Staying in a tent for about a month....

Well, i've fell on some hard times - I have to move out of my place, and I don't really have anywhere I can go at the time, i'm a bit broke.

I have an aunt with about 20 acres, in a nice neighborhood just out of town, its totally enshrouded in woods and private, yet only about 10 minutes or so from a main intersection. Anyway, my aunt told me, I can use the land (sleep there) but I can't come inside or anything (for the most part). So basically, beginning monday, i'll be there- im planning to get a tent so I'll have some kind of shelter. Also, I can run an extension cord from the garage to the outside, so I'll have some kind of power. I live on the gulf coast, not the coldest place around, but still, it gets plenty cold here, and now's the time it starts happening... I should only have to do this about a month - I'm about to go back to work for a friend of mine, and my girlfriend said she's gonna save a little back from a few paychecks, and I can use that combined with the money I'll make working for my friend, to get a place in a month or so.

Anyone have any tips or advice on this? A month isn't too bad. I'm no stranger to rough times, so I should make it through this ok, but i've not had to do this before.

My aunt may seem mean for not letting me stay inside, but i'd rather be there in the woods in private and suffer a little discomfort, than to wander/drive around town aimlessly and sleep in my car in some walmart parking lot, or some homeless shelter...

Advice/thoughts appreciated...

It shouldn't be too bad. We've camped for a couple of weeks at a time and we didn't have power.

Have fun. Make sure you're nice to your aunt so if this happens again, she'll let you stay there.

You might stay for a while longer and try to save some money so if you get in a pinch again, you don't have to move out.

hi there,

sorry to hear you have fallen on hard times,

camping wont be too bad though, make sure you get a big enough tent as you dont want it to be cramped or clostriphobic ( SP ? ).

i have been camping from early june to about a week ago, as i was working away in a remote part of Europe. it was good fun !!

if you can have a small campfire there it would be advisable to take a bit of time and build a nice stone hearth for it ,close but not too close to your tent !!..

good luck , hope it doesnt turn too cold !!

snoopyuk

It's no bid deal. I had to sleep on ice (really) for a few days at a time, many times, and it's entirely manageable.

If you get a tent, make sure it's as tall as possible so you can comfortably change clothes and maybe stand in the middle. Since you have power, you can get an electric cooker, just be sure you turn it off before going to bed. Since it's not too cold, an inexpensive sleeping bag would do. You have to guard your food against the wild life. Get a plastuc trunk or something. If you can't use the tolet inside the house, you'll have to dig a hole in a convenient location in the woods. Get a flash light.

One more thing -- make sure you buy a sheet of plastic to cover your tent with. Always helps when it rains. Fix the plastic to the tent with laundry pins.

cool iceman...will be a wonderful survival experience...& u sure are blessed to have those people helping u....could write heaps of advice for u but can't right now...will check back later here to see if u have any problems i can help out with....for now the best advice i can give u is to ask ur girlfriend for a loan to purchase a 'WIGGY's' sleeping bag from Colarado...u'll be as snug as a bug in a rug....designed for & used by U.S. military & the best thing u will ever have...lifetime garentee...i absolutely love mine...best bag on the planet by a mile....GB

The nice part is that you wont be subjected to the TV brainwash for a while. You will most likely feel pretty calm and centered after a while out there with no distractions.

So sorry that you have fallen on hard times! If you can have an electric burner, you can eat those Ramen Noodle Cup-A-Soups. I was cold when I woke up, and I just ate one! Dried beans and rice are also inexpensive foods. I lived on the Gulf Coast, also, so I had one of those little TV's that can either be plugged in or it can run on "C" batteries. During the Hurricanes, I would watch the news and then turn it off. Praying for you, my friend!

I've done it before - it's not too bad. Although, in all fairness, I did out of choice and not out of necessity. I am terribly sorry to hear about your predicament. Here are a few thoughts that I can offer as possible help during this transition in your life.

Create a type of stone fireplace - at least a three sided firepit out of stone - to retain the heat and protect the fire from wind. I'm not certain what the wind patterns are in your location, but be certain to place the fire downwind from your tent, use the tent as a windbreak on the fire, and face the opening of the tent facing away from the wind and toward the firepit. Suffice it say, DO NOT put the fire too close to the tent.

If you are going to use plastic or a tarp over your tent - DO NOT affix the pastic to the tent. You will end up having a moisture problem in your tent creating a very uncomfortable situation. Instead, drape it over the top of the tent pulling it out from the sides of the tent to allow the air to circulate around the tent. Not only will this allow you to breath better, but will create an air cushion around the tent thus providing for better thermal protection as well.

Make sure that your tent is on a somewhat level location but in a high spot as you don't want water pooling beneath you in a rain. A slight (Very slight) grade works great - sleep with your head on the highest end of the grade.

Get a big supply of firewood set up. You'll be suprised at how much you will burn each night for both light and heat. The last thing you'll want to do is forage for wood in the dark.

Layers work best - for clothing and sleeping. Layer blankets on the floor of the tent to create a thermal barrier between you and the ground and you'll sleep much more comfortably and it will provide padding. If blankets are in shortage feel free to use young pine boughs and place your bedding atop of that. I'm not sure how cold it get at night, but if it drops below 50 try to avoid sweating as wet clothing will reduce the thermal protection that it would otherwise provide. Layers allow you to pile on and strip down appropriate to the temperature.

Keep your food close to you, sealed in some sort of secure container. A cooler works great. One for cold items and one for dry goods, if possible. I wouldn't store it in your tent, but perhaps next to it under your pastic tarp would be good.

Close up your tent - ALWAYS. When you're in it, when you're gone from it. Keep those critters out of your bedding and clothing. It iwll also help keep it clean. I generally make it a practice of removing my shoes prior to enting my tent at all times. There is nothing worse than having wet or dirty, or worse yet, muddy, living quarters.

Since you will lliterally be living there, you may want to set up some type of outdoor living area immediately outside of the tent for changing, taking off your shoes etc... You can easily shake this off daily of the accumulated debris. Better outside than inside your tent.

If you cannot shower in your aunt's house, you may want to consider dropping $10 on a 5 gallon collapsable water bladder. Fill it up in the morning and hang it in a tree. The sun will warm the water to a tolerable temp and by opening the valve about a quarter of the way, you will create a venturi effect which will spray the water much like a shower. Be certain the fill it back up right away so that it can warm again before your next shower.

Your "toilet" should be a hole in the ground located a fair distance from your tent. Feel free to urinate around the perimeter of your campsite at will. Whether or not this will keep animals away is debatable, but I believe it works. Dig a deep hole and after each "session", fill enough dirt in to cover the waste. The hole should last for several days. Once completely filled, dig another deep hole next to it.

I could go on and on. Is there something specific your wondering about?

Originally posted by Copernicus

The nice part is that you wont be subjected to the TV brainwash for a while. You will most likely feel pretty calm and centered after a while out there with no distractions.

Copernicus, did you miss the part where he's saying he has electric power by extension cord, in his tent? He'll be sure to install his plasma HDTV in there

So sorry about your bad times but camping for a month sounds like alot of fun. I have done excessive camping in my life time. If the truth be known I'd rather be on a river bank today living in peace with the universe. My children get upset when I talk of going into the woods and camping these days.

There are several survival sites you can research and also a thread about the subject here on ATS. I won't waste space rehashing what's lready here for you to find.

Only advice I will give is to make your sleeping area very comfortable. A small stone under your sleeping bag can feel like a huge boulder by morning. Thick foam pads are fairly cheap. I would not advise using any plant life you may find as a cushion for your bed. You may end up scratching like mad due to red bugs and or ticks. Maybe the pine would be ok as it may repel bugs. Not sure though.

Would be great if you could post daily and let us share in your adventure.
My prayers are with you,
Dizzie

reply to post by dizziedame


Spider mites might be a concern in pine boughs, but not generally this time of year and are generally harmless. Early spring is when they are most problematic. I agree, I wouldn't attempt any other plant material. And at that, I would still probably recommend smoking out the pine boughs prior to using them. Good point dizzy

With this kind of a fire you can stay warm overnight, tested and tried with couple of centuries in -30C temperarures under its belt




Good luck with the endeavour

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advices- this is making for very informative/interesting reading

Northwolf (or anyone who might know), is there a name for that paticular fire? I wanted to look it up, so I could learn how to make it.

Again, thanks everyone

What are you going to do with all your possessions? If you are moving out are you storing your furniture, ornaments, pots,
pans, bedding, private documents etc etc.? They can't all fit into a tent.

alien - i've got my belongings boxed up and tomorrow i'll be moving them to a storage unit, except for a couple bags of clothes, food etc.

What kind of a climate do you live in? Like blueangel7, I live on the gulf coast so the worst I would have to worry about at night is raccoons and bugs, and if you're sleeping inland a bit you might have to worry about a wild pig, but that's about it.

IF she will let you borrow a little gas and you have styrofoam you could make a small concoction of napalm for qucik fire starting a dab will do ya and it sticks on stuff well, keep adding styrofoam to about half of a small coffee can work of gas till its gooey then let sit for a day.

I’m sorry if this is out of place. But, I don’t know what is wrong with people any more. The world I live in-- is COLD AS ICE!!!! I mean she’s your Aunt. A relative why can’t she take you in. People use to take strangers in for the night. Well anyways good luck. I hope it all works out for you.

Sorry to hear about the rough times, I might suggest getting a couple books to keep your mind occupied, the boredom can get to you, especially being by yourself.

Resist the temptation of going out and buying meals at restaurants, or even splurging on expensive deli food, save as much as you can, it is easy to over spend when changing comfort levels. A month can stretch to 2 or 3 if not careful.

If it is cold, you can still shower by a sponge bath, you can do legs and arms individually without having to expose your entire body to the cold, you might want to lay in the bed for 30 minutes then get up and wash so it is a bit warm when you return.

Since I'll have a little bit of electricity out there, I was wondering if I can use a small lamp in my tent, for some light, so I can read, and so I won't be sitting there in the pitch dark.

I bought a 17x11 tent with a 6' center last night Link: (www.walmart.com...) I hope it will be ok. I've done some reading and understand that I'd better get a tarp and lay it on the ground and pitch the tent on top of that, to keep rainwater out.

Any advice appreciated!!

[edit on 3-11-2007 by Ice_Man]

[edit on 3-11-2007 by Ice_Man]