Shelter

Black Rock City is a place where everyone experiences extreme conditions such as heat, winds, and even dust storms. Because of this, how well you provide shelter and shade can determine how comfortable you will be when any of these conditions occur. Each burner's needs on the playa are very different. Some folks crave privacy, some shade, some need a place upon which to drape their theme camp. The different heeds allow us to rate various shelters by these attributes: sun shade, rain shelter, wind protection/resistance, privacy, portability and economy. Now, let's rate the average tent.

In general, the tent is designed only with privacy and portability in mind. From the smallest pup tent to the three-room condos you see on the playa they generally get an "A" for both. However, many models have screening that cannot be easily covered. these allow a LOT of dust into your tent and can become a privacy issue as well.

Wind is another important factor. Remember that the larger/taller your structure is, the more likely a 75mph storm could take it down, reducing your structure to mere MOOP. There are many ways to counteract this including:

• Long tent stakes (vs. the standard issue ones)
• Rebar
• Tent "nails"

Place them beyond just the corners, even if this requires you to add more grommets. You can never have too many stakes, nails, rebar or whatever else you might want to use. Be sure to also make sure that they can be noticed by you and your camp mates, especially during those disoriented evenings that you find yourself dragging yourself to your tent for sleep.