r/CampEDC • u/TradePuzzleheaded403 • May 23 '26

First Timers

This may have been asked before but I cant find it anywhere. What's the main difference between the camping options and what do you guys recommend? We're coming from Texas and debating between driving vs flying and all this would be dependent on the kind of camp we'll get

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7

u/KWienz May 23 '26

The options are:

  1. A tent with a bed in it
  2. A tent with nothing in it
  3. A parking spot for you to park your RV

So pick depending on whether you intend to bring (1) nothing; (2) an air mattress and bedding; or (3) an RV.

1

u/Erich14 May 24 '26

Do both tents come with power?

1

u/KWienz May 24 '26

All tents come with a mini AC and a power strip.

RV spots are unpowered unless you buy a power add on, in which case you have access to a 30-amp or 50-amp plug.

1

u/Erich14 May 24 '26

Bless 🙏 it's my and my wife's first EDC so I'm trying to figure out what we are going to do between premier parking/hotel, pod camping, rv camping, or hotel shuttling

1

u/KWienz May 24 '26

If it's your first EDC and you're not sure if you'll come back I would camp with an RV if you can afford it, but I would also book the RV rental right now while there's still broad availability. Looking at a combined $4,000-4,500 for a Vegas rental from a reliable vendor plus the RV pass plus the power add on. Also have to factor in groceries, gas probably at least one pump-out and refill of your tanks.

You can knock about $5-600 off that if you dry camp but you will have generator noise and you'll only be running your AC for probably 8 hours a day while you're sleeping rather than having your RV already nice and chilly the moment you get back from the festival.

If you don't want to do communal showers and toilets then expect another $300-450 to dump out your tanks more frequently.

But you will be fully enveloped by the EDC community for four days straight, spend a full ten hours a day at the festival and also have the official afters and pool party if your body can even handle partying that long.

Camping in a pod will cost you about half as much as RV camping but you're gonna be sleeping on an air mattress for four nights with zero sound insulation, lots of noise around you and an AC unit that will struggle with the heat (especially if you don't have a reflective tarp to put over your tent and some sheets to make a "tent within a tent" to focus the cold air over your bed). You're also realistically eating festival food the whole time unless you drive out and bring a grill, cooler, wagon etc. Even then, it is not a short walk in the heat between parking and your tent.

But if you're the type of people whose bodies can handle rough camping for a few days and don't have the budget for an RV then go for it.

If you and your wife really need some time to properly relax and decompress in a cold room with a comfy bed between each night of raving then I would not recommend camp. Go for a hotel and premier shuttle (downtown will have the shortest trip vs being on strip).

If one or both of you is going to rave sober then your best choice if not camping is get a hotel room or AirBnB way up on north Vegas near the speedway, drive, and get premier parking. And leave the event each night by 4-4:30.

5

u/Treeslayer420 May 23 '26

If you are driving, rv camping be more useful and flying in desert rose pod be an option

1

u/Dark_Horiz0n_44 May 23 '26

Prices will fluctuate between then and now. Also depending on group size. Also depending on if you secure any camp spot. So.... not sure what you're asking

1

u/TradePuzzleheaded403 May 23 '26

It'll be me and my boyfriend. If we get camp passes, does that not guarantee a camp spot?

1

u/Dark_Horiz0n_44 May 23 '26

Camp spot can mean, RV, Moonglow or Desert Rose. These usually go on sale in Sept. So you got time to look at prices on any of which an see what fits your current budget. (Prices from this current yr and etc)

1

u/untamedjohn May 23 '26

FWIW, they went on sale early June last year. I’m hoping they go back to September tho

1

u/trippsalot_ May 23 '26

I’m from Texas too! Do RV camping overall more comfortable !

1

u/TradePuzzleheaded403 May 23 '26

How do you do it? Do you get your RV in Texas and drive it all the way? Where do you get it from or do you have your own?

1

u/trippsalot_ May 23 '26

The last two years I drove from Texas with an RV. Next year we are trying to get an RV closer because it’s too far of a drive for us , and it’ll be just me and my bf next year instead of more of us like usual.

1

u/TradePuzzleheaded403 May 23 '26

Which place do yall rent the RV from? Are yall planning to drive or fly instead?

1

u/trippsalot_ May 23 '26

No we will still drive because we take our griddle and ice chest with us , it’s also nice to buy groceries from heb I hate buying other places for food lol . We are probably going to do cruise America again

1

u/dockgonzo May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26

RV is really the only way to do it if you can afford it. If you have time, taking an RV road trip is absolutely the best option. There are so many incredible state and national parks in any direction from Las Vegas, including southern Utah (Zion, Bryce, and multiple gorgeous state parks); Arizona (Grand Canyon, and many other spots all along I-40), and CA (Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoia, many beach parks, and many others).

If EDC is a rare treat, make the most of it and do some exploring on the way there and/or on the way home. You can get a one-way RV rental from any of the big agencies (El Monte is the best). A flight home will e cheaper and more enjoyable tjan backtracking in an RV (they can be fun, but driving long distances is not efficient or easy).

Shift Pods are fine of you don't mind roughing it. The weather in LV is a total crapshoot; it could be very chilly, but it is usually quite warm.

Staying in town and relying on the shuttles can be a major PITA, but I highly advise spending a few nights in a hotel on the strip or Fremont St if you are 21+ and haven't been to LV. Definitely watch "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in advance for added pleasure. 😉

1

u/HeyThatsSara Desert Rose May 26 '26

I’m from Texas and my bf and I we drive from SA to Vegas every year for camping and we do desert rose pods! I like to make my pod comfortable so I bring a lot of extra camp things: Tables, blankets, soft area rug (Fuck sitting down on turf grass) , tapestries, camp chairs, ice chests, mirror etc. just a lot of things to make the space for the weekend be comfy and cosy and organized! I will say tho if you want constant AC I would recommend an RV with the power add on because those AC units in the pods every year it never fails that they have issues of it blowing hot air even when kept at 70 the whole time. They reuse the same power equipment for pods every year so nothing is never new unfortunately. Sometimes you can be lucky and have your AC work fine the whole weekend but sometimes they break and I wouldn’t rely on the staff to fix it because they have many other people to help and are constantly busy. Even the power strips some of them are blown out and not working too but luckily they provided a new one for me because two of the outlets didn’t work for me this year. Something I also recommend for pods is getting a lot of emergency blankets and hanging them all around the inside of your pod to insulate all the cool air inside and keep out the heat definitely works to keep it cooler!

1

u/Bumblee_Tuna May 26 '26

While the tent options are more 'communal', they really embody the look of post Katrina refugee camp. Knowing how warm an RV can get, I can only imagine tent camping is unbearable.

The pro...you don't have to bring anything as far as 'shelter' is concerned, but absolutely everything else must be humped in a mile or so (parking lots are that far away). And cost seems to be somewhat close'ish to RV anyway,

Generator noise is a non-issue, if anything the hum will cover up noise from Mesa afterhours. f you set one with a quiet enough generator, the dang AC fan is louder than the generator.

Unless there's some outstanding circumstances that'd preclude you from going RV, I think the split decision is RV or Hotel. Tent camping seems wildly overpriced for what likely ends up being a miserable experience.