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 • bike repairs/rental • 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 used.
RV spaces are $800 and include 30 amps of power. Personal generators will generally not be allowed.
RV's are not provided.

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 15ft space
Includes regular extension cord 5 amp power, but does not include 30 amp RV power

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.
Parking is first-come, first serve
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 15ft space). RV spaces are $800. See additional details in descriptions above. Car parking in Rootpile is free.

MEALS/KITCHEN

Camp meals, other than the nightly 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)
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. 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.

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.

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 expected to sign up for at least one Burning Man departmental volunteer shift during the Burn.

BIKE REPAIRS/RENTAL

We will not be providing or facilitating bike rental in 2020.
If you need to rent a bike, we suggest Playa Bike Repair or Hammer and Cyclery, which are two long-standing bike rental camps on Playa.

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 participating, contact Fixxer in advance of Burning Man.

HAULAGE

In 2020 the price for haulage is $15/cubic foot, round trip.
We will not be accepting bicycles
The black & yellow 27 gallon boxes and 40 gallon boxes are the ONLY boxes we will haul.
Any box that is more than 50 lbs. will have a $100 extra charge.
Gear needs to be dropped off within two weeks of our departure 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.

MISSION CONTRIBUTION

In order to accomplish our mission, it is necessary for our Rootpile campers to provide a significant amount of support for the camp. In order to support our campers working this hard, we feel that it is important that we provide our campers with amenities that help them get their work done and also enjoy their Burn. Support for campers includes meals, shade, showers, art car tours, drinking water, etc.
Rootpile yearly dues are $100 per camper to cover our monthly storage and other off-Playa expenses. This saves your spot in camp until May 1st. After this date your spot in camp is not guaranteed if you have not paid yearly dues, Mission Contribution, and Teardown deposit. Yearly dues are not refundable for any reason, even if you can no longer attend. But, Mission Contributions can possibly be refunded up until July 15th.
The on-Playa 2020 Mission Contribution starts at $300 plus a $200 Teardown deposit per camper through April 1st. Mission Contribution then increases $100 each month, up until August. 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.
What do the Mission Contributions go towards?
- The contributions are used for the goal of achieving our Mission:
  - To bring live Bluegrass music and mountain food and culture to the Burns that we attend with the intent to provide interaction with the positive aspects of our southern mountain heritage and to dispel negative stereotypes.
- The contributions help to support our camp infrastructure, meals, water, power, fuel, showers, maintenance, shade, tools, art supplies, lighting, instruments & audio equipment, art car maintenance, storage, transport of camp infrastructure to the Playa, etc
What is the Teardown Deposit?
- Teardown, or loadout (as we would rather call it), continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of having a themecamp on Playa. The Build crew typically begins work 4 to 6 days before Burning Man's official Build week start date, and some people are working even earlier. What takes 20 to 30 people about 10 to 14 days to organize, transport, and build, must be dismantled, loaded, and taken off Playa in about 3 days. As you can see, Teardown is a huge job, especially since some people have already been on Playa as long as two weeks. Our physical Playa space must also be cleaned meticulously and left spotless. Many Rootpile campers cannot or choose not to be available for Teardown. Other campers, in the past, have made commitments to stay for Teardown, and have left early with or without notice, leaving this huge burdon on the remaining crew. Due to this continuing complex problem, we have had to make the hard decision to institute a refundable Teardown deposit. Rootpile camp members willing to stay and work until Monday at 10 pm will receive a refund of their Teardown deposit. Please note that as well as each Rootpile camper's daily shift, everyone still in camp on Sunday is expected to start helping with Teardown at noon. When we say "working until 10 pm Monday," we truly mean working all day Monday, starting early in the morning (not partying all night, sleeping til noon, waking up and breaking your camp, and driving off). These deposit funds will be used to support the official Teardown Team who will be staying until Wednesday or Thursday, and also to help cover the inevitable end-of-Burn expenses that arise. This deposit should not be considered a windfall profit for the camp, but is simply part of the Mission Contribution that will be refunded to people who choose to stay and work longer.
There is a limit of 150 Burners in Rootpile camp, and after May 1st, your spot cannot be guaranteed unless you have paid both your Yearly Dues and Mission Contribution.
Campers will receive a mandatory questionnaire after paying Mi$$ion Contributions. This questionnaire will gather info about tent/yurt/RV space needed, diet/food allergies/special health needs, emergency contact info, arrival/departure dates, generator electricity needs, etc.
We will begin accepting Yearly Dues and Mission Contributions on January 1, 2020. After you have filled out your Rootpile member application form, by clicking the "Join Us" tab at the top of this page, and after you have paid your yearly dues, we will send you the link to pay your Mi$$ion Contribution and any other costs.

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.
You will be expected to cover costs of Rootpile getting your ticket to you.
- A facilitated ticket is a ticket that the camp has found for you to buy. This does not include DGS tickets.
- Camp-facilitated tickets will be shipped per your instructions and your cost, transferred to your Burner Profile, or will be placed at Will Call.
- Recipient takes all risk associated with ticket shipment once the ticket has been received and signed for.
- Camp-facilitated tickets are provided ONLY for CORE camp members such as Team Leads, VIP's (Very Important Pickers), and bad-asses.
- Camp-facilitated tickets will be shipped only within the 50 U.S. states due to very common problems with tickets being shipped outside of the country. Camp-facilitated tickets for those outside the 50 U.S. states will be left at Will Call unless other arrangements are made.
- If you have been lucky enough in the past to get a DGS ticket from Rootpile's DGS ticket allotment, PLEASE DO NOT COUNT ON THIS FOR 2020. As Burning Man continues to grow, and the number of camps at Burning Man continue to grow, there are only so many tickets to go around, therefore we need EVERYONE in Rootpile to try to get tickets in ALL of the sales. This will be a group effort, so if you only need one ticket, be sure and buy two in case someone else in camp is not able to get a ticket, vice versa, if you aren't able to get a ticket, maybe someone in camp will possibly have an extra ticket for you to use. Again, this is a group effort. EVERYONE NEEDS TO FIND THEMSELVES A TICKET! Our plan for 2020 is to not even ALLOCATE DGS tickets until sometime in June, after the majority of the different ticket sales have occured. To receive a DGS ticket, we will need you to prove that you tried to get tickets in the various sales (screenshots). Too often people have not even tried in the various ticket sales and just expected Rootpile to provide them a DGS ticket. This is no longer the case. DGS tickets are a BACKUP to our core members in case they are not able to find a ticket otherwise. So, create your Burner Profile, study, be ready, have credit cards ready to go, and try to find yourself a Burning Man ticket.
- ***If you are provided a ticket through camp, whether it is DGS or a camp facilitated ticket, or through another Rootpile camper, please be advised that this ticket MUST be returned to the fold so that it can be used by other Rootpile campers***

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 May 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 • bike repairs/rental • 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 • bike repairs/rental • 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 used.

RV spaces are $800 and include 30 amps of power. Personal generators will generally not be allowed.

RV's are not provided.

​

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 15ft space

Includes regular extension cord 5 amp power, but does not include 30 amp RV power

​

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.

Parking is first-come, first serve

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 15ft space). RV spaces are $800. See additional details in descriptions above. Car parking in Rootpile is free.

​

MEALS/KITCHEN

Camp meals, other than the nightly 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)

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.

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.

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 expected to sign up for at least one Burning Man departmental volunteer shift during the Burn.

BIKE REPAIRS/RENTAL

We will not be providing or facilitating bike rental in 2020.

If you need to rent a bike, we suggest Playa Bike Repair or Hammer and Cyclery, which are two long-standing bike rental camps on Playa.

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 participating, contact Fixxer in advance of Burning Man.

​

HAULAGE

In 2020 the price for haulage is $15/cubic foot, round trip.

We will not be accepting bicycles

The black & yellow 27 gallon boxes and 40 gallon boxes are the ONLY boxes we will haul.

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

Gear needs to be dropped off within two weeks of our departure 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.

MISSION CONTRIBUTION

What do the Mission Contributions go towards?

The contributions are used for the goal of achieving our Mission:

To bring live Bluegrass music and mountain food and culture to the Burns that we attend with the intent to provide interaction with the positive aspects of our southern mountain heritage and to dispel negative stereotypes.

The contributions help to support our camp infrastructure, meals, water, power, fuel, showers, maintenance, shade, tools, art supplies, lighting, instruments & audio equipment, art car maintenance, storage, transport of camp infrastructure to the Playa, etc

If you are provided a ticket through camp, whether it is DGS or a camp facilitated ticket, or through another Rootpile camper, please be advised that this ticket MUST be returned to the fold so that it can be used by other Rootpile campers