CAMP LOGISTICS

ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU COME TO ROOTPILE CAMP:

If you don't see the info you need here, email our fearless leader:

Fixxer fixxer@rootpile.com

tent camping • rv camping • domes/yurts/large tent space • parking • meals/kitchen • showers/water/ice • trash/moop • medical • power • camp duty shifts • bikes • rootpile radio system • haulage • mission contribution • tickets • general

TENT CAMPING

Tent spaces of approximately 15 x 15ft and 8ft high are available to all tent campers and are included as part of your Mission Contribution.
Campers must provide accurate tent dimensions in advance of the Burn. Shade placement is not guaranteed to those who do not provide dimensions in advance.
Includes single extension cord 5 amp power
Tents are not provided.

RV CAMPING

RV space is only available to Rootpile camp members and requires an additional contribution, due to the larger space and power used. RV's require a minimum of two Rootpile campers per RV.
RV spaces are $800 and include 30 amps of power, or RV spaces needing 50 amps of power are $1,000. Personal generators will generally not be allowed. But, if you would like to bring a backup generator for your RV, it can be used if there is a temporary camp grid power outage.
RV's are not provided, but we may be able help arrange for a rental RV, if you would like.
Parking for the pull vehicle for large trailers needs to be arranged in advanced.

PERSONAL DOME, PERSONAL YURT, OVERSIZED TENT, LARGE VAN/SMALL CAMPER CAMPING SPACE

Since space limits the number of campers, and to be fair to people only using a very small space, we will have a $200 extra contribution for personal domes, personal yurts, large tents (tents that won't fit in the normal shaded 15 x 15ft, 8ft tall tent space), or large van/small camper camping spaces.
Large vans and small campers must take up no more than a 15 x 30ft space
Includes regular extension cord 5 amp power, but does not include 30 amp RV power. Additional power may be arranged on a case-by-case basis.

PARKING

If you are bringing your own vehicle, please let us know in advance, as parking is very limited and we cannot promise parking in camp, and BMORG does not specifically allocate space in camp just to park cars.
Parking is first-come, first serve, unless arranged in advance.
If it is necessary to park your vehicle outside of camp, we can arrange rides. But we are usually able to accommodate everybody within our camp borders.
Since space is limited, there is a $200 extra contribution for those parking large vans or small campers (taking up no more than a 15 x 30ft space). In most cases, RV spaces are $800. See additional details in descriptions above. There is no additional contribution for parking standard size vehicles.

MEALS/KITCHEN

Camp meals, other than concert BBQ/Pinto Bean service, are for Rootpile campers only. Campers should not bring Playa friends to meals without permission.
Camp food will be served a la carte all day between 8 am and 8 pm during Burn Week. (2 meals per person per day). Large-pot offerings such as chili, soup, beans, etc will also be available in addition to the two meals.
Breakfast & dinner will be served during Build and Teardown.
The main kitchen is only open to those who are on a meal team shift. There will not be self-serve food in this kitchen.
There will be a 20 x 40ft tent for a dining hall communal space for campers.

SHOWERS, WATER & ICE

Showers: Two shower rooms with warm water are available so that campers can take one daily shower. Campers are expected to conserve water as much as possible. Showers should not be shared with outside guests without explicit permission.
Water: In the dining hall, there will be three large water containers. One will always have cold drinking water, one will have electrolyte water, and the third will have sweet tea. There will be a spigot to fill your personal drinking water containers, and there will be a hand washing station in the dining hall.
We ask that all campers try to be conscientious of water use. Water is expensive and not easy to come by in the desert.
Ice: Ice is for sale at Arctica in Burning Man Center Camp as well as two other locations on Playa. We will have at least one daily ice run if campers want to place orders/pay and not have to go separately. Ice should be stored in each camper's personal ice chest, and not in Rootpile freezers/coolers. Have cash on hand to buy your ice.

TRASH/MOOP

Campers must pack all of THEIR personal trash out.
At the end of the Burn, leftover food or drink donations will only be taken if they are needed by the kitchen. ALL other food must be packed out of Burning Man. On Sunday, we will take donated unopened food and drinks to Burning Man Department of Public Works to feed their volunteers.
There will be no common camp garbage cans. Only burnables, aluminum cans, and compost will be collected by camp.
Avoid bringing in excess packaging. Please PRECYCLE all trash.
- PRECYCLING means removing all unnecessary packaging before you arrive at Black Rock City.
- Try to buy items that will not create more waste.
- Bring reusable water bottles. We will provide drinking water, so you should not need to bring multiple plastic bottled drinks. There is no possibility of collection of recycled plastic, glass or tin cans at Burning Man.
We will have a set time every night for burn barrels, so that campers can bring their burnables to the fire. This will be overseen by the burnables volunteer team. Burn barrels should not be used without the supervison of the Burnables Team.
All Burner Express riders can take one bag of trash and one bag of recycling to the bus depot at the time of exit. If you are taking trash to the depot, we will give you a ride on an art car to the bus, if possible.

MEDICAL

Rootpile will have a medical tent with some basic medical supplies. There are a few doctors and nurses in camp that can assist with health concerns/emergencies.
Do not keep health concerns to yourself. "If you see something, say something." If you can't find a doctor or nurse in camp, let someone else know and have them help you get to one of the Burning Man Medical Stations.
- Burning Man Medical Stations are located on C near the 3:00 and 9:00 plazas, at 5:15 on the Esplanade, on H near the 4:30 and 7:30 plazas, and one last one out near the Temple. These are staffed with a mix of clinical (RNs, MDs, PAs, NPs, etc.) and field (EMT and Paramedic) volunteers. The stations are equipped with cots, basic medical supplies, quiet air-conditioned spaces, and plenty of medical providers to care for the urgent medical needs of the citizens of Black Rock City.
Consider buying Medflight Evacuation Insurance
- ($50 insurance will cover a $30,000 medical helicopter evacuation)
Bring any personal care products you may need, as they may be difficult to find at Burning Man.
Stay hydrated. Make sure to drink plenty of water and electrolytes. It is easy to get dehydrated in the desert!

POWER

Each tent and yurt has the option of an extension cord with 5 amps of 110 volt power, included in Mission Contribution. Box fans are available to be rented for $50.
Due to noise and safety concerns, the running of personal & RV generators will generally not be allowed unless, for some reason, we lose our main power source.
All RVs MUST go on the power grid and power is included in the price of an RV space. Personal generators will not be allowed, unless the main power grid is down.
Fuel must be stored properly in the Rootpile fuel dump.

CAMP DUTY SHIFTS

Team participation shifts will be arranged in advance of Burning Man by each team lead. Each team will be organized so that team members will typically be doing a two to three hour shift per day, but shift lengths might vary by team.
Campers are expected to do one shift each day of Burn Week. There are also opportunities to work Build or Teardown. Team Lead positions are also available, which have the opportunity for Rootpile to help you find a ticket.
See the Camp Involvement page to find out more details about camp team options.

BURNING MAN DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER SHIFTS

Burning Man is a volunteer-driven event. Most of the work done on Playa is done by volunteers. Without these volunteers, Burning Man could not exist. Doing volunteer shifts at Burning Man is a great way to meet other Burners and expand your Burning Man experience.
All Rootpile campers are encouraged to sign up for at least one Burning Man departmental volunteer shift during the Burn.

BIKES

We will not be providing bike repair and we are not sure if there will be any bike rentals available on Playa.
We will provide bike racks for you to safely lock your bike. Please bring a bike lock. Bicycles are commonly stolen, even within camp.
If you left a bike with us in 2019, please do not expect that bike to have survived these past two years. We were left with dozens upon dozens of bikes which we have had no way to safely store from the elements.

ROOTPILE RADIO SYSTEM

We will have a 2-way radio system so that campers can communicate with base camp, each other, or our multiple art cars and handicap vehicles.
If you are interested in being able to communicate with camp and want to bring your own handheld radio, contact Fixxer in advance of Burning Man.

HAULAGE

In 2021 the price for haulage is $15/cubic foot, round trip from North Carolina to the Playa.
We will not be accepting bicycles
The black & yellow 27 gallon boxes and 40 gallon boxes shown in these links are the ONLY boxes we will haul, due to the fact that they must stack so that they can be properly secured and hauled.
Any other items expected to be transported that will not fit in these boxes must be arranged in advance. If items outside of these parameters are brought to us during the drop-off period, without prior permission, they will not be taken.
Any box that is more than 50 lbs. will have a $100 extra charge.
Gear needs to be dropped off between August 1st and August 10th and picked up within two weeks of our return. There may be additional fees if equipment is not picked up within the time frame specified. Storage fees of $50 per item per month will be charged for items not picked up within two weeks of our return to North Carolina. It is possible that your cargo could be picked up on our route from North Carolina to Burning Man, but this must be arranged in advance.

CONTRIBUTIONS

In order to accomplish our mission, it is necessary for our Rootpile campers to provide a significant amount of daily work in camp. It is truly a cooperative experience. In order to support our campers working this hard, we feel that it is important that the camp operation helps our campers to get their work done and also enjoy their Burn. Support includes meals, shade, showers, art car tours, drinking water, etc. All of this is accomplished through the team effort of our campers and also monetary contributions. These constributions are broken into two categories...
In general, contributions for Rootpile fall in the following two categories: Yearly Dues & Mission Contributions
- Yearly Dues: Paying yearly dues saves your spot in camp until July 1st. Yearly dues are not refundable for any reason, even if you can no longer attend or if the Burn is canceled. A camp such as Rootpile, which has extensive, specific infrastructure, which is used only during Burning Man, has significant off-Playa ongoing expenses. These cost consist of, but are not limited to, storage, equipment maintenance/repairs, vehicle and trailer insurance, and replacement of equipment which is often destroyed by the Playa, such as refrigerators, instruments, etc. In order to meet these off-Playa expenses in the past, we have asked for a $100 yearly dues donation from each Rootpile member, often even from members not returning every year. This helps us survive from Burn to Burn, but never covers all the expenses. This year, having missed the Burn in 2020 due to covid, our ongoing expenses have had a dramatic impact on Fixxer and Radar's financial well-being. Because of this we asked for some additional donations from camp members, and we appreciate the help. Typically we hope to collect Yearly Dues within the first few months after the Burn to help pay our ongoing expenses. This year, we have delayed asking for yearly dues because it was unknown as to whether there would be a Burn. Considering the timing and how we would like to arrange contributions this year, we have decided to make the Yearly Dues $200 per camper, and make them non-refundable.
- Mission Contributions: The Mission Contribution expected from each Rootpile camp member helps to fund the camp's on-Playa operations. This includes tent space, shade, daily meals, drinking water and electrolyte water, warm showers, community space, support of Rootpile's Mission, and also the opportunity to hang out with real-life hillbillies. Since we are not 100% sure that the Burn will happen, our plan is to hold these funds, as long as possible, so that we can refund as much as possible if the Burn gets canceled. This is why we have increased the ratio of the Yearly Dues to the Mission Contribution, so that we may have enough funds to begin our preparations for the 2021 Burn. The total for the Mission Contribution and Yearly dues is about the same as in past years, especially considering the plan we once had for a Teardown deposit, which we are no longer considering. The Mission Contribution for each camp member in 2021 will be $500.
- In past years, if you were receiving a DGS ticket allocation, we expected the Yearly Dues and Mission Contribution to be paid in advance before tickets were allocated. This year, since there is a possibility that Burning Man may be canceled after the sale and purchase of DGS tickets (which we have no control over), we are only requesting and expecting that our DGS ticket buyers pay the Yearly Dues in advance of the DGS allocation. It will be very hard to plan, organize, and execute the camp without this money earlier, but we feel that this is the only way to make it safe and fair for everyone. We will set a date later when the Mission Contribution needs to be paid, probably around mid to late June, once we are sure the Burn is happening.
Campers will receive a mandatory questionnaire after paying Yearly Dues. This questionnaire will gather info about tent/yurt/RV space needed, diet/food allergies/special health needs, emergency contact info, arrival/departure dates, generator electricity needs, etc.
We will begin accepting Yearly Dues and Mission Contributions on April 1, 2021. After you have filled out your Rootpile member application form, by clicking the "Join Us" tab at the top of this page, and once you are approved, we will send you a link to pay your Yearly Dues, which will save your spot in camp. For safety purposes, we have some limitations on interactivity, and are reducing the number of members in camp to a maximum of 120 people, so if you are interested in joining Rootpile, fill out your application soon!

TICKETS

You are responsible for getting your own ticket for Burning Man. There are many ways to get a Burning Man Ticket, which we will not take the space to explain here. But, we will help advise you on how to navigate the various sales. And we suggest that you network with your local Burner Community, which is a good way to get help finding a ticket. But the best way to get a ticket is to save your money, be ready, pay attention, and listen to what the Fixxer tells you to do!
It is possible that the camp will help you find a ticket if you are bringing something to the table that is extra special or if you are interested in becoming a patron.
Each theme camp in good standing with Burning Man is allocated a certain number of Directed Group Sale (DGS) tickets every year. This allocation is meant to give the leadership of the camp the ability to designate certain core members of the camp as DGS ticket holders. We do not have enough DGS tickets to ticket every Rootpile camper, so our DGS tickets are allocated first to our Team Leads and important core members with special skill sets.
***If you are provided a ticket of any kind through camp, and can no longer join Rootpile, please be advised that this ticket MUST be returned to the fold so that it can be used by other Rootpile core members***

GENERAL

Coffee & Ice are the only things available for sale at Burning Man. Anything else you may need must either be brought with you, provided by camp, or gifted to you. Practice Self-Reliance!
See the About Burning Man and Resources pages for additional tools and info to help you prepare for Burning Man.
Become aware of the The Ten Principles of Burning Man.
If you are interested in joining Rootpile, click on the "Join Us" tab at the top of the page, and this will link you to an application to join our camp. We will then review your application, and if you are selected to be a member of our camp, we will email you a link to pay your yearly dues, which will hold your space in Rootpile through July 1st.

If you don't see the info you need here, email our fearless leader:

Fixxer fixxer@rootpile.com

tent camping • rv camping • domes/yurts/large tent space • parking • meals/kitchen • showers/water/ice • trash/moop • medical • power • camp duty shifts • bikes • rootpile radio system • haulage • mission contribution • tickets • general

ROOTPILE

Home of Black Rock Bluegrass

CAMP LOGISTICS

ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU COME TO ROOTPILE CAMP:

​

If you don't see the info you need here, email our fearless leader:

Fixxer fixxer@rootpile.com

​

tent camping • rv camping • domes/yurts/large tent space • parking • meals/kitchen • showers/water/ice • trash/moop • medical • power • camp duty shifts • bikes • rootpile radio system • haulage • mission contribution • tickets • general

​

TENT CAMPING

Tent spaces of approximately 15 x 15ft and 8ft high are available to all tent campers and are included as part of your Mission Contribution.

Campers must provide accurate tent dimensions in advance of the Burn. Shade placement is not guaranteed to those who do not provide dimensions in advance.

Includes single extension cord 5 amp power

Tents are not provided.

​

RV CAMPING

RV space is only available to Rootpile camp members and requires an additional contribution, due to the larger space and power used. RV's require a minimum of two Rootpile campers per RV.

RV spaces are $800 and include 30 amps of power, or RV spaces needing 50 amps of power are $1,000. Personal generators will generally not be allowed. But, if you would like to bring a backup generator for your RV, it can be used if there is a temporary camp grid power outage.

RV's are not provided, but we may be able help arrange for a rental RV, if you would like.

Parking for the pull vehicle for large trailers needs to be arranged in advanced.

​

PERSONAL DOME, PERSONAL YURT, OVERSIZED TENT, LARGE VAN/SMALL CAMPER CAMPING SPACE

Large vans and small campers must take up no more than a 15 x 30ft space

Includes regular extension cord 5 amp power, but does not include 30 amp RV power. Additional power may be arranged on a case-by-case basis.

​

PARKING

If you are bringing your own vehicle, please let us know in advance, as parking is very limited and we cannot promise parking in camp, and BMORG does not specifically allocate space in camp just to park cars.

Parking is first-come, first serve, unless arranged in advance.

If it is necessary to park your vehicle outside of camp, we can arrange rides. But we are usually able to accommodate everybody within our camp borders.

​

MEALS/KITCHEN

Camp meals, other than concert BBQ/Pinto Bean service, are for Rootpile campers only. Campers should not bring Playa friends to meals without permission.

Camp food will be served a la carte all day between 8 am and 8 pm during Burn Week. (2 meals per person per day). Large-pot offerings such as chili, soup, beans, etc will also be available in addition to the two meals.

Breakfast & dinner will be served during Build and Teardown.

The main kitchen is only open to those who are on a meal team shift. There will not be self-serve food in this kitchen.

There will be a 20 x 40ft tent for a dining hall communal space for campers.

Showers: Two shower rooms with warm water are available so that campers can take one daily shower. Campers are expected to conserve water as much as possible. Showers should not be shared with outside guests without explicit permission.

We ask that all campers try to be conscientious of water use. Water is expensive and not easy to come by in the desert.

TRASH/MOOP

Campers must pack all of THEIR personal trash out.

At the end of the Burn, leftover food or drink donations will only be taken if they are needed by the kitchen. ALL other food must be packed out of Burning Man. On Sunday, we will take donated unopened food and drinks to Burning Man Department of Public Works to feed their volunteers.

There will be no common camp garbage cans. Only burnables, aluminum cans, and compost will be collected by camp.

Avoid bringing in excess packaging. Please PRECYCLE all trash.

PRECYCLING means removing all unnecessary packaging before you arrive at Black Rock City.

Try to buy items that will not create more waste.

Bring reusable water bottles. We will provide drinking water, so you should not need to bring multiple plastic bottled drinks. There is no possibility of collection of recycled plastic, glass or tin cans at Burning Man.

We will have a set time every night for burn barrels, so that campers can bring their burnables to the fire. This will be overseen by the burnables volunteer team. Burn barrels should not be used without the supervison of the Burnables Team.

All Burner Express riders can take one bag of trash and one bag of recycling to the bus depot at the time of exit. If you are taking trash to the depot, we will give you a ride on an art car to the bus, if possible.

MEDICAL

Rootpile will have a medical tent with some basic medical supplies. There are a few doctors and nurses in camp that can assist with health concerns/emergencies.

Do not keep health concerns to yourself. "If you see something, say something." If you can't find a doctor or nurse in camp, let someone else know and have them help you get to one of the Burning Man Medical Stations.

Consider buying Medflight Evacuation Insurance

POWER

Each tent and yurt has the option of an extension cord with 5 amps of 110 volt power, included in Mission Contribution. Box fans are available to be rented for $50.

Due to noise and safety concerns, the running of personal & RV generators will generally not be allowed unless, for some reason, we lose our main power source.

All RVs MUST go on the power grid and power is included in the price of an RV space. Personal generators will not be allowed, unless the main power grid is down.

Fuel must be stored properly in the Rootpile fuel dump.

CAMP DUTY SHIFTS

Team participation shifts will be arranged in advance of Burning Man by each team lead. Each team will be organized so that team members will typically be doing a two to three hour shift per day, but shift lengths might vary by team.

BURNING MAN DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER SHIFTS

Burning Man is a volunteer-driven event. Most of the work done on Playa is done by volunteers. Without these volunteers, Burning Man could not exist. Doing volunteer shifts at Burning Man is a great way to meet other Burners and expand your Burning Man experience.

All Rootpile campers are encouraged to sign up for at least one Burning Man departmental volunteer shift during the Burn.

BIKES

We will not be providing bike repair and we are not sure if there will be any bike rentals available on Playa.

We will provide bike racks for you to safely lock your bike. Please bring a bike lock. Bicycles are commonly stolen, even within camp.

If you left a bike with us in 2019, please do not expect that bike to have survived these past two years. We were left with dozens upon dozens of bikes which we have had no way to safely store from the elements.

ROOTPILE RADIO SYSTEM

We will have a 2-way radio system so that campers can communicate with base camp, each other, or our multiple art cars and handicap vehicles.

If you are interested in being able to communicate with camp and want to bring your own handheld radio, contact Fixxer in advance of Burning Man.

​

HAULAGE

In 2021 the price for haulage is $15/cubic foot, round trip from North Carolina to the Playa.

We will not be accepting bicycles

The black & yellow 27 gallon boxes and 40 gallon boxes shown in these links are the ONLY boxes we will haul, due to the fact that they must stack so that they can be properly secured and hauled.

Any other items expected to be transported that will not fit in these boxes must be arranged in advance. If items outside of these parameters are brought to us during the drop-off period, without prior permission, they will not be taken.

Any box that is more than 50 lbs. will have a $100 extra charge.

CONTRIBUTIONS

In general, contributions for Rootpile fall in the following two categories: Yearly Dues & Mission Contributions

Campers will receive a mandatory questionnaire after paying Yearly Dues. This questionnaire will gather info about tent/yurt/RV space needed, diet/food allergies/special health needs, emergency contact info, arrival/departure dates, generator electricity needs, etc.

If you are provided a ticket of any kind through camp, and can no longer join Rootpile, please be advised that this ticket MUST be returned to the fold so that it can be used by other Rootpile core members