Impact Canopy
Impact Canopy 10 by 10, straight leg
A straight-leg steel frame. The solid top that comes with it stays in the car.
Buy this early
Often about $250
Opens in a new tab.Questions to ask your Burning Man camp
Shade, water, a kitchen, power, and a toilet are either theirs or yours. The email should settle which before you shop.
7 min read
Sits beside Complete Burning Man packing list/First-year crate/Best shade structure for Burning Man/How much water to bring to Burning Man
Shop the camp cart. Each piece is its own listing. We don't ship a kit as one box.
The expensive mistakes start in the group chat. Someone buys a second shade structure because nobody said the camp already has one. Someone else arrives with a duffel and discovers the kitchen, the water, and the toilet were never theirs to use. Ask before the cart fills up. A theme camp is a group of people, not a hotel.
We are an independent outfitter. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Burning Man Project. The event name is used so you know which week this gear is for.
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Read the note
- Is there shade over the place I will sleep, and is it already built or still a plan?
- Is drinking water included for me, or do I bring my own gallons?
- Is there a kitchen I can use, and what am I expected to cook or clean?
- Is there power for a phone and a light, or do I bring a battery?
- Is there a toilet for the camp, or am I on the portos and my own bucket?
- Where do I sleep, and is a tent, a cot, or an RV bed already mine?
- Is a bike waiting, or do I bring or rent one and lock it?
- What do you want me to carry for the camp, and what should I leave at home?
Write the answers down. "We usually have shade" is not shade. "Someone brings water" is not your water. If the person who would know has not answered by the week you shop, pack the gap.
Shade
- A clear yes
- Sleep under theirs. Bring a tent and a fly.
- A vague yes
- Bring a frame, or a written invite to a neighbor's.
- No, or no reply
- The straight-leg frame and the knit are yours.
Water
- A clear yes
- Ask how many gallons have your name on them.
- A vague yes
- Bring the jugs. Share if there is extra.
- No, or no reply
- A gallon and a half of drinking water a day, before washing.
Toilet
- A clear yes
- Ask what they still want you to carry. 1-ply, usually.
- A vague yes
- A bucket and the bags, until you see the camp toilet.
- No, or no reply
- The bucket, the bags, and a lid. Pack it out.
| What changes | A clear yes | A vague yes | No, or no reply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shade | Sleep under theirs. Bring a tent and a fly. | Bring a frame, or a written invite to a neighbor's. | The straight-leg frame and the knit are yours. |
| Water | Ask how many gallons have your name on them. | Bring the jugs. Share if there is extra. | A gallon and a half of drinking water a day, before washing. |
| Toilet | Ask what they still want you to carry. 1-ply, usually. | A bucket and the bags, until you see the camp toilet. | The bucket, the bags, and a lid. Pack it out. |
Yours even when they said yes
Goggles that seal, and a respirator for a whiteout. A bottle you will actually carry. Lights and a lock if there is a bike. A headlamp. Earplugs. A bag for a night in the forties. Sunscreen, a hat, and a cup. Prescriptions in their bottles. A camp can be generous at noon and asleep at 3 a.m. The day bag is still yours.
What you can skip
Skip a second shade if you have seen a photo of the one they stake, and your tent fits under it. Skip a camp stove if they cook and you are not on the crew. Skip a power station if all you charge is a phone and they have a bank. Do not skip the lock, the lights, or the water you carry away from camp. Costumes are last, after the reply.
The city's Survival Guide is still the must-bring list. How we turn that into a cart, once you know the gaps, is the complete packing list. The short version is the first-year note. Shade you have to build is the shade structure. Gallons are the water plan.
Jackery
Jackery Explorer 300
About 300 watt-hours for lights, phones, a fan, and a laptop.
Buy this early
Often about $200–300
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Kelty
Kelty Cosmic Synthetic 40
A synthetic mummy the maker rates at 40°F. The listing opens on the regular size.
Buy this early
Often about $65
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Camp
Camp first-aid kit
Bandages, antiseptic, blister care, and the pills you already know.
Buy this early
A serious kit is often $25–60
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Pyramex
Pyramex G204 splash goggles
Splash goggles with the vents capped, so dust stays out of the lens.
Often about $8
Opens in a new tab.Questions
- What should I ask a Burning Man camp before I buy gear?
- Ask who provides shade, drinking water, a kitchen, power, and a toilet, and whether that answer is for you or only for members who already built it. Ask where you sleep, whether a bike is in camp, and what you are expected to bring for the kitchen and the hex. If the answer is vague, pack as if the answer is no.
- If my camp has shade, do I still need a tent?
- Yes, unless they have given you a bed you have seen described. Their shade is the roof. Your tent, with a full fly, is the room. You still bring bedding for a cold night. Confirm the shade is actually over the spot where you will sleep.
- What do I pack even when camp covers the big stuff?
- Goggles that seal, a respirator, a bottle of drinking water, bike lights and a lock if you have a bike, a headlamp, earplugs, a warm layer, a cup, and your own prescriptions. Camp shade does not follow you across the city at noon, and camp water does not help if you left the bottle at the hex.
Free checklist
Take the packing list with you.
Dust, water, shade, the bike, a cold night, and a clean exit. The list is already free on this site. Leave an email if you want a copy sent later, and open it now either way.
Shop the kit
A kit is the shopping list for one job. Each piece is its own listing. We don't ship it as one box.
