The Essential Burning Man Packing List – 2024 Edition

I’ve been going to Burning Man since 2016, and decided to write this post after getting inquiries from international virgin Burners for a Burning Man checklist. This 2024 version covers my Burning Man packing list and is for anyone who’s headed to Burning Man for the first time and is looking for what supplies to bring to Burning Man. I’ll cover everything from the Burning Man essentials, to what Burning Man googles I like, and what I’ve uses as a tent for Burning Man.

If you want to read the og version of my Burning Man packing list, click here.

As an international Burner traveling almost 9,000 miles to Black Rock City every year, I know there’s more to think about than just having your Burning Man tickets and reading the survival guide. The unpredictable weather, especially the unexpected rain we experienced in 2023, has made preparation even more critical.

I thought I’d update this behemoth of a packing list accordingly to help you plan for your first or next Burn keeping the unpredictable weather conditions in mind.

What Is Burning Man?

Burning Man is a weeklong culture and arts event that takes place annually in the Black Rock Desert, approximately three hours outside of Reno in Nevada, USA. It brings together approximately 70,000 people from all around the world who work together to create and build Black Rock City, an ephemeral metropolis dedicated to art, community, self-expression, and self-reliance. Burning Man’s guided by ten principles:

• Radical inclusion
• Gifting
• Decommodification
• Radical self-reliance
• Radical self-expression
• Communal effort
• Civic responsibility
• Leaving no trace
• Participation, and
• Immediacy

Burning Man is more than just an event; it fosters a unique community that embraces a culture of creativity, sustainability, and community—here’s why I continue to go back year and year. 

The Ultimate Burning Man Packing List – 2024

Burning Man Essentials

Here are the absolute essentials you’ll require as you make your way to Black Rock City.

• Burning Man ticket
• Burning Man car pass
• Burning Man survival guide
• Your passport/valid ID + copies – Since I travel internationally from Abu Dhabi for the Burn, I always keep my passport on me. While I’m on the playa, however, I attach a copy of my ID to my drinking cup/flask since every bar on the playa checks for ID before serving you any alcohol
• Driver’s license and auto insurance
• Medical/travel insurance – it’s one of the harshest environment’s I’ve experienced, you never know what might happen out there
• Cell phone, charger, and battery pack – A durable power bank like this one by BioLite is essential. We use our cell phones primarily to navigate to Black Rock City but I also recommend pre-saving the map on google before you make the drive )'(ome since you likely won’t have service for part of the way to Black Rock City. Alternatively, you could print out driving directions (a la Mapquest)/get a map.
• Money – Only ice can be purchased on the playa; bring everything else you need for the week with you
• Water – The Burning Man org recommends burners have at least 1.5 gallons per person per day to drink, shower, shave, etc. Being radically self-reliant is making sure you have enough water for the entire time you’re in the desert. This is the fifth year I’ll be bringing my trusty Hydroflask to the playa with me—it keeps the water ice cold even if I’m out on a sunny day.

Burning Man Tent, Accessories & Gear List

Our theme camp provides a large shade structure under which we pitch our tents, which really helps keep things cool (or at least tries to) during the day. While I’ve now switched to an RV for the past few burns (sadly, I’ve had too many aches and injuries to tough it out in a tent anymore), I do still have some tips from the first two years I used a tent.

You’re going to want to avoid tents with too many mesh openings—all it takes is one windy day to completely transform the inside of your tent into playa 2.0. Ideally, you’ll also want to be able to stand up in your tent so you can get changed but also crouching down to get around frankly gets old after a day or two. Consider a durable tent like this Coleman 6-person tent. If your camp has more space, something like this glamping tent might be worth considering as well.

2023 Rain Update

The rain can turn the playa into a muddy mess, making it really challenging to navigate and potentially damaging your tent and camping gear. Here’s how to better prepare your tent for the possibility of rainy conditions at Burning Man:

1. Invest in a waterproof tent or rainfly: Choose to buy a waterproof tent or ensure your existing tent has a high-quality rainfly. A reliable option if you’re looking is this Coleman 6-person tent with a rainfly.
2. Ground Tarp: Place a heavy-duty tarp underneath your tent to create an additional barrier against moisture. This helps to prevent water from seeping through the bottom of your tent. Consider this heavy-duty ground tarp.
3. Seam Sealer: Apply seam sealer to all the seams of your tent to prevent leaks; it’s especially important if you’re bringing an older tents as the factory seam sealing may have worn off. And you don’t want to wait until Burning Man to find that out! Gear Aid Seam Grip is a good option.
4. Tent Stakes and Guy Lines: Secure your tent with sturdy stakes and guy lines to withstand strong winds—last year heavy winds accompanied all the rain and I almost died (!!!) when one of the massive tents we were sitting in collapsed on us. MSR Groundhog Tent Stakes come highly recommended.
5. Tent Ventilation: You want to make sure your tent has proper ventilation to reduce the buildup of condensation inside. Even in the rain, keeping some vents open (while protected by the rainfly) can help maintain the airflow.

Sleeping Supplies

Trust me when I say this, but comfort is key when you’re out in such a harsh desert environment for a week (or longer). You’ll have a much better time exploring the playa if your sleep conditions are comfortable and cozy—it can really get cold at night and having a sleeping bag and blanket to keep you warm really comes in clutch. If it’s your first year staying in a tent, here’s what I recommend:

• An air mattress with a battery-powered pump: This air mattress offers a great night of sleep and is easy to inflate and deflate. If you want something more plush, check this queen size one out with a built-in air pump.
• Inflatable camping pillows: Sea to Summit pillows provide comfort and are easy to pack. They also have an inflatable down version if you prefer to rest your head down on something more luxe.
• Sleeping bags: There was nothing cozier than zipping myself into my sleeping bag at the end of an adventurous night out on the playa. I recommend opting for a waterproof or water-resistant sleeping bag to stay dry even if your tent gets damp. I’ve used this Teton sleeping bag in the past, but here’s a more affordable version as well.

To keep the dust off when we’re not using our air mattress, we cover it with blue tarp we got at the hardware store.

Burning Man Tent Accessories

It’s dark at night on the playa, even when you’re at camp. A couple of additions to your tent can help brighten things up, especially when you need to go to the portapotties at night, get ready at night, or don’t want to fall on someone else’s tent.

• Inflatable solar-powered lights: Karla has these cool inflatable solar powered lights (here’s a two pack) that we leave out in the sun during the day to charge and use at night to light the entrance to our tent, as well as the inside of our tent.
• Headlamps: Rechargable headlamps are useful for nighttime navigation in and around your tent. We use them just in case the solar powered lights go out and we need to get up and go use the portapotties at night.

Bicycles for Burning Man

My first year on the playa I rented a bike through the Kiwanis Bike Program—which I still highly recommend. Reservations are currently open and on a first come first served basis, but it’s a great program that is able to give back to the local community thanks to Burners who buy bikes from them. For 2024, it costs $80 to reserve a bike that’s either a cruiser or mountain bike aka fat tires, but guaranteed one speed, one brake. At the end of the Burn, you can donate your bike back to the program—they’ll tune it and get it ready for the following Burn—or you can keep your bike, which is what I’ve done in the past. I just make sure to clean mine reaaaaal good once I get off playa. The following year, I pump air into the tires and tune it up before heading back to Black Rock City, and I’m good to go!

Accessorizing Your Bicycle

Your bike has to stand out amongst the thousands of others that are on the playa—especially at night! Sitting down and spending a few hours decorating my bike is something I’ve definitely come to enjoy every year. I’ve forgotten where I parked one too many times and ended up circling the bikes for hours to find mine. Now, I have a glammed out spirit animal I adopt each year from Camp Corny (adopt, don’t shop folks!) attached to a pole so I can identify my bike in the distance. Here are a couple of bike accessories that I cannot do without:

• Bike basket: Comes in handy for storing your water bottle, mug, and bag when you don’t want to carry it on your back. I’ve thrifted mine in past years, but this Schwinn bike wire basket is nice and sturdy.
• Bike repair bag: This bicycle repair kit is something I’ve added to my own list this year because last year I was biking back from the airport when, out of absolutely nowhere, my pedal came flying off. If you’ve ever rode to the Black Rock City airport you know how deserted that stretch of road can be. Thankfully the playa provided and this awesome guy appeared out of nowhere with his own repair kit to fix my pedal on, but if it weren’t for him, I would have had to walk my bike a couple of miles back to my camp. If you don’t want to get one, know that there are a few camps around the city that focus on bike repairs!
• Comfortable seat: Saddle soreness is real and it comes to get you on the playa. Get a plush padded bicycle seat cover and thank me later. 🙂
• Headlight: Consider adding a headlight to your bike for your nighttime playa escapades—red lights are less blinding.
• Bike lock: Leaving your bike unlocked is just recipe for disaster. Sadly, even when you’re back at camp, my recommendation is to always keep it locked. My camp has had a couple of bikes stolen over the years when people went into their tents or RVs and left their bikes unlocked and unattended. I’ve always used this numerical bike lock.
• Bike lights: There’s no lights on the playa at night except for the ones you have on yourself and your bike. Light up or you’ll have people yelling darkwad at you or worse yet, you’ll get into an accident because people can’t.see.you! I recommend getting these battery-operated strings of fairy lights or multiple EL wire. Oh, and you can’t go wrong with some bike spoke lights either.

Here’s a friendly PSA: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BIKE ON THE PLAYA!!! One of the 10 principles of Burning Man is leaving no trace, which some Burners forget over the years. The cleanup crew found about 4,000 abandoned bikes on the playa in 2017—there are so many donation stations on your way out of Black Rock City, donate them, don’t dump them!

Burning Man Toiletries List

The three most important items on our toiletries list for Burning Man every year are a giant bag of baby wipes, 1-ply toilet paper, and mini garbage bags to store our trash while we’re out on the playa. While the portapotties generally have toilet paper (1-ply only, anything more and it clogs the toilets!), I prefer using baby wipes. Always keep your trash with you—it’s just a part of leaving no trace. 

Don’t forget the basic toiletries:

• Toothbrush
• Tooth paste (I’m going to try these toothpaste tabs this year)
• Soap/handwash
• Deodorant

When Karla and I were in a tent, we kept a 5-gallon bucket in the trunk of our car that we would use just for brushing our teeth and washing our face. We normally take only one/two showers the entire week we’re out on the playa (our camp sets up an outdoor Burning Man shower, so don’t forget a towel) and our daily routine consists of wiping down with witch hazel and baby wipes. Since the playa dust is alkaline in nature, witch hazel is great for breaking it down (we use this one that smells like rose petals), and for use in foot baths—it also smells much much better than plain ‘ol vinegar. Whenever I’m headed out from camp, I make sure to have a spray bottle filled with cold water and a couple drops of peppermint or lavender oil—it’s great for keeping cool on hot days.

When heading to bed at night (or during the day if you’ve been out exploring the playa all night), be sure to have a pair of ear plugs because it can sometimes be a little too noisy outside. I’m going to test out a pair of Loop ear plugs this year. Past years, I’ve camped with a wine bar and while they were generally good about shutting off the music around midnight, there were a few times the party stayed going until sunrise. But, thankfully, I had my ear plugs in, and my eye mask on, so I got my much needed beauty sleep.

Sinus Health at Burning Man

As someone who suffers from sinus problems, the playa unfortunately wreaks havoc on them. I ended up with a particularly nasty sinus infection in 2018 as soon as I got off the playa, and it took more than a month to completely recover from. I recommend bringing a saline nasal spray, neti pot (I have this one), and saline to rinse out your sinuses daily and keep them hydrated. In 2019, I splurged and got this RZ mask that came recommended by other burners and it’s been my go-to ever since.

Makeup at Burning Man

I like to enhance my playa outfits with makeup, and make sure to pack the following makeup essentials:

• Makeup remover
• Rosewater that acts as a toner (I LOVE this Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rose Water by Mario Badescu)
• Face wash: I really like the Kiehls Ultra Facial Cleanser
• Waterproof eyeliner
• False eyelashes: Last year I tried taking my lash extensions out on the playa and just couldn’t make them work. There’s something about the playa dust that didn’t work with my lash extension glue and they sadly came off within a day or two. So this year I’m going to stick to colorful false eyelashes!

Before leaving camp and heading out to explore the playa, moisturize and use plenty of sunscreen. I use coconut oil as a moisturizer and it works particularly well out on the playa, and for sunscreen, the highest SPF possible. My first year I tried using an organic all-natural sunblock and ending up getting pretty badly sunburnt, so I’ve learned my lesson! Don’t forget to pack chapstick with SPF—your lips tend to get really dry in the desert.

Just make sure you don’t use glitter because it’s extremely MOOPy.

Haircare at Burning Man

The playa dust wreaks havoc on my long hair every year, and each time I come back from the playa it takes a few months for it to recover. The dust takes out all the moisture from my hair to the point that it begins to form dreads. I make sure to brush my hair out on a daily basis, keep it in a bun or braided.

Wigs are also a great option for keeping your hair protected, and switching up your looks. One of the highlights of my Burn every year is heading to to the camp, Astral Headwash, to get my head massaged and my hair thoroughly washed. The service they provide to Burners on the playa is invaluable, and I’m so grateful I get to volunteer while waiting my turn in line for someone to wash my hair. When I leave the playa, I have had a lot of success with this avocado and olive oil hair mask when I wash my hair.

Burning Man Medical Supplies List

Burning Man is one of the harshest environments I’ve both experienced and survived, and I wouldn’t head to the playa without the following medical supplies:

• Prescription medications: Make sure to refill any prescriptions you might need out on the playa, and don’t forget to take them. Time passes rather quickly when you’re on the playa, so you need to be extra vigilant with taking your meds.
• Multivitamins: The playa dehydrates and you tend to eat less than you would in the default world, so don’t forget to take a daily multivitamin.
• Aloe vera and/or burn gel: I got a nasty sunburn my first year and thankfully had a tube of aloe vera gel to soothe it daily.
• Tiger balm: I walk and bike a whole lot more the week of Burning Man and spend a lot of time dancing the night away, it’s no surprise that my muscles are sore. Tiger balm or any kind of muscle rub is great at soothing sore muscles
• Medical tape/Moleskin: No matter how thick my socks are, I always tend to get blisters during the week. Having a roll of moleskin handy will really save you when your feet are covered in blisters but you still need to put your shoes back on and walk around!
• Electrolyte powder: I make sure to add an electrolyte tablet to my water to make sure I’m properly hydrated throughout the day.
• First-Aid kit: I know the saying is safety third, but accidents happen on the playa more often than not. You never know when a first-aid kit might come in handy.
• Menstrual supplies: This year I’m going to keep a supply of menstrual products in case there’s a need because someone did stop by camp and ask for a tampon and we didn’t have any! I use a menstrual disc, which makes things easy, but having pads, tampons and disposable discs is nice to keep in stock in case someone needs one.

Burning Man Food List

One of the perks of our camp is that they have a full functioning kitchen and stove. Karla and I just bring our own plates, collapsible mugs like these for morning coffee, a set of camping utensils, knives, and aluminum foil. Oh, and don’t forget to have your own mug (+ carabiner so you don’t lose it!) whenever you’re out exploring the playa…bars generally don’t provide you with cups, so be self-sufficient and prepared!

We have a friend in Reno who graciously lets us use his kitchen before we head off to the playa, so I’m able to cook rice and pasta in bulk and freeze them in individual size containers to eat during the week. If you’re interested in what to pre-cook for your week on the playa, this is a great resource of 10 food prep tips + recipes for Burning Man.

Here’s a grocery list Karla and I have been more or less sticking to every Burn:

• Instant coffee
• Non-dairy creamers
• Sugar
• Coconut water—great at keeping you hydrated
• Canned tuna
• Garlic mayo—this stuff is addictive
• Rice—I like to pre-cook a big batch of rice and freeze it to eat during the week 
• Eggs—hard-boiled
• Energy bars—I find these really filling and always keep one in my bag when I’m out exploring
• Mac & cheese bowls
• Canned soup
• Jar of pickles—pickles are insanely good in the desert when you’re craving salt!
• Chips and salsa—the saltier the better
• Dark chocolate and cookies—never know when a craving might strike
• Freeze-dried meals—Karla swears by these, and tbh they’re not bad
• Salad dressing
• Fresh fruit & veggies—a big bag of salad mix to make sure to get enough fiber; oranges, apples, bananas, lemon, and frozen grapes all make for a refreshing snack

This is basically my Burning Man checklist and what supplies I bring to Burning Man each year. Karla and I have a storage unit in Reno where we store a majority of our Burning Man gear, clothing and accessories, which is a huge help since I travel internationally and can only bring two suitcases with me on my trip.

We seem to get more efficient in our planning and packing as the years go on, and if you’re a virgin, don’t be afraid. No matter how many articles we read, how many times we looked over the survival guide, we still didn’t feel prepared our first year as virgin burners. Even last year, the rain and cold weather really through us for a loop. We left out box of cold weather gear back in the storage unit because the year before it was hot as hell and we thought that 2023 would be the same…boy did the playa prove us wrong! And, I think that’s just it—you don’t really know what to expect, every year is different from the next, and you just have to embrace the unknown.