Anyone tried this idea?

[gettingone]

One thing I thought about that I'm sure someone must have tried with success is bare-bones camping survival in an urban-ish environment.

But how you might ask?

In some situations this could work:

• Get a mummy bag with netting / screen for face cover to keep bugs from intruding

• Find a nice secluded spot near a neighborhood possibly, but also bordering the woods (small wooded areas that are thick would work great)

• If you have a car but don't want to get in trouble or caught sleeping in it, park somewhere safe at end of night.  Then walk to your spot with your bag of gear... light pack though to keep it from looking too suspicious.

• Get the bag out and take off your shoes or whatever you don't want to wear inside, put in secure bag and get in the bag.  Fall asleep.  Make sure to wake up at a decent hour and roll your bag up and put it in the backpack.  Walk to car.
Drive to destination (i.e. gym to shower, somewhere to get food, library to work on computer, etc.)

• During the day time hours you can work, run errands, whatever you need to do.  Do this until evening when it's dark enough to not be noticed and repeat steps 3 and 4 again

This could work.  Costs no money, less risk of getting caught sleeping in car since you are hidden in the woods instead.  Relatively safe, just make sure you have no bad animals in your area that will maul you in your sleep.  Keep pepper spray handy perhaps.  

Not many people, if any, will be trampling in the woods at night.  Even if so, you could cover your bag and gear with ghillie suit / covering.  Since you are arriving at night and leaving early at sunrise or shortly after, less chance you'll be spotted anyway.

If you find a better spot that's more secluded you could go in the daytime and setup a safer sleeping arrangement using a large toolbox or something similar (like from back of a truck) and pad it and sleep in there to be secure from weather and animals during the night.  These are a fair size and could work for most people.  Cover it with natural stuff to hide it and sleep more soundly.


Thoughts?

 

[ckelly78z]

This doesn't sound appealing to me whatsoever. Perhaps this would work in a dry/warm area, but in the upper Midwest, there is 6-8 months of rain/wind/freezing temps, and wet, cold sucking ground, you would wake up with body aches, or never be able to fall asleep.

I would take my chances in a car, where it is dry, and safe from predators (2, and 4 legged), and devoid of biting bugs.

Go ahead, and try this out for us, and tell us how you like it.

 

[bullfrog]

In many cities in the west there are many areas of BLM land near by that you could stay on for up to 14 days and even a 1/2 hour drive to either side of town would in most cases allow longer stays. A vehicle set up to sleep only is easy and one like a Prius keeps you comfortable. Using gyms, public buildings, laundry and eating out solves all the basic needs. Visiting day use areas and places of interest, work or community groups during the day. So why would you sleep somewhere outdoors in public? Even in cities with no BLM many times working allows parking overnight, private parking, rented driveways, attending a school with dorm or public parking, usually with no problems if only sleeping and driving away.

 

[RoamerRV428]

like above stated, try it out best anyone can do.

not for me. for us. there are 2 of us and each of us would hate doing this LOL

If you park in a safe secure area at night I would rather risk being 'discovered' in the car and with all my gear etc then swinging from a tree in a mummy hammock out in the woods with my shoes off.

sure it could easily work in some areas! this is something you just want to do or try etc. To each their own on this one

 

[MrNoodly]

So, basically, live like hundreds of thousands of homeless people do, except with a car?

 

[highdesertranger]

actually I tried it way back in the 1970's. believe it or not I got hassled more then when I slept in my vehicle. I think people kinda of freak out when they see someone walk into the woods after dark then they call the law. highdesertranger

 

[Seminole Wind]

i'm with hdr on this, sleeping on the ground is a step down from a car. unless you are out in the woods where "camping" is permitted. when i lived in my metro, i would head out to some dispersed camping area and pitch a tent to have a more comfortable spot to sleep. but it would be insane to sleep in the bushes in town if you have a car. the car is less likely to draw attention, it is safer and the cops when they do confront you on the ground hidding from your car just might put you on a 72 hour hold for mental evaluation.... 5150 baby

 

[PECVD2]

Sounds like a whole lot of extra work but if it works for you that is great.
I was between places many years ago and I needed someplace to spend the night. I would drive out to the nearest rest stop and spend the nights there in my ford escort. Sleeping in a reclined front seat got old fast but it worked for those 2 weeks.
Restrooms were clean and well lit.
No one ever bothered me.

 

[gettingone]

Thanks for the responses.

This was an idea as well for people who have a super small car or no vehicle at all.

 

[Wanderer]

There's a park near where I work. Next to the park is an old State Trooper place now for rent. There's about 2 acres next to that with very thick foliage.  I did consider that for a experiment, but since my van died and I bought a better one, I just thought it might be something to try if I was down and out, but since I'm not, I won't.

A couple years ago I saw one guy from the UK came up with a bicycle camper. it's at 10:44 on the video. The US version is $4,290 There's many which could be hauled by motorcycle.




Not many people, if any, will be trampling in the woods at night.  Even if so, you could cover your bag and gear with ghillie suit / covering.  Since you are arriving at night and leaving early at sunrise or shortly after, less chance you'll be spotted anyway.

The issue is, for a guy most likely little problem, but if someone comes up on you in the dark, by the time you realize you're in trouble, you're probably dead.

 

[highdesertranger]

you would be surprised how many people would see you come and go, even in the dark. highdesertranger

 

[RoamerRV428]

yea I am always surprised when I find myself in a quiet secluded area and think, heck there ain't no one around, and bam you run right into someone. I tell ya not many places are secluded anymore, woods at night ain't no exception either

 

[lenny flank]

This is what homeless people do all over the country.

And the coppers know where each and every one of them is.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

...but not the C.H.U.D.'s

They tend to have glowing eyes, reside underground...and waste HDR's band use curve on stupid old cheesy movie clips.

 

[maki2]

One thing I thought about that I'm sure someone must have tried with success is bare-bones camping survival in an urban-ish environment.

But how you might ask?

In some situations this could work:

• Get a mummy bag with netting / screen for face cover to keep bugs from intruding


Thoughts?

You can't get effective mosquito control with netting that is right against your face. While they can't crawl or fly through the openings they can sit on the net and bite into your skin if the net is touching your face. 

But it can be done with a very small tent like zip up shelter made of mosquito netting that is intended to be use in conjunction with a sleeping bag. It also works for use inside of a car, van or tent. Do read the reviews, some work better than others. The ones that work best keep the netting a little way away from your body parts such as you face and hands.
Below are the keywords for your search so you can copy and paste them. Image searches work nicely for an immediate visual result

portable sleeping bag mosquito shelter

 

[jacqueg]

yea I am always surprised when I find myself in a quiet secluded area and think, heck there ain't no one around, and bam you run right into someone.  I tell ya not many places are secluded anymore, woods at night ain't no exception either

Some of these seemingly out-of-the-way places are well-known gathering spots for hook-ups and/or the drug trade. You won't necessarily be able to tell by looking at them during daylight hours either.

I say if you have a vehicle, sleep in it.

 

[Dingfelder]

So many dangers, but I'm still thinking bugs might be the worst. I slept raw only once, with a knife under the jacket I had rolled up under my head for a pillow while I shivered through the night, but I would have been dead by the time I got to it in a sleepy daze, if I could use it even then. People have lived through desperation for thousands of years and chances are that you could too. But it's possible that you'll be very uncomfortable doing it if you so much as face a little rain, or not too much cold, or a lot of voices bouncing off the trees around you so you don't even know where to scoot and hide or run if you had to. Or maybe worse than uncomfortable.