Trash bags on the highway: OUT! Cargo net: IN!

Sexy! Strong! Kinky! Flexible! And oh, so stylish. What’s not to love about cargo net?

An 1897 stereoscope from Meteora, Greece. Source: andthenface2face.wordpress.com
An 1897 stereoscope from Meteora, Greece. Source: andthenface2face.wordpress.com

This year, Answer Girl and the theme camp placement team are officially naming cargo net as the #1 Most Great Thing To Have At Burning Man.

Why?

It’s Highway Friendly!

There is no better way to make sure all your trash bags, bikes, coolers, mattresses, tutus and small children stay attached to your vehicle. Just wrap cargo net around the entire thing, and you’re good for hundreds of miles at high speed (don’t forget to feed and water the children).

Did you know? Burning Man’s highway litter problem is a serious one. Every year, we spend weeks cleaning up the highways after our event. Nevada State Highway Patrol helps by handing out tickets to anybody they catch disintegrating while in transit.
Don’t let your awesome trip take a turn for the trashy!
Strap your load down. With cargo net.

It’s Thematically Appropriate!

Cargo Cult. Cargo Net!

source: panaku on Tribe.net
source: pakanu on Tribe.net

It’s Multi Functional!

When it’s not cradling your load, cargo net has many other lives.
rope_skirt

  • Hammock (or, with a big net, elevated sleeping area)
  • Climbing apparatus
  • Cargo Cult themed camp decoration
  • Clothes hanging thingie
  • Thing to Keep the Tarp Attached So It Doesn’t Rip Its Grommets and Blow Off Your Car
  • Bulky, yet see-through DIY clothing

What else can you do with cargo net?
What else is a must-have for Leaving No Trace on the highway?
Leave us a comment with your fantastic idea.

Burning Man is a Leave No Trace Event.

There is no garbage collection service at Burning Man. We are the largest Leave No Trace event in the world. This means that every participant is responsible for making the greatest possible effort to leave the Black Rock Desert in the same condition (or better!) than it was in when you arrived. That includes picking up Matter Out Of Place, packing out all your own trash, not polluting the playa and avoiding burn scars and oil drips.

Leave No Trace is one of the Ten Principles guiding our community. Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

With cargo net.

About the author: The Hun

The Hun

The Hun, also known as J.H. Fearless, has been blogging for Burning Man (and many other outlets) since 2005, which is also the year she joined the BRC DPW on a whim that turned out to be a ten-year commitment. Since then she's won some awards for blogging, built her own creative business, and produced some of the Burning Blog's most popular stories and series. She co-created a grant-funded art piece, "Refoliation," in 2007, and stood next to it watching the Man burn on Monday night during a full lunar eclipse. She considers that, in many ways, to have been the symbolic end of Burning Man that was. The Hun lives in Reno with DPW Shade King, Quiet Earp. You may address her as "The Hun" or "Hun". If you call her "Honey" she reserves the right to cut you.

4 Comments on “Trash bags on the highway: OUT! Cargo net: IN!

  • duane benda says:

    last year was my first year at burning man
    and i absolutley in leaving no trace behind in all my camping events
    what really bothered me upon leaving the site was the massive amount of garbage we encountered along the sides of the road past the one mile mark
    burners really need to do better for our planet

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  • The Hun says:

    Yes! Good job leaving no trace. Overall, our community actually does really well. But there’s definitely room to improve, especially along the highways.

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  • Papa Urban says:

    Hi,

    We polished our little campsite. Picked up dozens of leaves that vlew from the next camp (they had tried to build a forest on the playa), we separated our waste, disposed of as much trash as we could before we even left (like taking the refried beans out of the box and only bring the bag)

    There was no record that our little group had been there. I would have challenged CSI to find a trace. ANd then we left.

    We were amazed at the amount of crap that was along the highway, the crap that had blow off of cars and BAGS of litter tossed out the window

    I am am old guy with a cane and I think a walker at the last one so me stopping would have been real tough, but PLEASE people, take as much care packing yourself off of the Playa as you do going in! What an embarrassment!

    BTW, I am back to just a wiiden. Look for us stumbling around on the Playa and pick up MOOP. Take a little bag around that you can put it in if you see it on the ground. When we got back to our site, my poskets were full of little bottle caps and ciggie butts and Moopy Moop! Hey Ya Momma didn’t make it to the Playa this year. Pack out your trash!!! Hugs

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  • jules says:

    Be a citizen of BRC, not a visitor! Take a little moop bag with you on the way to the porto loo in the morning. Take a different route back daily and pick up moop in your neighborhood. It’s easy and you make new friends on the way. Sometimes there’s breakfast and / or involved!

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