Avoid Death in the Desert: 75 Packing List Essentials for Burning Man

As Burning Man is upon us, I wanted to share with all of you a packing list to make sure you don’t forget anything. A good friend of mine prepared this list for my first burn and I have been using it ever since.

Some items may not be needed depending on your plan especially if you are in an RV. If you are going the ultimate radical self-reliance route of self-camping, as I do, you must also bring your own food and water. Here are a few options for sourcing water. If you come with the Burner Express, you can simply add the water add-on option.

Camping

Sleeping bag & pillow
Water bottle
Warmer blanket
Tent light decorations
Eye mask (to sleep in tent during the day)
Ear plugs
Cup for drinks at camps
Hand towel + towel
Portable phone charger
Mirror (costumes/fun face things)
Lantern
Big Ziplocs (to seal your post-burn clothes)
Trash bags (take your trash out with you)
Stakes (keep tent from blowing away)
Bungee cords (for tent)
Tarp (underneath/on top of tent – dust)
Electrolyte stuff

Venturing

Backpack 
Bike lock
Camelback
Tissues
Goggles
Sunglasses
Scarf (warmth)
Bandana (dust mask)
Cheap indestructible watch
Headlamp
Batteries
Lights for bike (functional, decoration)

Partying

Lights for self (don’t get run over)
Vitamins
Face paint/face jewels
A gift to offer

Toiletries

Wet Wipes (dust)
Face Wipes
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Hand sanitizer
Deodorant
Dry shampoo
Sunscreen
Face Wash
Small body wash
Brush
Hair ties & bobbies
Rx meds
Other meds (stomach, Advil, **nose spray**)
Makeup remover & cloth balls
**Eye drops**
Toilet paper

Clothing

Warm sleep clothing
Warm coat
Mid layer
Night outfits (warm)
Day outfits (sun)
Chill non-costumes e.g. linen pants
Jewelry/head pieces/fun accessories
Flip flops/sandals (around camp)
Boots
Bag for dirty clothes (dust)
Lots of socks
Hats
Clean PJs, clothes for plane/hotel for hotel (*seal* for after you leave)

Print/bring

Bike rental receipt
Friends’ camps list
Schedules (e.g.; iFeel cruise)
In/out transportation tickets
Camp volunteer schedule

Misc

Cash for goodies
ID
Ticket
Safety pins
Band aids
Duct tape for bike light / zip ties
Scissors

You can also find the list formatted in Google Docs.

A few tips:

  • *Do not forget your tickets* – somehow this happens, and they *will not let you in*
  • Prepare for not having phone service to access any info like flight details or friends’ camp coordinates
  • Be prepared for the dust/dryness: goggles, bandana/face mask, wet wipes, nose spray, tissues, chap stick
  • Bring lights for yourself and your bike (+batteries and a way to attach the lights) – you can rent a bike to pick up on playa here
  • If you’re sleeping outside, a lantern for camp and lights for your tent are super helpful
  • Bring a portable cup if you want to drink at camps
  • Things like scissors, safety pins and duct tape come in handy
  • I’d recommend each having whatever you need individually in your backpacks (sunscreen, water bottle, lights…) in case you end up in a classic “I wandered off for a sec to see what those cool lights were at 11 pm and ended up following this awesome girl I met onto on an art car, headed to the other side of the playa and one thing led to another and now it’s 7am” situation 🙂

Noah Keynote: Marketplaces: The Party is not Over!

It seems to come as a surprise to many, but we are only at the beginning of the marketplace revolution. This keynote presents our current thesis and the latest trends in food, real estate, cars, home services, labor and lending. The keynote is a bit rushed because they told me I had 15 minutes, but the timer only had 10 minutes and I had practiced for exactly a 15 minute delivery, but it presents our current thinking reasonably effectively.

Founder Storiez Podcast

I had the pleasure of having a far reaching conversation with Ephraim Yarmak whom I had the pleasure to meet at a YJP event.

Download


In this interview, we speak with Fabrice Grinda Founder FJ Labs

Fabrice is a serial entrepreneur and life enthusiast. The companies he founded have raised $100s of Millions and he sold his companies for $100s of millions. 

He has an incredibly inspiring story of a shy kid from a small village in France to become the #1 Angel Investor in the world. 

He has invested in more than 400 startups and 150+ exits. He has invested in the likes of Alibaba, Airbnb, Knotel, Uber, Palantir & many more. 

He has a great journey, and in this interview, we learn about his life and entrepreneurship & Investor journey. 

Enjoy. 


About FounderStoriez. 

FounderStoriez is a podcast that interviews entrepreneurs, investors, and people that are making a difference in the world and inspiring others.  

We interview and share their stories so we can learn from and implement into our own life. 

0:00 – 0:56    Welcoming notes 

0:58 – 3:20     Origin / Upbringing / Being the chosen one and spoiled / Shy & introverted as a kid /  Got the first computer at 10 and fell in love at first sight 

3:23 – 11:20    How he was able to bring out his extroverted side / Went to Princeton / Always knew he wanted to be a tech entrepreneur / His first job after college was at Mckinsey / Learning EQ & Social skills  / After Mckinsey went ahead and launched his first startup / As a founder you are a salesperson and need to be able to storytelling / His unconventional unorthodox way of overcoming rejection and scoring a date 

11:21 – 15:29     Fear of failure / How to build up emotional resilience / Learn to fail early / Being flexible and not set on one path / Learning from your mistakes / Having humility 

15:30 – 18:39     His biggest failure / Choosing the wrong investor / Ebay offered to buy his company for $300 Million cash / Lost everything 

18:40 – 25:16     How to scale a startup from day 0 – to sale / Zingy / Build a business where unit economics make sense / Become profitable as soon as you can / Selling his company / OLX / 

25:17 – 27:09    Do you need to have a passion for your product 

27:10 – 30:59     Craiglist / Trying to run Cuba / Building another Necker Island 

31:00 – 33:32     FJ Labs / 400 Investments, 150 + exits / Investment thesis  

33:33 – 35:49      Difference between starting a startup in 1998 and 2019 

35:50 – 41:00      Most common mistakes founders make that should be avoided / why most people fail / Picking the right idea from a theoretical approach / Know why you are approaching a VC / Investment Philosophy + Thesis  

41:01 – 42:30       What do you look for in an entrepreneur / Storytelling, tenacity, knowing your numbers, passion 

42:31 – 47:02        Non-obvious habits that changed your life/adrenaline junkie / not having a set path / Living life to the fullest 

47:05 – 49:39        How to read a 100 books a year / Most mind-boggling book Sapiens 

49:40 – 58:45         Framework for making important decisions in your life / Fabrice Grinda Book 

58:46 – 1:01:19      One tip someone can implement into their life right now to change their life / Have everything scheduled in your calendar 

1:01:20 – 1:04:04       Message to younger self / Be emotionally intelligent 

1:04:08 – 1:06:18       Closing notes / Expressing gratitude 

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