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 M$$ion 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.
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 power. Personal generators will generally not be allowed.
RV's are not provided.

PERSONAL DOMES, YURTS, OR LARGE TENT SPACE

Since space limits the number of campers, and to be fair to people only using a very small space, we will have a $100 extra contribution for personal domes, yurts, or large tents (tents that won't fit in the normal shaded 15 x 15ft, 8ft tall tent space.)

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.
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 the nightly concert BBQ/Pinto Bean service, are for Rootpile campers only. Campers should not bring Playa friends to meals without permission.
There will be specific serving times for breakfast & dinner. Be there on time to make sure you don't miss out.
Breakfast & dinner will be served everyday during Build, Burn Week, 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 an additional smaller kitchen space in the dining hall for campers to use. This will be available for all unless it is left a mess; then it might be shut down temporarily or permanently.
There will be a 20 x 40ft tent for a dining hall communal space for campers.

SHOWERS, WATER & ICE

Showers: Campers will get a daily token for a shower. Each token will deliver 4 gallons of warm water.
- Additional tokens can be arranged in advance of the Burn for a contribution of $10 per token.
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.

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 a volunteer.
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 Mi$$ion 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 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.

BIKE REPAIRS/RENTAL

Bikes can be rented for $200 through Rootpile and picked up at Playa Bike Repair Camp (PBR).
Any problems or issues with bikes must be dealt with at PBR. We will have a small bike service space witin camp for people who have brought their own bikes or who need to make a simple repair on a PBR bike.

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

The black & yellow 27 gallon boxes and 40 gallon boxes are the ONLY boxes we will haul.
The fee for hauling one 27 gallon box to Burning Man is $100 out and back. 40 gallon boxes are $150 out and back.
Tents or other items that won't fit in the 27 gallon boxes are by the cubic foot--$10 per cu. ft.
All haulage MUST be marked permanently and prominently!
Boxes should be zip tied and taped on outbound and return to prevent rain damaged items.
Bike haulage is $400 out and back. NO EXCEPTIONS!!

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 June 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 August 1st.
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 breakfast & dinner, drinking water and electrolyte water, hot showers, community space, support of Rootpile's Mission, and also and 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 6pm 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 6pm 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.
There is a limit of 150 Burners in Rootpile camp, and your spot is not held until your Mission Contribution is paid in full.
Campers will receive a mandatory questionnaire after paying Mi$$ion Contributions. This questionnaire will gather info about tent/yurt/RV space needed, diet/food allergies/special health needs, bike rentals, generator electricity needs, etc.
We will begin accepting Mi$$ion Contributions on January 1, 2019, 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.

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.

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 M$$ion 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.

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 power. Personal generators will generally not be allowed.

RV's are not provided.

​

PERSONAL DOMES, YURTS, OR LARGE TENT SPACE

Since space limits the number of campers, and to be fair to people only using a very small space, we will have a $100 extra contribution for personal domes, yurts, or large tents (tents that won't fit in the normal shaded 15 x 15ft, 8ft tall tent space.)

​

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.

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

There will be specific serving times for breakfast & dinner. Be there on time to make sure you don't miss out.

Breakfast & dinner will be served everyday during Build, Burn Week, 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 an additional smaller kitchen space in the dining hall for campers to use. This will be available for all unless it is left a mess; then it might be shut down temporarily or permanently.

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

Showers: Campers will get a daily token for a shower. Each token will deliver 4 gallons of warm water.

Additional tokens can be arranged in advance of the Burn for a contribution of $10 per token.

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.

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 a volunteer.

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 Mi$$ion 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 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.

BIKE REPAIRS/RENTAL

Bikes can be rented for $200 through Rootpile and picked up at Playa Bike Repair Camp (PBR).

Any problems or issues with bikes must be dealt with at PBR. We will have a small bike service space witin camp for people who have brought their own bikes or who need to make a simple repair on a PBR bike.

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

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

The fee for hauling one 27 gallon box to Burning Man is $100 out and back. 40 gallon boxes are $150 out and back.

Tents or other items that won't fit in the 27 gallon boxes are by the cubic foot--$10 per cu. ft.

All haulage MUST be marked permanently and prominently!

Boxes should be zip tied and taped on outbound and return to prevent rain damaged items.

Bike haulage is $400 out and back. NO EXCEPTIONS!!

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

What is the Teardown Deposit?