What to Bring to Burning Man

What to Bring

For Foot Care: I suggest daily cleaning, applying heavy cream (I prefer 100% shea butter), wearing clean socks (changed daily). Start caring for your skin in general, feet in particular before you get to the playa. The fewer cracks, calluses and dry patches you have before arrival give your feet a better base to start with.

For Nose Care: Saline or saline & aloe nasal spray. Especially if you are used to a humid climate. Dried out nasal passages can hurt and bleed.

For Lip Care: lip balm with sunscreen, preferably hung from the neck so you always have it at the ready....whether you have pockets or not. Return PolyBurn campers can buy more sunscreen to fit into the cap of the necklaces from last year, if you still have them.

General Stuff: A set of clothing including shoes/sandals that stays in zip lock bags until after tearing down camp, to change into for the ride home.

Mask for wind storms, wiping down dust off of everything, wetted and tied around neck or head for heat relief

Improvised Bman clothing, "hand-cuffing" self to lover(s) for group fun while navigating crowds

A pouch to carry stuff

Peppermint essential oil - add a few drops to water in a spray bottle. A very refreshing spritz on a hot day

Small sized Sanitizing gel (alcohol) to keep in your pocket. Good to use after a trip to the Porta Potties.

What you need to carry at all times while at Burning Man

Courtesy of Burning Pea...

Item	Notes
Fanny Pack	Or other bag of some kind, I usually use a plush bear backpack I found at good will
Water	You need at least 1 liter of water, and access to more if you're doing drugs
Lights front and back	Its dark, its stormy, people are driving around and they can't see you unless you're blinking
Dust Mask	On you at all time, you need the cheapy ones, just in case
Goggles	Again, something to keep dust out of your eyes on you at all times
Lighter	Its BURNING MAN, you need a lighter
Knife	If you are trapped under a massive art installation or if someone shows up with a hunk of cheese, you're going to wish you had a pocket knife or better yet a leatherman on you
Safety Pins	Good costume fixer upper for you and/or friends
String	Good for attaching glow sticks to people who forgot theirs
Zip Ties	good for everything
Bottle Opener	when that beer and/or wine shows up and no one can open it, but you, you're going to thank me!
Cup	for the beer, wine, water, soup, etc.. People are bound to offer you.
Small pad of paper and marker/pen	You will be inspired, you will want to write down your thoughts, and you will want that amazing perosn's phone or e-mail
Small Gifts	Saying thanks means a lot, providing someone with a momento provides a memory and a reminder for when they are away from home

What Else Should I bring

Hand Lotion
Hot Weather Clothing - The days are hot
Lip Balm
Sleeping Gear
Wet Wipes
Tent or Structure
Sun Screen Rain Gear - Occasionally, it does rain.
Multi Tool
Bandana - You WILL need it to keep dust out of your mouth and nose
Cold Weather Clothing - The nights are cold
Duct Tape - Fixes anything and everything
12" Tent Stakes - 70 mph sustained winds
First Aid Kit Dirty Clothes Bag - Not that there'll be a difference in a few days from the clean clothes Clean Clothes Bag - If you don't protect them from dust, they won't be clean long
Tools to Fix Anything Bike Tire Tubes and Patch Kit
Disposable Camera zip lock bags...every size....for everything
Alcohol and Beer
Hand Held Radios Rope - You can never have enough rope
Pocket Ashtray- Don't leave cigarette butts on the playa!
Trash Bags - If you pack it in, pack it back out. Bicycle

PREVENTING PLAYA FOOT

from BManUpdate: V6:#29:07.24.02

Playa foot: that cracked, dry skin resulting from exposure to the alkali effects of playa dust. Causes painful cracking between toes, general dryness and discomfort, and sometimes severe crankiness & immobility in advanced stages.

The solution? Here's what Phoenix of the Playa recommends:

"By Accident, but it works!

On a recent trip, it was acknowledged by a person I met on The Playa that I don't often close bottle caps. I'm trying to change.

Last year on the way to Black Rock City, *somehow* a bottle of lotion got loose in a pack and totally soaked one wool sock before I even got to The Playa. It soaked some underwear & t-shirts too, but only one sock!

'After' a minor case of Playa Foot, I began to wash & lather up my feet real good several times a day. One day, I put on the pair of socks w/ one lotion soaked one. *That foot* healed much much quicker. Noticeably so.

After that, I began to wash my feet several times a day, yeah go ahead, give yourself and others this pleasure and lotion them up real good. I made certain that by the time I put on my CLEAN socks, there was enough lotion on my feet to soak into the wool. If you don't have a problem wearing wool, it holds moisture - on my feet - better then cotton, but cotton should work just fine.

I'm bringing extra lotion this year, many more pair of wool socks and more water for washing.

A vinegar soak is also said to work wonders against the alkali. 'course I wouldn't know any more about playa foot, because after my first brush with this condition, you wouldn't see me on the playa in any shoes but my cowboy boots for more than a few moments at a time. Sandals, generally speaking, are not recommended - not by this girl, anyway. And when you think you have enough clean socks, go buy three more packs. Besides your own use, they make delightful gifts to those you meet who ran out three days ago.