Colorado Regional Burners going to Burning Man
Those who have attended Apogaea and are daunted by the idea of going to Burning Man proper. I am here to tell you that it is less of a jump than you think (logistically).
- You’ve already purchased most of the things! Cross-check my packing list here
- It’s only ~1000 miles away so you can drive out there, just like Apogaea
- This saves on airfare
- Car rentals are cheaper if you choose to rent, which I recommend
- Rental companies won’t be as strict on the cleaning policy, and will have lower cleaning fees
- It is a lot easier to pack into a car than flying with all of your gear
- Many camps are larger with more to offer, in particular providing food and water
Here are the simplified steps for attending Burning Man after dipping your toes into the Colorado Regional Burn: Apogaea.
Step 1: Buy a ticket
Tickets have been easier to find than ever since 2023. And many camps even have spare tickets to allocate, given you stay with them.
You will also need a Vehicle Pass (~$150-$200) for every car that is brought in, keep this in mind in Step 3.
Step 2: Find yourself a camp to join
This is much easier this year, as many camps are desperately looking for new campers. They need people to help build and run the camp. Joining a camp costs on average $400-$600 which usually gets you 2-3 meals a day, water / drinks, shade structure to setup your tent under. This alone removes a big chunk of logistics, not having to worry about food and water.
Step 3: Rent a vehicle (or decide to take your own)
You need to get yourself to the playa. The Burner Express is an amazing option, but really only suited to people who are flying into Reno or SF. Since we have the ability to drive, there’s not much reason to pay for airfare plus high car rental prices in Reno / SF on top of cramming all of your gear into a few pieces of luggage.
You could take your own vehicle, but playa dust never really comes out no matter how well you clean it up. This is an option only for those on a budget, with an older vehicle, and/or those who can’t find folks to carpool to split the cost. A rental out of Denver Airport for an SUV will run about $800, split three ways comes to about $270 to saves the life of your vehicle.
Step 4: Purchase Remainder of Gear
I’ve made well-seasoned packing list after attending eight plus burns. You can access it here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vv0HSXmxZnio1JwsYJbZ5MFitrmnUzX5IRepYAq-R-A/edit?usp=sharing
Conclusion
Even at the end of July, it is still very possible to attend Burning Man! For a more comprehensive dive into the logistics of going for the first time, check out my Logistics post!