Power and Gas at Burningman
How to fuel your Burning Man Trip
Besides food and water, one essential aspect of a good Burn is to make sure you have your power and fuel needs met. Whether you are powering a scooter, camp stove, led lights, or speakers, you are gonna need to get your fuel/power from somewhere, or bring it with you. Here are some of the common Power and Fuel tips.
Batteries
Batteries come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. They are essential to a safe burn. From led lights on you and your bike to keep you safe at night, or in your lamp at the campsite, batteries are used in so many devices at the burn. Chances are, someone will ask you if you have a battery at some point.
AA, AAA, D, and 3 Volt Cell batteries are the most commonly used in the portable gear you will have.
If you want to be truer to the 10 rules of Burning Man, Invest in some rechargeable batteries. You can reuse them after your trip. Although be warned, the Playa dust will corrode your batteries, if you do not wipe them off after your trip.
Generators
Many burners in RVs and Trailers bring generators along with them to make sure the fridge, lights, fans, and whatever are still running. Ask anyone who has camped next to an RV, and you know that these can be very noisy. A new trend for many RVs is to retrofit solar onto the vehicle for power generation. A lot less noise, and it doesn’t cost any gasoline as many other generators do.
There are also portable generators available, in case you do not have one already built into your trailer or RV. Many of these also run off of gasoline, but there are also Solar options available.
Solar Power
If you are building one of the large art sculptures, there is a camp that makes sure there is power for the art. For the rest of the camps, you need to make it work on your own. There are some really great turnkey solutions available if you are just wanting to charge your cellphone or camera up. If you are using more power, you may need to upgrade to one of the solar generators. If you want to setup your own solar power grid, because you are a DIY master, check out this guide from Snotty
Solar Power at Burning Man (or Just Camping)
Gasoline
If you are driving into the desert, and not taking one of the shuttle buses or airplanes in, you should be aware of your fuel.
MAKE SURE TO FILL YOUR TANK BEFORE THE BURN!
Many people forget how long of a drive it is both in and out of Black Rock City. The last stop to get gas before you go into Black Rock is the Shell station at Gerlach. Now even though it is only 16 miles from Gerlach to the Burn, you will be stuck in traffic going in and going out. In fact, it has happened that people have had to wait in their cars for over 24 hours, just to get in. (2016 AKA Wating Man). The best tip is to fill up before Gerlach, and top it off again once you reach Gerlach. Taking an extra container of fuel, just in case, is not a bad idea either. You will find someone who forgot and will think you are the greatest when you help them.
Car Battery Jumper
It has happened to so many people, year after year. Either someone was playing the radio, or had on the ac for a bit to cool off, the car battery dies. Just before you go to leave, you try and start the car and nothing. In this case, either you need to find someone with a working car and some jumper cables, or you brought the little car jumper kit with you. If you don’t have either of these and you are a car owner, it might be time to get them.
Wood, Charcoal, Gas
Whether it is for a bonfire, BBQ cookout, camping stove, or tiki torches, make sure to bring your fuel with you. There are no trees at the Burn, so you have to bring your own firewood and charcoal. For those that are using propane camping stoves and tiki torches, make sure your propane tanks are not empty before you go. Also, make sure to pack them safely for the journey as you wouldn’t want fuel and propane all over your camp gear. Not a safe start.
Windmills, Bicycles, and Gyros, Oh My!
Walking around the burn you will find a variety of different mad scientist rigs, contraptions, and inventions for harvesting energy. I’ve seen windmills for evaporation pools, bicycles to power projections, and once even a contraption that was powered by sparkle ponies. One of my favorite things to do is to see how people solve the same problems differently. There is an ENORMOUS amount of innovation to be found in the camps at the Burn. Maybe even a solution to free energy somewhere there.
