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full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

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  • #16
    Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

    Would just like to add,if gonna stay in 1 place for a period of time, might want to have a second tent,
    Can use it in a variety of ways, kitchen tent, sitting area,
    This way your sleeping tent is just for sleeping

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    • #17
      Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

      just got back to homebase for now, from a 2 night stay at ABILENE STATE PARK...
      we rented a yurt to see what one looked like in real life, not just from websites etc...may eventually look at getting
      one to live in full-time once we find a permanent location...
      was a little unsure what we would find,but was pleasently surprised...

      this is what we found: a pretty much deserted campground (as it was during the week)
      the yurt came equiped with the following: sofa that converted to a bed,another full bed with twin bunk above.
      It had a dorm size fridge, microwave, portable a/c unit,stand fan, and a small electric heater.
      outside there was a handicap accessible picnic table,fire pit and separate grill, and a water outlet...I know, not
      really roughing it...more like Glamping

      the best part was the quiet, and the herds of deer that visited the area morning and evening each day we
      were there...first night about 6-8 does showed up,next morning the same group came back and ventured closer
      to the yurt. second night we counted 2 separate groups totalling 10, and this A.M. we were surrounded by ten along
      with 2 bucks...a very young one with horn buds and an older one with 8 points...

      This trip was a pre-test to our big adventure that we hope to begin soon...however, we have some re-thinking
      to do...we found that the van will NOT hold nearly as much as we had hoped, so we will have to do some serious
      down-sizing and condensing of equipment...OR...reconsider the whole plan...We are in a holding pattern, again...

      all in all, the trip was a nice change of scenery and definately a learning experience...

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      • #18
        Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

        Wow, Malamute is my new idol!

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        • #19
          Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

          I stand in agreement, as Malamute so aptly states, that TeePee(Living) is the best, or what?!? And WHY are all the cool people from Texas, or moving back (California resident, no need to tell me why as I know already)? Hiding under my sleeping pad with a Mr. Buddy and a solo candle,

          tplife
          “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
          ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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          • #20
            Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

            here's an update for those interested...
            STILL working on moving things to storage...paid another month's rent on this house as it's not looking
            promising that we can get out of here real soon...some health issues have arisen with housemate so have
            to wait on test results to see what the plan of action will be...
            we're still hopeing to leave this part of texas...looking at heading down south towards the gulf for a month
            or so, then towards NM or AZ for the winter (Dec/Jan)...I am so ready to leave,mentally anyway...

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            • #21
              Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

              Good Luck to you! I have been Van Dwelling for 3 years now, so its not actually tent camping, but it is a pop top camper looking forward to touring the USA on a motorcycle one day! If you make it to Tucson area this winter look me up I know a few good spots. Take Care

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              • #22
                Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                HOBOBERG: thanks for your comments...
                definitely have southern AZ on the list for sometime this winter...
                have been printing out any and all info on public lands and campsites
                in AZ...
                hopeing and working towards leaving for south Texas in about a week...
                not real confident that it will happen as there is still things that need to be moved
                into storage...may just HAVE to walk away from the rest and forfeit the deposit...
                another bridge burned... not my normal way of doing things...

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                • #23
                  Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                  went to Lake Livingston State Park for one night...was hopeing to set up the mail-forwarding service
                  so we can start our life on the road...
                  ran into a few glitches on this trip so things are again on hold indefinitely...
                  this was another shake-down type trip to help us work out more bugs, but it raised more issues
                  than resolved...
                  Lake Livingston was a really nice park...tent sites were in three groupings and we were the only ones
                  in the area we chose...water spigot across from our site, bathrooms a short walk away...
                  site had a 13x13 tent pad, fire pit,lantern hook, picnic table...short walk to the lake itself, which has
                  fishing pier, boat ramp,small store for kayak rentals,etc.
                  with the serious drought conditions here in TX, the park had to cut down over 1500 dead trees...there was
                  lots of fallen tree trucks everywhere we looked...so sad, as it gave very little privacy at the campsites...
                  glad we were there in the middle of the week...
                  three things we were trying to get away from managed to be present even there, though...
                  #1 barking dogs
                  #2 train whistles
                  #3 traffic noise
                  the only one that was the most annoying to us was the dogs,the barking seemed to echo through
                  the park, and continued throughout the night...other than that the park was peaceful and pretty...

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                  • #24
                    Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                    Sorry to hear about the latest set back. Hopefully, it will resolve sooner rather than later.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                      Originally posted by HogSnapper
                      I've lived in a tent for up to six months at a time and done it several times. Each time, I was traveling cross country and staying anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks in each spot.

                      The hardest part is controlling expenses. Everything is more expensive. Laundromats are more expensive than owning a washing machine. Cooking with propane bottles is more expensive than cooking in a house. Groceries, and keeping food cold is expensive without a home refrigerator. At $20 a night, campgrounds are not cheap rent! There are a million examples like that. Cost control is going to be a constant issue for you, especially if you are maintaining a real home somewhere that you'll eventually go back to.

                      If you can keep the expenses under control, then the payoff is in the places you get to stay. Long term camping can be a wonderful experience.

                      Here's a few tips I've learned...
                      • Tint your windows dark enough that a thief can't see any gear in the back. Don't keep any gear in the front where a thief can see it.
                      • Make sure you have theft insurance on the contents of your vehicle, not just the vehicle.
                      • camp security and vehicle security are going to be issues for you no matter where you go. I recommend you carry a firearm, but that's up to you of course. A firearm is the ultimate equalizer when it comes to a confrontation with a robber.
                      • It helps if you have a rock solid, well maintained vehicle. I always carried AAA Plus for towing.
                      • Solar power is your friend. Get a solar panel for your roof and a 12V sealed battery, like an Optima Yellow top to power all your electronics.
                      • Have a support person. This could be a relative who is far away. Someone who will answer your phone calls at any time of day and do everything from give you a weather report to taking your mail.
                      • Use a mail drop service. RV'ers have a lot of experience in this area. Search around for RV and mail and you'll see all the options out there. Most run around $250 a year and will forward your mail to you at campgrounds. South Dakota is a favorite location because their residency rules are very lax and you can renew your car tags by mail and there is no state income tax there.
                      • Arrive at campgrounds on a Tuesday or Wednesday and stay through the weekend. Most campgrounds are empty on those days. Show up on Friday and good luck getting a prime spot or any spot for that matter.
                      • Try 'dispersed camping' as much as possible - you'll save thousands of dollars.
                      • Living in a tent is very isolating. Don't become a recluse. Meet new friends. Spend time with people. Get out of the campsite as much as possible. Spoil yourself with a hotel stay once in a while.
                      • Don't break the rules. Your gear will get confiscated (and they'll destroy most of it when they confiscate it), they'll tow your car and charge you for towing and storage, and you'll be facing a judge in a strange town where the prosecutor's first words to the judge will be: "Your Honor, this transient has no fixed address". It's all downhill from there. Follow the rules, even if they sometimes seem ridiculous. I've never had it happen to me, but we all hear horror stories.
                      • Start with the absolute minimal gear you need. As time goes on, you'll figure out what's critical and what isn't and you can slowly add gear that you need, not just gear you want or think you need. You'll burn through a lot of camping gear too. Most camping gear isn't built for use day after day after day. Getting your gear right is going to be an ongoing challenge.


                      That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure a thousand more ideas will come back to me but at the moment I can't think of any.

                      Good luck and get ready for an awesome time! You don't need an RV to go full time!!!

                      What i do to keep my gear safe in the back of my Honda Fit wagon ( With the back seats down its a wagon.. Ha Ha.. ) along with having tinted windows is i have a king size black bed sheet i cover completely over all my gear in the back and looking through the windows all you see is a dark empty space and you would not believe how it makes the back of your vehicle look empty. Give it a try and you will be amazed..
                      Last edited by swebob; 12-21-2012, 03:57 PM.
                      Proud owner of the Kodiak canvas 10 x 14 deluxe flex bow tent..

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                      • #26
                        Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                        I'm back...to report on our escapades.
                        FINALLY got out of the house and on the road...
                        April 1, loaded the van with ALL the things we thought we would need for extended tent camping...
                        ran out of room before I could get my foam bedroll in...
                        so back to the drawing board...again

                        April 2, reloaded the van, in the rain this time, and put only the essentials, including my bedroll.
                        we now have two rightline cargo bags on top of the van with the bulk of the bedding and cold weather gear,
                        as well as the inside packed to the gills...

                        got to Eisenhower State Park in Denison, Tx. that afternoon.
                        Set up camp, had the park pretty much to ourselves Tues. to Fri. afternoon
                        that's when things got noisy...200+ girl scouts took over the campgrounds til Sunday A.M
                        Found out after the fact, that April is scouting month in Texas...
                        Joy,joy, happy, happy...
                        We survived, even had a few laughs at some of the antics of kids/leaders

                        Have not got a handle on posting pictures online, but as soon as we get that figured out
                        I'll be able to share with one and all.

                        We are now on the road headed to Maine, staying in Motels til we get there, then setting up camp
                        at the housemates daughters' front or back yard until further notice...

                        A quick question for the more experienced campers:
                        Found that water had gotten under the tent between the tent and ground tarp...tarp was 8x10,tent is 9x12
                        ground was damp from the rains beginning of the week but no actual water under the tarp, just on top...
                        What did I do wrong and how do I keep it from happening again?

                        Days spent living in a tent to date:7

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                        • #27
                          Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                          well folks, here is another update on our tent living adventure...
                          April 9,2013 left Eisenhower State Park headed for Maine...5 days later and 4 motels later
                          we set up camp on the front lawn of housemates daughters property.
                          Had a mix of sunny/cloudy days, afew showers on and off...the temps were all over the place...
                          daytime in upper 50's/low 60's but nighttime was consistently in the 30's/40's...
                          thank goodness for the Mr. Buddy heater!!! It was a lifesaver when getting up in the morning.
                          spent 15 days there and are now headed for Tennessee...can't seem to get away from
                          the cool nighttime temps, though...
                          Now the real fun begins...


                          total time camping to date in 2013: 21 days in April

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                          • #28
                            Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                            Ok this is old news or should say Old style. But it works and reality better than modern washing machines. With a washing machine you can put the cloths in and walk away and do other things, only good thing about them.

                            This is what I learn in my years of travel to a 3rd world Country. I had a pair of jeans I never could get 100% clean always looked as they were still dirty after I wash them. I traveled to Ormoc City Leyte Philippines in 2004. I spent 3 weeks there with a lovely and beautiful young lady. She grabbed them and wash them their way, ways most of our grandmothers wash cloths. 2 Large Buckets, Soap and water. First bucket added the soap, Scrubbed the clothing piece by piece then ring the excess water out and put in second Bucket. Rinse out good and hanged out to dry. By doing this the Faded out Jeans that looked dirty after washing looked brand new. This can be done at the camp and saving 20.00 per Laundromat visit.

                            Cause it modern way of doing things does not mean it the best way.....

                            P.S. I never seen Buckets like they used there here in the States so totes you can buy at WalMart could do the same as the buckets. Ones they used would be approx 10 gal buckets larger than the 5 gal buckets that normal here.
                            Last edited by Coastie; 05-18-2013, 12:02 PM. Reason: Added more info

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                            • #29
                              Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                              Coastie, you discovered washing clothes in a way that most if the world only know: washing by hand

                              Just a couple of weeks ago I was in China and the women used old fashioned washboards

                              I remember a couple years ago I was in Guizhou province in China which is one of China's poorest. I sent my clothes to the hotel laundry and five days later they had not come back. I kept asking for them and the hotel staff kept telling me "soon, soon. So sorry. So sorry".

                              Finally, it came time for me to leave and I needed my clothes so I insisted. They took me to the top floor of the hotel into a big room with all the windows open. Clothes were strung everywhere on a cobweb ov clotheslines.

                              About a dozen young girls had hand fans and were fanning the clothes to dry them!! "It is the rainy season" the hotel manager explained, "it has been raining for seven days and the clothes won't dry"

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                              • #30
                                Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                                True It amazing what other countries handle things. Even Grass cutting here Riding lawnmowers Asia Group of people sitting picking grass by hand.

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