Hi All,
My dad is really wanting to go to Burningman next year after hearing me talk about it for so long. He is 67, able to experience rough conditions (he spent a month last year touring with a circus!) but....it is after all burningman, dusty, extreme heat/cold and such and that part Im not so sure about. I usually camp in a tent and just deal with being dusty and getting crap in my lungs, but I am concerned as to whether he can handle it or not and what suggestions/tips can be given for him. RVs dont appeal to him because it's pretty damn expensive and this is a one time experience for him, but not sure a tent would be enough protection from dust storms either...
Any suggestions you might have for housing? Any other tips that might be important for an older, first time burner to make his trip a good one?
I bought a 'lifetime tent', a canvas springbar design by Kodiak. Even during one of the first white outs pre-event 2010, I could read without goggles while the structure flexed towards my head.
KK
One easy method to camp cheap WITHOUT a tent is to sleep in the back of a pickup truck like I do. It keeps you off the ground, and if you have a camper shell, you even have dry gear after the most horrendous rainstorm possible
A big sack of blue pills, several tubes of monkey goo, a Santa hat full of Daddy-O's, a large turkey baster, some disco biscutts, and the Old Prune will be just fine.
Actually, he'll be better then fine, but if this is your father that we are talking about, you probably don't want to watch.
O.K., Fine.
Due to non exsistant demand, I will now offer a helpful idea.
Cardboard.
That's what I build my house out of, and it works just fine. I'll make all sorts of cool things. I've made a tee pee, a castle, bunch of big boxes a couple of hexiyurts too.
They can be a little bulky to transport, I mean, I do break them down into componant walls, but it's cheap as Danger Ranger's perfume, and at the end of the festival, I just burn the thing.
Get a bucket of white glue, and laminate sheets of packing cardboard together, in two or three layers. It's as strong as plywood.
Windproof, don't need much to nail it down to the ground, 100% blockage from the Big Scareball in the Sky, and it's kinda rainproof, too.
This is an experimental community in an experimental city. Leave your Pre-Packaged ideas at home, and build yourself a dream to live in.
A wonderful couple who has camped with us in the past brought her 80-something year old mother last year; I believe this was their routine. Find a cool place (like center camp) to hang out during the heat of the day and white-out conditions. Make sure there is plenty of cold drinks. Mostly, listen to him and make sure he's comfortable. Don't forget an air mattress. Remember, the Playa provides. He'll have a blast!
Get a tent that has enough head room ( ok... this is an easy one for an nice off color joke)... it will make a big difference in his comfort level.
There are plenty of places around the playa that he can hang out and take a snooze during the hottest hours.... not your tent. It will be a sauna.
As far as the weather extremes... he will be fine. Just make sure he has a dust mask or a long scarf to cover is mouth and nose.
And water. In fact, get him drinking the shit out of it now.
Lotion the feet morning and night. I wear a new sock every morning.
Easy comfort food! Chef Boy-r-dee I love thee!
"Lotion the feet morning and night. I wear a new sock every morning. "
As John Cameron Swayze would say, he's avoiding the "agony of deFEET".
(***rhino gets bitch-slapped from behind for the horrendous pun***)
may i suggest, Boca Raton, instead?
senior centers, pharmacies, and hospital ER's all close by.
or....
say, fuck it, and go.
it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have him get a physical for a clean bill of health.
the doctor can advise him if he;s fit for travel and harsh weather/conditions, etc...
and just like everyone...get plenty of water, rest, food, rest, and be sensible.
FWIW I'll be 67 next yr and I plan to go again after a 4-yr hiatus. First and foremost if you can, camp with a bunch that have access to power. Plan B: have an RV with a RELIABLE genny that can run an air conditioner: there will be periods of the day that just flat out require it or else you'll be in trouble. Plan C: Ice and a towel (to prevent frostbite) in your lap will keep you sane. Warm is easy at night; no sweat.
Tip #2: baby wipes, LOTS of baby wipes. Tip #3: stay the fuck away from MREs; they suck big time. No matter how much dry ice you bring you'll run out of refrigeration by day 4, so plan menus accordingly; i.e. perishables will perish first so plan on cereals, grains and dried fruit for the remainder of the experience. Tip #4: bikes are nice but trikes are better. Getcher asses over to www.atomiczombie.com, download some plans and start building NOW to have a cushy ride in '13 (what I'm doing)..
