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Walking Across the U.S.

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 17:06:26 No.254599 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By:

Hey /out/, starting spring I'll be walking across the U.S. I've researched a lot about the topic, but I was hoping you guys could give me a little help deciding what I should bring or any other tips. I'd also like to state that I've done pretty intense camping in the past. One time when I was 14, my friend and I spent a week in the woods with only a knife and 10ft of rope each. Needless to say, we both lost a lot of weight. I've done a lot of things similar things to that since then and I'd say my skill at survival is pretty high for my age. I'm fit, 165lbs at 6' or 75kg at 1.82m.
Pic related it's what I'll be doing for 6-8 months.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 17:07:37 No.254601 Report

Quoted By: >>254623 >>254626 >>254654 >>254867

Here is the things I need to know about.

Trail
I'll be leaving my home in northern Missouri and going northwest. I'm going through Iowa, Nebraska, going over Kansas into Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California. Then back home, I'll take a more southern arc on the way back through Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri. Essentially making a teardrop shape.
Pack
I'll need a big pack, I was thinking about bringing a surplus marine duffel bag, but it's not good enough I think. So I'll need a more modern bag with many pouches, probably a framed bag. It'd be great if you guys gave me some brand names.
Tent
I'll need a tent, the only one I have now is a very heavy 6 man and I won't bring this. I also have a very nice sleeping bag that I will bring.
Money
I'll need to know how much money I'll need to spend. I'll probably be stopping at gas stations and stores every couple of days, and I might spend some nights in cities hobo-ing. Needless to say, I want to spend as less as possible when buying tools and food.
Sleeping
As for sleeping, I read a blog that I got a lot of ideas from. The guy was traveling on foot and asked people if he could sleep on their lawn. A lot of the people invited him inside and washed his clothes, let him take a shower, dinner, etc.
Protection
I was wandering about big knife laws, if there are any. I have very many folding knives and fixed blades, maybe you guys can tell me how many and what kinds I should have. Also I will pick up some bear spray.
Food/Water
I will carry some sort of water container, I was hoping you guys could help me determine the size. For food, I will either find it in the wilderness (very unlikely), steal it, buy it, or get it from donations.
Travel
I need to know what kind of shoes/boots I should wear. I will only hitchhike if the weather is extremely bad, or I'm about to die. When I'm walking do I go with or against traffic? I've seen people do it both ways.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 18:17:15 No.254621 Report

Quoted By: >>254624 >>254630 >>254715

Prepare to deal with a fucked up back and feet

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 18:27:09 No.254623 Report

Quoted By: >>254722

>>254601
>Tent
TarpTent Contrail. Hybrid of tarp and tent, weighs ~750g. Expensive, flammable, light, durable.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 18:32:10 No.254624 Report

Quoted By: >>254723

>>254621
Do you suggest I use a cart instead? A lot of people have done that.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 18:34:35 No.254626 Report

Quoted By:

>>254601
And go against traffic. When somebody fails to pay attention and comes at you, you'll at least see him and have a chance to step aside. If he's coming from behind you'll have no idea what even killed you.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 18:43:13 No.254630 Report

Quoted By: >>254715

>>254621
Because of the pack or the endless walking? How would you train to prevent that?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 19:18:59 No.254654 Report

Quoted By: >>254685 >>254687

>>254601

That's actually really weird. I was thinking about walking back home to Washington from Kansas a while back after seeing a guy who walked across the country.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 20:31:53 No.254685 Report

Quoted By:

>>254654
Tis the season

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 20:36:28 No.254687 Report

Quoted By: >>254693

>>254654
that was forrest gump. that was a movie.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 21:05:10 No.254693 Report

Quoted By: >>254796

>>254687

Was it? I haven't seen that in forever.

I thought it was more "Man I'm sort of homesick and I have no money, but I'm pretty good at taking care of myself with nothing and can walk 30 miles a day."

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 21:31:12 No.254715 Report

Quoted By: >>254723

>>254621

>do you suggest I use a cart instead?

Yes, ordinarily I dislike ultra lightweight fags but if you are traveling that kind of distance ounces will really make a difference, I would suggest anything that will take weight of your back

Useing a cart will also mean you wont have to cut down on essential gear or things that will make your time a bit easier

>>254630

That amount of wear on a body in that small an amount of time is brutal

How would one prepare?

Being born when your legs were your only means of conveyance

Since that's out of the question your best bet would be to make sure you are in as good of condition as possible

Even get a physical to make sure you don't have any unknown condition that will start to nag at you

Keep your feet in good condition too, keep them dry, take care of hotspots and blister (of which there will be many) right away, get good socks and boots and get backups of them, none of your footwear will survive all that long

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 21:38:04 No.254719 Report

Quoted By: >>254731

Not OP but what exercising can one take part of to strengthen ones back, just general exercises that target the back?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 21:42:51 No.254722 Report

Quoted By:

>>254623
>flammable

Do you mean by accidentally setting it ablaze or that it can't stand the sun.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 21:43:47 No.254723 Report

Quoted By:

The first part of >>254715 was for >>254624

I should also add to that,

Mental condition is equally important to being physically fit in that situation

Keeping moral high will be important and difficult, when the going gets tough, after countless miles have passed, after you've been forced to travel for days on end in terrible weather, when its been days since you've had a shower, a restful nights sleep in a warm bed, or even a conversation with another human, shits going to start looking bleak, it will be too easy to lose your sense of purpose, to lose sight of the goal or even remember what the goal is

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 22:00:49 No.254731 Report

Quoted By:

>>254719

Overall physical fitness is necessary but for a few things to target the back would be-

For a body weight exercise lay on the ground on your stomach, have someone hold your legs and with your hands behind your head do lift your upper body up off the floor, its like a reverse situp but I don't remember the name of it

Also the entire core supports the back so do leg lifts, sit ups, side bends and all the rest too

For an Olympic bar "good mornings", squats, deadlifts and even shoulder shrugs and rows will all be beneficial

If you can find a Roman chair or a rowing machine you should hop on them too

>>>/fit/ has a lot of exercise and nutrition advise if you want, although I never go there

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 22:34:43 No.254745 Report

Quoted By: >>254839

I've done this before and I strongly urge you to consider using transportation when possible. You'll still do a LOT of walking, but it'll be much more manageable than walking the whole fucking way.

As for the specifics of how to do this, it's really up to you. You can do fine walking out the door with your old school backpack, a few changes of clothes, a few misc. items, and no money. Or you could do it with a big pack stuffed full of expensive gear and stay in a hotel every night. Or anything in between. Really depends on how much money you want to spend and how much shit you want to bring.

It's not like camping in the wilderness. You're in civilization, there are plenty of people to help you and resources to take advantage of.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 13 Jan 2014 23:31:35 No.254796 Report

Quoted By:

>>254693
i cant tell if your being sarcastic. i dont remember why he started running. but he just started running one day, and kept on going till he hit the ocean. then he went back.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 14 Jan 2014 00:48:44 No.254839 Report

Quoted By: >>254884

>>254745
>You can do fine walking out the door with your old school backpack, a few changes of clothes, a few misc. items, and no money.

How? Please share your secrets

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 14 Jan 2014 02:07:36 No.254867 Report

Quoted By:

>>254601
-Knife laws can often be even more convuluted than gun laws.
-Knives are far, far less effective for self defense than firearms
-Juries are much harsher on those who use knives in claimed self-defense compared to those who use firearms

For these reasons, I would look into a pistol instead. Many states honor other states' concealed carry licenses, and many more have little to no restriction on open carrying of firearms. I would research which states you'd be going through and their laws on open carry and which other states' CC permits they honor, then try and get a CC permit if you'll be going through many states that honor it, and open carry in the rest.

Quite a bit of a headache, yes, but you seem interested in self-defense on your trip and knives are absolutely terrible for self defense, both practically and legally.

Regardless, good luck OP, this sounds amazing.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 14 Jan 2014 02:31:56 No.254884 Report

Quoted By: >>254889 >>255259

>>254839

Panhandle for money outside of mostly-cash businesses. Dumpster dive in unlocked dumpsters behind bakeries and grocery stores, places like that. People think it's gross but it really isn't, you mostly find shit like stale donuts, fruits and veggies, and random stuff that just expired yesterday. Usually nice and clean inside of sealed trash bags. A lot of the time I found more food than I could carry. Please be considerate and don't make a mess while doing this or else they'll lock the dumpsters and fuck the next guy to come along. You can also shoplift although I strongly recommend doing some research or else there's a much higher chance of getting caught. If you straight up tell people that you're broke and hungry and ask them for food they'll often buy something for you, it's much more effective than asking for money because they usually think that you're gonna spend the money on booze or drugs. Many places have things like free church dinners and soup kitchens so ask around if you're into that. A protip: get free water, utensils, napkins, and condiments at places like fast food restaurants and gas stations. I never had much trouble staying fed, although I went hungry sometimes and usually didn't get exactly what I wanted. For travel, hitchhiking, train hopping, and buses. Truck stops are great spots to hitch hike, just fly a sign saying the next city you're stopping at and somebody will almost always give you a ride within an hour or two. They're also good spots to panhandle. DO NOT try hopping a train by yourself the first few times, that shit is super dangerous and you need an experienced street kid to help you out. Honestly it's probably best just not to do it at all, I just wanted a little adventure and liked the novelty.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 14 Jan 2014 02:34:49 No.254889 Report

Quoted By: >>255259

>>254884

Sleep wherever the fuck you want, within reason. Personal favorites include: construction sites, roof tops, grave yards, beaches, and in the fucking woods. Be creative. You don't need a tent or sleeping bag imo, just a warm blanket and a tarp to cover you if it's raining. Obviously this depends some on the local climate. Backpacks make great pillows. Things like couchserfing.org and craigslist to find a place to crash could work, but I've never bothered trying. Water's free and easy to get most of the time but I carried around a few plastic bottles anyway so that I could drink between stops. I always carried a knife, they're useful tools and can be used as a weapon if you really need to. As always the best kind of self defense is avoiding the situation altogether so trust your instincts, be aware of your surroundings, etc. If possible get a travel buddy that can watch your back and help you if shit gets too real. Like I said before, your loadout is really up to you. If you're determined to walk the whole fucking way you'll probably need more stuff than I did and even if you don't walk the whole way you may want some more conveniences to be more comfortable. I'd recommend saving a few hundred dollars then just doing it. If you want or need something along the way, buy it then. This way, you won't have to worry about hauling around a bunch of useless crap that you don't necessarily use. Either way I strongly advise against your walking-only rule, it's just going to make your trip suck.

P.S. Public libraries are your best friend, they're climate controlled, usually have single-occupancy restrooms that you can wash up in, computers that you can use to troll 4chan, and lots and lots of fuckin books.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 14 Jan 2014 06:19:02 No.254989 Report

Quoted By:

I've thought about a cart. If I used that, I could bring my laptop and hook up to wifi basically anywhere. I would also always be stocked up on food and water, I don't really want that. I want a challenge, that's why I'm doing it. Also using a cart would limit my mobillity. I would have to stay on the sides of roads and I couldn't just venture off on my own whim. I really want to try to not stay in cities, that's last resort and I would on stay in them if I couldn't find my way out.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO The Yukon 085.jpg, 4MiB, 4000x3000

Anonymous Tue 14 Jan 2014 21:24:23 No.255259 Report

Quoted By:

>>254884
>>254889

Thanks a lot m8, haha I'm not OP by the way though I'm sure that advice will be very useful for him.

For some reason dumpster diving never even crossed my mind as an opportunity. Honestly not sure if I could bring myself to begging but I have no problem eating stale shit out of the trash, most places throw stuff out at the end of the day even if it's still fresh. I know 7-11 throws out "defect" donuts with smeared icing or some shit, such a waste. And when I was a kid I was a master shoplifter but got caught once and I haven't since. It was just a milkshake but they and I ran away and just haven't since then, this was like six years ago.

Something I considered is just loading up on ramen and rice. It would be a lot to carry, but you'd still try to get food in other places and that way you'll never go hungry. And ramen's like $1 for a 24 pack at most places.

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