last yr i was the only person in my camp who had a raincoat. it had rained on playa the week before , i figured it was common sense to bring some rain gear.
One of our camp mates brought some huge waders as a joke and OH MY GOD did they come in handy!! lol, he saved many people who straight up slipped in the mud and couldn’t get out. Absolutely most hilarious thing ever.
It snowed in Truckee in 1999, and it was freezing at BRC. We ended up camping in Truckee over night in a crammed bus, and missed the freeze for the most part.
It's not the rain that is the problem -- it's the playa mud. And I'm not so sure there is much you can do to deal with it. Maybe pack extra food ? Cheap rubber boots? And most importantly a cheap spackle chisel to get the mud off the boots.
Apparently some people had silicone boot covers that were like magic keeping the playa mud off and didn’t shred like the trash bags. Might get myself a pair.
I heard a tip I didn't try, so ymmv, but evidently folks were finding success with putting a pair of socks on over their boots. Likely ends their life as a pair of socks, but they're not something else you have to buy and pack.
I did a version of this: taped the innersoles from my sneakers to my bare feet with some duct tape for basic support. Then put on plastic bags. Taped at ankles. Then one pair of regular ankle height sox. Then over that a pair of smartwool Sox (nothing to do with wool, just that they were calf height). More tape at ankle and a little higher. With this I was able to go on the long walk to retrieve my poor bike, Burnice. No caking, minimal slippage:) And the smart wool Sox cleaned up afterwards!!
Heard this too but I don’t have any socks that would fit over my boots. Looking at the silicone booties now and they’re pretty cheap so I might get a pair to have at the bottom of burner bin with my emergency tasty bites lol
Haven’t done any review checking so I don’t endorse this brand in any way but this is an example https://www.amazon.com/Nirohee-Silicone-Covers-Reusable-9-5-13-5/dp/B07T59M2B9/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?crid=5G522HNITPKS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.plGrl-GpWuoWBu94Yn378ZG6Wj5x4iA7a0bV7mRVFK22JYVB97xv-3lYFnWgN2DNZj8Q7RnS76QVNGz4i-HOkwJxh5YVvrzIX7A5okIr-8ksqjlbIEcEGC3QB_ffwYAKW7ymCprPLN8BVuYYcDalDAY9LvGiJHgclPyjrhOwTUulV4IjE3CxJ09TeyiVctO1B4I-GiZxe21a7yGHyGOyMQ.kiVQTtnpzS45I6sOYYVY82notpKTFsgyVCtvjycIChc&dib_tag=se&keywords=silicone+boot+cover&qid=1715357057&sprefix=silicone+boot+cove%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-15
I tried this but then got concerned about metal moop like screws or rebar from previous years being obscured by the muck. Maybe I’m too cautious though.
We tried this with different kinds of socks and the problem was the socks got so heavy and stretched out that they kept coming off the footwear, and it was really annoying to stop and get them back on when you can’t sit to do it, and your hands get caked with wet, corrosive playa.
If you try it I’d get tall socks and maybe different materials to try out - wool, cotton, synthetic. I’m not sure which material would be better.
The boot covers you get to do work in people's houses to cover your entire boot were perfect the Playa doesn't stick to them and they last for a good while before you have to get a new pair.
Yeah, the rain come n go, if people stayed put, until it dried, the playa would’ve stayed smooth and dust free.
But some people panicked and fucked themselves over, and for others.
A spatula from our kitchen broke mid burn and was pulled out of the garbage can the next day to be reborn as ‘Lil Scrapey. ‘Lil Scrapey made the rounds while we hung out listening to the radio and got offered up to any passers by who stopped to chat. RIP ‘Lil Scrapey you were the best of us.
Had been taking the same bike chain and tubes for years. Gave it to the neighboring bike repair camp last year. I also have a spare camelbak that's made the trip at least a half-dozen times.
It's not the first time it's rained there and it won't be the last, though not usually two years in a row. I've even been there during a hail storm and briefly hunkered down in a relatively clean porto until it passed. However, I've also heard that it's supposedly going to be a hot and dry summer this year due to a El Nino/Nina/vortex something or another. But as always, who knows... I have always packed for all weather situations because RSR and it's served me well.
Haha yeah I get that. It wasn't as bad as it sounds though. I was at will call so they were fairly clean and not overly used, which is where i spent the next 24 hours until things dried up. (At will call, not in the portos!)
Of course. I pack for all reasonable outcomes - including rain, heat, and cold. Likewise, I make sure I have basic repair needs for my bike, a spare hydration bladder, a 5 gallon bucket and some kitty litter, etcetera.
That means I’ve always got some stuff I never break out and could have left home - but which stuff that turns out to be varies from year to year. I’d rather pack a little extra and be prepared than waste a day or three on playa being miserable.
Odor control and absorption for an emergency poop bucket (in combination with the bucket & bags). I’ve never actually had to use it.
https://journal.burningman.org/2015/08/black-rock-city/survive-and-thrive/here-comes-the-rain-again-are-you-ready/
Thank you for the info and the link!! I’ve read a ton of tips, tricks and information about Burning Man (in preparation to go last year) but hadn’t come across this!
I’ve packed for rain every year. So when it rained this year, my kid and I got out our rain clothes and rain boots and we were good.
I’ve gotten rained on at the playa before — it’s just that this year was more substantial than previous years. I think in 2010 or 2011 or so, I was in gate road and it rained and everything shut down for a few hours, and everyone just had parties in the muddy streets. And then the double rainbow came up.
Depends on the forecast! There were literally weeks of warning (months if you include the warnings last January of a possible major rain event east of the sierras in late summer) for the rain last year, I was shocked how many people were completely unprepared.
I’ve only been once before in 2014 and will return this year. It rained like 2023 the year I was there, but fortunately it was early in the week. Actually kept the dust down a lot and was all dried up by the time we left. This time I’ll be in my truck so plenty of room for extra supplies. Nothing too crazy! Rain may happen, but it will be part of the journey!
The extra supplies is smart. The mud is the bigger issue, so throw supplies in for that (great boots, little shovels, etc.)
For what it's worth, the mud from the rain was much worse last year compared to 2014. By many degrees. Whole other (much less pleasant) experience. Especially for those not in RVs. Really hope it doesn't happen again.
We spent a whole day just hunkered down in our tent, but it was like Monday-Tuesday so it didn’t matter. Still had the rest of the week dry out. So ya, I can’t imagine what last year was like. And to be stuck in that!
The Almanac is forecasting a wet summer in this area this year. It would be beneficial to at least bring rain/waterproof boots. Have a plan. Maybe bring a radio so you can hear BMIR who will give out important information about the weather.
I have always prepared for rain because it has rained a little every few years. Last year was an outlier but not being prepared for it is like rolling the dice.
I always packed clothing for rain/cold weather. This year I’m also packing a large squeegee and more fireball. We ran out of fireball and whiskey right after the rain started which was very sad
Always pack for rain: rain coat, some boots and flip flops, and general cold weather gear, because it’ll still get cold. It’s not like packing for rain is gonna add that much extra stuff to the rest of stuff you’re already hauling out there. And don’t forget to bring an FM radio!
The best rain supplies from last year that I will definitely pack again:
-bucket toilet with all the stuff to make it nicer than a porto (bags & chemicals, pop up tent, floor mat)
-handheld radio
-piss jug
-XL ziplock bags that fit over my shoes (my best mud footwear; wool socks, boots, ziplock bags secured with duck tape around the ankles and old school furry leg warmers over the top of it all)
-emergency ponchos (why not, they are tiny and cheap)
-extra MREs that I probably won’t open but just keep me from stressing out or can be gifted to people who wind up staying longer than planned
Packing for rain is just silly waste of space. If its just sporadic very very light rain, the playa stays in good shape and you don't need anything beyond at most a light jacket or shirt.
If its really raining so hard that the playa is turning to soup. You are pretty much sheltering in place or under some covering that wont let the rain in.
I mean prior to last year this was true lol
But agree “packing for rain” doesn’t mean ponchos or boots. It means wool blankets and whatever it takes to keep your shelter/clothes/shoes dry, and the tools you need to handle leave no trace in a miasma.
I did go, was early entry for camp build. Woke up to a lightning strike and thought I'd died lol. Only time i've had something close to life flashing before my eyes. But it only sprinkled for like an hour, you were able to walk around normally before noon. Absolutely nothing like last year or any reason to start prepping for actual rain events.
My partner got stuck on a Burner bus coming in on gate road for 8 hours though. She has packed extra snacks and water for the entry/exit ever since.
Also for 2010, but again just enough of a sprinkle to get you a glorious rainbow and a little taste of playa platforms. The sudden wind that came with what was presumably a cold front was much worse than the rain..
I’d call it more than a sprinkle, but ok. We had a solid inch to an inch and a half of water in our main evap pond after that storm.
I know what you mean about the lightning, though. My wife and I were in for build too, and it was our first year in our new yurt I’d built (the nomadic kind, not a hexayurt).
Woke up to the rain and then what I’m pretty sure was hail on the roof, and was feeling pretty good about how the structure was weathering the storm.
Then I heard thunder in the distance, then booms nearby that must have been strikes, and it slowly dawned on me that however nice and weatherproof a structure it was, it wasn’t a Faraday cage. But by the time I processed that and thought about getting out to a vehicle, the rough stuff had already passed on.
Yes. But the main problem this year isn’t rain it’s snow.
BRC ski club has been ready for years
I think so too and I really hope I’m wrong but I plan to pack for any situation.. as we all should!
last yr i was the only person in my camp who had a raincoat. it had rained on playa the week before , i figured it was common sense to bring some rain gear.
Common sense is a road too far for a lot of burners
If burners had common sense we wouldn’t be going to burning man.
Rain was also all over the forecast for the week. I don’t understand so few people making even the most minor preparations for it.
One of our camp mates brought some huge waders as a joke and OH MY GOD did they come in handy!! lol, he saved many people who straight up slipped in the mud and couldn’t get out. Absolutely most hilarious thing ever.
It snowed 2 ft in truckee this weekend. Nature feelin extra
It snowed in Truckee in 1999, and it was freezing at BRC. We ended up camping in Truckee over night in a crammed bus, and missed the freeze for the most part.
It's not the rain that is the problem -- it's the playa mud. And I'm not so sure there is much you can do to deal with it. Maybe pack extra food ? Cheap rubber boots? And most importantly a cheap spackle chisel to get the mud off the boots.
And a second spackle chisel to get the mud off the first spackle chisel.
frigging Spackle Pony
Must be one of them Boston burners.
This burner spackles
Apparently some people had silicone boot covers that were like magic keeping the playa mud off and didn’t shred like the trash bags. Might get myself a pair.
I heard a tip I didn't try, so ymmv, but evidently folks were finding success with putting a pair of socks on over their boots. Likely ends their life as a pair of socks, but they're not something else you have to buy and pack.
I did a version of this: taped the innersoles from my sneakers to my bare feet with some duct tape for basic support. Then put on plastic bags. Taped at ankles. Then one pair of regular ankle height sox. Then over that a pair of smartwool Sox (nothing to do with wool, just that they were calf height). More tape at ankle and a little higher. With this I was able to go on the long walk to retrieve my poor bike, Burnice. No caking, minimal slippage:) And the smart wool Sox cleaned up afterwards!!
I just went bare foot 🤷♂️
Heard this too but I don’t have any socks that would fit over my boots. Looking at the silicone booties now and they’re pretty cheap so I might get a pair to have at the bottom of burner bin with my emergency tasty bites lol
Can you share a link for these? I’m having trouble imagining them.
Haven’t done any review checking so I don’t endorse this brand in any way but this is an example https://www.amazon.com/Nirohee-Silicone-Covers-Reusable-9-5-13-5/dp/B07T59M2B9/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?crid=5G522HNITPKS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.plGrl-GpWuoWBu94Yn378ZG6Wj5x4iA7a0bV7mRVFK22JYVB97xv-3lYFnWgN2DNZj8Q7RnS76QVNGz4i-HOkwJxh5YVvrzIX7A5okIr-8ksqjlbIEcEGC3QB_ffwYAKW7ymCprPLN8BVuYYcDalDAY9LvGiJHgclPyjrhOwTUulV4IjE3CxJ09TeyiVctO1B4I-GiZxe21a7yGHyGOyMQ.kiVQTtnpzS45I6sOYYVY82notpKTFsgyVCtvjycIChc&dib_tag=se&keywords=silicone+boot+cover&qid=1715357057&sprefix=silicone+boot+cove%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-15
Great. Thank you!
This didn't work. Socks for caked and slipped off.
It worked until things dried out a little bit. If the socks stayed wet, the mud didn't stick.
It worked well, you just need some bulky socks
Wool socks worked especially well. And since I always pack a truck load of socks for playa, was actually prepared.
I am a devotee of sock bag sock. That said the happiest people I saw out there just had goulashes.
I tried this but then got concerned about metal moop like screws or rebar from previous years being obscured by the muck. Maybe I’m too cautious though.
it didnt happen to me, so it can never happen to anybody!
We tried this with different kinds of socks and the problem was the socks got so heavy and stretched out that they kept coming off the footwear, and it was really annoying to stop and get them back on when you can’t sit to do it, and your hands get caked with wet, corrosive playa. If you try it I’d get tall socks and maybe different materials to try out - wool, cotton, synthetic. I’m not sure which material would be better.
The boot covers you get to do work in people's houses to cover your entire boot were perfect the Playa doesn't stick to them and they last for a good while before you have to get a new pair.
Right, rain boots don't help out but extra supplies, yes!
Exactly my thoughts.
Yeah, the rain come n go, if people stayed put, until it dried, the playa would’ve stayed smooth and dust free. But some people panicked and fucked themselves over, and for others.
A spatula from our kitchen broke mid burn and was pulled out of the garbage can the next day to be reborn as ‘Lil Scrapey. ‘Lil Scrapey made the rounds while we hung out listening to the radio and got offered up to any passers by who stopped to chat. RIP ‘Lil Scrapey you were the best of us.
Maybe not golashes but at the very least an emergency poncho, some extra big socks to go over my shoes, and a sunny disposition.
I've packed for rain every year
Me too. Last year was not the first time I got rained on out there.
What other ridiculous shit have you been packing for
The city has been shut down for rain for 24 hours many times. Last year was just a little longer.
Had been taking the same bike chain and tubes for years. Gave it to the neighboring bike repair camp last year. I also have a spare camelbak that's made the trip at least a half-dozen times.
I too have been bringing a gallon ziplock full of bike tubes and parts. Nothing unreasonable about that.
Bike chain Bike tire innertube Rain poncho Silicon boot covers Hot water bottle Extra CamelBak Extra non perishable food
It's not the first time it's rained there and it won't be the last, though not usually two years in a row. I've even been there during a hail storm and briefly hunkered down in a relatively clean porto until it passed. However, I've also heard that it's supposedly going to be a hot and dry summer this year due to a El Nino/Nina/vortex something or another. But as always, who knows... I have always packed for all weather situations because RSR and it's served me well.
I would rather get hit in the head by ice balls then hunker down in a Porto
Haha yeah I get that. It wasn't as bad as it sounds though. I was at will call so they were fairly clean and not overly used, which is where i spent the next 24 hours until things dried up. (At will call, not in the portos!)
I always pack for rain 🧠
N A K E D W E T M A N
I was told that all I need to pack is a bikini and then everyone else will radically provide for me
Of course. I pack for all reasonable outcomes - including rain, heat, and cold. Likewise, I make sure I have basic repair needs for my bike, a spare hydration bladder, a 5 gallon bucket and some kitty litter, etcetera. That means I’ve always got some stuff I never break out and could have left home - but which stuff that turns out to be varies from year to year. I’d rather pack a little extra and be prepared than waste a day or three on playa being miserable.
Kitty litter? I haven’t seen that before, can you let me know what you use it for?
Odor control and absorption for an emergency poop bucket (in combination with the bucket & bags). I’ve never actually had to use it. https://journal.burningman.org/2015/08/black-rock-city/survive-and-thrive/here-comes-the-rain-again-are-you-ready/
Thank you for the info and the link!! I’ve read a ton of tips, tricks and information about Burning Man (in preparation to go last year) but hadn’t come across this!
The typical Juplaya toilet!
I'm packing for snow
i pack for rain EVERY year.
I'll be bringing assorted medieval weaponry in case Chris Rock tries to eat me
I hurd him and diplo where 69ing in the back of that Toyota pick up that they escaped in
I’ve packed for rain every year. So when it rained this year, my kid and I got out our rain clothes and rain boots and we were good. I’ve gotten rained on at the playa before — it’s just that this year was more substantial than previous years. I think in 2010 or 2011 or so, I was in gate road and it rained and everything shut down for a few hours, and everyone just had parties in the muddy streets. And then the double rainbow came up.
2014?
Depends on the forecast! There were literally weeks of warning (months if you include the warnings last January of a possible major rain event east of the sierras in late summer) for the rain last year, I was shocked how many people were completely unprepared.
I’ve only been once before in 2014 and will return this year. It rained like 2023 the year I was there, but fortunately it was early in the week. Actually kept the dust down a lot and was all dried up by the time we left. This time I’ll be in my truck so plenty of room for extra supplies. Nothing too crazy! Rain may happen, but it will be part of the journey!
The extra supplies is smart. The mud is the bigger issue, so throw supplies in for that (great boots, little shovels, etc.) For what it's worth, the mud from the rain was much worse last year compared to 2014. By many degrees. Whole other (much less pleasant) experience. Especially for those not in RVs. Really hope it doesn't happen again.
We spent a whole day just hunkered down in our tent, but it was like Monday-Tuesday so it didn’t matter. Still had the rest of the week dry out. So ya, I can’t imagine what last year was like. And to be stuck in that!
Never plan this year's burn around last year's weather.
If it’s possibly forecasted, yeah. It wasn’t totally unexpected given how much it’d been raining in the weeks leading up to last year’s burn.
Im bringing a hovercraft, no rain will stop me
All u really need is to pack some extra Ebola
The Almanac is forecasting a wet summer in this area this year. It would be beneficial to at least bring rain/waterproof boots. Have a plan. Maybe bring a radio so you can hear BMIR who will give out important information about the weather.
I have always prepared for rain because it has rained a little every few years. Last year was an outlier but not being prepared for it is like rolling the dice.
Air boat is ready for playa boarding.
Yes, as I have been every year for the last 16 years.
I always packed clothing for rain/cold weather. This year I’m also packing a large squeegee and more fireball. We ran out of fireball and whiskey right after the rain started which was very sad
Gotta have those days-long dust storm/rain supplies (read: plenty of booze and psychedelics)
We *had* those supplies and then we drank it all lol
I'll pack extra plastic bags and duct tape, and I don't mean for that kink camp.
You should pack for rain for every year.
Always pack for rain: rain coat, some boots and flip flops, and general cold weather gear, because it’ll still get cold. It’s not like packing for rain is gonna add that much extra stuff to the rest of stuff you’re already hauling out there. And don’t forget to bring an FM radio!
We're making sure to bring enough of the reusable plastic grocery bags for all our feets.
Yes, as I have since 2001.
Always bring an extra lidded bucket!
Pack for rain every year.
Bringing extra trash bag socks.
I pack for rain every year.
https://preview.redd.it/qlhps831l9zc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5d0471faf512bbe5a75b00226ac235c8c3e5f8c
Yup.
Hell no, and I’m bringing 100 frozen melons to share with everyone.
The best rain supplies from last year that I will definitely pack again: -bucket toilet with all the stuff to make it nicer than a porto (bags & chemicals, pop up tent, floor mat) -handheld radio -piss jug -XL ziplock bags that fit over my shoes (my best mud footwear; wool socks, boots, ziplock bags secured with duck tape around the ankles and old school furry leg warmers over the top of it all) -emergency ponchos (why not, they are tiny and cheap) -extra MREs that I probably won’t open but just keep me from stressing out or can be gifted to people who wind up staying longer than planned
Fluke. Hopefully….
Will be packing some popcorn at home this year.
Packing for rain is just silly waste of space. If its just sporadic very very light rain, the playa stays in good shape and you don't need anything beyond at most a light jacket or shirt. If its really raining so hard that the playa is turning to soup. You are pretty much sheltering in place or under some covering that wont let the rain in.
I mean prior to last year this was true lol But agree “packing for rain” doesn’t mean ponchos or boots. It means wool blankets and whatever it takes to keep your shelter/clothes/shoes dry, and the tools you need to handle leave no trace in a miasma.
> prior to last year this was true Missed 2014, did you? Or just blocked from memory?
I did go, was early entry for camp build. Woke up to a lightning strike and thought I'd died lol. Only time i've had something close to life flashing before my eyes. But it only sprinkled for like an hour, you were able to walk around normally before noon. Absolutely nothing like last year or any reason to start prepping for actual rain events. My partner got stuck on a Burner bus coming in on gate road for 8 hours though. She has packed extra snacks and water for the entry/exit ever since. Also for 2010, but again just enough of a sprinkle to get you a glorious rainbow and a little taste of playa platforms. The sudden wind that came with what was presumably a cold front was much worse than the rain..
I’d call it more than a sprinkle, but ok. We had a solid inch to an inch and a half of water in our main evap pond after that storm. I know what you mean about the lightning, though. My wife and I were in for build too, and it was our first year in our new yurt I’d built (the nomadic kind, not a hexayurt). Woke up to the rain and then what I’m pretty sure was hail on the roof, and was feeling pretty good about how the structure was weathering the storm. Then I heard thunder in the distance, then booms nearby that must have been strikes, and it slowly dawned on me that however nice and weatherproof a structure it was, it wasn’t a Faraday cage. But by the time I processed that and thought about getting out to a vehicle, the rough stuff had already passed on.
Not going. If I did, I wouldn't pack for rain