/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #407743

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Truck Camping, Long-Term.

Biologist'fag Sun 19 Oct 2014 23:21:28 No.407743 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>407746 >>407764 >>408037 >>410877 >>411128 >>414822

/out/going gentleman,

I just started a job in Ann Arbor Michigan. Rent both in town and out of town are ridiculously expensive. As such, I'm considering taking up long-term truck camping to save money and get more work done. I have 24-hr access to work, work is near a gym with showers, and I can get parking right near work.

Does /out/ have any advice on truck camping? I might pick up a Tacoma and Shell an see what I can figure out.

This would probably be a two-year thing -- I don't think I can stand Southern Michigan for longer than that.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 19 Oct 2014 23:26:45 No.407746 Report

Quoted By: >>407756 >>407958

>>407743
>truck camping
>year round
>michigan

You'll freeze your dick off, dude.

Biologist'fag

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Biologist'fag Sun 19 Oct 2014 23:38:30 No.407756 Report

Quoted By: >>407958

>>407746
I'm considering waiting till it warms up to get started, and subleasing in the winter months next year. Being close to work the chances of actually dying from hypothermia are low. I just don't think I could get away with sleeping there often. If I can, then this conversation is moot.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 19 Oct 2014 23:54:38 No.407764 Report

Quoted By: >>407769 >>407772

>>407743
What do you do in the middle of the night when you are about to shit yourself from something terrible you ate? What about when you're sick? That's not a place you could hang out. This doesn't seem like a good idea.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 00:08:13 No.407769 Report

Quoted By: >>407810

>>407764
Or take a major piss? It's not like camping where you could just drop the tailgate and piss out the back.

Biologist'fag

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Biologist'fag Mon 20 Oct 2014 00:12:54 No.407772 Report

Quoted By: >>407786 >>407816 >>408015

>>407764
>What do you do in the middle of the night when you are about to shit yourself from something terrible you ate?
Parking is literally 1 minutes drive time from work. Maybe 5 minutes walking time.

>What about when you're sick? That's not a place you could hang out.
I can always splurge and rent a hotel briefly if the urge strikes me.

The cost of rent where I am now is $775/month or $25.50/day, and that's before utilities, etc. The place sucks, but there are few better options. There's nothing worth buying that I can find, so I'm stuck renting at a place that sucks down over ~28% of my take-home pay.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 00:46:32 No.407786 Report

Quoted By: >>407797

>>407772
>28%
at those prices, nigga you rich. my $580 a month for a one bedroom takes up roughly 45% of my take-home pay

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 00:53:22 No.407797 Report

Quoted By:

>>407786
>tfw poorfag

I feel your pain, anon.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 01:10:18 No.407810 Report

Quoted By:

>>407769

Piss in a bottle?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 01:18:11 No.407816 Report

Quoted By: >>407965

>>407772
>The cost of rent where I am now is $775/month

Ann Arbor has excessively high rent / housing prices because it's a college town and an admittedly nice place to live but Michigan has plenty of roads and highways, so there is no reason to rent in Ann Arbor itself and living out of a truck is a bad idea for all kinda reasons.

tl;dr commute.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 08:24:37 No.407942 Report

Quoted By: >>407958

While I'm not in the same boat as OP, I have been interested in truck camping aswel. I thought about using a truck, of course. But I think maybe the option of a larger SUV, like a 4runner, would be good incase it got TOO cold, and having the option of turning the truck on and heating up the cab space, in the event that I wouldnt have come up with another heating option.

But, I like the idea for camping, or cheap rent like OP's situation. Right now I have an s10, and its pretty small. but, OP you might want to invest in a camper to put on your bed.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 10:41:49 No.407958 Report

Quoted By: >>408182 >>411128

>>407746
>>407756
>>407942
with enough wool gear you can easily car camp year round.

you need sleeping mats pref a foam mat on top of an inflatable and a winter sleeping bag.

wool socks, long johns, wool pants sweater, buff(wool neckwarmer) and wool toque.
most importantly 2 pairs of wool gloves, one thin glove for dexterity under a thick wool mitten.

if you cant get sick wool gear, which is probable because you sound like youre on a budget you shouldnt try winter camping.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 10:51:57 No.407961 Report

Quoted By: >>407979 >>411128

Why not a van? A lot more space and you could even insulate the sides.

Biologist'fag

Biologist'fag Mon 20 Oct 2014 11:05:07 No.407965 Report

Quoted By: >>408041 >>408200

>>407816
I live in Whitmore Lake, and rent for $775. I do commute. Rent in this entire region is crazy. Just moved here from NC, where rent is cheap.

I have two competing interests/concerns.
1) I hate people. Especially neighbors/housemates. As such I'd prefer to live somewhere rural... but 'rural' is a relative tierm in southern Michigan.
2) Since I can't really get away from people in this quasi-suburban sprawl I'd prefer to save lots of money... but rent everywhere here is expensive.

I'm going to finish this job and GTFO this place.

I may just move into town to a cheap('ish) apartment. At least then I can save on gas and some utilities. I just have to try not to murder anyone for a few years.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 11:39:45 No.407979 Report

Quoted By:

>>407961

I own a pair of those stockings. Don't try wearing them out, they chafe like hell.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 14:35:22 No.408012 Report

Quoted By: >>408014 >>408144

Hi OP
I have done some extended truck camping when I was in supreme poorfag mode. Here are some observations:
>It gets cold. Real cold. Insulate your truck bed and camper shell as well as you can. Get a really good mattress to lay on.
>You will want to install privacy curtains in your shell. You can do without for a few days but you will need some privacy. Velcro and cheap cloth will work.
>You will want a way to heat up food and make a cup of coffee. Eating out all the time will destroy any savings you are achieving by living in a truck. I recommend a propane stove because butane doesn't work well below 32F and white gas is too messy in an enclosed environment.
>You will probably want a weapon. There's no telling who is going to come rattle the doorhandles of your truck in the middle of the night. Being armed with something more effective than strong language is advised.
>You will need a mailing address. There are a few options for this, but you will need to have one. Maybe you can receive mail at work. Maybe you have a friend in the area willing to receive your mail. Maybe you need a PO Box.
>You will want electricity. Not much, but you will want it. You can wire a deep-cycle marine battery into your trucks' 12V charging system and then run an inverter to power a laptop, or charge a cell phone, or power a reading light.
>You will want a lockbox or safe. Burglary from automobiles is very common compared to home burglary. You don't want to be worried about your valuables any time you're away from your truck. A strongbox can be bolted to your truck bed and will give you a semi-safe place to store cash, IDs, passport, weapon, camera, etc.
>You will need of a reliable way to dispose of waste. Have a plan for disposing of garbage, 3am piss, and emergency shit or vomit. Somewhere secluded. Your boss won't want you tossing piss bottles in the company dumpster. A 5-gallon bucket makes a good trash can and can double as an emergency shit bucket.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 14:46:12 No.408014 Report

Quoted By: >>408144 >>411128

>>408012
Cont.
>You will want at least minor water storage and disposal. Cooking, sponge baths, dish washing... all require a little water. Expect to use 1 gallon per day. I used a 6 gallon "Jerry can" for my primary storage and then had some 1L canteens I used for my daily washing. I topped it off every 3 or 4 days with plain old tap water.

Disposing of used water involved another 5 gallon bucket. I'd dump waste water in it until it was nearly full then dispose of it somewhere out of sight - an alley or the roadside at night.

>Last but not least you need to have SEVERAL parking locations mapped out. Staying in the same spot for night after night is a great way to find yourself talking to the cops. 4 or 5 good private parking spots should be considered the minimum. Wal-Mart is generally very accommodating to overnights in their parking lot, so that's a good back up. You won't want a bunch of HOA type neighborhood watch people talking about your truck and jotting down your licence plate. Stick to blue-collar neighborhoods, or park along fencelines where you're not within easy view of anyone's house. I live in a low-rent area. It's safe but it's not prim and proper. There's a guy who lives out of his van 3 doors down. He's nice to everyone. Doesn't put anyone on edge. Nice guy, just down on his luck. No one cares. But if he tried to set up shop in a richer area he'd be fucked.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 14:47:02 No.408015 Report

Quoted By: >>408106

>>407772
I don't think you have thought this through
>middle of the night, about to shit yourself
>It's okay, toilet is only 1 minute away
>1 minute
>after you fuck around putting all your clothes on, especially in winter
>the whole time you're in agony trying to hold it in seeing that your body goes beserk when it knows you are near a toilet but not quite at one

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 14:47:51 No.408016 Report

Quoted By: >>408108

OP you want a van, not a truck

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 15:51:18 No.408037 Report

Quoted By:

>>407743
OK, first, if you find that even Ypsi and Pittsfield Twp and shit are too expensive for you, look at Wayne or Westland or something. Things are cheaper in Wayne County. Yeah, that's a lot more commute, but, on the other hand, you're not as likely to, you know, die alone in the cold in the back of some shitty truck.

That being said, I've got some actual advice, too, because I've truck camped in Michigan a lot, even in the cold. Also, I've got experience working with the homeless.

Space blankets are your friend. Use them for shelter. Plastic sheeting can also help a lot. If you know where Concordia University is, you can probably spend a few weeks hiding out there. Lots of woods, security isn't great. You might even get away with sleeping right in a parking lot, but I'm making any promises.

Some neighborhoods are viable places to sleep. Park on the street, try to look like you're not there (as in, don't b have a truck sit there looking like someone is sleeping in it. Don't sleep in the same place twice in a row, or even to often.

Black Elk Commune over by the stadium might let you camp out there for a while.

These are my immediate thoughts.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 16:00:34 No.408041 Report

Quoted By: >>408057

i lived in downtown ann arbor for $800/month including utilities, in 2007. 1 roommate. now i live 3 blocks from the beach in the los angeles area for about the same price. inflation-adjusted, my LA rent is lower.

>>407965
> I hate people. Especially neighbors/housemates

yeah, this attitude will making living very expensive. roommates can save SO much money. i've seen so many people struggle because they refused to live with others, it's absurd.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 16:34:43 No.408057 Report

Quoted By: >>408075

>>408041
Not everyone is desperate/comfortable enough enough with living with complete strangers anon. Sure there are more normal housemates than not but it doesn't seem worth the risk.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 17:16:44 No.408075 Report

Quoted By: >>408088 >>408101 >>408324

>>408057
Let me remind you, the risks of living in your truck include arrest, mugging, and death.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 17:37:33 No.408088 Report

Quoted By: >>408201

>>408075
Never knew the only option for living alone was living in a car, thanks.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 17:55:36 No.408101 Report

Quoted By: >>408202

>>408075
>arrest
On what charges? Where the fuck do you live that this is an issue?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 18:01:21 No.408106 Report

Quoted By:

>>408015
This is why I slept in my clothes when living innacar.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 18:02:30 No.408108 Report

Quoted By:

>>408016
campervan thread at >>398366

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 18:56:24 No.408144 Report

Quoted By:

>>408012
>>408014
>you dont need hot food, its just nice
>Weapon is a good idea
>If you want something mailed to you just use general delivery
>Get a storage unit for any valuables. You dont want you truck to look like its lived in. I got mine for 80 bucks a month. you might be able to get it cheaper. You might think of keeping a stash in the woods depending on the conditions and what you are storing.
>Shit in public places. Piss anywhere.
>get a membership to Planet Fitness. You can shower there anytime and its only 10 bucks a month. If you shower once a day that 33 cents a shower.
>Try to park on the side of rural roads. Look where truckers pull over. Those tend to be good spots and they know to leave people well alone.

Overall, living in you truck isnt that big of a deal. Get a sleeping pad, wool blanket, full wool underwear, and an MMSS sleep system and you're golden. Good luck partner.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 21:06:27 No.408182 Report

Quoted By:

>>407958
Hey we never thought about wearing more gear, good idea!

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 21:42:44 No.408200 Report

Quoted By:

>>407965
>I live in Whitmore Lake, and rent for $775.

You can find substantially cheeper rentals in Jackson, though your drive will be longer;

http://www.zillow.com/homes/Jackson-Michigan_rb/

And here's a nice secluded place in Grass Lake (west of Ann Arbor) right off I-94 for $500 @ month;

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4321-Maute-Rd-Grass-Lake-MI-49240/2115654333_zpid/

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 21:43:21 No.408201 Report

Quoted By:

>>408088
That's not the only option, but that is what the original post is about so...

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 21:45:41 No.408202 Report

Quoted By: >>408204 >>408326 >>411128

>>408101
>charges
Vagrancy, for one
>Where do you live
Well, one place I've lived is Ann Arbor, MI, you know, the place this thread is about. I've lived other places in SE Michigan, too. Vagrancy is a crime here.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 Oct 2014 21:48:34 No.408204 Report

Quoted By: >>408326 >>411128

>>408202
>>charges
>Vagrancy, for one

Trespassing for another.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 01:34:32 No.408324 Report

Quoted By:

>>408075
>arrest

Yeah, no. Leave this to people who have done the research or have lived mobile themselves. Arrest is nearly impossible, because arrest requires a felony or serious misdeameanor, both requiring undue harm or serious threat to someone else. Van camping does neither of those things.

In all my experience, maybe twice a year a cop will tap on your window. You can talk your way out of it every time, or if not he'll just ask you to move along anyway.

In order for you to be arrested, you'd have to be doing it with no window coverage, sleeping naked, or screaming at the people in the neighborhood, or dumping your shit in their driveway, etc. Even most of those are just fines.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 01:40:11 No.408326 Report

Quoted By: >>408368 >>408375 >>411128

>>408202
>>408204
Both of which are hardly grounds for arrest. Homeless people who get arrested do so because they're doing something along the lines of public indecency. And where the fuck does OP say he's planning on trespassing? Street parking during the night is legal everywhere.

Here's what legal trouble is going to look like:
>sleeping cozy
>2am hear *tap tap tap*
>wake up, police is outside
>"Sir, are you alright?"
>"Yeah, sorry officer, I was working late and have to be back in really early. It seemed stupid to drive the hour home just to sleep 4 hours and drive back, so I decided to sleep here."
>"Alright, just wanted to make sure you weren't hiding out or anything"
>"Haha, yeah I guess thats easy to mistake. Sorry about that officer"
>"All the same, I'm going to have to ask you to move along"
>"Fair enough, sir. Have a good night"
>put put on off, find another spot a few miles away so you know you're out of his jurisdiction.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 02:31:18 No.408342 Report

Quoted By: >>408348

How should I outfit my Ford Escape for cold weather urban camping?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 02:44:31 No.408348 Report

Quoted By: >>408353

>>408342
Hardmode: I'm 6'1" and might be roping a ladyfriend into my misadventures.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 02:57:52 No.408353 Report

Quoted By: >>408421

>>408348
That sounds like a blast. I hope she's high test so she can keep you warm at night.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 03:41:43 No.408368 Report

Quoted By: >>408375 >>411128 >>412164

>>408326

Hmmm i don't think so any cop is going to look at ur setup and see that you are obviously homeless. Traveling is not frowned upon but generally vagrancy is a nono anywhere besides somewhere extremely rural where nobody gives a fuck. You need a place to land so you can give an address and prove your situation otherwise you are looking at ten metric fucktonnes of bullshit from the law.

source: i have slept in more walmart parking lots than times you have been camping

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 04:05:45 No.408375 Report

Quoted By:

>>408326
>apologizing
Boot lickers

>>408368
Walmart encourages people to RV in their parking lots. It's a nationwide store policy. They are anticipating your business before you pull out on your next adventure.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 21 Oct 2014 07:59:30 No.408421 Report

Quoted By:

>>408353
Doesn't any living human body throw off enough heat to keep me warm, or have I just always slept next to high-test devushki?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 Oct 2014 20:23:09 No.409894 Report

Quoted By:

bumping above the ridiculous quantity of axe threads

Edward Huguenin

Edward Huguenin Sat 25 Oct 2014 22:28:23 No.410876 Report

Quoted By:

Try this site, I do a lot of van camping and this has really helped and good luck.

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/

Edward Huguenin

Edward Huguenin Sat 25 Oct 2014 22:29:42 No.410877 Report

Quoted By:

>>407743
Try this site. Good luck.

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/

Biologist'fag

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Biologist'fag Sun 26 Oct 2014 13:33:48 No.411128 Report

Quoted By: >>412053

>>407743
Holy shit. I leave for 6 days and this thread still exists. Thanks for the replies. This is still a possibility, but it increasingly seems like I may be able to sleep at work. It will just take some reconnaissance to see if I can really pull it off or not.

>>407958
I have plenty of income to support this adventure. I just despise throwing it away on excessive rent. Durable goods? Sure. Rent? No.

>>407961
Fewer and lower performance 4WD van option than truck options. Michigan has a maze of poorly maintained dirt roads and lots of snow. I'm sort of regretting buying my little Ford Focus when I was in NC. I'm going to have to re-learn driving on ice/snow after living in the south for 5 years. 4WD helps alot.

>>408014
>>408204
>>408202
>>408326
>>408368
I'd be renting a permanent parking spot. That would give me *some* protection against police harassment. I'm also renting a private mailing box. It just makes sense for me to use a mailbox given how much of a gypsy I've been over the years. Hell, I still have my box in NC.

My budget spreadsheet says that moving into town and cutting my insurance would give me a ~16% 'in the wallet' raise (after most bills/taxes). Living in town with a roomate/girlfriend is a 38% raise. These are liberal estimates, since I can't project my electric/heat bills just yet. Living in the lab or truck is a whopping >50% raise depending on minor expenses.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2014 14:16:04 No.412053 Report

Quoted By: >>412187

>>411128

I'm responding solely to encourage you. I lived in my pick up successfully for a number of months. I stopped because I landed a good job.

I have only one thing to say - buy a van. Period. The headspace for sitting up is a big deal. You can sit comfortably upright. You can also easily install a small stove for cooking, and you can cook without being hunched over.

Second, getting in and out, arguably the most important reason to have a van. You can go from sleeping to driving away. When a ceackhead or a goon starts fucking with your lock, you don't have time to crawl through the window (if you even have one big enough), and you sure as he'll don't want to exit through the tailgate out into the night with niggerhead who's already jumpy and might stab you.

Also, it's can be very difficult to stealthily get into your truck. Trust me. It's a lot easier to climb into your van as if to drive yet, and then slip behind some curtains into your abode.

Please take my word for it. You don't need 4w drive. A set of used chains will do fine. Vans have better suspension than a sedan and more weight. I understand the allure of a pick up, but it just doesn't work well. Believe if or not, vans are even stealthier. Keep it clean outside so it look like a work van and the popo will pretty much never bother you.

It's not fun to wake up at 3am to police banging on your camper. Even with completely covered windows with black curtains, police can smell truck campers. Much harder to detect a van camper done right.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2014 18:18:43 No.412109 Report

Quoted By:

If anyone here lurks /o/, ask that guy that has lived in his van for a few years to come here.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2014 20:12:48 No.412164 Report

Quoted By:

>>408368
Dude I lived in my suburban for a month nobody will give a fuck if you aren't retarded.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Oct 2014 21:07:57 No.412187 Report

Quoted By: >>414012

>>412053
You could sneak into your truck if it has a back window.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 02 Nov 2014 13:47:32 No.414012 Report

Quoted By:

>>412187
You're really missing the point of his post. It's feasible, but vans have way easier methods.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 04 Nov 2014 07:04:46 No.414822 Report

Quoted By: >>414823

>>407743
Fj60 with homemade sleep/storage deck

Not mine.
But I do own a 60 and will one day build one like this.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 04 Nov 2014 07:07:31 No.414823 Report

Quoted By: >>414824

>>414822

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 04 Nov 2014 07:08:33 No.414824 Report

Quoted By:

>>414823

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