Be prepared

At this point I am now mentally and financially committed to going. However, all of the inertia that had been building up now seems like a runaway train. I have a week before taking off but it just feels like there isn't enough time to scare up everything I need. Since I had just finished giving/donating the vast majority of my worldly possessions a few months ago, I'm starting from scratch...not that I had any camping equipment to being with but still. So I fire off emails to anyone who I think might have some stuff and fortunately get some real troopers to pull through and help me out. Big thanks to Marsh, Dave, Cammy, and Bobbi. For the remainder of what I need, I head to my friendly neighborhood Burning Man supply outlets detailed below. Everywhere I go though there are ominous signs of burners having been there before me: sales clerks having pat answers down for equipment needed for camping in the desert, all green (this year's Burning Man theme) glow sticks sold out, inventories of 1/2" by 18" rebar suspiciously low. I am getting the distinct feeling that I'm playing catch up.

REI - Mandatory stop(s) here. Since more than one clerk tells me that I can save money by coming back for the Labor Day sale I mostly scope out the goods and plan to make a big run on Friday. I do stop by the rental counter to make some reservations for equipment hoping that they aren't all sold out. Best rental guy ever, Rob, helps me out. I tell him, as if I had to, that I was going to Burning Man and would need to rent everything to survive in the elevated Nevada desert for a week. He clues me in on the Gear Garage, their second hand equipment department and walks me over to that corner of the store. He rummages through the goods and when he doesn't find a tent for me he tells me to wait and goes to the back room. A couple minutes later he walks back out with a tent and tells me that is exactly what I need. Fair enough. I am a little squeamish about owning more stuff since I just cleaned house and doubly so for camping equipment that I have absolutely no use for. He tells me that he can sell me the used once tent for what it would essentially cost to rent it and then I could turn around and Craigslist it when I get back. Hmmm. Free use of a tent? Sold! He can't pull sleeping bags and sleeping pads out of his bag of tricks though but he recommends that I keep checking the gear garage as he was confident that I would be able to find all of my supplies I needed over a period of a couple weeks because they have such high turnover. I end up canceling my rental reservations after friends pull through with what I needed (see shoutout above). I return Friday during the day to try to dodge crowds as much as possible. Some of the goods I pick up:

• Nalgene bottle - hydration is good
• Headlamp - as I've found, these things are insanely useful even when not camping plus I can pretend that I'm on The Amazing Race
• Footprint for the tent - note how I drop that term so casually now even though I had to ask what in the hell Rob meant when he said I would need a footprint for the tent...it's a tarp like thing to put under your tent
• Bike lock - explain later
• First aid kit - it was on the list of necessities from the BMan website plus I figure I should keep one in the car...don't ask me where it is right now though
• Camp towel - these things rock, why aren't all towels made like these things?

Thrift stores - With harsh desert camping conditions expected, I'm trying to only bring stuff that I don't mind getting thrashed. Used ski goggles for the dust storms. A very serviceable bike messenger bag for carrying supplies around. An $11 bike. It is missing a front brake but who cares? That is exactly the kind of cheap goods I'm looking for so I don't care if it gets ripped off. Later on in the week I am running out of time and run across a really nice second hand bike. It's a Specialized 18 or 21 speed (I lose count) and is in perfect working condition. It must have been just dropped off because there was no sticker on it yet. I ask around and get one of the workers there to price it for me. She kicks the tires (figuratively), squeezes the brakes, cranks it through some gears. Then she tells me that a bike like that runs $60. Gulp. At that point of the week I had more money than time to find another workable bike so I pony up the dough figuring that I can sell it when I get back. Worst part about that bike is that I need to now get a $20 lock because the bike is too valuable. Sigh. I also decide to get some clothes for the desert. Being the clothes horse that I am I snag some $3-$4 dress shirts. Just looking for some light loose cotton long sleeve shirts to keep the sun off. I end up getting an Armani, Polo, and Claiborne among others. Shirts that I'd have paid full price for. My exact measurements too! Note to self: reconsider shopping locations.

Military surplus - Bandana for the desert fashion statement. Glow sticks to avoid getting run over at night. Long underwear for cold weather. Used AK-47 rifle to keep looters away from the camp...kidding, just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Home Depot - Rebar for staking tents in the sand. Dust masks for storms. Bucket/lid as recommended by the BMan website to be used in conjunction with heavy duty plastic bags as an emergency potty. Ewww...what am I getting myself into? Duct tape in case MacGuyver shows up. Batteries.

QFC - Since the camp will be supplying food/drink the shopping list is mercifully short.

• Road trip munchies, not that that prevented us from still stopping by mini-marts and paying twice as much as we should for snacks on the way.
• Some porta-potty compatible single ply toilet paper because it is better to have it and not need it than the other way around.
• Some plastic bags for packing out trash and dusty clothes.
• They recommend 1.5 gallons per person per day. I know that water is supplied but I grab a 2.5 gallon jug just in case. Then I think better and double that. Then I get paranoid and grab two more.

Yikes. No wonder it took all week to provision supplies. By the latter part of the week I'm feeling like I've at least got most of the bases covered. Just need to make sure that everything fits in the car.