Container load to the Playa

Things I have learned so far about Burning Man Truck Load

Yesterday was the first Burning Man container load from Boston I have been apart of and as a burgin I had a lot to learn, which is why I wanted to share what I thought we did that worked and what I thought did not work. Being that I had gone with someone who has done this 2 years previously, I am not trying to say I did these things knowingly. I just feel it would be good to spread the knowledge now that I have gone.

1. Don't expect others to do things for you, come prepared to load- There was someone who pulled up their car containing all of their stuff, but they had not labeled anything or fastened the tops of the bins. Yes people are there to help you load your stuff, but they are not there to pack "your" stuff. Be considerate! People are there to take your stuff and put it in the container. They are not standing around to make sure it ships safely and everything is done before its packed, they are there to just load it on. If you still have some last minute things to do that is fine just don't pull up in front of the container and expect people to not want to load your belongings. We went off to the side organized and did some last minute labeling and then drove right up to get our stuff loaded on.

2. Zip tie your front bike tire to your bike- You want your bike to be able to stack easily with the other bikes so take your front tire off and tie it with zip ties to your frame making sure the handles are also flat to the tire. This will ensure that your bike can easily be packed away with the other bikes. Again be considerate and do what will make it easier for those loading the truck.

4. Take a picture of the truck number- Do not take a picture of the license plate because that will change, but the number on the side of the truck will not. Make sure you document that and not be concerned with the numbering convention of the group for example, I heard people referring to one of the trucks as truck 4, but that is not on the truck anywhere its just want someone called it aka not reliable.

5. Don't worry about when to load if you are not going to be there within the first day or two- People were delaying putting on the truck because they were going to be there early, but in some cases early is relative. its not that big of a deal to have to help unload to get to your stuff. Now I'm not saying to put your stuff all they way in the back and make your life difficult but if you aren't coming the furst day don't wait till the last minute. Don't stress placement too much, its a community effort.

6. Have fun! Meet new people, get to know people who will be in Black Rock City with you. Help in any way you can because it takes everyones corporation to make everything run flawlessly.