Stuff to know before you take your RV to Burning Man!

Burning Man is an amazing event, but it’s even better when you have an RV! Or at least we feel that way! Having excellent shelter out in the hot dusty desert with running water and a refrigerator is priceless. However, it can be an overwhelming cleanup process if you don’t properly prepare your RV.
Here are a few tips to help you have a successful burn in an RV.  This is not a complete guide, so make sure to read our post on “A virgins guide to Burning Man” and the first timers guide on the Burning Man website and subscribe to the newsletter!  Keep in mind you’ll be living in the desert (aka in the middle of nowhere and it’s freakin hot) for an entire week, so be prepared and you will have a great first burn!

Keeping Cool
It’s hot out in the desert but there are a lot of ways to beat the heat without running a generator.  We have collected all of our best tips and tips from fellow burners here:  Keeping Cool In Extreme Heat – Ideas From Burning Man

Lights
Surround your RV with lights, at night it’s difficult to see (especially during a dust storm), lights on the roof, ground, everywhere.  Solar powered garden and Christmas lights work best.

Power
Solar power is the best way to get ‘juice’ and we have a lot of information on solar here: gonewiththewynns.com/solar
Generators are used in BRC, but be courteous to your neighbors, and don’t be wasteful.
If you don’t have solar panels make sure you run your generator and/or engine for a short bit daily to keep your batteries from draining.  You don’t want to pay for the tow out of BRC!

Fuel
Fill your tank on your way out of Reno, the lines for Gas near BRC are insane.
Make sure you have enough fuel to exit BRC and run your generator during the week (only when necessary).
We went through 35 gallons from running the generator and the drive to / from Reno.  Keep in mind we averaged 11MPG and ran the generator 15hrs total (mostly for the AC during exodus).

Sealing
Tape up ALL seams on your RV storage compartments.  This will help keep dust out!  We used 3″ Painter’s tape and it worked great.  Bring at least 2 rolls.

Cleanup
It’s most important to clean your RV ASAP after Burning Man.  The dust will damage your paint, metal, rubber seals, etc if left on too long.  If you want to save money you can use a self service wash bay, there are 3 locations near Reno that have bays large enough for RV’s.  It took us 2 hours at the wash.  Expect to spend $40 for self service wash and vacuum, or if you want to pay a professional to do it expect to pay between $200-$400.Even with the bays and windows taped up you should plan on spending half a day cleaning the interior and storage bays.

Did we miss anything?  If you have any great tips, share them in the comment box below!