When it comes to surving on your own take your lession from the Homeless people...

One prime example of a real survivalist is your neighbourhood homeless...
not the panhandlers I'm talking about the ones that try to stay out of sight...

Ever ask yourself where do they live, sleep, how do they feed themselves.
Learn the answer to that and you too can be a real urban survivalist!

So were to do they live???
Road Bridges for shelter, preferably ones not near rivers, as the morning mist, will soak you to the bone.
abandoned houses, factories and businesses are better still. Derelict cars and trucks are not as good as you'd think... to hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. but anything is better then laying out in the open on the ground right...Tree's, can be used as simple wig-wam with proper materials or climb up and make yourself a nest, hammock, preferably out of sight from passersby

where do they find food... anywhere they can... in your garbage cans... might raid backyard gardens, maybe they fish the river banks, I bet if you get hungry enough before long a bag of dog food looks pretty damn temping!

They Sleep where ever they feel safe. under park benches, card board for mattress. use the seat above as a framework like a tent a put some waterproof covering on top of the seat to retain heat, and protect from the elements.



Dig a earth sleeping bag. If you have enough time dig simple earth blanket. If you have nothing but time make a series of lean to's out in the forests and wild lands on the borders of those towns and cities. stay out of dry river banks, they are prone to flash floods and you dont want to drown in your bed do you?

Anonymity is your best defence. dont tell people your homeless especially other homeless folks... keep your head down dont make eye contact... dont place yourself in a situation of conflict.

Security is paramount.... you cant stay awake forever... and that's why many homeless will adopt a stray dog...
maybe it wont bite an intruder but it can bark and wake you up if action is required.

Just remember Survival is in our nature... when the chips are down go with your instinct.... might be surprised to learn how tough you can be..

My definition of homeless is someone who is begging in the streets and that if you get the idea. but any one else who is living in the outside of society, in the woods for example, I see them more as survivalist or just people living their own lives. Thats why i hate how alot of places are "government property" because if they catch u building a house somewhere without permission and papers they throw u in jail.

You are soooo right, the homeless are the true survivalists. And for every dirty run-down bum you see standing on the corner, there is another that you would never even guess was homeless. These people keep themselves reasonably clean, move with a purpose, even when they have none, and spend the night in their broken down out of gas car because it's all they have left. If you can TELL someone is homeless, it's likely there are other problems usually including mental health. Not always, mind you but commonly.

reply to post by HisMajesty


Squatting has become a huge issue for those cities with outrageous foreclosure rates... LA Orlando Detroit!
these are not your typical homeless either... in some places the cops let them be... other cities it will get your ass locked up...

tent cities are worse... a target for the cops... I bet some horrendous police brutally takes place there...

either way if your squatting you dont want to make it appear as if anyone is there.... if ya know what I mean

A dog are you joking?? the only homeless people that have them are useing the dog as a pity magnet.
(bacisly people see homeless guy say so what people see homeless guy with dog and all of a sudden its time to feed the dog .lol Not as good as haveing a woman homeless but a close second.
as for sleeping if you know anything about surviving you would know wild animals can wake on a drop of a dime (the sound it makes will wake them .)
its the same being homeless if you stay in the wooods . the slightless snap of a stick or russel of the leaves and your awake and ready to go .
But hey even then it dont matter take your clue from the deer and rabbits .
they dont run when they hear you UNLESS you walk right on top of them.
The reasion being buy staying froz not moving most animals including humans are more clued to Movment then any other thing (except bright colors of corse green and brown are the way to go.
against a tree people will wlak by and never see you .
heck i had people walk 3 feeet from me never knoing i was there lol.
and let me assure you of one other thing out here in florida if the spit hits the fan i will have no trouble surviving at all.
fish traps pit falls all they take it sticks lol.and dinner is served .
the ONLY thing that keeps me from going totaly wild is the spit hasnt hit the fan and in order to truly live off the land we need smokey to go the way of the dodo as even a small fire will bring him running to fine you.
accutly In the spit hitting the fan my chances of living are 20 times as good as even the so called good old boys .
after all having nothing meens people will come HUNT U DOWN not me lol.

I live close to the homeless shelter and the food kitchen and pantry, most spend their days close by, but I have seen some unique hiding places, I don't know how well the ones around here would fair with out the handouts,

When I was younger we had to live off the land I would prefer that knowledge.

When i was 19 i moved to Pittsburgh from NY. I had no friends and was out on my own. at the time in pittsburgh, there was a large squatter punk scene in an area called Oakland. for the next 2 years i became essentially an undercover squatter with different bands of traveling kids.

I learned alot about survival and living on the fringe of society and i have no regrets although it was not easy.
Best places to Dumpster Dive: Pizza places, bagel shops and bakeries. Pizza places will often toss incorrect pizza orders or no show pickups. you can often find HOT pizza in the box in dumpsters at your local pizza shop, esspecially on the weekends. Any fresh baked type establishement wouldnt be in bussness for to long if they sold day old breads and pastries. best time to hit them up is 2 hours after they close for the day ( gives the workers time to toss out the old stuff). They will typically be in plastic bags filled with the stuff the public did not buy from that day.

Travel: Thumbing it is always an option but this day in age it could be a little sketchy. often times people that pick you up have some alterior motive behind it (sex mostly), so the common mode of transport for these kids was Train Hopping.
Trainyard police will sometimes let you hop if they are cool, but if you dont want to risk it then you hop a moving train just outside the yard. The golden rule when hopping a moving train is: if you can see 3 bolts on the moving train wheel, you are good to go. if you cant see atleast 3 bolts on a moving wheel the train is going to fast and you are taking a big risk.
Like hitchhiking though, some shady folks hop trains. I have heard stories of a gang (FTR - the Freigh Train Riders or something similar) that does not hesitate to kill you dog, rape your girls and seperate parties by tossing individuals off the train miles apart from one another, so be carefull always.

Lastly, for now atleast, keep a dog if possible. not only are dogs great protection when you sleep under a bridge at night, but they often times may be your only company and real best friend. I have never seen more loyal dogs then squatter dogs in my life.

anyway, this is long. i have been thinking about writing a book of the experience. survival is only a part of it. Homeless people are a strange bunch.

interceptor

Originally posted by xxcalbier
The reasion being buy staying froz not moving most animals including humans are more clued to Movment then any other thing

sounds like you are out there already man.

I have lived homeless for short periods, both in the classic sense and in the wilderness type scenario. The classic way was rough. (I didn't pan handle) The time I did it in the woods was something else entirely.

I was holding down an office job at the time. I had some gear and to be honest, it was the best place that I ever lived. I was actually quite amazed that my camp didn't get raided by critters when I wasn't there. This was especially amazing after about a week when they got used to my presence and seemed to lose most of their fear of me. My roomies didn't complain when I ate their food. (mostly berries and such) I didn't even hear the osprey whining about my fishing. Speaking of which, my roommates were some of the most interesting characters. There was the osprey, of course. Let's not forget the largest woodpecker that I have ever seen. 2 baby rabbits would visit me often. They once came and just sat a mere 6 feet or so away from me. Squirrels a plenty. A couple of raccoons. It was like living in a zoo. I would get up in the morning and get cleaned up and hitch in to work. after work I would refill my water stores, get a bit of food, march to the edge of the city and hitch home. The peace and quiet was wonderful. I live 3 provinces away from where I was at the time. I am actually about to hitch the 1300 kilometers back home to do it again. I have better equipment this time around and can't wait to get back to it. As for the hitching thing, I have a suggestion. Carry a sign that says please. Just that. Not "(destination) please" just the word please. You would be amazed. Having hitched extensively over the last 15-20 years, I can honestly say that almost all of my rides have been good folk who just want to help a fella out. There were a couple of nuts and shady characters in the mix but they were the exception not the rule. I can look a little scary to some folk so maybe I was left alone because I don't look like an easy target.

I have thought of having a dog, but I can't bring myself to do it. If I find a stray, I will take it in, but other than that, I wouldn't inflict my choice of an uncertain lifestyle and food supply on a dog any more than a child. I should point out however that a dog is not just good for keeping lookout and companionship. They are also natural hunters. even the toy breeds have the instinct.

Originally posted by TheInterceptor
Best places to Dumpster Dive: Pizza places, bagel shops and bakeries. Pizza places will often toss incorrect pizza orders or no show pickups. you can often find HOT pizza in the box in dumpsters at your local pizza shop, esspecially on the weekends. Any fresh baked type establishement wouldnt be in bussness for to long if they sold day old breads and pastries. best time to hit them up is 2 hours after they close for the day ( gives the workers time to toss out the old stuff).

Not too long ago I read a blog about the rewards of dumpster diving and went scavenging for some supplies for a project . I scoped out several dumpsters that seemed promising. The only problem was that nearly every one was locked up. In fact, the dumpsters at every restaurant of food store in my area were all padlocked.

I think this is a real problem for those inclined to dumpster dive. The store owners it seems are fed up with people dragging garbage out of the dumpster and throwing it on the ground. I had better luck talking to the store owners and letting them know what I was looking for. Some were very helpful and set some of the materials I needed next to the dumpster for my convenience.

reply to post by Sparky63


If you had come to my store and asked, I would have left it out for you in a heart beat. But dumpster diving does nothing but cause more work for me and I get very upset about it. (i have enough work) If they were have way decent about cleaning up after they do it, I wouldn't care at all. Probably leave it unlocked for them.

Of course, if you wanted me to set it out so you could sell it at the local flea market, I probably wouldn't help you out. But if someone needed it because they need it, I would be more than happy to oblige.

Point being, you are right, We are upset about it. And my dumpster now holds only empty boxes instead of anything worth value.

Just a thought Ive always had...

Say martial law is declared, or FEMA takes over, or big brother.. etc. The last group of people that are invisible are the homeless.

When most people see the homeless, they choose to ignore them. Out of feeling guilty, or to avoid panhandlers, or whatever. What a perfect way to stay in civilization and yet remain invisible. Of course it has its drawbacks, but its the best plan Ive thought up.