The Burning Man Festival in Black Rock, Nevada is the festival of festivals. Campervan and RV rentals are an extremely popular option for attending the event. The dates for 2018 are August 26 to Sept 3. You can find more info about the event itself here: http://burningman.org/

Only a handful of rental operators allow their vehicles to the festival due to the desert dust that gets into everything…everything. So I, Bakpak Dave have put together a few recommendations for vehicles, tips and questions to consider when renting a campervan or RV for the festival. I will help you find you a good deal.

Vehicle Options

For campervans, I recommend the following as they all have second batteries that power a fridge and lights. The second battery is powered by running the engine or the solar panels on the roof. They are available from San Francisco, Las Vegas or Los Angeles.

Mavericks Campervan

Features
Rental Age: 21+
Sleeps: 2-4*
Beds: 1-2*
Seats: 5
Toilet: No
Shower: No

Daily Rate
$44 to $121+ plus tax depends on season/rental length. Includes 100 miles/day, Kitchen Kit, Personal Kits, Camp Chairs.

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The Mavericks Campervan offers more room than other campervans with a bigger bed and more storage area. It also has a dual battery that powers an always on fridge. With the optional rooftop sleeper, the Mavericks is a great option for families and friends traveling together or couples that want extra room. *Rooftop sleeper available for $30/day, max $600.

Wavefarer Campervan

Features
Rental Age: 21+
Sleeps: 2
Beds: 1
Seats: 4
Toilet: No
Shower: No

Daily Rate
$35 to $125+ plus tax depending on season and length of rental. Sleeping/kitchen Kits and miles are included for travel from Nov to March and are extra costs April to Oct.

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It’s the Trailblazer Campervan without the rooftop sleeper. The Wavefarer is ideal for two travelers, it’s smaller size makes it easy to drive but stil provides comfort and luxury for a campervan. Has solar panels and a dual battery that powers the fridge and inside lights. Recommended choice when comparing to the older Ventura model

Mavericks 4 Berth Campervan

Features
Rental Age: 21+
Sleeps: 4*
Beds: 2*
Seats: 5
Toilet: No
Shower: No

Daily Rate
$44 to $121+ plus tax depends on season/rental length. Includes 100 miles/day, Kitchen Kit, Personal Kits, Camp Chairs. Rooftop sleeper bed extra cost.

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The Mavericks 4 Berth Campervan sleeps up to 4 with 2 beds, one inside and one rooftop sleeper bed. It’s also much roomier than other campervans. The Maverick uses a dual battery to power a fridge and inside lighting. Great for families and friends traveling together. *Rooftop sleeper available for $30/day, max $600.

Trailblazer Campervan

Features
Rental Age: 21+
Sleeps: 4
Beds: 2
Seats: 5
Toilet: No
Shower: No

Daily Rate
$35 to $125+ plus tax depending on season and length of rental. Sleeping/kitchen Kits and miles are included for travel from Nov to March and are extra costs April to Oct. Rooftop sleeper/2nd bed is included in the daily rate.

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The Trailblazer Campervan is a 3-4 berth campervan that includes 2 beds, one inside and one rooftop sleeper bed which is included in the base rate. The Trailblazer includes a DVD player as well as a dual battery/solar panels that power the fridge and inside lights.***Is available to/from the US and Canada***

For RVs, I recommend the following as they usually have the best rates and a package deal that I can arrange that includes insurance (you’ll want this for BM), unlimited miles, prep fee, personal kits, unlimited generator use and camp chairs. They are available from San Francisco, Las Vegas or Los Angeles. There are larger size RVs similar to the Pioneer packages but generally the prices are higher. Also, rates from San Francisco are the highest, LA is the lowest.

Tourer 20ft Camper

Features
Rental Age: 21+
Sleeps: 2
Beds: 1
Seats: 2
Toilet: Yes
Shower: Yes

Daily Rate
$50 to $200+ plus tax depending on season and length of rental. Excludes miles, personal kits, preparation fee, and insurance. Great winter and spring deals.

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The 20ft Tourer Class B camper is ideal for couples and only suitable for 2 travelers. It includes heating and fridge powered by propane (does not have a generator). Children must be 8 years or older to travel in this vehicle

Available for rent from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle ONLY

***Minimum Rental period 7 nights***

Pioneer 22-25ft RV

Features
Rental Age: 21+
Sleeps: up to 5
Beds: 3
Seats: 5
Toilet: Yes
Shower: Yes

Daily Rate
$50 to $200+ based on season/length of rental. Excludes miles, tax, personal kits, preparation fee, and insurance. Great winter and spring deals.

More Info
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The Pioneer is perfect for comfort and style on the open road. Suitable for up to 4 adults and 1 Child this RV is packed full of the creature comforts of home including microwave and stove, large double beds, private bathroom and comfortable dining area. Children must be 2 years or older to travel in this vehicle

Available for rent from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, New York, Orlando, Miami and Anchorage.

***Minimum Rental Period is 7 nights***

For longer rentals over 14 nights that include going to the BM festival, there are more options I can provide a quote for.

And some RV options have a holiday surcharge in addition to a BM fee, which you can avoid by booking before certain dates in August. Just complete the short quote form and I can start searching for the best deal for you.

3 Important Factors to Consider

First thing to consider is that the festival ends on September 3 which is Labor Day, a major holiday in the US. This means that all rental operators are closed. So you cannot return on on September 3.

Second thing to consider is if you pickup on August 24 or 25, expect long waits picking up your vehicle, it will be very busy. The same goes for returning on September 4. BUSY!!!!! So if you have flexibility, you can try to plan around this.

Third thing to consider is power. There are no power sources for your vehicle at the festival. So your options are renting an RV with a generator or a campervan that has solar panels (they recharge the second battery that powers the fridge). You can also run your engines for a couple of hours to power up batteries.

The generators in the RVs run on regular gas in the gas tank so you will need to have access to extra fuel to run the generator. I do recommend taking the unlimited generator use option, when available, for $5/day as this is a cheap option. Otherwise you would pay $3/hr of use.

Where to rent from

San Francisco (410 miles) is the closet location to rent from but is also the busiest and often more expensive, particularly for RVs. The next best options would be Las Vegas (542 miles) or Los Angeles (614 miles) and if desperate, Denver (964 miles)

Why is there a fee?

All rental operators charge a fee ranging from $350 to $2000 for the privilege of taking the vehicle to the Burning Man festival. This fee covers the extra risk of the event and cleaning of desert dust required. At booking, you must indicate your intention to attend the Burning Man festival. Every year, a few travelers think they can avoid the fee by keeping quiet. Unfortunately, the desert does not lie and the rental operators will know you went there and charge you even more than the fee that would have been required.

When to Book

Well, it’s always better to book as soon as possible. Depending on the rental operator, some rates are fixed and some change weekly based on supply and demand. Which means it can get more expensive the closer you get. I know which vehicles to look for for the best prices so don’t hesitate to get a quote from me.

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