If you have space for it I'd recommend having a tent you can stand in just outside of your van that you can use as a dust/changing station. The last time I was there I used this type of setup & used plastic sheets connecting it to our RV door. This allowed us to change out of all of our dusty clothes & wipe off before heading into our RV. Resulted in very little to no cleanup on the inside after we were done.

You're an enigma, wrapped in a puzzle, stored within a riddle, and covered by a mystery. You're a perfectionist that seeks out total chaotic adventure. I love your content. Keep up the great work.

Two extra tips, water always carry extra, buy sheets and sew them together then cover your van, one for dust and two it helps keep the temperature down just a few more degrees. And the filters are also great to cover your grill and keep dust out of the engine compartment. Nothing is foolproof but it sure helps.

Pro tip: (I learned this at Electric Forest) Buy a chemical sprayer, mine is from Round Up. Fill is with water and use that as your shower. You can modify it with a shower head, but I was too lazy to do that. The regular chemical sprayer head worked just fine for me. Just make sure that it has NEVER been used to spray chemicals. You need to buy a new one. I paid like $15 for it. It works so much better than my solar shower that had to be hung from a tree.

I was able to keep my van somewhat clean by using three sheets across the door. I slipped into the first layer and closed the door behind me. Then I disrobed and stepped into the second section. It is a bit like being in a womb or a cotton envelope. I used fresh “van pajamas” each time I entered my van. I was even able to convince two separate visitors to join me (AC at BM in midday is quite the attraction). Of course, I did not have a personal shower. I used camp showers. But, keeping the inside of my van clean, my bed clean, and the air inside clean helped me survive the week in comfort. To make the sheet method work you need king size sheets and to hang them from rope rigging with the length such that there is plenty of room to step on them as they overlap at the bottom without it straining the top (that’s why rope and bungees work well, to make it flexible as you change into clean, comfy pajamas). I was careful to completely cover my hair when I went out. I used my own personal custom creations with fabric strips and ribbon to create hair-like designs such as braids and ponytails.

OMG ! Now, I'm sure, I'm not going to Burning Man, ever. It's miserable. Thanks for showing us the reality. Cheers. PS. I'm glad you survived. :-) Waiting for more updates, love it.

This year was my 14th Burning Man, you did very good on your preparation and post Burn cleanup. I change my air filter once off the playa before Gerlach for the ride back to Reno. I took 1 picture over my 12 days this year, still enjoyed every moment, in the moment, I get what you said. Great video!

You are seriously the best. So professional and genuine and intelligent. I love your videos!!

Great video Liz! Packed with useful tips for Burning Man, as well as similar events/destinations. Thanks for sharing.

Glad you are fine, I can't believe how much prep you did for the dust! It's hard to keep up with the fine dust that just gets worse each day. But it's worth it to get the experience of burning man.

I'm glad to see both you and the van are recovering well!

Painters tape is only good for painting. Use Gaffers tape. Its a cloth based, very sticky-yet doesnt leave behind any residue-very bendy, and stretchable/conformable tape that comes in any color you could want. We use it in the film, a/v, and spfx industries for hundreds upon hundreds of uses, but during ww2, ammo boxes were sealed shut from the elements with it. Waterproof, and dust proof-even to the finest grit dusts

Great job on prepping the van for the burn! I bet that made it much better during and most def afterward. Glad to see you made it out alive and seemingly very well!

I have an RV, got it brand new. Although Ive had it a few years now I can honestly say it's in as good of condition as the day it was gifted to me. Not one scratch, it's in mint condition. I'm a neat freak, I have extreme anxiety and OCD. I love camping, to camp with me is like having any and all the comforts of home, I say that to say I'm glad I saw this video. I couldn't enjoy myself with all that dust, too much preparation (tape, drop cloths, and filters!)! I'm also asthmatic, although I don't mind cleaning while I'm out camping this looks totally impossible to keep clean during one's stay. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

Great video! Went to the burn last year before I bought and moved into my Promaster. Building the van now and so psyched to bring it out to the desert this year. Thanks for the great experience based tips

I saw Burning Man and called 911. Firefighters were able to save him with only minor burns.

You have such a warm vibe. Ty for sharing.

I'm not even interested starting van life right now yet I love watching your channel ha :)

I went to burning man in my 2008 BLACK Dodge Grand Caravan, fully expecting it to get trashed. I lived in it on my cross country trip and for 2 nights before my yurt got assembled, hugging my swamp cooler in the heat of the day. I once forgot to close the rear vent windows during a white out and it was all over. Now I'm reclaiming the interior and exterior slowly with repeated washings with vinegar water. Heck, it used to be inundated with dog hair, playa dust is just more pervasive and persistent. My stuff serves me, not the other way around. You go girl and thanks for the tips.

I love your videos! The only complaint I have is I wish they were longer!

A little disappointed that you didn't do much filming at Burning Man, but I totally get it. It means you were living in the moment and having a fantastic time. It probably would have taken you a month to edit all the footage just to get a 15 minute video from it. Editing takes up a LOT of time, so thanks for putting this video together for us. Glad you had a great experience 😊

This video relieved so much pressure I felt to leave my van - somewhere?! - off playa. Traveling from the east coast having my van will be a game changer, but all of my friends urged me to somehow transport all of my stuff to a trailer and find someone with a hitch?! or some other similar move. I have an all black, pristine van too… but I got it for events and festivals… Thanks for the reassurance at the least. Great vid :)

Love that you used Van.There’s tip on covering the windows/fans with that filter!

Great tips! I’m in the early stages in planning BM for the first time. BTW, you’re beautiful inside and out!!!

Absolutely, now that you're an experienced "burner" you know what to expect. It's really fun but as with anything there's always a few people you have to be aware of. But the majority of the people are great folks and are attending the event for the pure enjoyment of it. I'm so happy for you to have a great time your first time there. Beeps.

Nice job on bringing the van to )'( and all the precautions on de-playa-fication. A welcome map is invaluable in the dust, both on the outside and inside of the door. I would also suggest a sheet of plastic taped over the front grill, keeps the dust out of the engine. I have also done the same over the exhaust pipe in the past, but that might be a bit overkill!! Also, spay bottle with a mix of vinegar and water is super helpful for combatting the impact of the dust on your skin as it neutralizes the dust, just a quick spray once a day keeps playa foot away!

Good tips Beach Bunny! Have an old 95 Aerostar specifically for Burning Man. In dust we trust!

The solar shower is very cool. I didn't know those existed. Definitely some useful information. I'm shocked by how many folks in the comments never heard of "Burning Man". I've known about it for 20 years, and have many acquaintances who have gone multiple times, although I've never attended myself. I'm extremely appreciative of creative souls... but I'm extremely not-a-hippie, so it's not really my scene. But, hey, good for those who have fun with that kind of thing.

Aw I just got back from my second burn with my van! I would of loved to say hey if I knew you were there. I'll take back putting down a drop cloth for the next year. Anyways I do love your videos and thanks for representing females out there traveling. Keep up the great work!

Get the van on a lift and clean underneath, paying close attention to suspension components. These are vital to the vans performance and keeping the parts you don't see (shocks, coils, leafs, control arms, sway bars, etc..) clean after a trip like this could save you thousands down the road. Nice van and really great video. Thanks for sharing.

Liz- thank you for the useful tips on burning man-proofing your rig! Is it too late to share your burning man experience for upcoming video? what you experienced, what YOU would do differently at burning man? I have never been. Thanks lady! love your videos!

Wow, I'd never have thought of all that prep until after the fact and learned the hard way lol. Excellent advise. Thanks for sharing! Glad you had a good time and no, your hair wasn't too bad for 1:30 in the desert. But I imagine you felt a million times better washing that dust out.

Yay so inspirational, I'm very impressed by your lifestyle 😍

Great video. Just an FYI, you should have put the air filter over the side windows and not the roof fan. The roof fan is drawing air out of the van.

I love your very imformative videos! It sounds like a big mess at Burning Man! But Love hearing about all your Adventures!

Sounds like you had a blast. Good to hear. I was wondering how you were going to protect your van, thanks for making this video. I hope to go out there next year with with a few fellow veterans aboard Freedom.

You may very well be the most coherent Burning Man attendee I've ever seen on KZfaq...you're downright pragmatic. If you told me shop with coupons I'd probably be in love. Sigh.

Your videos are awesome. Enjoy so much.

Burning man is on the bucket list. I started watching videos of what it was about. I ride in the desert so I know how dusty it is and the wind storms pitted paint from the sand all good all part of the experience. I met you a couple time's on Fiesta Island I had the little pomeranian dog with me.

Great video - this really helps me - thank you!! :)

New subscriber here🙋. Been binge-watching your videos. 😁

great idea with the mat outside your van. I know you mentioned astro turf, very moopy. Have you seen @savanavan on instagram? He was at our camp too when you came over! He had a legit van awning he created for burningman. It seemed to kinda block winds so he could still keep his van door open without getting blasted! It was a dusty year! Kuddos to you for getting such a great video. This is the first year we relied on our phones and didn't bring a camera to the playa. def having FOMO on less pics out there. Welcome back to the Default. It was great hanging out on the playa!

Hi Liz, nice job prepping the van for the playa. You might want to get the wheels off and clean the brakes at some point, that playa dust gets everywhere and will eventually corrode your rotors, calipers and other brake hardware and seize them up. Also wash down the undercarriage and suspension parts for the same reason. And your bike could use some TLC as well. Hope you had a great time.

Hello from a fellow Okie. OKC instead of Tulsa tho. :) Just found your channel right before your Burning Man trip and was really looking forward to this update. You looked fabulous at 1am but I'm sure all the dust and sweat made for a different reality. Anyways - keep up the great vids. Can't wait to see more.

My grandpa had a ranch in the Nevada mountains, I did the Vaseline in the nose trick every time I visited. I also would keep a bandana with me at all times and would wet it before going out on the quads, I'd use it to keep my skin moist and dab areas with too much dust until I could get to a sink. As a teen, I noticed all the women who lived there seemed older than they were, realizing the dust was causing advanced aging, I used extra moistureizer and lotion while my skin was still moist, but let it dry before leaving the house.

Another great video. The reason the shower water contained crushed is because you should have unscrewed the top cap to allow air in. It would also allow for a better water flow. If I was ever to go to burning man which I never will :) I would take a hired van

Rather than a drop cloth try buying a roll of underlayment used under wood floors. It's tough paper, and doesn't wrinkle. We only had a few tears in a week, and duct tape solved that. We always bring a roll to the burn, this year was yellow which I used on the steps and it showed up well in the dark. We bagged the front seats in 55 gallon trash bags, which helped, and also wrapped the table in the same paper we used on the floor.

Try Ayer for the nose, baby wipes for the body and sand mat for the door entrance.

If I don't have to start the engine, I would tape plastic over the front grill to protect the radiator from dust. ❤🌅🌵

It's so interesting to watch your story! I absolute love this and all the independence you have! Great channel!

At 1;30am you looked soo good your hair was amazing

Awesome! Very nice to have your own home there.

I cary a DeWalt Flexvolt leaf blower to creat a vortex in the RV with all windows & doors open, like one giant RV sneeze. (Also good for starting campfires) Joining that soon will be it’s sister the DeWalt cordless 11 inch fan that uses the same battery.

Nice job. Wish I was there. You might want to do a quick check on the vans fluids( brake, transmission, wiper washer, coolant) for any "discoloration". I'm not exactly sure how it might get into each system, but I know it's possible. If so, the alkali will definitely attack o-rings and seals. Keep on.

Great Video. I hope you enjoyed your trip..

That was awesome!!! I think though, I would rent a U-Haul and set-up a tent. Plus join a camp, Thanks for sharing.

Love your videos!

I was a Medic in the 82nd Airborne during Operation Desert Storm. (Gulf war one 1990 91). I lived in my Humvee ambulance. Before the ground operation began I spent a month near a place called Rafha Saudi Arabia. Known to everyone in my unit as the dust bowl. The area had a clay material that was very light colored. When vehicles would drive on it it would turn to the consistency of talcum powder. I remember walking in one area where the vehicles were moving around constantly and I was up to my knees in this powder. We kept a camo net over our vehicles to create concealment but it was also truth shade. It was like having your own personal tree. You can buy these camo net Kits surplus. They come in Woodland or desert. I swiped a wooden cargo pallet to place on the ground at the rear step of the ambulance as a place to kick the dust off. I have another pallet that I used to stand on when I took a shower at night. I have 4 or 5 one gallon water jugs I would fill to bathe with at night. Because it was a combat zone and we had strict light discipline I would stripped down at night to take a bath. I carried 5 5gallon potable water jugs and 2 jerry cans of fuel. Next time you go to burning man pick up a pallet from the back of a grocery store. It will be perfect to set outside the door of your van. You can throw a doormat on it as well.

Would love to hear your take on the week's experience at Burning Man - but it sounds like you've decided to keep that to yourself. Perhaps, at some point, a short run down detailing some of what you did and saw? It was your previous video that turned me on to looking into this event, something I'd never heard of before. The past years B M video's, as well as some current with this year's event, here on youtube were visual revelations. I can absolutely see why attending was on your must see list.

I don't have a van nor have I ever been to burning man but maybe instead of a turf you should make a pop up tent entry way out of tarp and sturdy pile (pole* lol) that can withstand the wind/dust. So you have a mini room before the van to get the dust off in. Or can be used to just get some shade every once in a while. Obviously it would have to be wide enough to get the van door open and still have a seal. Idk how it would work. It would take some thought but it would probably a comfortable thing to have if you could figure out how to actually set it up/make it work

Thanks for all the tips! Did you put in the painters tape before you got on the Playa, or once you got there?

Perhaps an electric leaf blower would be better than pressurized air to blow out the inside.

Cover the engine area too. It collects a lot of heat and a canvas tarp over the top will keep the driver's area much cooler. Cover the front doors on the outsie using strings to keep in place after wind comes up.

I don’t really need tips on van living, because I don’t plan on van life anytime soon, but it’s still fun to learn about your living experience! Maybe you can vary up the content so it’s not just all suggestions/ how to’s.

Ohhhhhh the dust been there enjoy love😉

I'm not sure if anyone has recommended this but you can buy spray cans of plasti-dip. If you spray down the front bumper and grill it will keep the sand from chipping away the paint as you drive it into the desert and it comes off easily.

Hey great thing I used was epic whips there a towel size baby whip for adults makes you feel like you’ve showered after using it

Great videos!!! If you don’t run the engine, I would wrap the whole front end of the van with stretch-tite clear plastic food wrap...goes on easy and way cheaper than tape.

ideas: neti pot, and nasal oil drops (seseme oil). Reflective foil : taped on the outside. Double up the windscreen block: helpful. Clamps on drip rails for additional shade fabric................

Another idea: For driving in real cold areas (such as Alaska in Winter) you can buy covers for the air inlets to the motor compartment at the nose of your car. In Alaska it is meant to keep the motor warm. In the desert, it will significantly reduce dust entering the motor compartment. But use it there only when you are not driving, because the motor might overheat otherwise.

Good thinking!!😜🥳👍

awesome tips :)

I would try to find a cover for the van. A big cover! Tying it altogether underneath or a tent to park it in like the one I saw across from your van towards the end.

You are amazing!

Wow! Very helpful video, thank you. I hope you'll share your experiences from BM, they say that place is magical?

You mentioned dumping your gray water into an evaporative tank. Was that something that was there, or you brought? We are planning for next year, and that was my concern.

Blowing dust with the air compressor may very well drive it deeper, rinsing with low pressure water may be the best bet. As for wax see if you can get Collonite brand it will literally last for months if you prep the paint surface with a clay bar first.

Can you tell me where you put the tape on your van? Did you put it on at home, before going to burning man or somewhere else? Thank you - great video!

Done a lot of things, but I think I can skip BM. You did good though. Very thorough preps.

What are night routines like? What is it like to park and get and your van ready to spend the night?

Hi Liz, I will be taking my converted Ram Promaster to Burning Man this year and would love to rack your brain for all of your tips for "proofing" it. You share some good ones here, but if you have a moment, would you mind sharing what you know, what you learned, what you would do the same and different if you were to bring your van again? I know you are selling your van, so not likely to do it again, but it would be great to hear from someone who actually went, took their van, and doesnt regret it. Thanks friend.

So much work.And always having to buy stuff for all the problems that are happening a lot when you take on living in a van

Very helpful video!!

Do you have a canopy outside the van? Maybe drop some plastic sheets from it to create a separate enclosed area. where you can take off shoes etc and it adds one more area to keep dust out of the van.

Love you work

You are crazy fun.... you rock !

Nice video, I'm gonna try it with my tiny house on wheels.....lol.should be interesting.

That sounds like a lot of work, for dust......that place must be amazing to go through all that trouble.

I'm going to have to look into that solar shower...

Interesting... Could use this sometime...

Great advice.

Amazing!

Clever clever girl 👍🏻👍🏻

Is that also another sprinter van right next to you? Did anyone else give you any tips?

Love that your doing van life....Feels like I'm listening to a news woman reading news.....puts me off...Think I'll stick with Max and Lee, feels more authentic.

love the video

This is killer advice. This reminds me I need to replace my air filter! Did you climb the stack of cars "Night At The Climb-In" that got shut down mid week?

You spent a lot of effort to keep the dust out of the interior which is great. But you didn't seal off the engine vents? When I was there I noticed a lot of people sealed off the engine, including myself. I'm surprised you didn't!

Do what I eat in a week. How I plan prep meals and favorite healthy or staple recipes.

where did you get your van washed at?