Pack list
The master list, printable.
Every piece of gear on this site, grouped the way the shop is grouped. The name goes to that piece. The check-off board is the short list you tick on your phone. This is the whole shelf.
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.
Amazon links on the product pages are affiliate links. Your price does not change.
Save this list
Save this list.
The printable master list is the whole shelf. Dust, water, shade, the bike, a cold night, and a clean exit. Leave an email and we'll send it. You can open it now either way.
Dust
Eyes, lungs, and skin
- HEINPRO handheld blowerEssential
The little yellow-and-black blower. Long nozzle, three tips, battery not in the box.
- Mirrored day gogglesEssential
A foam-sealed mirrored lens for the hours the sun is the problem.
- Tool battery and chargerEssential
The cheaper pack that runs the blower if you do not already own the tools.
- Large pashminaWorth packing
A big soft wrap for sun, light dust, and the cold ride home.
- 3M Aura 9205+ respirator, 20 packEssential
A fold-flat N95 you can keep clean until the wall of dust shows up.
- Lip balm with SPFEssential
Lip balm with SPF. The air out here is dry enough to crack your lips.
- Pyramex G204 splash gogglesEssential
Splash goggles with the vents capped, so dust stays out of the lens.
- Canned air for dustWorth packing
A short blast for cameras, goggles, and the ports a blower is too rude for.
- Refresh Tears lubricant eye dropsWorth packing
Lubricant drops for eyes the dust has dried out.
- Rothco cotton shemaghWorth packing
A cotton square for sun, light dust, and a cold neck. The listing opens on olive drab.
- Saline sinus rinseWorth packing
A saline rinse for the dust that already got in.
- Simply Saline daily care sprayWorth packing
A saline spray you can use without setting up the rinse kit.
- Sun hat with a chin strapWorth packing
A brim that stays on when you are on the bike.
Water
Bring it by the gallon
- Camco drinking-water hose, 50 footEssential
A hose rated for drinking water, for an RV tank or a jug fill.
- CamelBak M.U.L.E. hydration packEssential
A pack with a 3-liter reservoir already in it.
- Insulated cup with a lidEssential
The cup you haul all day. It closes, and it has your name on it.
- Liquid I.V. electrolyte packetsEssential
Salt and sugar for the hours you spend sweating in a costume.
The jug people actually stack, carry, and dispense from.
- Soft Landings Dance Fuel party hydrationWorth packing
An electrolyte drink mix for long hours of dancing and sweating.
- Soft Landings next-day recovery drinkWorth packing
A vitamin and mineral drink for the morning after a long night.
- CamelBak Crux 3L reservoirEssential
Three liters on your back for the hours you're away from camp.
- Soft Landings 700ml insulated bottleWorth packing
A 700ml double-wall bottle, sized for one drink sachet.
- Wide-mouth bottle with a lidWorth packing
A bottle that closes, so it doesn't splash all over the bike.
Shade
So it stays put
- DeWalt 20V impact driver, tool onlyEssential
The driver that puts lag bolts in, and takes them back out.
- Impact Canopy 10 by 10, straight legEssential
A straight-leg steel frame. The solid top that comes with it stays in the car.
Twelve-inch hex-head lags. One at every foot, and they back out.
- Long lag bolts, or 18-inch rebarEssential
Screw-in lags hold the shade and back out. Rebar is the other honest point.
An open silver knit, 10 by 15 feet, with holes you can see through.
- Straight-leg shade frameEssential
A heavy straight-leg frame. The pop-up canopy it came with fails in the wind.
- Tarp clips and ball bungeesEssential
Clips and short bungees for Aluminet and the tapestry walls.
- Camp tapestryWorth packing
A hemmed cloth wall for privacy. The roof is still Aluminet.
- Dangling lights for the stakesWorth packing
Small lights you hang on guy lines and stake tops so nobody walks into them.
- Orange rebar capsEssential
Mushroom caps so an exposed rebar end is visible, and not a bare point.
For the shade, the bins, and the thing that shifted on the drive.
- Coghlan's tarp clips, 2 packWorth packing
Two clips that bite a hem. A start, not the whole roof.
- Compact travel umbrellaWorth packing
Shade you can carry while you walk, and cover if the sky actually rains.
Bike
How you get around
- Cygolite front and rear light setEssential
A throw forward and a flash behind, on mounts that stay put.
- Kryptonite Evolution 11mm U-lockEssential
A U-lock for every time you get off, including right outside camp.
- Bike pump, tube, and patch kitEssential
A pump, a spare tube, and levers, so a flat isn't a long walk.
- Tall bike safety flagEssential
A tall flag so the rider behind you can see you.
- Cruiser Candy bike seat coverWorth packing
A drawstring cover for a cruiser seat. The listing opens on black velour.
- Finish Line dry chain lubeWorth packing
A dry-film lube so playa dust does not turn the chain into paste.
- Quick-release bike basketWorth packing
A front basket for the water, the layer, and the cup.
Night
See, and let camp sleep
- Inflatable solar lanternWorth packing
A soft lantern that charges in the sun, and from a cable on a dusty day.
- Black Diamond Spot 350Essential
A headlamp with a red mode for camp and a white beam for the work.
- Black Diamond Moji R+Worth packing
A small rechargeable lantern you can hang in the tent or set on a bin.
- Totem CompassWorth packing
A small pendant that points toward friends who are wearing one, with no cell service required.
Sleep
Cold ground, loud neighbors
- Insulated inflatable bedEssential
A thick insulated air bed, with a pump and a patch kit.
- Kelty Cosmic Synthetic 40Essential
A synthetic mummy the maker rates at 40°F. The listing opens on the regular size.
- Long underwear base layerEssential
Top and bottom for the night that drops into the forties.
- Packable warm layerEssential
A jacket for the fifty-degree drop after sunset.
- Tent with a full rainflyEssential
A tent that keeps dust and a surprise rain out. Shade still goes over it.
- TETON Outfitter XXL camp cotEssential
A wide cot, because the ground is colder than it looks at noon.
- Rechargeable clip fanWorth packing
A fan you can clamp to the cot frame for the hours you sleep in the heat.
- Shark FlexBreeze HydroGoWorth packing
A small fan with a mist tank. Battery or a cord.
- Small tent tableWorth packing
A low folding table that fits inside the tent.
- Air-activated hand warmersEssential
A pocket full of heat for the ride after midnight.
- Bestway Air Step foot pumpEssential
A foot pump for the air bed, so the battery bank stays for lights.
Foam earplugs for a camp that doesn't get quiet.
- Packable rain shellEssential
A jacket you can bike in when the playa turns to mud.
- Compressible camp pillowWorth packing
A pillow that stuffs small, with a case you can peel.
- Gear Aid Seam Grip WPWorth packing
A tube of seam sealer for a tent fly, a tarp, or a leaking air bed.
- Soft Landings blackout sleep maskWorth packing
A blackout mask for sleeping after the sun is already up.
- Soft Landings SoundControl earplugsWorth packing
Filtered earplugs that lower the volume and still let you hear the music.
Power
Charge it before gate
- Battery AM/FM radioEssential
A small radio for BMIR when the phone is dead and the weather turns.
- Jackery Explorer 300Essential
About 300 watt-hours for lights, phones, a fan, and a laptop.
- EcoFlow WAVE 3Worth packing
A portable AC and heater for a closed tent. The battery is its own box.
- Foldable solar panelWorth packing
A panel that tops up the station and the battery packs on a clear day.
- Anker 20,000 mAh power bankEssential
A small bank for the phone, the lights, and a camera battery.
- Panasonic Eneloop AA, 8 packWorth packing
Eight AA cells for the headlamp, the lantern, and the second headlamp.
Kitchen
Coffee, ice, a hot meal
- Bowl and sporkEssential
A bowl and a spork you can carry, because nobody hands you a plate.
- Coleman 70-quart coolerEssential
A hard cooler that holds the ice, the drinks, and a seat.
- Huel Black Edition meal packetsEssential
A nutritionally complete shake in single-serve packets. The listing we opened is banana.
- Jetboil Flash stoveEssential
A cup and a burner that boils water for coffee and a real meal.
- RXBAR protein barsEssential
A wrapped bar for the pocket. The ingredients are printed on the front.
- Jetboil Jetpower fuel, 100 gEssential
One screw-on canister for the Flash. Buy more than one.
- Camp coffee pressWorth packing
A press that drops into the stove cup, so morning still happens.
- Nesting camp potsWorth packing
Two pots that stack, with a lid that can be a plate.
- Shaker bottleWorth packing
A bottle with a whisk, so the powder actually mixes.
Lights
Lights you pack back out
- 12V camp string lightsEssential
A heavier string for the shade frame, off the station's 12-volt port.
- Clack hand fanWorth packing
A large bamboo fan. Wind for the dance, and a clack when it opens.
- LED folding fan, 10 inchWorth packing
A folding fan with lights in the leaf. The cells are already in the box.
- MaxLax EL wire, five 1-meter strandsWorth packing
Ice-blue costume wire and a battery pack. The cells are not in the box.
- Rechargeable body lightsWorth packing
Small clip lights you can pin to a strap, a hat, or a hip.
- USB fairy lightsWorth packing
A thin warm string for inside the tent, powered from a bank.
- Flashing LED ringsWorth packing
Finger lights with a switch, so the night has a little motion.
- LED rave glovesComfort
A pair of light-up gloves for the set, then back in the bag.
- Light-up hair tiesComfort
A scrunchie with a small lamp in it, for hair or a wrist.
Camp
Fix it, rinse it, pack it out
- ABC fire extinguisherEssential
A fire extinguisher you can see from the stove.
- All-terrain folding wagonEssential
Haul jugs, a cot, and the shade bin from the car to camp.
Interlocking yellow blocks so an RV sits level on the playa.
A sewer hose with a swivel fitting and a 4-in-1 elbow, for an RV dump.
- Camp first-aid kitEssential
Bandages, antiseptic, blister care, and the pills you already know.
- Gray-water jugEssential
A sealed jug for dish water and wash water. None of it hits the playa.
- Helinox Chair OneWorth packing
A compact chair you can sit in all afternoon.
- Outdoor camp rugWorth packing
A bound outdoor rug you can shake. No fringe.
- Clear trigger spray bottlesEssential
Clear plastic trigger bottles, about 17 ounces, so vinegar and water never share a story.
- Contractor trash bagsEssential
Thick bags for moop, camp trash, and the final sweep.
- Distilled white vinegar, gallon jugsEssential
White vinegar in a spray bottle. It cuts the alkali on skin and gear.
- GRIP 17-inch magnetic sweeperEssential
A rolling magnet for nails, screws, and the lag you did not know you dropped.
- Hand sanitizerEssential
Sixty percent alcohol or more, in the day bag.
- Mineral sunscreen, SPF 50Essential
Mineral sunscreen. Dust on your skin isn't shade. Reapply.
- Porto wipesEssential
A small pack for the basket. The used wipe comes home.
- Reliance Luggable LooEssential
A bucket seat for when camp toilets aren't yours to use.
- Scott rapid-dissolving toilet paperEssential
1-ply toilet paper, the paper the portos are built to take.
- Toilet waste bagsEssential
The bags the bucket actually uses. Bring more than the days.
- 3M Coban self-adherent wrapWorth packing
A wrap that sticks to itself, which is why it holds when tape gives up in the dust.
- Aloe vera gelWorth packing
A small gel for skin that got more sun than the hat covered.
- Black gaffer tapeWorth packing
Cloth tape that holds and comes off without leaving gum in the dust.
- Collapsible wash basinsWorth packing
Two collapsible basins, about 8.5 liters. One for feet, one for dishes.
- Darn Tough hiker socksWorth packing
A merino hiker sock with enough structure to survive dust at the ankle.
- Dustpan and brushWorth packing
For the dust the blower pushed into a pile at the tent door.
- Fire blanketWorth packing
A fire blanket that lives next to the stove.
- Flocked inflatable sofaWorth packing
A flocked air couch. It comes down when the wind gets up.
- Leather work glovesWorth packing
For rebar, ratchet straps, and the bin lid that fights back.
- Moleskin blister padsWorth packing
A patch for the spot the shoe rubs, before the blister is a day-ender.
- Phone tetherWorth packing
A strap so the phone stays on you in a crowd.
- pStyle stand-to-pee funnelWorth packing
A rigid funnel for people who cannot already pee standing.
- Sharpie fine-point markersWorth packing
A box of fine black markers for names, camp addresses, and the vinegar bottle.
- Small dry bagWorth packing
A roll-top for the phone, the meds, and the spare batteries.
- Solar shower bagWorth packing
A short rinse, if the gray water has a jug waiting.
- Unscented lotionWorth packing
Unscented lotion for after the dust and the vinegar.
- Unscented wipes, in bulkWorth packing
Wipes for the wash, when the shower line is the whole afternoon.
- Zip-tie assortmentWorth packing
For lights, shade clips, and the repair you did not plan.
- Ziploc gallon freezer bagsWorth packing
Heavy gallon bags for clean socks, a drive-home outfit, and wipes that have to come out.
Not a product
These still belong on the list. There is nothing to buy here.
Ticket, ID, and the vehicle pass sorted
Not a product. Do this before you shop for goggles.
Ask camp what they already provide
Shade, kitchen, power, and toilets change your list. Get a direct answer.
Prescriptions, in the bottles they came in
Plus the personal supplies you already use. The playa does not stock them.
Closed-toe shoes you can bike in
The ground is rough, hot, and full of things you do not want in a sandal.
A spare car key, not on the same ring
Hide one. Carry one. Locking the only key in the car is a classic.
- If you are flying, rent the bike before the gate
Reno, Sparks, Nixon, or Gerlach. Paid rental inside the city is not allowed.
- If the RV or the truck is a rental, say where it is going
Get the playa and the cleaning fee in writing. There is no dump station in the city.
A clean layer over the bed
A fitted sheet, or a pillowcase for each day. Peel the dusty one off.
A pocket tin for butts, if you smoke
Ash is moop. A mint tin that closes is the ashtray.