicle. I fill up the RV and the gas cans at the last gas station. The gas cans should only be filled 80%. Some are known to fill them to 100% if doing an evening arrival, and then using a gallon from each can to re-fill the gas in the RV used between refueling and arriving at BRC and to load up the generators. We have never been short on fuel, but have a siphon to move gas from the RV tank to external generators, if need be.

• Fire extinguisher for fuel (Class B). Stored outside near fuel and generators.

• Fire extinguisher for RV. RV should always have one, but check dates and charge. Should be at least a B:C

• (2) Camp chairs (possibly mesh)

• Bike rack. Be sure not to cover your license plate with it…. see our Burning Man law enforcement notes for details on this important issue.

• (2) bikes. We use Huffy cruisers we purchased for around $70 each.

• Bike doorbell. We have a wireless doorbell attached to our bike basket. Find your bike pronto if, uh, “disoriented”.

• Straw/Cornhusk broom. Best way to keep RV clean

• Dust Pan.

• 2 rolls of foil-faced bubble wrap to cover windows (Reflectix). Essential for keeping the RV cool. Also keeps the RV fairly dark, allowing for off hours sleeping. It can be used inside or outside the RV. If you cover windows on the outside, you’ll need to have strong, wide tape to keep it in place, and cover all the outside seams. A small gap in the tape will allow wind to catch it, and it will rip off. Many people (most?) put it on the outside, because it is more effective there. We put it on the inside, because it can’t blow away, and when properly mounted still does a very good job. We have a/c and don’t want to hassle with it. If we didn’t have a/c, it would be on the outside.

• Coverings for floor like this clean film that will stick to wood or the equivalent carpet covering

• Heavy mat for outside RV

• Rug for outside RV. Acquire a free area rug that will fit in your external RV storage area if you have one. 6’x8’ would work well. When you arrive, roll it out at the door of your RV and then either secure it with lag bolts or put weights on the corners. Then put your heavy door mat on top of it. The rug will bcome exceptionally dusty during the burn, but will keep dust down in front of the RV door, and give an extended area to keep feet clean. Roll it and then wrap it up with cling wrap or the like before loading it in the RV to take home. When back home, a leaf blower will get a lot of the dust off the rug.