Years of Burning and dealing with yurts, tents, RVs, and everything in between, have led to SHIFT Camp developing this new solution for Playa Accommodation. They are offering them as a Gift to anyone who donates $800 or more to their camp fundraiser. They will be diverting a portion of the funds to create shelter for people devastated by the recent earthquake in Nepal, the rest goes to support their camp which is a registered non-profit. This is a way to give back to actual Sherpas!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN NEPAL? We are raising funds to take 500 SHIFTPODS to Nepal to house victims of the earthquake. We are manufacturing them at cost, delivering them and setting them up ourselves as one of our camp out-reach programs. Interested? Please join us. We need funding and people. Let us know if you have something to add to the program. WE ARE SHIPPING THE FIRST UNITS TO NEPAL AUG 15TH 2015!
I have seen the SHIFTPOD in action, there was plenty of room for my 6’3″ frame. It has many features that make it superior to a yurt, including Playa-ready windows. The production model is a substantial improvement on their earlier prototypes. It’s amazing how quickly they set up and fold back down, compared to the struggle with a regular tent that many Burgins seem to experience on the Playa. When folded up, it is much lighter and more portable than a yurt – and it doesn’t need to be re-taped every year. Some people are charging more than $1000 just to rent yurts, so this $800 minimum donation seems more than fair.
Check it out – fast forward to 2:30 to see all the features of the Pod. The music gets a lot better then as well…
FIVE MINUTE SET UP – FIVE MINUTE STRIKE WITH ONE PERSON!
HEAT REFLECTIVE AND INSULATED!
“Wow! It is so much bigger and cooler than I thought it would be!”- Most heard response
Hands down the best festival tent available!! After spending 23 years on the playa we finally sorted out the best way to tent it at ANY festival! Yep, RVs are comfortable but there is something really nice about having your feet on the ground and connected to the Earth. The SHIFTPODS make it easy. Set up in less than 5 minutes and take-down is a blur. No loose poles and connectors to manage or lose, everything is together and in place for easy pop-up. No foam panels to cut or store. Easy to carry, transport, set up, take down, clean and store… finally the perfect festival tent.
Designed by us for us, these tents reflect heat, stay cool in the heat of the day and warm in the cool of the night. The SHIFTPOD is quick set-up quick take-down high-tech 4-meter x 4-meter pop-tent you can stand up in and plenty of room for a queen size air mattress, and air conditioner or two inflatable couches that fold out into beds! You can be set up and hanging out in record time.
With high quality dust proof zippers and windows these tents feature a quick up, quick down pop-up integrated system so you wont have to keep track of poles and clips which get easily lost in between events.
Insulated reflective nylon fabric is easy to wash and blow out. The SHIFTPOD is the perfect place for a shift experience! Available in Space Ship Silver the SHIFTPODS are made with a heavy duty 3-layer insulated shell, 6 windows to let the light in, with water-proof zippers keep the rain and dust out. Reinforced corners and heavy-duty construction, large built in mesh pockets, stainless steel stakes, and heavy-duty storage bag. SIZE: 12 feet (4m) x 12 feet (4m) x 6.5 feet (200cm) tall — 64 pounds. Shipping size is 74″ x 14″ x 14″ and can be shipped UPS or taken on the airplane! Includes stakes and clips to secure the POD.
Lights and TWO-TUBE air-conditioner recommended but not included.
A great amount of thought has gone into this design.
The SHIFTPOD stuffs the best lessons of camping on the playa for 23 years into a fast set-up and fast take down weather, wind, rain, dust and UV proof living POD. Don’t blow the excitement of arrival on the playa with an hour or set up, a SHIFTPOD can literally be set up in ONE MINUTE and 28 seconds (not including hammering in the stakes).
Hung over and burned out after a week at a festival in the desert? How about three weeks if you are helping build a camp? Not to worry the SHIFTPODS can be taken down and stuffed in the bag in less than 3 minutes. Hard to imagine but very true. Check out the video: HERE (NEW INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS COMING SOON)
The SHIFTPODS can be used anywhere. With three layers of welded UV reflective insulated fabric, waterproof zippers, sewn in screens, “black out” sunshades, heavy YKK zippers, the PODS are ready for anything.
They weigh in at less than 65 pounds and the packed size is airline compliant so they can be taken with you on trips all over the world. Heavy travel bags with wheels are also available.
For the burn and other hot festivals, the SHIFTPODS are designed to be used with two-tube air-conditioning units which are available at Home Depot, Lows, Walmart, and many other retailers as well as Ebay and Amazon. These units cool the inside of the SHIFTPODS without as much of a vacuum inside of the POD. You can use the single tube systems in a pinch but it is highly recommended to use the two-tube system or make filters for the outside of one of the windows.
If you are hardcore you can forgo the AC units and the extra $400 or so for the AC. SHIFTPODS have two 6 inch ventilation ports with filter pockets to help keep the dust out. The windows also zip out for better ventilation, cleaning, and replacement.
The SHIFTPODS are built strong and and can be set up and taken down many many times or left up and used as a small house. We have several farmers using them as seasonal housing, we have people traveling with them and we are working with a UN group to use the PODS as shelters for the homeless and disaster victims around the world.
SHIFT Camp are bringing in the first load of Shift Pods as a camp fundraiser, but they have opened the offer to anyone else who wants to support them. More than 100 Burners have already taken up the offer, and there could be as many as 300 SHIFTPODs at Burning Man this year.
Donate here to support SHIFT Camp and gets yourself a SHIFTPOD for this year’s Burn.
SHIFTPODS 2015
CAMP SHIFT FUNDRAISER
SHIFTPODSUPDATE
AFTER MANY ADJUSTMENTS AND UPGRADES WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE WE WILL BE SHIPPING OUR FIRST CONTAINER SOON!ONCE THE SHIFTPODS ARRIVE THEY WILL HAVE TO CLEAR CUSTOMS AND BE DELIVERED TO OUR WAREHOUSE IN SONOMA, CA. FROM THERE WE WILL BE SHIPPING YOUR ORDERS AND LOADING THE TRUCK TO GERLACH, NV.
IF ALL GOES WELL WITH CUSTOMS WE EXPECT TO BE SHIPPING BY AUGUST 10 – 2015.
NEW UPGRADES:ROUND WINDOWS:We have upgraded the windows to a new design which eliminates the leaks we found during rain testing. This new design also allows for sewn in screens which reduce the number of loose parts and additional zippers. The new design incorporates three weep hole which allow the windows to shed even large volumes of rain. The shades roll down and fold neatly out of the way.BETTER FABRIC COATING: The new coating is more reflective and cooler. It reduces the amount of heat inside of the POD and reflects more of the UV light from the sun.STAINLESS STEEL STAKES: After a lot of testing we found the titanium stakes we planned on using were just not durable enough to meet our requirements. We have designed new heavy duty stakes and made them out of stainless steel so they will not rust and will last for years. The stakes are designed to be pounded in flat so people don’t trip on them and then pulled out easily when you are ready to go.AC PORTS: After looking at the worn out elastic on and old pair of boxer shorts I thought “Hhhhmmmm maybe we should not use elastic on the SHIFTPODS“, that day we upgraded the AC ports to a draw cord with a clasp. This allows you to cinch the AC tubes in tight and gives you more options for hose sizes.VENTILATION PORTS WITH FILTER POCKETS: We have built in filter pockets to help reduce the amount of dust in the PODS. IT ISVERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: ALWAYS LEAVE THE VENT PORTS OPEN WHEN IN USE. CARBON DIOXIDE (FROM YOUR BREATH WHILE YOU SLEEP OR BREATHE) CAN BUILD UP IN CLOSED AREAS AND KILLYOU.
The SHIFTPOD stuffs the best lessons of camping on the playa for 23 years into a fast set-up and fast take down weather, wind, rain, dust and UV proof living POD. Don’t blow the excitement of arrival on the playa with an hour or set up, aSHIFTPOD can literally be set up in ONE MINUTE and 28 seconds (not including hammering in the stakes).
Hung over and burned out after a week at a festival in the desert? How about three weeks if you are helping build a camp? Not to worry the SHIFTPODS can be taken down and stuffed in the bag in less than 3 minutes. Hard to imagine but very true. Check out the video: HERE (NEW INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS COMING SOON)
The SHIFTPODS can be used anywhere. With three layers of welded UV reflective insulated fabric, waterproof zippers, sewn in screens, “black out” sunshades, heavy YKK zippers, the PODS are ready for anything.
They weigh in at less than 65 pounds and the packed size is airline compliant so they can be taken with you on trips all over the world. Heavy travel bags with wheels are also available.
For the burn and other hot festivals, the SHIFTPODS are designed to be used with two-tube air-conditioning units which are available at Home Depot, Lows, Walmart, and many other retailers as well as Ebay and Amazon. These units cool the inside of the SHIFTPODS without as much of a vacuum inside of the POD. You can use the single tube systems in a pinch but it is highly recommended to use the two-tube system or make filters for the outside of one of the windows.
If you are hardcore you can forgo the AC units and the extra $400 or so for the AC. SHIFTPODS have two 6 inch ventilation ports with filter pockets to help keep the dust out. The windows also zip out for better ventilation, cleaning, and replacement.
The SHIFTPODS are built strong and and can be set up and taken down many many times or left up and used as a small house. We have several farmers using them as seasonal housing, we have people traveling with them and we are working with a UN group to use the PODS as shelters for the homeless and disaster victims around the world.
SHIFTPODS come with 6x 8″ STAINLESS STEEL stakes with clips and lines to hold the PODS to the playa even in the strongest winds.
SHIFTPODS offer enough room to hold a queen size bed or two inflatable couches, a small refrigerator, table, and more. You can find these on Ebay or Amazon.
ALL DONATIONS GO TO SUPPORT SHIFT AND SHIFT PROJECTS. HELP US MEET OUR GOALS AND GET THE BEST CAMPING POD ON THIS PLANET!
I ORDERED A SHIFTPOD ALREADY!! WHEN WILL I GET IT?
Thank you for your support! Your SHIFTPODS will be in the order currently being built and shipped. The shipment is expected on August 10th and can be shipped directly to you, picked up in Sonoma, CA or they can be delivered to Gerlach, NV.CAN I GET IT SOONER?
Yes. We will have a limited quantity available June 29th that can be shipped by air for an ADDITIONAL rush fee of $250 plus US shipping or pick up fees.HOW MUCH ARE SHIFTPODS?
Right now they are available as a gift for any donations of $800 or more.DO THEY COME WITH AC, BEDS OR ANY OTHER ITEMS?
Nope. It is up to you to outfit your PODs. The SHIFTPODScome with; The POD itself, the stakes, lines, and the storage bag. They have five windows, AC ports, power cord ports, and two doors.WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN NEPAL?
We are raising funds to take 500 SHIFTPODS to Nepal to house victims of the earthquake. We are manufacturing them at cost, delivering them and setting them up ourselves as one of our camp out-reach programs. Interested? Please join us. We need funding and people. Let us know if you have something to add to the program. WE ARE SHIPPING THE FIRST UNITS TO NEPAL AUG 15TH 2015!WHAT IF MY WHOLE CAMP WANTS SHIFTPODS? DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS?
Yes! It’s good to want! Contact us for more details. You can sign up to be an affiliate and earn money for your camp for every SHIFTPODS donation you bring. We also offer discounts FOR VOLUNTEERS, VETERANS and on bulk orders of PODS.Have other questions? Let us know!
~TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK~
THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!
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*SHIFTPODS is/are NOT affiliated with Burning Man, Walmart, Costco, Ebay, Amazon, Home Depot or Lowes. they all respectively own the rights to their names, logos and their IP. 🙂
Hey I just wanted to say thanks for trying to design something cool and innovative to help burners weather playa condition. When my sturdy canvas tent finally disintegrates I’ll be looking at the shiftpod.Meanwhile, I’m astounded at the negativity expressed by people on this site. I for one appreciate the effort that you’ve taken to get these to people.
Glad you have the scratch to blow $800 on a Levittown tent. Also glad you all have one place to go at the same time so the rest of us won’t have to deal with you.
Tell Larry I said, “Hi,” and that I’ll come back once I figure out how to profit from his Burnt Man too. https://vid.me/FBlu
I received mine today and set it up in the garage. WOW….after so many tried “options” over the years[been camping for more then 40 years…] this tent is heaven. A little car glamping that doesn’t cost and RV. Love the possibilities. Very well done. Thanks.
A BM ranger
My name is Bishal Syangtan. I am from Kathmandu Nepal. My family home was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. We are living in a temporary covered space for summertime only. How can I get one of your donated Shiftpods for my family? Please help me. Thank you. Bishal
“… and creating a revenue source that can help provide shelters to people in need all over the world including Clay County (fires) and Nepal (Earthquake).”
Can you provide a link to your audited financials to see how much of that revenue gets to people in need?
I run a camp out at Burning Man called SHIFT and have been burning since 1992. 23 years if my math is right. Prior to this I threw parties in LA and the first rave parties in Seattle. I love the EDM and BM culture and am proud to have been there from the very beginning.
Last year at our camp I found myself in a friends foam yurt, on a couch, looking around it was all decked out, with A/C, refer and a bed. I stomped my feet on the ground and said “it feels really good to be on the ground”.
My first burn I slept in the van, on the van and under the van, I had only a tee shirt and shorts, some water, bread, peanut butter and jelly and a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels. Tickets were $60 at the gate, and the population was less than 5000. Things were much different then, rough and raw, I had a massive SHIFT experience. Over the years I ended up in RVs which are high off the ground, disconnected and wiggly under every step. Being back on the ground felt very good. It felt solid and I felt reconnected with where my journey started.
I thought “I want to be in a yurt next year!” I then learned of the time required to build it, to put it up every year and to store it. Not to mention the $200 in tape required every year.
There has to be a better way. I run a huge camp, I don’t have time, I don’t have space, and all that waste every year doesn’t feel right. Tents suck and let all the dust in. They don’t hold up in the wind. They take too much time to set up and most are too small. There has to be another way.
After the burn, a few months later I started working on a ideas, sketches, and prototypes, re-engineering, testing and patent work. The SHIFTPOD was born. They really do set up in less than one minute, twenty eight seconds and strike in less than 3 minutes. They are large roomy, insulated against the heat of sun, easy to store and move.
We set SHIFTPODs up as a fundraising project for camp and began the process of producing them. We distributed our first 300 SHIFTPODs to eager donors and delivered them just before and at the 2015 burn. We were supported by Millennials, Boomers, Hippies and Hipsters, Rich getting out of RVs and Poor upgrading out of dusty tents.
Because of the demand (and exposure in Burners.Me) we were also able to send 5 SHIFTPODS ($4000+shipping) to Nepal to help earthquake victims (and 5 more to be sent as we can place them), and we were able to bring back 15 of the used PODs to offer the victims of the Lake County fires. We were also able to support our camp and our bikes to Cuba project.
One of the huge bummers of Burning Man 2015 was the wind and the dust. For us it was the best possible test for the SHIFTPODs. Yahoo reported 30-40MPH sustained winds with gusts to 90MPH, other more official reports on the playa said 50MPH. In the words of one of our new SHIFTPOD owners, “My SHIFTPOD shed the wind like it was nothing”. The response has been overwhelming and positive. The size, the set up time, the durability and mobility… all confirmed.
Now, we are poised to do more for those in need. We are setting up a program to ship SHIFTPODS to refugee camps and people in need. For every 20 SHIFTPODs sold we will ship one to a family in need. Over time we hope to get this down to every 10 SHIFTPODs sold but we have to start somewhere, right?
Live your life, party in a POD and help give someone in need a home at the same time. That’s a Win/Win in my book.
If you want to help let us know! We are looking for positive, proactive people to work with as we take the project forward. If you are into getting it done and making big things happen, please get in touch.
Lasting, a big shout out and THANK YOU all in caps to BURNERS.ME for getting the story out and being directly responsible for more than 80 SHIFTPOD donations. Also, thank you to all of our supporters and people who took the risk with us. We appreciate you.
Please send photos of you and your SHIFTPODs! Post them on Instagram! #shiftpods And please like us on Facebook! Help spread the word!
OK I did not check these out at BM. who actually has field tested these tents and where are the reviews? In theory it seems good but I’d rather rent or borrow one before plunking down $800. How durable are they over the years? How wind and dust proof are they? Whats the warranty?
Reports from this year were overwhelmingly positive. The tent was designed for burners by burners, taking an existing proven design and customizing it for the extreme climactic conditions of the Playa. I have seen it in person and it is impressive – spacious, comfortable, solid. The burners are selling it to help raise funds for Shift camp, which is a registered non profit like Burning Man.
A “gift” does not require anything in return, this includes money. These jailhouse lawyer workarounds to the principles and their acceptance are disgusting and have resulted in the total destruction of what the burn used to be. Whatever happened to crashing on a couch, in your van, or in a tent (not made in china)? Fucking hipster bullshit is what this thing is. Doesnt suprise me in the least to be honest.
Part of the Burning Man experience is to create your own solution to living in the desert for a week. One of the interesting things to see is the way people have created their own answer to living in BRC. But many people are not equal to that challenge. Instead, they prefer to let their money do their thinking for them, and buy a fancy tent. As important as anything is that this tent is a self-assembling shelter, so you don’t really need to apply yourself, or enlist the help of others.
But it also meets the need many people have to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Their insecurity and low self-esteem push them to do something that will be recognized. I am sure they will be happy hearing, “Isn’t that one of those $800 tents?” After all, if they were really creative they would come up with a theme camp, art or MV …to entertain the spectators who are staying in much more upscale digs for the week. All those CCamp tourists are really bereft of creativity and real value such that that they spend all that money just so they can watch, and be insulated from the practical demands on the peasants – whom they have come to see. And who are getting the value of the experience that they have paid big to deny to themselves. The irony of money making them stupid is stunning.
Of course the $800 tent is chicken feed compared to how the way the BOrg have let the extra $20 million in annual overhead do their thinking.
If the pod was like an RV or camper that does NOT sell under the color of Burning Man, and purchase and delivery are made all off-playa, then they are the same.
What if UNICEF had a $400 “Burning Man Tent,” where a certain percentage of the proceeds were realized as tents going to the WHO, and you could take delivery from their UNICEF truck on playa? You GIFT them $400 and they GIFT you a tent. …You know, just like trick-or-treat for UNICEF, but they give you candy when you make a donation.
If that’s OK, then we just need to decide what “non-profit” credentials you need to sell things on playa.
Wow! if you are here… who is running hell?? The concept here is not waste time setting up a stupid foam yurt for 3 days… free up the time and effort so you CAN put it toward are and other participation beyond building living quarters. The other parts of the plan include getting people out of RVs and back on the ground and creating a revenue source that can help provide shelters to people in need all over the world including Clay County (fires) and Nepal (Earthquake). Nomad you should put a smile on your face and try and shed some of that negative shit. Holding all that resentment and venom is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die from it. Go get laid and have some fun!
“Wow! if you are here… who is running hell??”
> I am multitasking.
“The concept here is not waste time setting up a stupid foam yurt for 3 days… free up the time and effort so you CAN put it toward are and other participation beyond building living quarters.”
> Gee, I just slept in the back of my van that I rented at the airport to transport me and my bike, sleeping roll and food/water. Never saw the need to have a “stupid foam yurt.”
“The other parts of the plan include getting people out of RVs and back on the ground…”
> There are many ways to do that. If you send me $800 I will tell you.
“… and creating a revenue source that can help provide shelters to people in need all over the world including Clay County (fires) and Nepal (Earthquake).”
> Let’s see your audited financials to see how much of that revenue gets to people in need.
“Nomad you should put a smile on your face and try and shed some of that negative shit. Holding all that resentment and venom is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die from it. Go get laid and have some fun!”
> I AM having fun. Whatever led you to believe that running hell was not fun, and did not involve getting laid? We do get WNET and KQED down here without making any contributions. It’s also like the NV burn, but easier to get tickets.
If there is any question if they are “selling” rather than “gifting” these, be sure to read this:
“WHAT IF MY WHOLE CAMP WANTS SHIFTPODS? DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS?
Yes! It’s good to want! Contact us for more details. You can sign up to be an affiliate and earn money for your camp for every SHIFTPODS donation you bring. We also offer discounts FOR VOLUNTEERS, VETERANS and on bulk orders of PODS.”
It is very similar to the the product you mention but with a heavier frame, heavier hubs, specialized fabrics with patent pending coatings, a floor, and waterproof windows and seams. The one you mention has no floor and the windows do not keep the dust or rain out.
What are you even talking about? You are for commercial companies selling Decommodfication Kits, but against Burners coming up with innovative housing solutions? Wow whose side are you on Pink ?
“You are for commercial companies selling Decommodfication Kits, but against Burners” selling “innovative” over-priced tents to pickup on the playa with the justification that some unspecified amount of the purchase goes to tents for the needy. But the needy are not needy enough that they would want a used tent.
Nobody said anyone was selling used tents. WTF did you get that?
I DID suggest that the tents used at the burn be gifted to those who need them, using the same distribution channel for the new tents that the company uses to give them to those in distressed situations, like Nepal. There is no better opportunity to get a greater quantity of tents for those that truly need them than to gather a truckload of them at the end of the burn. After all, the tents would be in the same condition as you would presumably be using them next year.
Of course if the real intent is to sell over-priced tents to rich kids, with the eyewash justification of giving a few new tents to those who need them in Nepal, then the last thing you want is the hassle to gather them up at the end of the burn so they can expand who can be helped. Besides, many more people are interested in buying a cool tent to keep, than gifting same to those in distressed situations that need them.
Hey, looks like a cool tent design, but there are dozens if not hundreds of cool things people invent for burns. If they can pre-sell them for delivery by truckload on the playa by just saying that an *unspecified* number will also be given to people in need, that pretty much opens it up to anyone selling anything with delivery, FOB BRC. (Which also increases the chance it will become moop as people find they don’t have space to cart it out.)
What keeps my new non-profit (that pays me a salary of $400K/year) from pre-selling my special, pure, filtered water, that I also give to people in need in Nepal? You pre-buy a case, and take delivery from our truck in BRC. We will be expanding to hamburgers and beer next year. …Not to worry, those Nepalese like beer, too.
Keep in mind that my writing presumes the honesty of using the term “sell.” Their use of the word “gift,” as in, “they are available as a gift for any donations of $800 or more,” is a direct insult to the Burning Man gift culture.
As for them being “a registered non-profit,” the BOrg has already set the standard for what that means. Turn ABP loose on their books before that has any purchase here.
If SHIFT really is doing great things, them have ABP give them a clean bill of health, and do a post about them, not an ad for the tents they are selling.
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I’m against the U-Haul thing and this. Targeting burners to sell a product to use at Burning Man goes against the spirit of DIY and decommodification (oh I know, I should tell that to Elon Musk first!). Burnersxxx believes burners have a right to financial gain for their playa-related efforts. Sort of an impasse here. Agree to disagree (but I’m right).
What I’m saying is that you railed against Uhaul for selling a reasonably priced roll of stuff that protects their trucks as commodification, but are blatantly promoting another company that is ‘gifting for a donation of $800’ tents. If one is commodification targeting burners, so is the other. And so Uhaul made a mistake of saying logos HAD to be covered, although it is suggested and has been a long standing practice (even if it has been one falling by the wayside along with 2 hours of mooping open playa and many other suggestions). Big fucking deal. This is compared to blatantly targeting burners with an overpriced thermal tent.
I’d think you’d be happy Uhaul has changed its long standing policy of NOT renting to burners and instead allowing people to have a resource readily available to get their shit to the playa.
I had no idea U-Haul didn’t rent to Burners, since I have seen TONS of U-Haul logos at Burning Man since 1998. Maybe they covered Ryder and Penske logos with U-Haul stickers? Perhaps I should have written the story “Finally Burners are able to rent a U-Haul truck for the first time”, would that have been better for you?
I will always support a camp fundraiser put on by Burners over a marketing campaign by a giant corporation. If that makes me a “bad Burner” then so be it, purchase all the Decommodification kits you can afford. Make sure you get your Sherpas to cover up those terrible Ford badges which are ruining Burning Man.
BTW “I commend U-Haul”…this is “railing against them”?
U haul didn’t like to rent to burners. They would pull your reservation if they knew you were going to the burn whereas Budget did not. The farther from Reno or SF you were renting the truck, the less likely the company knew you were taking it to the playa. So renting for the burn from Reno was damn near impossible, but if you were bringing the truck from, say, Minneapolis? You might get over on Uhaul.
Anyways, I do t see these playa pods as a camp fundraiser. That appears to just be a marketing tool. I’ve seen these for sale for a year or so, and no mention of fundraising, just an $800 price tag.
Just a flat $800 price. The second with the observations:
“And now for the bad news. The Shiftpod weighs in a hefty 64 pounds, which makes it quite a burden to lug around. That means that this is a tent built for car camping at best, as you certainly wouldn’t want to have to haul it very far – even with the optional wheeled storage bag. …. The Shiftpod doesn’t come cheap either. It is priced at $800, even without the wheeled bag. That puts it squarely out of the budget for most of us, unless you have a very specific need for the features it provides. If it makes you feel any better, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each tent are being given to the recovery effort in Nepal, which should at least count for something. Despit its cost and weight; this will likely be a popular tent with its intended audience – which mainly seems to be the burners themselves.”
That last line clearly implies that the Burning Man angle is part of the marketing beyond the playa.
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Seriously, using a gimmick to sell a grossly overpriced environmentally destructive “tent”. Air Conditioning and 65 pounds of petrol laden materials.
If you need all this crap to camp – DON’T CAMP.
Your carbon footprint is bigger than Big Foot.
Yeah, it’s not like CO2 levels and global warming will ever effect them and the rest of the EDM community. Besides, as long as SF has enough water to drink, who cares about LA.
Note to self… Time to go long on desalination tech.
Durable, well built, high end, name brand, high wind capable tents are $500+. I’m not talking about Coleman or REI crap. Garbage wal mart tents break after one use. So if you get 8 uses or eight years out of a $100 tent then youve made your money back. At least with these you can use it over and over and loan it out. Then resell it for half your money back later. So maybe it costs $400 years later. The real question is how much different these are then cheaper Clam tents which appear to be the same thing different color. And how durable these are long term and if the warranty will fix it for free when it breaks years later. A major name brand will. With an RV rental your money is gone like with a motel.
I have zero problems with camps selling anything for fundraisers. It’s different from hotel rooms – which are also totally fine, judging from General comments on Facebook. It’s interesting that a “ban on commerce” never made it into the Tin Principles. Even Bohemian Grove has that.
The people behind Shift aren’t pulling some trick to secretly make money with this idea. These are real people with real world businesses. They get Burning Man and “do it right” by anyone’s standards. Any surplus will go to Nepal or other refugee needs.
Where does it stop? Can Thunderdome sell their brand of knee pads? Can the Abstinithe Bar sponsor their own line of liquors? And can they deliver them, sorry – gift them to their customers in BRC?
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I’ve lived in many varied playa housings over the years, and put a lot of planning and money into most of them. But my favorite year was when when I just fucked it all off and didn’t even have a tent. I just slept where I was at the moment I felt sleepy. Then I woke up and went out counting elephants.
I’m just saying that less can be more, but that doesn’t mean crawling into someone else’s tent or imposing yourself on others. There are many places to catch a cat nap out there and sleep deprivation can be a very interesting high.
This post brought to you by ShiftPod. Even if you are not going to the NV burn, you can still buy one for $800… er, excuse me, they will GIFT* you one if you GIFT* them $800. Be the first in your gated community to have one in the back yard for the kids.
THEY ARE SELLING RETAIL. THEY ARE MISUSING THE TERM GIFT.
Using your line of reasoning, ANY company that donated ANY of their goods to the needy gets a free pass to commercialize Burning Man, and sell goods for pickup at the NV burn. I could fill this comment box with links to commercial companies that donate their goods to the needy.
But yes, if I was in Nepal with my home destroyed, I would rather have no shelter than some crusty used pod.
If this was the real deal, they would gift new pods AND gather up the used pods to also gift to those who need. THAT would be gifting, not selling pods for pickup on playa to take home.
Why Nepal? Arent homeless people here more likely to stab you for a meal? Instead of trying to “fix” evryone else how about we work on fixing our own problems. 1 in 5 go hungry everyday right here in America.
DUH! Nepal is in the news. Also least chance of running afoul of political/religious agendas. I am sure the beneficiaries will change with the next big media crisis.
@banksey – Yes we are actually working on programs here in the US for homeless vets and homeless women. It is a long slow process as there not a perception of the NEED being urgent but we have been able to get a little bit of traction that we are now building on. We are working with several “experts” to develop a sustainable self funding, self governed model for elderly women’s camps that include a work space and volunteers to come in and help them market handcrafts on Etsy and other social media outlets. We also recently hired a homeless writer who has been in the trenches fighting for help for the homeless to guide us through the process and make introductions. She is thrilled with the SHIFTPOD and used van we have traded to her in exchange for the first stretch of work and she is thrill to be able to earn it rather than to just have a handout. We really are trying to find a way – through all the regulation and BS – to help people right here at home and have been putting ourselves out there to make it happen.
@nomadtrollforever – Not sure where you are getting your information but… please do a bit of fact checking before you spew your absolutely fallacious ideas out upon the world. We donate NEW SHIFTPODS to displaced people both abroad and here in the USA. After the Burn 2015, after cleaning up our entire esplanade camp, the 60′ Ferris Wheel (we have run 20,000 people through for free) and after cleaning up all the MOOP and crap people left for us, and after driving home, I got back in my truck drove back to Gerlach, retrieved 15 of the “crusty” SHIFTPODS used in our camp, took 3 days to clean and refurbished them in my back yard, and made them available for free to the NorCal fire victims. I didn’t do this for publicity, I did it to help. Its really easy for you to sit back and talk shit but you should really put your energy where you mouth is and start helping people. Doing and Helping will make feel a lot better than sitting on your ass and talking shit for hours on Burning Man blogs. Go ahead… turn the computer off, go outside and get some air and sunshine. If you ever want to jump in, get involved in reality, and help us figure out how to make some good stuff happen let me know.
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@CW: Glad you said you reused some of your tents – I said you should have recycled them all to the needy. You should think about posting links to support your info instead of just comment texts like I do. Otherwise you are in the same class as me posting comments.
Oh, and I do a lot besides distrusting the Borg and anything related to the NV burn that is not proved otherwise. My day job directly reduces CO2 and water footprint, with the CO2 benefit proved by numbers published by the EPA. Problem is the charlatans that use the solar/green rhetoric to misdirect people from the real challenges to save the environment and all that climate change is doing to the third world. If sales rhetoric had not hijacked the truth 30 years ago we would not be in this fix now.
Do you know how many gallons of potable water and how many KWH you use each day? I do. If you don’t, you are not part of the solution, only playing like you are. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Prove me wrong and post a link to a web-published tally of the CO2 and water footprint of your activity. Otherwise, you are like the Prius owner who does not realize that it does more life-cycle environmental damage to the planet than a Land Rover.
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Heres a review and set up tutorial I did of the ShiftPod if interested.
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Hey I just wanted to say thanks for trying to design something cool and innovative to help burners weather playa condition. When my sturdy canvas tent finally disintegrates I’ll be looking at the shiftpod.Meanwhile, I’m astounded at the negativity expressed by people on this site. I for one appreciate the effort that you’ve taken to get these to people.
Glad you have the scratch to blow $800 on a Levittown tent. Also glad you all have one place to go at the same time so the rest of us won’t have to deal with you.
Tell Larry I said, “Hi,” and that I’ll come back once I figure out how to profit from his Burnt Man too. https://vid.me/FBlu
I received mine today and set it up in the garage. WOW….after so many tried “options” over the years[been camping for more then 40 years…] this tent is heaven. A little car glamping that doesn’t cost and RV. Love the possibilities. Very well done. Thanks.
A BM ranger
Hi, I’m trying to connect with the burning man regarding a complaint on the tents his promoting. Thanks
My name is Bishal Syangtan. I am from Kathmandu Nepal. My family home was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. We are living in a temporary covered space for summertime only. How can I get one of your donated Shiftpods for my family? Please help me. Thank you. Bishal
@ Bishal – We would love to help. Please message me through our web site at http://www.shiftpods.com
“… and creating a revenue source that can help provide shelters to people in need all over the world including Clay County (fires) and Nepal (Earthquake).”
Can you provide a link to your audited financials to see how much of that revenue gets to people in need?
Pingback: Where Did The SHIFT Pod Come From? | Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man
Where did the SHIFTPOD come from?
I run a camp out at Burning Man called SHIFT and have been burning since 1992. 23 years if my math is right. Prior to this I threw parties in LA and the first rave parties in Seattle. I love the EDM and BM culture and am proud to have been there from the very beginning.
Last year at our camp I found myself in a friends foam yurt, on a couch, looking around it was all decked out, with A/C, refer and a bed. I stomped my feet on the ground and said “it feels really good to be on the ground”.
My first burn I slept in the van, on the van and under the van, I had only a tee shirt and shorts, some water, bread, peanut butter and jelly and a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels. Tickets were $60 at the gate, and the population was less than 5000. Things were much different then, rough and raw, I had a massive SHIFT experience. Over the years I ended up in RVs which are high off the ground, disconnected and wiggly under every step. Being back on the ground felt very good. It felt solid and I felt reconnected with where my journey started.
I thought “I want to be in a yurt next year!” I then learned of the time required to build it, to put it up every year and to store it. Not to mention the $200 in tape required every year.
There has to be a better way. I run a huge camp, I don’t have time, I don’t have space, and all that waste every year doesn’t feel right. Tents suck and let all the dust in. They don’t hold up in the wind. They take too much time to set up and most are too small. There has to be another way.
After the burn, a few months later I started working on a ideas, sketches, and prototypes, re-engineering, testing and patent work. The SHIFTPOD was born. They really do set up in less than one minute, twenty eight seconds and strike in less than 3 minutes. They are large roomy, insulated against the heat of sun, easy to store and move.
We set SHIFTPODs up as a fundraising project for camp and began the process of producing them. We distributed our first 300 SHIFTPODs to eager donors and delivered them just before and at the 2015 burn. We were supported by Millennials, Boomers, Hippies and Hipsters, Rich getting out of RVs and Poor upgrading out of dusty tents.
Because of the demand (and exposure in Burners.Me) we were also able to send 5 SHIFTPODS ($4000+shipping) to Nepal to help earthquake victims (and 5 more to be sent as we can place them), and we were able to bring back 15 of the used PODs to offer the victims of the Lake County fires. We were also able to support our camp and our bikes to Cuba project.
One of the huge bummers of Burning Man 2015 was the wind and the dust. For us it was the best possible test for the SHIFTPODs. Yahoo reported 30-40MPH sustained winds with gusts to 90MPH, other more official reports on the playa said 50MPH. In the words of one of our new SHIFTPOD owners, “My SHIFTPOD shed the wind like it was nothing”. The response has been overwhelming and positive. The size, the set up time, the durability and mobility… all confirmed.
Now, we are poised to do more for those in need. We are setting up a program to ship SHIFTPODS to refugee camps and people in need. For every 20 SHIFTPODs sold we will ship one to a family in need. Over time we hope to get this down to every 10 SHIFTPODs sold but we have to start somewhere, right?
Live your life, party in a POD and help give someone in need a home at the same time. That’s a Win/Win in my book.
If you want to help let us know! We are looking for positive, proactive people to work with as we take the project forward. If you are into getting it done and making big things happen, please get in touch.
Lasting, a big shout out and THANK YOU all in caps to BURNERS.ME for getting the story out and being directly responsible for more than 80 SHIFTPOD donations. Also, thank you to all of our supporters and people who took the risk with us. We appreciate you.
Please send photos of you and your SHIFTPODs! Post them on Instagram! #shiftpods And please like us on Facebook! Help spread the word!
Lets have fun and make a difference!
Christian
#shiftpods
OK I did not check these out at BM. who actually has field tested these tents and where are the reviews? In theory it seems good but I’d rather rent or borrow one before plunking down $800. How durable are they over the years? How wind and dust proof are they? Whats the warranty?
Reports from this year were overwhelmingly positive. The tent was designed for burners by burners, taking an existing proven design and customizing it for the extreme climactic conditions of the Playa. I have seen it in person and it is impressive – spacious, comfortable, solid. The burners are selling it to help raise funds for Shift camp, which is a registered non profit like Burning Man.
“…which is a registered non profit like Burning Man.” > That bad?
A “gift” does not require anything in return, this includes money. These jailhouse lawyer workarounds to the principles and their acceptance are disgusting and have resulted in the total destruction of what the burn used to be. Whatever happened to crashing on a couch, in your van, or in a tent (not made in china)? Fucking hipster bullshit is what this thing is. Doesnt suprise me in the least to be honest.
how is this any better than a tent? a tent for lazy people? why pay more, and you can’t star gaze from this thing. not for me.
Part of the Burning Man experience is to create your own solution to living in the desert for a week. One of the interesting things to see is the way people have created their own answer to living in BRC. But many people are not equal to that challenge. Instead, they prefer to let their money do their thinking for them, and buy a fancy tent. As important as anything is that this tent is a self-assembling shelter, so you don’t really need to apply yourself, or enlist the help of others.
But it also meets the need many people have to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Their insecurity and low self-esteem push them to do something that will be recognized. I am sure they will be happy hearing, “Isn’t that one of those $800 tents?” After all, if they were really creative they would come up with a theme camp, art or MV …to entertain the spectators who are staying in much more upscale digs for the week. All those CCamp tourists are really bereft of creativity and real value such that that they spend all that money just so they can watch, and be insulated from the practical demands on the peasants – whom they have come to see. And who are getting the value of the experience that they have paid big to deny to themselves. The irony of money making them stupid is stunning.
Of course the $800 tent is chicken feed compared to how the way the BOrg have let the extra $20 million in annual overhead do their thinking.
So is paying $800 for a shift pod worse than paying thousands on an RV or camper?
If the pod was like an RV or camper that does NOT sell under the color of Burning Man, and purchase and delivery are made all off-playa, then they are the same.
What if UNICEF had a $400 “Burning Man Tent,” where a certain percentage of the proceeds were realized as tents going to the WHO, and you could take delivery from their UNICEF truck on playa? You GIFT them $400 and they GIFT you a tent. …You know, just like trick-or-treat for UNICEF, but they give you candy when you make a donation.
If that’s OK, then we just need to decide what “non-profit” credentials you need to sell things on playa.
Wow! if you are here… who is running hell?? The concept here is not waste time setting up a stupid foam yurt for 3 days… free up the time and effort so you CAN put it toward are and other participation beyond building living quarters. The other parts of the plan include getting people out of RVs and back on the ground and creating a revenue source that can help provide shelters to people in need all over the world including Clay County (fires) and Nepal (Earthquake). Nomad you should put a smile on your face and try and shed some of that negative shit. Holding all that resentment and venom is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die from it. Go get laid and have some fun!
“Wow! if you are here… who is running hell??”
> I am multitasking.
“The concept here is not waste time setting up a stupid foam yurt for 3 days… free up the time and effort so you CAN put it toward are and other participation beyond building living quarters.”
> Gee, I just slept in the back of my van that I rented at the airport to transport me and my bike, sleeping roll and food/water. Never saw the need to have a “stupid foam yurt.”
“The other parts of the plan include getting people out of RVs and back on the ground…”
> There are many ways to do that. If you send me $800 I will tell you.
“… and creating a revenue source that can help provide shelters to people in need all over the world including Clay County (fires) and Nepal (Earthquake).”
> Let’s see your audited financials to see how much of that revenue gets to people in need.
“Nomad you should put a smile on your face and try and shed some of that negative shit. Holding all that resentment and venom is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die from it. Go get laid and have some fun!”
> I AM having fun. Whatever led you to believe that running hell was not fun, and did not involve getting laid? We do get WNET and KQED down here without making any contributions. It’s also like the NV burn, but easier to get tickets.
http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/files/2012/12/Hell.jpg
Always refreshing to know I am part of yet another target market… I bet these hold in odors real good though, so it is tempting
If there is any question if they are “selling” rather than “gifting” these, be sure to read this:
“WHAT IF MY WHOLE CAMP WANTS SHIFTPODS? DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS?
Yes! It’s good to want! Contact us for more details. You can sign up to be an affiliate and earn money for your camp for every SHIFTPODS donation you bring. We also offer discounts FOR VOLUNTEERS, VETERANS and on bulk orders of PODS.”
You will be happy to know we will be selling soon! We will also continue our contribution program just like public radio station KQED.
Funny, but I can listen to KQED without making a contribution. Same with WNET, and WHYY. Don’t see that they are selling.
HBO is selling, and if you don’t buy you don’t get HBO.
Tell me… What do you get when you buy some KQED?
Is this is a well-thought-out upgrade and desert-ready of the pop-up hub shelter initially made by Clam? http://clamoutdoors.com/store/clam/shelters/pop-up-hub.html
Looking forward to see it on the playa.
Those look cool, and they are designed for high winds and to stand up in.
Price: $319.99 + $4.49 shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Clam-Vista-Therma-Thermal-House/dp/B00LDYNZWW/ref=sr_1_20?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1438250836&sr=1-20&refinements=p_4%3AClam+Corporation
Price: $611.02 + $4.49 shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Clam-Outdoors-Mitchell-Thermal-Shelter/dp/B00FH486GO/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1438250836&sr=1-6&refinements=p_4%3AClam+Corporation
Has anyone tried these?
It is very similar to the the product you mention but with a heavier frame, heavier hubs, specialized fabrics with patent pending coatings, a floor, and waterproof windows and seams. The one you mention has no floor and the windows do not keep the dust or rain out.
So you are promoting this, but pissing on U-Haul for offering a way to cover up logos because they are sick of scraping duct tape off their vehicles?
Yessiree.
What are you even talking about? You are for commercial companies selling Decommodfication Kits, but against Burners coming up with innovative housing solutions? Wow whose side are you on Pink ?
“You are for commercial companies selling Decommodfication Kits, but against Burners” selling “innovative” over-priced tents to pickup on the playa with the justification that some unspecified amount of the purchase goes to tents for the needy. But the needy are not needy enough that they would want a used tent.
Nobody is selling used tents
Nobody said anyone was selling used tents. WTF did you get that?
I DID suggest that the tents used at the burn be gifted to those who need them, using the same distribution channel for the new tents that the company uses to give them to those in distressed situations, like Nepal. There is no better opportunity to get a greater quantity of tents for those that truly need them than to gather a truckload of them at the end of the burn. After all, the tents would be in the same condition as you would presumably be using them next year.
Of course if the real intent is to sell over-priced tents to rich kids, with the eyewash justification of giving a few new tents to those who need them in Nepal, then the last thing you want is the hassle to gather them up at the end of the burn so they can expand who can be helped. Besides, many more people are interested in buying a cool tent to keep, than gifting same to those in distressed situations that need them.
Hey, looks like a cool tent design, but there are dozens if not hundreds of cool things people invent for burns. If they can pre-sell them for delivery by truckload on the playa by just saying that an *unspecified* number will also be given to people in need, that pretty much opens it up to anyone selling anything with delivery, FOB BRC. (Which also increases the chance it will become moop as people find they don’t have space to cart it out.)
What keeps my new non-profit (that pays me a salary of $400K/year) from pre-selling my special, pure, filtered water, that I also give to people in need in Nepal? You pre-buy a case, and take delivery from our truck in BRC. We will be expanding to hamburgers and beer next year. …Not to worry, those Nepalese like beer, too.
Keep in mind that my writing presumes the honesty of using the term “sell.” Their use of the word “gift,” as in, “they are available as a gift for any donations of $800 or more,” is a direct insult to the Burning Man gift culture.
As for them being “a registered non-profit,” the BOrg has already set the standard for what that means. Turn ABP loose on their books before that has any purchase here.
If SHIFT really is doing great things, them have ABP give them a clean bill of health, and do a post about them, not an ad for the tents they are selling.
I’m against the U-Haul thing and this. Targeting burners to sell a product to use at Burning Man goes against the spirit of DIY and decommodification (oh I know, I should tell that to Elon Musk first!). Burnersxxx believes burners have a right to financial gain for their playa-related efforts. Sort of an impasse here. Agree to disagree (but I’m right).
The H-haul thing is a reasonable defensive move by them, to the benefit of burners. But otherwise, I clearly agree.
What I’m saying is that you railed against Uhaul for selling a reasonably priced roll of stuff that protects their trucks as commodification, but are blatantly promoting another company that is ‘gifting for a donation of $800’ tents. If one is commodification targeting burners, so is the other. And so Uhaul made a mistake of saying logos HAD to be covered, although it is suggested and has been a long standing practice (even if it has been one falling by the wayside along with 2 hours of mooping open playa and many other suggestions). Big fucking deal. This is compared to blatantly targeting burners with an overpriced thermal tent.
I’d think you’d be happy Uhaul has changed its long standing policy of NOT renting to burners and instead allowing people to have a resource readily available to get their shit to the playa.
I had no idea U-Haul didn’t rent to Burners, since I have seen TONS of U-Haul logos at Burning Man since 1998. Maybe they covered Ryder and Penske logos with U-Haul stickers? Perhaps I should have written the story “Finally Burners are able to rent a U-Haul truck for the first time”, would that have been better for you?
I will always support a camp fundraiser put on by Burners over a marketing campaign by a giant corporation. If that makes me a “bad Burner” then so be it, purchase all the Decommodification kits you can afford. Make sure you get your Sherpas to cover up those terrible Ford badges which are ruining Burning Man.
BTW “I commend U-Haul”…this is “railing against them”?
U haul didn’t like to rent to burners. They would pull your reservation if they knew you were going to the burn whereas Budget did not. The farther from Reno or SF you were renting the truck, the less likely the company knew you were taking it to the playa. So renting for the burn from Reno was damn near impossible, but if you were bringing the truck from, say, Minneapolis? You might get over on Uhaul.
Anyways, I do t see these playa pods as a camp fundraiser. That appears to just be a marketing tool. I’ve seen these for sale for a year or so, and no mention of fundraising, just an $800 price tag.
Good catch, Pink. No mention of the donation/gift thing here…
http://hexayurttape.com/2015/07/21/shiftpod-whoa/
Or here…
http://www.gearinstitute.com/gear-news/gear-institute-top-stories/item/the-shift
Just a flat $800 price. The second with the observations:
“And now for the bad news. The Shiftpod weighs in a hefty 64 pounds, which makes it quite a burden to lug around. That means that this is a tent built for car camping at best, as you certainly wouldn’t want to have to haul it very far – even with the optional wheeled storage bag. …. The Shiftpod doesn’t come cheap either. It is priced at $800, even without the wheeled bag. That puts it squarely out of the budget for most of us, unless you have a very specific need for the features it provides. If it makes you feel any better, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each tent are being given to the recovery effort in Nepal, which should at least count for something. Despit its cost and weight; this will likely be a popular tent with its intended audience – which mainly seems to be the burners themselves.”
That last line clearly implies that the Burning Man angle is part of the marketing beyond the playa.
Seriously, using a gimmick to sell a grossly overpriced environmentally destructive “tent”. Air Conditioning and 65 pounds of petrol laden materials.
If you need all this crap to camp – DON’T CAMP.
Your carbon footprint is bigger than Big Foot.
Somehow I don’t think carbon footprint is a big concern to Burners. You know, because they burn stuff.
Yeah, it’s not like CO2 levels and global warming will ever effect them and the rest of the EDM community. Besides, as long as SF has enough water to drink, who cares about LA.
Note to self… Time to go long on desalination tech.
Durable, well built, high end, name brand, high wind capable tents are $500+. I’m not talking about Coleman or REI crap. Garbage wal mart tents break after one use. So if you get 8 uses or eight years out of a $100 tent then youve made your money back. At least with these you can use it over and over and loan it out. Then resell it for half your money back later. So maybe it costs $400 years later. The real question is how much different these are then cheaper Clam tents which appear to be the same thing different color. And how durable these are long term and if the warranty will fix it for free when it breaks years later. A major name brand will. With an RV rental your money is gone like with a motel.
I am amused at this Amazon-reviews discussion of this “GIFT.” Isn’t that impolite in certain circles?
…If I “donate” $800 of put options on VW stock from last week, I wonder if they will still gift me a tent?…
I have zero problems with camps selling anything for fundraisers. It’s different from hotel rooms – which are also totally fine, judging from General comments on Facebook. It’s interesting that a “ban on commerce” never made it into the Tin Principles. Even Bohemian Grove has that.
The people behind Shift aren’t pulling some trick to secretly make money with this idea. These are real people with real world businesses. They get Burning Man and “do it right” by anyone’s standards. Any surplus will go to Nepal or other refugee needs.
Where does it stop? Can Thunderdome sell their brand of knee pads? Can the Abstinithe Bar sponsor their own line of liquors? And can they deliver them, sorry – gift them to their customers in BRC?
I’ve lived in many varied playa housings over the years, and put a lot of planning and money into most of them. But my favorite year was when when I just fucked it all off and didn’t even have a tent. I just slept where I was at the moment I felt sleepy. Then I woke up and went out counting elephants.
I’m just saying that less can be more, but that doesn’t mean crawling into someone else’s tent or imposing yourself on others. There are many places to catch a cat nap out there and sleep deprivation can be a very interesting high.
This post brought to you by ShiftPod. Even if you are not going to the NV burn, you can still buy one for $800… er, excuse me, they will GIFT* you one if you GIFT* them $800. Be the first in your gated community to have one in the back yard for the kids.
http://shift-bm.com/product/the-shift-pod-own-slvr/
* Give It For Trade. Not to be confused with true gifting, where there is no quid-pro-quo.
…Also not to be confused with gifting your pod at the end of the burn so it can be shipped to locations in need. Sorry, too much work.
I think their idea of sending new ones to Nepal is better than sending crusty used Burner ones. It’s sort of like Toms Footwear.
http://www.toms.com/improving-lives
Seems like this is something that helps Burners, not hurts Burners.
THEY ARE SELLING RETAIL. THEY ARE MISUSING THE TERM GIFT.
Using your line of reasoning, ANY company that donated ANY of their goods to the needy gets a free pass to commercialize Burning Man, and sell goods for pickup at the NV burn. I could fill this comment box with links to commercial companies that donate their goods to the needy.
But yes, if I was in Nepal with my home destroyed, I would rather have no shelter than some crusty used pod.
If this was the real deal, they would gift new pods AND gather up the used pods to also gift to those who need. THAT would be gifting, not selling pods for pickup on playa to take home.
Why Nepal? Arent homeless people here more likely to stab you for a meal? Instead of trying to “fix” evryone else how about we work on fixing our own problems. 1 in 5 go hungry everyday right here in America.
DUH! Nepal is in the news. Also least chance of running afoul of political/religious agendas. I am sure the beneficiaries will change with the next big media crisis.
@banksey – Yes we are actually working on programs here in the US for homeless vets and homeless women. It is a long slow process as there not a perception of the NEED being urgent but we have been able to get a little bit of traction that we are now building on. We are working with several “experts” to develop a sustainable self funding, self governed model for elderly women’s camps that include a work space and volunteers to come in and help them market handcrafts on Etsy and other social media outlets. We also recently hired a homeless writer who has been in the trenches fighting for help for the homeless to guide us through the process and make introductions. She is thrilled with the SHIFTPOD and used van we have traded to her in exchange for the first stretch of work and she is thrill to be able to earn it rather than to just have a handout. We really are trying to find a way – through all the regulation and BS – to help people right here at home and have been putting ourselves out there to make it happen.
@nomadtrollforever – Not sure where you are getting your information but… please do a bit of fact checking before you spew your absolutely fallacious ideas out upon the world. We donate NEW SHIFTPODS to displaced people both abroad and here in the USA. After the Burn 2015, after cleaning up our entire esplanade camp, the 60′ Ferris Wheel (we have run 20,000 people through for free) and after cleaning up all the MOOP and crap people left for us, and after driving home, I got back in my truck drove back to Gerlach, retrieved 15 of the “crusty” SHIFTPODS used in our camp, took 3 days to clean and refurbished them in my back yard, and made them available for free to the NorCal fire victims. I didn’t do this for publicity, I did it to help. Its really easy for you to sit back and talk shit but you should really put your energy where you mouth is and start helping people. Doing and Helping will make feel a lot better than sitting on your ass and talking shit for hours on Burning Man blogs. Go ahead… turn the computer off, go outside and get some air and sunshine. If you ever want to jump in, get involved in reality, and help us figure out how to make some good stuff happen let me know.
@CW: Glad you said you reused some of your tents – I said you should have recycled them all to the needy. You should think about posting links to support your info instead of just comment texts like I do. Otherwise you are in the same class as me posting comments.
Oh, and I do a lot besides distrusting the Borg and anything related to the NV burn that is not proved otherwise. My day job directly reduces CO2 and water footprint, with the CO2 benefit proved by numbers published by the EPA. Problem is the charlatans that use the solar/green rhetoric to misdirect people from the real challenges to save the environment and all that climate change is doing to the third world. If sales rhetoric had not hijacked the truth 30 years ago we would not be in this fix now.
Do you know how many gallons of potable water and how many KWH you use each day? I do. If you don’t, you are not part of the solution, only playing like you are. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Prove me wrong and post a link to a web-published tally of the CO2 and water footprint of your activity. Otherwise, you are like the Prius owner who does not realize that it does more life-cycle environmental damage to the planet than a Land Rover.
And just imagine if everyone used your domed tents. How special and non-fungible would the NV burn experience be then…
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXBcB9-R1kE/TyLSZBYX1sI/AAAAAAAABNA/5lyIqGYzRpg/s1600/Levittown.jpg
ROCK ON SHIFT!