I've been to Burningman twice. Don't bring any electronic equipment unless you can afford to have it completely broken down, cleaned, and rebuilt when you get back. The flat, white playa is an extremely corrosive alkaline dust that gets into EVERYTHING! I wouldn't even recommend taking your own vehicle out there.

However, think of something fun to do for other people (buy a cheap stereo or two at a yard sale and spin that way, for instance) and you'll have a blast. Also take a shitload of extra beer to barter with. Oh yeah, and water. Figure a gallon a day per person and then double it. This does not include cooking water. You need to drink water ALL THE TIME. The Black Rock Desert has no pity for fools. If you know someone with a walk-in or empty chest freezer you should half fill some coolers with water and freeze them solid. Figure out what you're going to use a different cooler for every day. Tape the other ones shut. A solid block of ice in a cooler in the shade will last for a week.

It is possible to buy ice and water but while you're standing in line you're missing something incredibly cool somewhere else. Of course, with Burningman you're always missing something incredibly cool somewhere else all the time so it's best to just make every moment incredibly cool.

I really wish I could afford the trip this year but it won't happen unless I win the lottery. Be sure to check out my friends from New Orleans. They're called Machine Screw and are one of the featured performers. They often suck but sometimes they are amazingly good. At any rate they've got some of the slinkiest strippers dancing for them. This fact matters much more in a club than at Burningman because almost everyone is naked in Black Rock City.