What to buy first for Burning Man

If this is your first year, you do not need a perfect camp. You need to not be surprised by the desert. Join a camp if one will have you, and ask what they already provide: shade, water, kitchen, power, toilets. Then pack the gaps. A stranger's camp is not a plan. This page is the buy order. The complete list is the inventory, and it is the other URL on purpose.

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.

Eyes and lungs

Goggles that seal, and a spare pair in a bag. A respirator for the whiteout, and a shemagh for the ordinary dusty afternoon. Buy these before a costume, and put them where you can reach them in the car, not in a bin under the shade frame.

Water you can carry

Drinking water by the gallon, a bladder you will wear, and electrolytes that go into water you already counted. Do this math on the water page before you fall for a cute canteen. Two jugs is a serious start for one person. It is a rounding error for a camp of four.

Shade, or a yes from camp

Shade you trust, or a clear invitation to share someone else's. Cloth without a frame is a hope. A frame without lags is a kite. If camp said yes, ask which structure and whether you are on it. If the answer is vague, buy the structure.

A bike you can see and lock

Lights you charged, a lock you use, a tall flag. A headlamp with a red mode and spare batteries. If you flew, the rental is a frame. The lights are still yours. Name a meeting place before the group splits. A Totem Compass can help after that, if each person is wearing one and you bonded them at camp. It is optional. Water, goggles, lights, and a lock still come first.

Sleep, then the dull bin

A bag rated for a cold night, and earplugs. Sunscreen, a hat, closed shoes you can bike in. Vinegar, wipes, thick trash bags, 1-ply, and a sanitation plan. A cup. The city runs on cups. Bring yours. A small first-aid pouch you have opened at home. Leave the glitter, the extra costumes, and the maybe bin. Every extra pound is something to dust, pack, and possibly lose.

When you are home, the same order is the one to check before you buy anything decorative. If a thing does not answer sun, dust, water, dark, cold, or the trip home, it can wait.

The inventory, including what to ask camp before you shop, is the complete Burning Man packing list. Tick boxes on the printable checklist. What goes on your body is what to wear to Burning Man. What stays in the closet is what not to bring to Burning Man. The email that should happen before any of that shopping is questions to ask your camp. The pouch for the small injuries is a first-aid kit. The small regrets, once the water and the shade are already in the car, are in what burners wish they'd brought.