Eric Fenster, 35, a chef and caterer in Berkeley, Calif., is a regular at Burning Man, the weeklong arts festival that has been attracting tens of thousands to Black Rock Desert, Nev., since 1990. (This summer it starts Aug. 27.)

On his first trip in 2000 he was caught in a dust storm while riding his bike on the playa. Only when the storm passed did he notice a giant pirate ship rolling by him, carrying dozens of revelers and towing a gorilla-suited man doing a handstand on a skateboard.

"It was definitely an appropriately wacky induction into Burning Man," Fenster said.

Below are excerpts from a conversation with Fenster on how to prepare for the unpredictable at Burning Man.

Q: Black Rock Desert, a flat stretch of about 1,000 square miles, is so desolate it's used to launch rockets. How do you prepare to live there for a week?

A: Weather is extreme out there: It can go above 100 degrees during the day and then get extremely cold at night. I bring an aerodynamic, four-season North Face tent and stake it to the playa with steel rebars to keep it from blowing away (I've seen plenty that have). I also pack a zero-degree mummy sleeping bag and a down coat for nighttime.

It's definitely easier to plan your infrastructure (and food) with a group, and it adds to the richness. Burning Man, it's about radical self-reliance, but it's also very much a community experience. So if you can't link up with friends, I'd suggest reaching out to a camp of people through the website (burningman.com), which has a ton of maps and a first-timer's guide, too.

Q: Anything else to pack?

A: Everything you bring is part of your own artistry, so you see all kinds of costumes: fuzzy bears, samurai, bunnies, aglow at night in electroluminescent wire. I also bring cases and cases of coconuts to pass out as gifts. Burning Man has a gift economy, so you give things without expecting reciprocation.

One camp I know brings a ton of batter and makes pancakes every morning. Another called Carp Camp makes fish dinners.

Q: How do you get around?

A: The temporary city is shaped like a horseshoe, about three miles in diameter, and everyone camps along the band. The man, the 40-foot effigy set on fire the second to last night, is in the center. I use a beat-up mountain bike to get around. But lots of people walk or hop on art cars — vehicles that are transformed into the wildest creations like giant whales, submarines, fire-blowing dragons. So if a tiki bar rolls by, you jump on, get a drink and get where you're going.

Q: Any recommendations for getting tickets next year?

A: Buy early. Tickets run $240 to $420 ... but it is still one of the most outrageous artistic experiences.