Wesley's List of Stuff to Bring to Burning Man

I wrote this as a personal list of stuff you need to bring to Burning Man. I assume you are going to be part of a camp so I didnt include a bunch of community things normally supplied by a camp (e.g. shade structures, furniture & chairs to sit on, grill, camp shower, etc.). If you are going as an individual without the support of a camp, you should check out one of the links below for a more complete list of things to take with you.


Cargo Van full of Burning Man Crap on the Playa

Remember everything you bring to the playa will get covered in dust no matter what you do. Whatever you bring may get trashed or lost, so don't bring stuff you're too attached to. And washing all of the playa dust out of your stuff is nearly impossible.

Transportation, Shelter & Sleep

Sleeping Bag (get a cheap bag; Costco or WalMart sells cheap ones for $10)
Pillow
Air Mattress & Pump
Place to sleep in: Tent, RV, Cargo Van, or SUV
Eye mask
Earplugs (everyone around you will be partying and w/out this you won't get any sleep!)
Heavy-duty aluminum foil (if you plan to sleep in your vehicle, you cover your windows to keep the light out)

Food, Water, & Personal Items
Water (2 Gal/Day per person in addition to what your camp will provide) & containers to hold them
Food (non perishable/canned tems are key; stuff you can boil in a pot or heat w/ hot water works well)
-Mac & Cheese (makes a great casserole if you mix in tuna or salmon)
-Cheese, Crackers & salami
-Cup-O-Noodles
-Beef Stew
-Red Bull and other drink mixers
Googgles (you will need this when the dust storm mits)
Face Mask or bandanna (again, helpful during duststorms)
Water Bottle
Camelback or other water-holding backpack
Suncreen (SPF 30 or higher)
Plates, bowls, cups, forks, spoons – things you need to eat with
Plastic zip-lock bags to store all this stuff to keep some of the dust out
Trash Bags (we need to pack all the trash out)
Plastic Drink Cup (you bring this with you on the playa at night to parties for alcohol) that you can attach to your costume
A couple of rolls of toilet paper (there are porta-potties but they run out of TP frequently)
Your own stash of alcohol – for the pre-parties and for new friends
Gifts for your new friends – BM is a barter economy; those asian lycee jello things are really popular at night on the playa
Chapstick
A couple of towels
Handy wipes
Moisturizing lotion
Vaseline

Getting Around on the Playa

Old, trashy bike (you'll be unhappy without one)
Extra tire tubes and mini bike pump
Headlamp, EL Wire, LEDs, or whatever else you want to light up your bike (you don't want people running into you at night)

Clothing & Costumes

Sunglasses (bring 2 pairs, one will break or get lost)
Costumes (jumpsuits or flightsuits are key; they have lots of pockets to hold stuff
Clothing you need to wear on the playa: shorts, shirts, pants, a couple of sweatshirts, etc.
Wide brimmed hat and baseball cap
Lots of costumes made of fake fur
Light-up stuff and blinky shit (EL Wire, glow-sticks, etc.)
Shoes (trail running shoes work well)
Socks (bring several pairs
Flip-flops

Other Things to Bring

Camera (disposables work best unless you have a trashy camera you don't mind breaking)
Flashlight & extra batteries

I'll be updating this list at http://www.weschan.com/burningman.html