Working medical at Burning Man and festivals, I cannot overstate the need for a good tent and shade structure. The harsh playa environment, with unrelenting heat and sun exposure, overcomes many unprepared attendees, so a shaded place to rest is essential.
Kodiak Canvas Tents, ShiftPod, and Coleman Instant Tents (especially their dark room tents) are the most popular types of tents used during Burning Man and festivals. These tents are popular because of their long life, resistance to dust, and capacity to give a pleasant and well-ventilated shelter throughout the event. Of course, during burn week, you rarely have the vents open due to the dust.
Some individuals choose to bring a large 6- or 8-person tent, while others want to have their own space and will bring a 1- or 2-person tent. I prefer a larger tent, so I can move around inside while standing upright.
My Shiftpod II collapsed due to the heavy rainfall (2023 Mudpocalypse) while I was on my medical shift. I returned home to find a puddle of water inside my tent and wet bedding. Some of you might have seen my video. I strongly recommend securing the center pole and rainfly to make the tent more stable in bad weather.
Listening to friends and reading Facebook and Reddit posts, it seems that the Kodiak Canvas Tents held up the best during the 2023 rainstorms. They also last a long time, so it seems to be a worthwhile purchase. Both the Shiftpod and Kodiak held up to the incredible heat and heavy dust storms of 2022.
The cheapest and easiest tent I used at Burning Man was the Coleman Instant six-person tent. You might as well save some money if you're unsure about returning to Black Rock City.
Before you leave home, learn how to set up your tent and make sure you have everything you need, such as a rainfly (usually comes with the tent), footprint (ground tarp), lag bolts/rebar, guy lines, ratchet tie-down straps, and/or crane towing straps (to secure the frame to the ground.) If you use lag bolts, you will need an impact driver to secure them to the playa. Blackrock Hardware suggests Dewalt 20v with backup batteries.
Some popular shade structures are Blackrock Hardware, pop-up canopies, and peek-style carports. If you plan to purchase a pop-up canopy, I suggest buying one with a vent at the top so the wind doesn’t pull a Wizard of Oz with your home. Ratchet tie-down straps and/or crane towing straps placed around the frame of the canopy and secured to the ground with lag bolts/rebar provide extra security. I’ve used crane straps for years, and I haven’t flown away yet!
Many burners also place aluminet shade cloths over their canopies to reflect the heat.
If you are camping at a festival with phone reception, place an Apple AirTag inside your tent to find it easier when you stumble home from the last set. Unfortunately, this won’t work at Burning Man.
The type of comfort you like inside the tent is up to you. Check out my packing list and my videos for some ideas.