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RVsAtNakedHeart

RV's at Naked Heart

Having an RV at Burning Man seems like a really good idea. It promises comfort and ease. For a first timer it answers all the questions in their heads about how they will survive in a harsh environment.

Having an RV in an established theme camp like Naked Heart makes less sense. Many of the amenities that an RV promises are already supplied by the camp. RV rentals are very expensive and bringing an RV to Burning Man is a major hassle. If an RV is really big and really comfortable it often becomes a distraction for the camp, siphoning off and segregating the human energy of the camp. RV’s have their own special needs that most first time Burners cannot navigate. For example, RV’s get very hot without air conditioning. The only way to run the air conditioner is by running the generator. The RV cannot hold enough fuel to power the generator for the entire Burn and must be refueled. How is that going to be done? What is the impact on all the other campers of having a generator run all the time? That’s just cooling; how about water supply and grey water and black water? How are you going to drive to your assigned spot if you arrive late and there is no longer any access? These may all seem like trivial details but they are major details for the camp leadership while on playa.

If you do not own your own motorhome and you are planning to rent one, here are some things to keep in mind.

  1. To rent a motorhome and have it perform in the way that you expect, plan on spending about $6000 minimum.
  2. Yes, you can rent one cheaper than that but consider a few things.
    1. Most all the Burner-approved large company motorhomes have already been reserved by mid February. Most large companies have block-out dates for rentals of motorhomes near Nevada for the Burning Man dates. They don’t want that kind of abuse of their equipment.
    2. Most large companies and many private parties specifically disallow use at Burning Man.
    3. You may find a great deal, take it to the Burn and be hit with a $3000 cleaning bill when you return it. Read your contract.
    4. You will probably have to rent one over 1000 miles away to find one available for those dates. This will add 4 more days of rental time and quite a bit of mileage. Best to rent the motorhome before you buy your plane tickets.
    5. Many of the private party rentals that allow BM usage have bought the motorhomes specifically for this purpose and many of their systems will not work and will be generally unreliable.
    6. You may find that the motorhome that you paid a deposit for is unavailable when you go to pick it up and there is no alternative unit.
  3. Motorhome living on the playa is uncomfortable
    1. They get REALLY hot inside.
    2. You can’t open the windows because that will allow dust inside and you will definitely be hit with a massive cleaning bill. If you have ever tried to get playa dust out of the crevices of photo-finish wood you will know why the cleaning bill is so huge.
    3. You can’t use the shower because you can’t store that much water and your waste tanks can’t store that much grey water.
    4. If you have 4 people in the motorhome, you can’t use the toilet because you can’t hold that much black water.
    5. So really, a motorhome is just an overpriced hot tent
  4. All the amenities that I am imagining that a motorhome represents to you have already been included in the ticket price for Naked Heart
    1. Naked Heart provides a chilled relaxation space
    2. Naked Heart provides showers
    3. Naked Heart provides shade for every tent
    4. Naked Heart provides a kitchen and prepared meals

Maybe after all of that you have decided that living in an RV is the only thing that will work for you. We get that, here are the policies that will apply:

All Burning Man camps are required to be Carbon Negative by 2030. That included emissions from RV generators. We have already started to implement our plans to fulfill our obligations. As such,

  • All RV's must connect to the power grid. No private generator usage.
This is good for you because you will have 24/7 power with no need to refuel and no noise. It will be expensive. The costs are:
$1500 for RV with 1 A/C
$3000 for RV with 2 A/C
$4500 for RV with 3 A/C
  • You must give us the exact dimensions of your RV prior to June 1st. This include tongue length for trailers, slide out locations and dimensions, dimensions of any other protrusions. If you are renting it, provide the exact make, model and year and I will look it up.
  • You will be assigned a precise spot in our village based upon your stated time of arrival. Yes, you need to arrive at that time. Other RVs will have blocked your access if you arrive late. If you cannot arrive before 4 pm Monday, we reserve the right to disallow your use of an RV in Naked Heart.
  • You cannot use any water from the camp supply for use in your motorhome. You may make arrangements with HookUp Camp to have your tanks filled, but you are on your own to do that.
  • You cannot deposit any grey or black water into the camp’s grey water tanks. You may make arrangements with HookUp Camp to have you tanks emptied, but you are on your own to do that.
  • You must have the RV off the Anahasana Village site by 10 am Tuesday even if it needs to be towed off.
  • You must not drip any fluids. You are responsible for having pans and drip trays for all sources of leaks that will not blow away.
  • You are responsible for reading and abiding by all BMORG rules and regulations for Leave No Trace, and other issues that affect your RV.

Rental Companies

If after reading all of the above, you are still hot to live in an RV, here is some info about rental possibilities

Typical smaller RV models for pick up in Reno are priced below. Most have a 10 day rental minimum and the price includes the mileage from Reno to the Playa and back. You would need to reserve by March 1st as they sell out quickly

28’ $8,954 + 750 cleaning
31’ $10,235 + 750 cleaning

Companies renting RV's