Anyone boondock for work, travel/fun or to save money? Last summer, slept in the 6 ft. bed of my Mazda B3000 but it was small & room for nothing but an air mattress. My feet were flat up against the tailgate. It sucked because when wanting to cook something, had to take out everything from the front seat, set it up and pray it doesn't rain. So now, I bought a 1980 Chevy camper van and have been outfitting it for full-time living and traveling. It has a stove, furnace, fridge, bed/couch, swivel seats and closet/bathroom with a porta potty. Upgrades coming soon include a roof fan, solar power to charge the auxiliary battery, hitch cargo rack/bike rack, fix the brakes Better pictures coming soon. In terms of living it is very affordable, propane is inexpensive & you just go to a grocery store more often. Gas is the biggest expense but way less than rent. The windows are blacked out for stealth camping and have slept in a lot of random places. It's a ton of fun even though this summer has been ridiculously hot & tons of wildfires around. IMG_1118 by hibodharma posted Jul 1, 2017 at 4:47 AM IMG_1117 by hibodharma posted Jul 1, 2017 at 4:47 AM
It's legal here so a quick stop at a dispensary solves that the mold concerns, condensation close to sleeping area stopped me from doing it. although you could have a sealed off box with a vent maybe
Ah I can get a bag for a good price but...... I can grow my own for so much more cheaper.. even the small amount I grow... I smoke to much though... 3-4 grams a day currently. So the more the merrier haha. But yeah I was definitely thinking about the exhaust get ran out of the side camper van at the very least haha... I grow with a 4x2x4 in a small space absolute biggest tent I could fit. Grow journal
I did this! For many years when I was a PA working on TV Shows all over the place. I had a van that I'd made into a camper and would usually park at Wal-Mart or a friend's house. It saved me so much money. I worked on a reality show for several weeks in Houston once and stayed in the camping area on Galveston Island for like $15 a day in the off season. It was awesome and had community showers so ...perfect in fact. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
I would work seasonal jobs and make a few grand in a few months, save it all up and then go, supplemented with odd jobs, selling things on craigslist, internet work, whatever you can do. Propane for the stove & heater is very cheap, water is free or like 1 dollar for many gallons, the biggest expensive is gas or diesel to drive, lots of rice and beans
How are you using the internet? Are you still paying cellphone bills as well? As someone who is soon planning to do a tour ride of America on his bicycle.. any tips for things you didn't foresee to prepare for living out in the wild?
If you're in the USA there is an unlimited data plan from verizon, so some people use or tether their phones to make a wifi connection. There's also those wifi antennas that are cheap, so you can park farther away from free wifi spots (mcdonalds, walmart, most big box stores) and use the net. To be honest, it's possible to spend little time on the net, mainly e-mails, pay bills, catch up and then get off. Can go to the library, plug in phone, laptop and be good for a few days. Most of the reason I did this is to be healthier & spend more time outside. My cell bill is $44 a month, doesn't change & free calling after 6 pm every day. It was a lot more expensive at the start due to buying essential items and repairs/maintenance. Since you're on a bike you could get a solar charger and or battery bank. for your phone & hang it off your backpack.
Thanks for the tips bud. I'm 50/50 on keeping data but figure it doesn't hurt as my bill is 44$ from Verizon as well. Really just want to use the journey as a disconnect as much as possible but think I'll keep it for emergency options... I've been looking at the panels and I like the options.. only annoying thing is the affordable ones don't have battery packs so I'll probably get small charger with battery and triple panel fold up charger to charge battery pack. My one main concern is my painers won't have insulation so no cold food and I won't be packing a stove... trying to dial in my food options.
id have to have a light weight hiking type stove. I like my coffee to much. If your cycling in summer you may come across fire restrictions.
It depends where you are going. If there are small town or cities every 1-3 days, that can be enough to charge up your electronics to last you until the next stop. I'm at the public library now, big comfy chairs, quiet, can charge phone/computer and the public free computers are usually booked anyway. They only allow one hour per day on those, too. It's weird people come to the library for free internet and DVDs, ignoring the vast array of books. Solar shower works too but probably too heavy on a bike.. One lesson is it's better to buy a 90's or newer van. Fuel injection beats working on a carb, (many mechanics refuse to work on or don't know how to) plus better MPG, A/C, power steering, they handle way better. A diesel engine is probably cheaper in the long run & more efficient on the highway. Yea as the above said, get one of those screw on tops for propane/butane bottles. Though get the one with supporting legs on the bottom of the bottle, they tip over really easy. My fridge is broken, it's hard keeping food cold. I wrapped my cooler in Reflectix insulation and will test it out, see if ice lasts longer than 3 days or so
I hear ya my friend... coffee is one of the things I will be missing quite a bit. A stove is something I may get but need to get essentials etc. first to figure out weight and space used. Would love to have a stove and a pack with insulation where I can pick things up as I go for the day and cook at night while chilling... I'll have to keep the libraries in mind. It's funny that they are more based on electronics now (I always hear people using the 3d printer at library etc.).. Really most people read digital books now anyways I would think. That solar show is pretty tight. haha. Makes me want to try one now..
Lot of the teamsters do that. They work excruciating long hours moving the circus that some prefer to park their sleepers in with the other show vehicles.
I've done it, it blew ass - I'd rather have a fixed address with a stove, hot shower, and not worry about getting hassled by police / private security / property owners. Plus, if I wreck my car, I don't also lose my house in the process. But if it brings you happiness and fulfillment, ignore my opinion and keep on vagabonding.