Maybe I'll be there to share the land.

[BobPeters61]

I'm currently living in my van on my own land in Apache County, AZ, where I have some expectation of permanency of my private campsite. I am way out in the country, with almost a 20 mile drive to the nearest small town.

My parcel of land is 1.04 acres big and has room for a campmate or two camping next to me. That way I can get a degree of partnership and community out here. And I have a static place to camp to offer them.

I'm on a fixed income of $1145 a month and expect to host other campers in similar shape.

 

[INTJohn]

Dude; we are similar……
I live in my van 15 miles from nearest town on my own 0.6 acre wilderness parcel.
opening up ur piece to others is a lid u may not be able to close once you’ve done it.
give this idea ALOT of thought. You don’t know them; they don’t know you and familiarity breeds contempt……..

I don’t want any1 near me as my Kamp is my inner sanctum. If I want a social fix I just drive to town; stay there overnight in the van if it gets late or I’ve a few. Then I can get away from Humanity whenever I want; which for me is ALOT!

sayin……
jonny boi

 

[tx2sturgis]

Be very careful opening up your spot to people you don't know.

A random invitation to a random person for a random amount of time might backfire on you.

It's been known to happen.

 

[bullfrog !]

You are better off to offer your lots to people you really know. Most of the people I camp with I have known and traveled with or worked with at least 10 years. It’s not a decision to make on the spur of the moment.

 

[maki2]

What types of places are in the nearby town? That is where you need to find out where to go make local friends to spend some social time with. Many times that happens by being friendly with local merchants, services and fellow customers. If you do not have water on your land you will have to literally go to the local waterhole source. If you are going to do projects on your land you will need to go to a place in the town that sells nails, boards and such. That is your first “community building” activity. Making friends with the locals.

Nomads will come and go and that is a different kind of community. Go to the RTR this winter, that is a good place to meet them. You could even offer to give a talk about your land buying experience and invite a select few of those people who attend your talk to come visit so they can see for themselves the challenges and benefits of living 20 miles from the closest small town.

 

[rruff]

I'd echo what others have said, and add that 1 acre is a very small parcel in the boonies to be sharing.

Last I looked Apache is pretty accommodating to "camping on your land" but a septic is still required, or special approval of alternatives... unless you want to just see if you can get away with it.

 

[maki2]

The main issue with living on those remote lands is not lack of electricity, that can be addressed with solar power. The problem it is the lack of water and the cost of permits to do drilling plus the expense of the deep well drilling with no guarantee of finding water where you drill. That is why those areas are typically absent of houses. You also cannot run livestock or grow crops without a reliable water source. Land is cheap when it is not of much use for human habitation or else lacking in natural resources that allow an income to be generated by mining or farming or large enough for solar and wind generation to create a steady revenue source.
Buying cheap land, subdividing it into one acre plots with a down payment and taking monthly payments on contract is one way to create an income from such unuseable land. Many of those buyers of subdivided plots drop out of the contract after putting in a better access road and doing some clearing for parking but without paying the loan off. Then as that buyer cannot sell it they just walk away from the contract after realizing it will not work for a homestead. Then the owner who subdivided it can resell it for a higher price to the next interested party; hopefully without first having to do a lot of junk and toxic waste removal. It is an income generating scheme for otherwise useless land with an ever hopeful and steady supply of customers.

 

[BobPeters61]

I should clarify.I'm looking for ways to meet people in similar situations to mine, except without having previously invested $3K in an acre of such low-value land in a location that allows such unlimited camping on one's own land.

Not sure I could afford the gas to go Nomad, as I count on parking for days at a time between trips into town.

I buy water from a vending machine in town that dispenses into my own watercans for under 40 cents a gallon.

Been thinking about the RTR. Within the same state I'm camping in...

I see that this thread was putting the cart before the horse in a large sense. Socially awkward me looking for advice in social networking.

 

[Ric G]

I'm currently living in my van on my own land in Apache County, AZ, where I have some expectation of permanency of my private campsite. I am way out in the country, with almost a 20 mile drive to the nearest small town.

My parcel of land is 1.04 acres big and has room for a campmate or two camping next to me. That way I can get a degree of partnership and community out here. And I have a static place to camp to offer them.

I'm on a fixed income of $1145 a month and expect to host other campers in similar shape.

Do you receive mail there? Are you able to use that as your legal domicile? Thanks.

 

[rruff]

Not sure I could afford the gas to go Nomad, as I count on parking for days at a time between trips into town.

Most nomads do this. They just park on public land in between trips.

Heading to the desert for a few months in winter would be a good idea. Your land will be cold and possibly snowy then. It's also a good place to find potential land-mates that you can hang out with and talk to in person.

Do you receive mail there? Are you able to use that as your legal domicile? Thanks.

He said in another thread that he did not and could not.

 

[LargeMarge]

The main issue with living on those remote lands...is the lack of water... You also cannot run livestock or grow crops without a reliable water source...

.
1)
Could water be delivered?
.
Around much of Baja, isolated residents hire tankers to deliver water.
With such easy access, waste water generally goes into the ground (septic system).
.
As the Earthships concept clearly demonstrates for over four decades, remote areas with no prospects for municipal utilities hire tankers to deliver water.
However, instead of using it once then discarding it, Earthships get multiple uses of each drop through:
a -- yuge indoor fish-tanks, then
b -- gardens for food, then
c -- ornamental gardens.
.
.
2)
"Livestock"?
.
We have friends on remote desert homesteads.
They commercially farm:
a -- snails and shrimp for gourmet cooks (sauteed in butter and garlic!), plus
b -- tilapia and trout, plus
c -- frogs (to 'seed' new landscaping).
.
.
While some say "That cannot be done!", other folks are quietly doing it.
.
.
[edited to add]
Weekdays, my buddy works in Oregon at Sig Sauer Optics.
Weekends, he hooks his 24k flatbed gooseneck trailer onto his Dodge, fills the yuge agriculture tanks strapped on the trailer, and delivers water to remote sites.
.
Something similar to this might be a serious cash-machine:
www.water-trailer.com/Gooseneck-water-trailer.html

 

[maki2]

Regarding sharing your lot with other people in RVs and Camper vans in Apache County. The rules are fairly strict regarding how long and how many. You will of course want to obtain a current and final legal version of the regulations from Apache County
https://www.apachecountyaz.gov/accn...2022-Planning-and-Zoning-Backup-Documents.pdf

 

[Happy Camper]

Also brush up on local/State eviction law and squatters rights.