Camp Operations Memo — Minimum Viable Camp Operating Model
Session: 2 Priority: High — the first operational framework for how the group runs as a camp unit
Operating Area
Group camp operations for a 3-person first-year camp at Lakes of Fire 2026. Covers the full event lifecycle: pre-arrival, arrival/setup, daily operations, and strike (departure).
What matters
A camp that functions reliably enough that no one's comfort, safety, or sanity degrades across the event. Not impressive. Not elaborate. Functional, clean, and sustainable for the full duration.
Three functional areas: 1. Sleep — everyone sleeps well enough each night 2. Eat and hydrate — everyone eats and drinks enough each day 3. Shade and rest — everyone has a place to retreat from heat, noise, and stimulation
Everything else is bonus.
Likely friction points
Water management: The easiest thing to underplan. If someone doesn't drink enough by Day 3 in summer heat, the event stops being fun. Water requires active management, not just "we brought a lot."
Sleep deprivation compounding: First-timers often undersleep on nights 1 and 2 due to stimulation, noise, and excitement. By night 3-4, this compounds. The event has no natural darkness or quiet curfew. Sleep requires preparation (earplugs, eye mask, tent position relative to sound camps).
Gray water neglect: Everyone forgets to manage it until there's a bucket overflowing or a smell problem. This needs a designated system before Day 1 and a designated person to maintain it.
Navigation at night: The site looks completely different after dark and after a few drinks. Someone should know where camp is without a phone, in the dark, from multiple directions.
Strike-day inertia: The last morning of any multi-day event is the hardest to motivate. Departure day is when MOOP errors happen, things get left behind, and LNT fails. This requires a plan, not energy.
Minimum viable systems
Water system
- Total water in: minimum 1.5 gallons/person/day, plus cooking and gray water uses
- For 3 people over 5 event days + 1 setup day + 1 teardown day = at least 30 gallons drinking water
- Storage: food-safe water containers (5-gallon jugs preferred over single-use)
- Morning ritual: each person fills their personal water bottle before leaving camp
- Designated water container check each morning — refill before depletion, not after
Shade system
- Required: a shade structure (canopy, tarp, or EZ-up with sides) covering the main camp hangout area
- Setup Day 1, first priority before anything else
- Size: 10x10 minimum for 3 people to sit under with gear
- Weight: the structure must be staked/anchored — wind is real, storms happen
- Secondary shade: personal head coverage (wide-brim hat or bandana) for anyone leaving camp during peak sun hours
Sleep system
- Tents positioned away from high-traffic paths if possible
- Each person: earplugs (not optional in practice — more important than they think pre-event), eye mask
- Agreed "last reasonable wake time" — someone who wakes at 7am next to someone sleeping till noon is a camp friction problem; normalize variability before arrival
- Plan for afternoon heat: sleeping in tents may be uncomfortably hot midday — shade structure with cots or hammocks useful
Kitchen / food system
- Group food at least once a day (shared meal): this anchors group cohesion, ensures everyone has eaten, and provides a natural check-in point
- Individual snacks: each person manages their own
- Cooking method: determine before arrival (camp stove, propane, charcoal grill) — don't figure this out at setup
- Cooler management: one shared cooler for perishables, clear rotation protocol (oldest items used first), ice plan by day
Waste system
- Gray water: designated bucket or trough, checked and emptied/managed every 12 hours
- Trash: two designated bags minimum — one for wet waste (food), one for dry waste
- MOOP bag: a small bag at the camp edge for quick pickup during the event
- Cigarette butts: if anyone smokes, a dedicated butt container is required — not optional
Camp navigation
- Landmark chosen before arrival: a flag, a light string, a distinctive object that marks camp from a distance in the dark
- Site map: each person looks at the event site map before arrival and can describe how to get back to camp from the main gate and from the main art area
What good execution looks like
- Arrival Day: shade up before gear unpacked, water containers staged before tents pitched
- Each morning: water check, MOOP sweep (3 minutes), shared coffee or morning anchor moment
- Each evening: trash check, gray water check, loose gear secured in case of overnight rain
- Midday: camp is a functional retreat — someone can always go back and sit in shade
- Departure morning: nothing is left without a "who's taking this home?" answer; full camp sweep before leaving
What to decide now vs. later
Decide now: - Water volume and container count - Shade structure model and who owns it - Cooking method and who owns the cook kit - Gray water management system - Camp ground flag or identification marker - Whether the group has a simple daily anchor ritual (shared meal, morning coffee, etc.)
Decide closer to event: - Exact site location (assigned or first-come placement) - Power setup (if any) — depends on campsite rules - Music setup scope (if Matt wants to run sound in camp)
Decide on arrival: - Tent positioning relative to paths, sun angle, neighbor camps - Exact camp layout (kitchen area, shade area, sleep tent positions)
Decision memo
- Keep: Three priority systems — water, shade, sleep — above all other camp planning
- Keep: Daily shared meal as group anchor ritual
- Standardize: Camp setup sequence: shade first, water staged second, tents third
- Assign: Matt designs camp layout and manages setup/strike sequence
- Assign: Developer designs gray water and LNT sweep protocol
- Assign: Both Matt and Developer own water planning together
- Test: Whether a simple visual landmark (flag, LED sign) actually makes navigation easier — it almost always does
- Revisit: Power setup and amplified sound scope once site rules are confirmed