How to Turn Your Burning Man Bike Into a Base Camp
TL;DR: Your bike can carry everything so your body carries almost nothing. I run a front milk-crate basket mounted with U-bolts, a heavy-duty double kickstand so the loaded bike doesn't tip, and a combo bike lock that locks the whole pile to the frame when I walk away. Add water layering and a pocket vest and you've got more than you need, with nothing on your back. Here's the whole system.
The problem this kills
Every time I leave camp I'm hauling a bunch of stuff. Water, pee jug, a coat for later, some food, toiletry bag, tools and parts to fix bikes. It all goes in one bag and that bag is heavy as hell.
Most people wear it. Backpack on, coat tied around the waist, and by day three their shoulders are wrecked and they've been sweating like crazy the whole time. I hate wearing a backpack. So I let the bike carry it.
Why your bike is your base camp
On the playa your bike isn't just transportation. It's a base camp that follows you around, kind of like a car with a trunk. Once you can leave your weight with the bike and trust it'll be there, you stop carrying it on your body.
The part nobody talks about: the single most important piece for getting weight off your back isn't the basket. It's the lock. The basket holds the stuff, but the lock is what lets you walk away from it. More on that below.
The system, start to finish
Five pieces, and they work together:
- The basket — a milk crate on the front of the bike that holds everything
- A double kickstand — so the loaded bike doesn't fall over constantly
- A combo bike lock — locks the whole load to the frame when you leave it
- Water layering — three liters with you, but not three liters on you
- A vest — the important stuff stays on your body, not in the bag
How to build the basket
The basket is the thing that holds it all, so start strong.
Step 1: Find something strong
I use a milk crate. Cheap, tough, already the right shape. Put it on the front of the bike, not the back. I tried the back and it was in the way every time I swung my leg over to get on. Front also means I can keep an eye on it and catch anything trying to bounce out when the roads get bumpy near the end of the week.
Step 2: Mount it with U-bolts
I use U-bolts to clamp the crate to the handlebars. If you're using a milk crate you'll probably need to drill a few holes in the plastic to line the bolts up.
Step 3: Keep the nuts from rattling off
Out here everything vibrates loose. Use lock nuts, or hit the threads with Loctite so they don't rattle off and disappear into the dust. The U-bolts come long, so cut the extra off with a metal-cutting saw blade, then run a file over the cut ends so they're not sharp and slicing you up.
Step 4: Line the bottom
Put some fabric or a mat in the bottom of the basket so small stuff doesn't fall out through the gaps. If you're feeling crazy you can rig a pee-jug holder, and you can zip-tie a ziplock to the inside for a portable MOOP bag.
One rule: don't paint the milk crate. The paint flakes off, and now you're the one spreading MOOP all over the playa. Leave it ugly.
The kickstand that makes it actually work
A loaded basket makes the bike top-heavy, so it wants to tip over every time you park it. The fix is a heavy-duty double kickstand. I'm surprised more people don't run one. It holds the bike up with a full basket so you're not picking it up off the ground all week.
⚠️ One catch: a double kickstand doesn't fit every bike frame. Check that yours will work before you buy one.
While you're upgrading the bike, throw on an extra-wide seat too. You're living on this thing for a week, your butt will thank you.
The bike lock is the actual secret
Here's the piece that gets all the weight off your back: a good lock. Lock the bag, the coat, all of it to the bike and walk away. It can't be stolen, so you don't have to carry it.
Make it a combo lock. No key locks. Yeah, people steal bikes out there, someone tries mine every year. But you're way more likely to screw yourself by locking your bike and losing the key. I've done it. My campmates have done it. And it's a real problem when all your stuff is locked to a bike that's parked far as hell from camp. Why risk it. If you can't remember the code, write it on the bike somewhere.
Water layering so you're not an idiot out there
Bags handled, jacket handled, bike handled. Now, where's your water?
I do a thing I call water layering. I carry a 3-liter bladder, but it's heavy and it lives in the bag. I'm on and off the bike constantly, so when I leave the backpack with the bike I grab my 1-liter bottle and clip it to my belt.
Now I've got a liter on me while I'm cruising around, and the full three liters waiting back at the bike. Three liters with me, not three liters on me. That's the whole trick.
Keep the important stuff on your body
The reason I'm comfortable leaving the bag with the bike: nothing important is in it. Anything that would really suck to lose goes in my vest pockets or a little pouch that stays on me. The bag can hold the bulky, replaceable stuff. Anything important, like your ID and headlamp, stays with you.
The whole system, recapped
Basket, double kickstand, combo lock, water layering, valuables in the vest. That's it. I roll out with more than I need and I don't carry any of it on my back.
I'm always tweaking this. If you build a version or find something better, let me know. See you on the playa.
Part Links
Some of these are affiliate links, no extra cost to you, small kickbacks for me. I only link gear I actually run. A few basket bits I just grab at the hardware store, so no links on those.
The basket build
- Milk crate — the basket itself. Hardware store or borrow one.
- U-bolts (1/4" × 1-1/4" × 2-1/2", 2×) — clamp the crate to the handlebars. Hardware store.
- Lock nuts (1/4"-20) — so the nuts don't back off. Hardware store.
- Loctite — same job as lock nuts, straight on the threads. Buy on Amazon →
- Drill bit (1/4") — drill the mounting holes in the crate. Buy on Amazon →
- Metal-cutting saw blade — trim the long U-bolt ends. Buy on Amazon →
- Metal file — smooth the cut ends so they don't slice you. Buy on Amazon →
The bike
- Heavy-duty double kickstand (24"–26") — holds the loaded bike up. Check it fits your frame. (Link coming.)
- Combo bike lock (4 ft) — the actual secret. Combo only, no keys to lose. Buy on Amazon →
- Extra-wide bike seat — you're on this bike all week. Buy on Amazon →
Water
- 3L water bladder — the heavy one that lives in the bag. Buy on Amazon →
- 1L bottle — clips to your belt when you leave the bike. Buy on Amazon →
What I wear
- Many-pocket vest — keeps the can't-lose-it stuff on your body. Buy on Amazon →
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