My R1S at Burning Man 2023 aka Mudpocalypse

[Triangle]

Make sure to get all that corrosive alkaline dust/mud off your R1S. Trust me, the rust can come as much as a year later and it will be like cancer all over. I am stoked you brought your Rivian to BM and I hope to be doing that at some point. I usually bring my RV and it is hard not to bring the RV.

I should probably give the underbody another hose down. Have you had playa-dust rust metal on you? It's very alkaline but not abrasive at least. All of the underbody seems well coated, but better to play it safe. It did look pretty badass covered in mud haha.

The RV is the way to go up there, though this year my GF and I used a Shiftpod mini with a U-shaped AC unit and it worked amazingly well. It was actually a great setup, but only because we were part of a larger camp. We never got wet, but we retreated to friends RVs eventually so the RV is king out there.

I just checked my cabin filter and it looks new. I banged and vacuumed it out anyways. I must have had the good sense to not run the HVAC while I was there!

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[FooF]

I should probably give the underbody another hose down. Have you had playa-dust rust metal on you? It's very alkaline but not abrasive at least. All of the underbody seems well coated, but better to play it safe. It did look pretty badass covered in mud haha.

The RV is the way to go up there, though this year my GF and I used a Shiftpod mini with a U-shaped AC unit and it worked amazingly well. It was actually a great setup, but only because we were part of a larger camp. We never got wet, but we retreated to friends RVs eventually so the RV is king out there.
You may want to remove the plastic covers under the R1S and clean the dust off of everything.
I just checked my cabin filter and it looks new. I banged and vacuumed it out anyways. I must have had the good sense to not run the HVAC while I was there!

 

[SolartoEV]

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd share my experience driving my R1S to burning man this year. I know there's a lot of anxiety about bringing an EV up there but the Rivian turned out to be the ultimate BM vehicle! I was able to hit 2x free Rivian chargers ea way (leaving/returning to SoCal) so the trip up there cost $46 and the return trip was $34. So that's $80 TOTAL for an 1150 mile road trip. I had a pioneer Rhino rack on top to carry bikes/shiftpod, but didn't notice any range reduction from it, though swinging bikes up above a glass roof in the rain was a bit anxiety inducing.

On the way in, I charged up to 95pct in Wadsworth at an Electrify America which is about 70 miles outside of BRC (Black rock city) and arrived at my camp with 65 pct battery remaining. I could have just let it sit for 8 days and then left without charging at all, but the camp had a big diesel tow plant so I just plugged into the 110v courtesy and charged to 75pct. I was planning on charging more before departure but the rains came in heavy and so I had to unplug everything.

No I wasn't one of those A-holes that bailed out at the first sign of rain, rutting the roads out. I waited until the DPW (dept of public works) gave the go ahead for 4x4 vehicles to attempt escape several days later. At 5am I made a run for it. Getting out of the city was tricky because the roads had been shredded by panicking RVs (most of which were now stuck). I made it to the road out and was then stopped by some DPW that pointed out that there was a 12ft wide "river of mud" I had to blast through at the end. I hit it at 20mph and got my first taste of the R1S's excellent off-road/mud capabilities. I made it through without issue and was headed home on empty roads.

Being that this is supposed to be an adventure vehicle, I didn't care about the mud/dust. Sure it got everywhere, but after a few washings you wouldn't know it from a garaged baby. My charge door definitely got some dust in its pivot mechanism but it still works fine with some added grumbling. The car was partially wrapped in Hexis bodyfence matte PPF, hence the mismatched panels. I installed it myself and only got half the vehicle wrapped before departure.

Overall she did fantastic! In 2022 I did see one R1T but I was the only one I saw this year. I saw one Tesla Y, and I did spot Musk's turn-key plug-and-play "private/restricted" camp on my way out. All the Musks bailed on their private jets as soon as the rain started, so they missed out on the muddy fun and left the camp cleanup to their hired "staff" LOL! Not very "Burner" of them if you ask me I will be returning with my Rivian again next year for sure.

 

[D0miniKy]

You are definitely a true pioneer. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ATL_R1S]

I had a pioneer Rhino rack on top to carry bikes/shiftpod, but didn't notice any range reduction from it, though swinging bikes up above a glass roof in the rain was a bit anxiety inducing.

Can you share the details on the rack you used, like the dimensions of it, and if you had any issues using it with the factory crossbars? TIA

 

[Triangle]

Can you share the details on the rack you used, like the dimensions of it, and if you had any issues using it with the factory crossbars? TIA

Its a Rhino rack Pioneer platform. I did have several issues adapting it to the Rivian crossbars. I even called Rhino and they told me the rack won't work with the Yakima style Rivian rails and that they don't make an adapter kit, which I thought was silly.

Pioneer rack - Aluminum - 84" Long x 49" Wide, Pioneer Platform Mounting Kit for Rhino-Rack Heavy-Duty Crossbars - $880 from E-trailer

So I bought this adapter kit
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGLA2S8/ref=pe_2313400_735787390_em_1p_0_lm

And this to go into the Rivian bars
- https://www.amazon.com/Yakima-HD-Ba...&sprefix=yakima+mount+adapter,aps,134&sr=8-10

I also bought these to secure the ratchet straps
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XYS83X3/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had to grind down the "biscuits" that slide into the pioneer rack. I guess the one I got is the new style rack and that adapter kit only works with the old style rack. An angle grinder fixed that.

Its not the most elegant mounting solution but its sturdy. I find it absurd that Rhino doesn't have an adapter kit to one of the most common crossbar systems out there (yakima). I think the size is perfect. I also removed the riveted "Rhinorack" logo from it in spite.

 

[rbr19870445]

+1 for charger/cable management. Did not think to route the portable charger that way to keep it out of rain/mud

 

[Linuturk]

I really like how you used your tow hooks to keep the charger out of the mud. Smart.

 

[manishie]

Wow I've been going since 2002 (including to the mudpocalypse) and I would NEVER take my fancy-ass R1S to the playa. ?. If you have really bad windstorms, you will never get that dust out of hidden places in your vehicle. That's why I've got my old 2005 beater 4wd tacoma.

Plus, I pull a 25' trailer, and I cannot imagine how many times I'd have to charge driving from the SF Bay Area, and also where I would find trailer charging spots. I'll use my tacoma for now and keep my R1s nice and dust-free. ?

 

[Triangle]

I really like how you used your tow hooks to keep the charger out of the mud. Smart.

Thanks! The inverter part wedges itself into the bumper perfectly which made it easy.

 

[Triangle]

Wow I've been going since 2002 (including to the mudpocalypse) and I would NEVER take my fancy-ass R1S to the playa. ?. If you have really bad windstorms, you will never get that dust out of hidden places in your vehicle. That's why I've got my old 2005 beater 4wd tacoma.

Plus, I pull a 25' trailer, and I cannot imagine how many times I'd have to charge driving from the SF Bay Area, and also where I would find trailer charging spots. I'll use my tacoma for now and keep my R1s nice and dust-free. ?

Nice 02 was my first year too! I gave up on trying to keep it clean, but to each his own. I will admit that there is still some playa dust in the cracks and crevices that I'll probably never get out. Best to just add more then

 

[epona]

hey OP, resurrecting this old thread to ask if you have any regrets about taking your rivian to burning man. i just got a surprise free ticket and am considering just getting in my R1T and going, and sleeping in the backseat. i usually camp with DPW (been working the event since '05 and had to take this year off) so would be able to stay plugged into electricity all week.

 

[Robin]

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd share my experience driving my R1S to burning man this year. I know there's a lot of anxiety about bringing an EV up there but the Rivian turned out to be the ultimate BM vehicle! I was able to hit 2x free Rivian chargers ea way (leaving/returning to SoCal) so the trip up there cost $46 and the return trip was $34. So that's $80 TOTAL for an 1150 mile road trip. I had a pioneer Rhino rack on top to carry bikes/shiftpod, but didn't notice any range reduction from it, though swinging bikes up above a glass roof in the rain was a bit anxiety inducing.

On the way in, I charged up to 95pct in Wadsworth at an Electrify America which is about 70 miles outside of BRC (Black rock city) and arrived at my camp with 65 pct battery remaining. I could have just let it sit for 8 days and then left without charging at all, but the camp had a big diesel tow plant so I just plugged into the 110v courtesy and charged to 75pct. I was planning on charging more before departure but the rains came in heavy and so I had to unplug everything.

No I wasn't one of those A-holes that bailed out at the first sign of rain, rutting the roads out. I waited until the DPW (dept of public works) gave the go ahead for 4x4 vehicles to attempt escape several days later. At 5am I made a run for it. Getting out of the city was tricky because the roads had been shredded by panicking RVs (most of which were now stuck). I made it to the road out and was then stopped by some DPW that pointed out that there was a 12ft wide "river of mud" I had to blast through at the end. I hit it at 20mph and got my first taste of the R1S's excellent off-road/mud capabilities. I made it through without issue and was headed home on empty roads.

Being that this is supposed to be an adventure vehicle, I didn't care about the mud/dust. Sure it got everywhere, but after a few washings you wouldn't know it from a garaged baby. My charge door definitely got some dust in its pivot mechanism but it still works fine with some added grumbling. The car was partially wrapped in Hexis bodyfence matte PPF, hence the mismatched panels. I installed it myself and only got half the vehicle wrapped before departure.

Overall she did fantastic! In 2022 I did see one R1T but I was the only one I saw this year. I saw one Tesla Y, and I did spot Musk's turn-key plug-and-play "private/restricted" camp on my way out. All the Musks bailed on their private jets as soon as the rain started, so they missed out on the muddy fun and left the camp cleanup to their hired "staff" LOL! Not very "Burner" of them if you ask me I will be returning with my Rivian again next year for sure.

???

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