Every August, an army of scammers emerge to prey on those looking for Burning Man tickets. As a regional chair of Burners Without Borders who has navigated this process many times, I decided to write this short piece about how to identify scammers and how to avoid being ripped off. The most important thing to… Continue reading Assume This Is Probably A Scam: Here’s How To Check
Category: Burning Man
Current Camping Gear List
My Favorite Tent (~$55) This tent is amazing. It packs down small and then all you have to do is unzip the bag and it pops up in literally two seconds. It’s unbelievably easy and it does great in heavy wind and rain. I have never staked it down or even used the guy lines;… Continue reading Current Camping Gear List
Playa Pergola Proposal
Why Hammocks on playa are a joy. Providing joy is the reason to go. This is an easy way to provide an important experience and make people happy. Weight The eight 4×4 posts weigh 36 pounds each. The brackets weigh 43 pounds. This comes out to a total of 331 pounds. Cost I will need… Continue reading Playa Pergola Proposal
Making Cowboy Cold Brew Iced Coffee
I really like to make cold brew iced coffee. I also like to go camping. I developed this method for making cowboy cold brew which works just as well at home or in the woods. Cowboy coffee refers to mixing the grounds in with the water and then pouring it out through a filter once… Continue reading Making Cowboy Cold Brew Iced Coffee
2020 Burn Week Alternative Camping Trip
I decided to make this post because I have done a super lot of research for this project and I need to keep it all straight and share the results with a few people. I wanted to do a camping trip for burn week this year because the burn is canceled. I had considered going… Continue reading 2020 Burn Week Alternative Camping Trip
Communal Storage
At Burning Man, I camp with Comfort & Joy. One of the many benefits of this camp is that they will transport totes to the playa for you; you are only responsible for getting yourself there. The stipulation is that everyone has to use this same tote. There are many benefits to this strategy. These… Continue reading Communal Storage
Structure Ideas From The Expanse
There were a few really cool ideas for shelters and infrastructure in the new season of The Expanse that I wanted to talk about. All are variants of popular, existing styles of shelters in common use at Burning Man and elsewhere. All of these images are from episode 2, 3 or 4 of season four… Continue reading Structure Ideas From The Expanse
Data: Are Shiftpods Actually Cooler?
Key Findings; Shiftpods are not significantly better than cheap alternatives. No tent performs well in direct sun. No matter what kind of tent you have, putting it under a shade structure is the most important thing for keeping it cool inside during the day. Evaporative “swamp” coolers are not as helpful as simple ventilation. Thermal… Continue reading Data: Are Shiftpods Actually Cooler?
DIY High-Precision Multi-Zone Temperature Logger
I was in need of high-precision multi-zone temperature logging gear for a chemistry honors project, and I found nothing online that would work well for my purpose, so I decided to put my CSCI46 skills to use and build my own. The Hardware I started with a NodeMCU which is basically a fancier but somehow also cheaper… Continue reading DIY High-Precision Multi-Zone Temperature Logger
Cheap Flat-Top Shade Structure (Alternate Design)
Shade structures are perhaps the most important and powerful way of improving temperature conditions in a tent on playa or elsewhere. The value of a shade structure to someone who is trying to sleep can not be overstated. The Traditional Way A lot of people buy and build complex and expensive shade structures. Typically these… Continue reading Cheap Flat-Top Shade Structure (Alternate Design)