Needful Things (Stealing a title from Stephen King)

[maki2]

I carry a vinyl cutter... comes in very handy for filling up my debit card with gas and grocery money.

Of course I carry lots of things the average van dweller does not travel with but you wisely set a limit of how many things to mention..

 

[JDub]

In a Grand Cherokee? Where do you sleep!

There's actually plenty of space. I have a low rise cot that I sleep in running along the driver's side of the vehicle's aft compartment w the aft seat folded down. It's high enough to store plastic Xmas paper storage bins under (they're shallower than bigger ones). They store my clothes and personal stuff. The other side is taken up by the refer, a 3 drawer plastic bin for cooking supplies, paperware, dishes, and dry goods etc. The top is used as a cooking surface with the full sheet baking tray I use in my pictures. Either my 2 burner gas stove or 1 burner butane stove goes on that if I'm cooking inside. Next to that are the double stacked tool chests.

In the footwell of the passenger side rear seat I put my (well padded with camping tarps and such) propane bottle - either 20 or 40 pd. In the footwell of the other side goes my water heater, shower set up, and water (6 gal can). The front passenger seat footwell has all of Sam's doggy supplies and a pallet is built up on top for him to ride and sleep on. The top if my bed has boxes of food and whatnot and my SUV tent is stuffed on top of the stuff in the driver side footwell. My folded camp table and chair slide on top of everything. The nooks and crannies obviously get used as well. Overall, everything I need fits just fine!

Cheers!

 

[user 16179]

Apparently, no one has caught on to my guise of posting questions as a sneaky way of getting helpful hints......

So here's my new question: What gadget/item/tool do you carry that you have found invaluable that the average van dweller might not have in their toolbox?

For example, one gadget that has come in handy more than once is a Sillcock key. I know, what's a Sillcock key, right? Actually, I didn't know what it was called until I tried to find a picture of it.

Basically, it's used to turn on and off outdoor water faucets. They come in lots of shapes and sizes, but a 4-way like this one will fit just about any water faucet out there.

So your van overheats around 2am, and your desperate for water. You find a closed gas station with a water faucet. Saved, right? Wrong. Either it doesn't have a handle because they removed it, or it requires a special tool. Enter the Sillcock key.
View attachment 30953

With all of the computerized modern vehicles it is not at all uncommon to need some stupid $50 electric sensor that is only one of twenty you would have to carry to cover the most common ones. And. it would take and experienced mechanic two hour to get to it standing under the vehicle that's on a lift inside a garage. Something that IS NOT going to get changed on an interstate shoulder, or state highway with no shoulder. So I consider the most useful and valuable tool I carry is my Samsung S8+.

 

[user 423]

Well, they're not usually kept in a toolbox but I'm pretty sure that these days the average vandweller has a phone.

I have three although one is now obsolete.

 

[JDub]

Well, they're not usually kept in a toolbox but I'm pretty sure that these days the average vandweller has a phone.

I have three although one is now obsolete.

I'm the only person I know without a smart phone... I've got a nice heavy duty flip - $8 a month through Red Pocket - it's ATT compatible. I don't stream, listen to music, search the net ( I don't have internet capability on the road beyond the very hard to use access on my tiny screen phone). No TV or movies.... Nada. I'm a 19th Century Guy lost in the temporal timestream...

 

[LeftTown]

Well, they're not usually kept in a toolbox but I'm pretty sure that these days the average vandweller has a phone.

I have three although one is now obsolete.

Unfortunately, even I have to carry one to use as a router for five gazillion other obsolete smart phones, my Pinephone, and my laptop.

In my imaginary perfect world, every vandweller would have a USB stick with Ubuntu or TAILS on it or at least a reasonable working understanding of how to turn the JavaScript off on your browsers.

Yes, it "limits functionality" but that way you can read the news instead of just the clickbait headlines and the nag screens about subscriptions.

You should also learn how to toggle cookies on and off. It hurts my little feelings that I can't offer basic tech support hints even though I know why.

 

[scaredycat72]

A GRAYL water bottle. I love mine and wherever I go, I'll have clean drinking water.

 

[Cammalu]

. Either it doesn't have a handle because they removed it, or it requires a special tool. Enter the Sillcock key.

Well why do you think they removed it? Sounds like you are stealing from more than Stephen King.

Please don’t do this folks. Ask. Don’t give us a bad name. Just please ask.

 

[user 22017]

I'm the only person I know without a smart phone... I've got a nice heavy duty flip - $8 a month through Red Pocket - it's ATT compatible. I don't stream, listen to music, search the net ( I don't have internet capability on the road beyond the very hard to use access on my tiny screen phone). No TV or movies.... Nada. I'm a 19th Century Guy lost in the temporal timestream...

My flip phone was fine with me, but my kids thought it was ridiculous. They bought me a smart phone a few years ago. Then another a year ago.

I started searching for a phone that didn't have anything related to Google in it. I ended up buying a new (but older model) Nokia off ebay. Found out it will work in most areas of the world, but not in the U.S. Off topic, but if there is such a phone, I'm all ears.

 

[user 29855]

Well why do you think they removed it? Sounds like you are stealing from more than Stephen King.

Please don’t do this folks. Ask. Don’t give us a bad name. Just please ask.

I don't think you quite understand. "Stealing" enough water to to fill your radiator in an emergency is not much of a crime. Actually, the reason most faucets are left without a handle is because of people who either carelessly or malevolently leave the water running. I have used my Sillcock exactly twice in 5 years. Once to help myself to a radiator-full of water in the middle of nowhere, and once to aid someone else in the same predicament. Don't judge lest........

 

[LeftTown]

My flip phone was fine with me, but my kids thought it was ridiculous. They bought me a smart phone a few years ago. Then another a year ago.

I started searching for a phone that didn't have anything related to Google in it. I ended up buying a new (but older model) Nokia off ebay. Found out it will work in most areas of the world, but not in the U.S. Off topic, but if there is such a phone, I'm all ears.

It's called a Pinephone Beta Convergence Edition or something like that. Hold on a sec:

https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/
It's way overkill for your usecase most likely. It's a smartphone, it's free of Google, you can pop a Mint Mobile SIM card in it and use it as a telephone.

It costs plenty of money, it impresses kids, and it doesn't really make you look like batman, it just normalizes the concept of Linux smartphones.

And I can't believe I actually have to say this in public, but I would like to interject......

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html
And by the way, I use Arch.

https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=159
Because it's mature, it's easy, it's fast, it's what's available, and I care a lot less about the fact that the kids use the phrase "by the way, I use Arch" as an insult to describe a certain type of know-it-all than I do about the fact that.....

Well, I use Arch. I hate SystemD and I'd much rather use Devuan since there's no way I can ever port Hyperbola to an ARM processor so....

....there has to be some sort of a twelve step program for this...

Yeah, older Nokia's fine as long as you're not planning on going to the US. You're good. Not worth the stress

 

[JDub]

My flip phone was fine with me, but my kids thought it was ridiculous. They bought me a smart phone a few years ago. Then another a year ago.

I started searching for a phone that didn't have anything related to Google in it. I ended up buying a new (but older model) Nokia off ebay. Found out it will work in most areas of the world, but not in the U.S. Off topic, but if there is such a phone, I'm all ears.

I have a Kyocera heavy duty flip. My son, who's a full blown computer engineer, tried to teach me how to use a smart phone (his iPhone) - total fail and he gave up after about an hour muttering something about "pathetic" It works great - talk, text, pictures (the ones I post here), it even has data and net access, Bluetooth, email. The screen's just too small for most of these things. Best of all, it's only $8 a month through Red Pocket. Pay up once a year and my plan is plenty of air time for me (I don't yak on the phone much - Ok - at all) Just some texting mostly ("Wat are U waring"??? - "Uhhhhhhh Khakis"..).

You might check into it.

Cheers!

 

[user 423]

Is it 3G? Those networks will be shutting down this year. T-Mobile at the end of June.

 

[user 22017]

It's called a Pinephone Beta Convergence Edition or something like that. Hold on a sec:

Is it set to go? Not like installing Linux on a PC, is it? I tried that The price is fine.

Something about a Google free phone came across my Twitter feed a week or so ago and I thought I bookmarked the website, but now I can't find it. Can't even remember the name... started with a V, IIRC

Not a free phone. A phone without Google on it.*

 

[LeftTown]

Something about a Google free phone came across my Twitter feed a week or so ago and I thought I bookmarked the website, but now I can't find it. Can't even remember the name... started with a V, IIRC

Not a free phone. A phone without Google on it.*

That's going to be a lot easier to deal with than the best we (humanity) can do right now to make a smartphone as libre as possible.

I'll see what I can do about finding/publicizing the link and offering my unsolicited advice, but no promises.

I'm not effing Batman. I'm just that annoying Heat h er from the Trisquel boards, .

...there must be some sort of a twelve step program for this.....

 

[user 22017]

That's going to be a lot easier to deal with than the best we (humanity) can do right now to make a smartphone as libre as possible.

I'll see what I can do about finding/publicizing the link and offering my unsolicited advice, but no promises.

I'm not effing Batman. I'm just that annoying Heat h er from the Trisquel boards, .

...there must be some sort of a twelve step program for this.....

I found it. It's called Graphene OS

https://grapheneos.org/

 

[LeftTown]

I've heard of it. My knee jerk reaction is "Go for it!" but without knowing your technical background, that could end very badly.

Is your device supported? Do you have a backup just in case?

Mine isn't or I'd be doing the CLI install right now instead of typing this.

I don't see a whole lot of advantages of CLI over the browser install. It's just fun.

Replicant is fully free, recommended by the FSF and probably not very practical and possibly downright dangerous if it's too old because the world changed.

<cringe>

Lineage OS is what my kid's computer tutor had on his smartphone in 2018 when they were using Conversations to exchange coding lessons for English language lessons.....

<\dork>

For example, one gadget that has come in handy more than once is a Sillcock key. I know, what's a Sillcock key, right? Actually, I didn't know what it was called until I tried to find a picture

Thanks bunches. Mine got here yesterday and it works MUCH better than prozac or way too many bloody marys to alleviate the heebie-jeebies.

 

[user 22017]

I've heard of it. My knee jerk reaction is "Go for it!" but without knowing your technical background, that could end very badly.

I'll wait for you to install it.

What I want is a phone that has no Google at all. Not a phone in which I have to install the OS. Somewhere on the Graphene website I thought I read that a phone with their OS preinstalled is coming out.

 

[user 22017]

It's called a Pinephone Beta Convergence Edition or something like that. Hold on a sec:

https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/
It's way overkill for your usecase most likely. It's a smartphone, it's free of Google, you can pop a Mint Mobile SIM card in it and use it as a telephone.

Why do you think it is overkill? And, the price is kinda low (both are on sale). Am I missing something?