Cooling and Swamp Coolers#

5-gallon bucket coolers#

• Figjam Swamp Cooler (ePlaya) — canonical playa bucket cooler build and Q&A (eplaya.burningman.org)
• Anecdotal TikTok roundup — multiple BM bucket builds — Quick inspiration/variation feed; look for duct-under-blanket sleep hacks. (tiktok.com)
• Appropedia — Burning Man Evaporative Cooler — Community wiki write-up of an evap cooler optimized for BRC, with parts, assembly and maintenance. (appropedia.org)
• Burning Man Journal — DIY Your Burn: Shelter, Shade & Cool Comfort — Official primer that validates DIY cooling (swamp coolers) as a legit alternative to RV AC. (journal.burningman.org)
• Burning Man Journal — Hey First-Timers! (post-event debrief) — Participant notes on not needing a genny/swamp cooler, useful as counter-example planning data. (journal.burningman.org)
• Burning Man Journal — How Not to Burn (swampy as DIY exemplar) — Cultural take that still name-checks bucket-from-a-fan swamp coolers as the DIY spirit. (journal.burningman.org)
• Burning Man Journal — Little Luxuries (FigJam link call-out) — Multiple comments link FigJam’s ePlaya bucket cooler thread as a go-to playa AC. (journal.burningman.org)
• Facebook — BRC Prep: New Evaporative Cooler Option (2023) — Patent-pending playa evap design; fan static pressure discussion. (facebook.com)
• Facebook — Can a Swamp Cooler Replace AC at Burning Man? — Real-world water-use, humidity creep, and when to step up to AC. (facebook.com)
• Facebook — Shiftpod Owners: Using a Swamp Cooler vs AC — Long thread of playa-specific pros/cons, ducting and humidity management. (facebook.com)
• Great Dale — Swamp Cooler Prototype (Burning Man lessons) — RV-adjacent build; what went wrong in earlier BM versions and the fixes. (greatdalehousecar.com)
• Hackaday — “A Low-Cost Solar-Powered Swamp Cooler” (BM-adjacent use) — Solar-only bucket variant; relevant for quiet day-sleep rigs at BRC. (hackaday.com)
• Hackaday — A Swamp Cooler for Burning Man — DIY bin-style cooler with dual 200 mm fans and reclaimed humidifier filters. (hackaday.com)
• Hackaday — Do-It-Yourself Evaporative Cooler (5-gal Bucket) — FigJam bucket write-up tagged “burning man hacks,” with hose-ring/pad details. (hackaday.com)
• Instructables — Arobodude’s DIY Burning Man Evaporative AC (Swamp Cooler) — Detailed bucket build; reports ~30 °F drop on dry playa, pump/fan sizing advice. (instructables.com)
• Instructables — Figjam’s Swamp Cooler — Community homage build to the classic ePlaya FigJam design; sized for tents at Burning Man. (instructables.com)
• Instructables — Trash Can Evap Cooler — Upsized (trash-can) variant “for a large tent during Burning Man”; design notes cite FigJam. (instructables.com)
• Outside “Quick & Dirty” — Burn-framed bucket build — Confirms playa placement (outside), power needs, and ducting basics. (outsideonline.com)
• Outside Online — Quick & Dirty: Build a Tent Swamp Cooler — Magazine how-to that explicitly frames this as a classic Burning Man hack. (outsideonline.com)
• Outside RV Angle — Keeping Cool in Severe Heat (BM references) — Evap cooling in rigs at BRC; temperature drop ranges and humidity caveat. (rvshare.com)
• Over-Engineered Swamp Cooler Auto-Refill Board — Burner’s 12 V float-switch/relay add-on so your FigJam bucket self-tops while you sleep. (blog.rundste.in)
• Playa Labs — “Don’t Lag Behind” (fasteners) — fan coupling tip is here too — Sizing the 4″ ABS coupler to a 5″ flex duct, matched to CPU fan for sealed output. (theplayalabs.com)
• Playa Labs — Wiring Your Swamp Cooler (part of BM series) — Embedded wiring tips (12 V direct, no inverter), placement and vent-crack reminders. (theplayalabs.com)
• Playa Labs PDF (linked inside tutorial) — One-pager parts/how-to — Handy print-and-build checklist tailored to BRC. (theplayalabs.com)
• TikTok — DIY Evaporative Cooler for Burning Man — 64 W build demo aimed at playa sleeping comfort; quick parts overview. (tiktok.com)
• Tiny House That Grandma Built — Swamp Cooler Is Done! — Post-Burn follow-through: 5‑gal bucket with pad/pump refined after playa use. (thetinyhousethatgrandmabuilt.blogspot.com)
• Vijay’s Blog — Burning Man Shelter: Cooling & Ventilation — <$40 DIY bucket cooler how‑to with playa humidity/venting caveats. (blog.vijayarunkumar.com)
• YouTube — Burning Man Swamp Cooler Power Test — Verifying 12 V power so pumps don’t starve and pads stay fully wet. (youtube.com)
• YouTube — DIY 5‑Gal Bucket Tent Swamp Cooler (ePlaya FigJam) — Walk‑through of an ePlaya‑style build with playa setup/testing tips. (youtube.com)
• YouTube — Planning & Prep (BM 2018) — Shiftpod setup & cooling — Segment on integrating swamp coolers with insulated tents for BRC. (m.youtube.com)
• YouTube — RoboSwamp: Swamp Cooler Skill‑Sharpening (Burnin’‑with‑Bob) — 2022 custom “over‑engineered” playa cooler teardown and lessons learned. (youtube.com)
• YouTube — Swamp Cooler for H12 Hexayurt — Single cooler cooling a full hexayurt on hot playa days; usage notes. (youtube.com)
• YouTube — Swamp Cooler for Our Trailer at Burning Man — 12 V swampie ducted into a Casita trailer roof vent; paired with solar/battery. (youtube.com)
• YurtCooler.com — Overview — Purpose‑built, off‑grid evap cooler aimed at BM use; efficiency and dust‑hardening rationale. (yurtcooler.com)
• YurtCooler.com — Physics — Psychrometrics/plain‑English: why evap works “great at Burning Man”; airflow/venting rules of thumb. (yurtcooler.com)

Evap theory and sizing#

• Brad Templeton — Camping at Burning Man: Keeping Cool — Strategy page mentions swamp coolers among viable playa cooling options. (templetons.com)
• Brad Templeton — Keeping Cool in Your Tent at Burning Man — Venting/positive-pressure guidance relevant to swamp coolers in small shelters. (templetons.com)
• Burning Man Journal — “Project Fail?” (cooling lessons learned) — Post-Burn vow to add swamp cooling next year after hexayurt door/heat issues. (journal.burningman.org)
• Hexayurt Google Group — Exhaust for Swamp Cooler (ePlaya-based) — Thread: placing the cooler outside, pressurizing the yurt, and dust-wind anchoring. (groups.google.com)
• Hexayurt Google Group — Protecting Swamp Coolers in Playa Dust Storms — Dust filtration, securing in gusts, and commercial evap units’ limits on BRC. (groups.google.com)
• Hexayurt Google Group — Swamp Cooler 2.0 — Bigger evap area & horizontal outlet to cut duct losses; power budgeting for playa. (groups.google.com)
• Hexayurt Google Group — Swamp Coolers by Evaporation (exhaust/placement) — Keep cooler outside, maximize evaporation in the desert air; wind-secure on playa. (groups.google.com)
• Outside evidence — “classic Burning Man hack” framing — Good context to help new campers grok evap vs AC at BRC. (outsideonline.com)
• Sprinter-Source — BM evap cooler, float valve details — Off-the-shelf cooler float mods + cheap pond pump notes for playa. (sprinter-source.com)
• YurtCooler — Community feedback (Reddit) — What happens when you change bin geometry; lessons for playa reliability. (reddit.com)

Box-fan/pad coolers#

(none yet)

Hypercoolers/mini-splits#

(none yet)

Iced-water coolers (heater core)#

(none yet)

DC rooftop units (12/24 V)#

(none yet)

Solar mini-splits feasibility#

(none yet)

Solar-powered cooling#

• Hackaday — “A Low-Cost Solar-Powered Swamp Cooler” (BM-adjacent use) — Demonstrates panel-only ops; useful for camp power planning at BRC. (hackaday.com)
• News write-up — A Low-Cost Solar-Powered Swamp Cooler (BM-adjacent) — Demonstrates panel-only ops; useful for camp power planning at BRC. (hackaday.com)

Camp power and solar systems#

• Hotel California Camp — “Arc” 24 V Modular Off-Grid Solar System (GitHub) — Open-source 25.6 V DC grid boxes (LiFePO₄, breakers, parts lists, wiring diagram) built for a Burning Man camp. (github.com)
• Igor Morenko — “Solar-Powered EV at Burning Man 2024” — First-person camp/city charging using panels + battery, dust/wind mitigation, and lived performance on playa. (igormoomers.com)

Sustainability and BRC initiatives#

• Journal — “Waking Dreams: Evoking Greener Burns” (BLAST & power) — How camp power gets audited/leveled up; solar as a core pillar. (journal.burningman.org)
• Journal — 2020 Roadmap Update — (Repeat of roadmap updates; keep for completeness.) (journal.burningman.org)
• Journal cross-refs — Culture posts citing swamp coolers — Mentions DIY swamp coolers as part of the BRC self-reliance ethos. (journal.burningman.org)
• Net Zero Black Rock City Initiative — Current program hub: solar initiatives strengthening BRC grids and reducing diesel runtime; links to updates and how camps can align. (burningman.org)
• Northern Nevada Properties — Net Zero BRC (program) — Custom solar-powered shade structure build (2022) + workshop series; R&D feeding back to BRC. (burningman.org)
• Northern Nevada Properties — Net Zero BRC Event (Summer 2022) — Hands-on solar shade build + ideation sessions; what they built before the Burn. (burningman.org)

Events and workshops#

• Playa Events (2012) — “Cooler-Con” Meetup — On-playa FigJam swamp cooler show-and-tell; ePlaya thread reference. (playaevents-staging.burningman.org)
• Playa Labs — “Don’t Lag Behind” (fasteners) — fan coupling tip is here too — Sizing the 4″ ABS coupler to a 5″ flex duct, matched to CPU fan for sealed output. (theplayalabs.com)
• PlayaEvents — “Simple Solar Cooker Workshop” (2016) — On-playa DIY cooker build session; transferable camp skills. (playaevents-staging.burningman.org)

Community examples#

• Playa Info Directory — camps listing with solar ovens — Example: “Half Baked” shrink-art jewelry via solar ovens; shows solar in public interactivity. (directory.burningman.org)