New member, here is my setup

[differently]

Spent the night parked outside my storage unit last night. A guy in a golf cart, who I am assuming works there, drove by while I was settling in for the night. He didn't seem to care too much about me being there because he just drove right on by and never said a word. I was able to sleep in until about 9:30. After waking up I spent my morning planning out my day, as too limit the amount of driving I have to do. I went to the laundromat and washed my work clothes for tomorrow, then I headed to Starbucks across town, which is where I am now, because I have a meeting later today and want to be close by. This Starbucks even has a couch, SCORE!! So much better than the hard seats at McDonalds.

I don't keep any firearms in my truck. I do have a few different knives laying around, but I don't think LEO will notice them without doing a full search. I think I will take your advise WriterMs and try a few different hangout spots. Who knows maybe ill find an even better place than this Starbucks

One thing I really miss though...being able to take a nap. Maybe I will get a hammock and find a nice park. Too bad it's still raining.

 

[akrvbob]

Sounds like you are getting it figured out pretty well! That's the way to do it, just look for different ways to solve all the little problems and little by little you'll find yourself very happy with the life.

The key is to try to think creatively outside the box. Most of what you learned in life is no longer applicable.
Bob

 

[differently]

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I have been very busy at work. My first week is coming to an end and I have learned a lot and am finally getting adjusted to the lifestyle. With the exception of my first night, I have spent every night this past week sleeping outside of my storage unit. It has been so nice to have a place to sleep that hasn't hassled me for being there and I have even been able to run an extension cord from my unit to inside my truck

It has been rough getting used to sleeping on the cot, but not impossible. In fact last night I slept like a rock and woke up at 9:00am feeling fully refreshed. The biggest obstacle for me has been staying clean. I have been taking every opportunity to clean some part of my body. Usually this has meant washing my hair in random restrooms, using a bunch of baby wipes, and using a water canister in the back of my truck to brush my teeth. This all changed today though because I discovered what I would consider a God send. I woke up this morning and after brushing my teeth and wiping down with baby wipes I decided to hit up the a local skate park at the community center. After skating for a few hours I decided to go jump in the pool. I payed to enter and noticed instantly that they had a bath house!! I went straight to it, stripped of my clothes and took a real shower!! It was the best shower of my life and the best $2.50 I ever spent. I didn't even use the pool after that. I will be returning there often.

On another note, in fear that management might eventually tell me I can't camp there, I posted an ad on Craigslist. I posted looking for someone who would be willing to let me camp in there driveway and run an extension cord to power my fan and charge batteries for a small monthly fee. Well this morning while I was skating I got a reply. A very nice lady who lives just outside of town said I could stay in her driveway until the end of the year and run an extension cord. All she asked is that I help her with some yard work.

This is turning out to be a very good Saturday.

 

[myke]

Cool that got a response... sounds promising!

 

[akrvbob]

Sounds like everything is coming up roses for you!!
Bob

 

[jl75]

I'm glad you found that deal!  I tried posting a "driveway wanted" ad in the Miami CL sometime ago and everyone wanted well over 200.  

Are you near any Planet Fitness gyms?  A home membership is 10 a month, and 20 for a nationwide membership.  They have great showers, lots of equipment, even hydromassage beds.  It's gotten to where I miss cities when I tent camp because I miss the gyms

 

[differently]

Went and checked out the driveway. The house is owned by a very nice older lady out of city limits right next to a very large lake in the woods. Her yard is very over grown so I have some work ahead of me as far as getting it cleaned up but it still seams like a great deal. She is at the end of the rd with no close neighbors and the whole place is completely shaded so bonus there for staying cool For those of you who live in or have visited Florida you know how humid it can get. Being that the house is surrounded by a lake on one side and swamp on the other I think humidity and mosquitoes will be a challenge to over come.. I think ill go buy another fan tonight.

Jl75 I do have a planet fitness near by. I wasn't aware that there memberships were so cheap. I will definitely be checking that out. Is that a 24hr gym?

 

[Almost There]

Went and checked out the driveway. The house is owned by a very nice older lady out of city limits right next to a very large lake in the woods. Her yard is very over grown so I have some work ahead of me as far as getting it cleaned up but it still seams like a great deal. She is at the end of the rd with no close neighbors and the whole place is completely shaded so bonus there for staying cool For those of you who live in or have visited Florida you know how humid it can get. Being that the house is surrounded by a lake on one side and swamp on the other I think humidity and mosquitoes will be a challenge to over come.. I think ill go buy another fan tonight.

Jl75 I do have a planet fitness near by. I wasn't aware that there memberships were so cheap. I will definitely be checking that out. Is that a 24hr gym?

Now that you have a driveway to park in start checking out yard sales and charity shops for a screen tent. Don't worry about the poles being bent or missing, you don't need them anyways.

Cut one side of the screen tent (preferably the one with a zipper in the middle) to generously fit the opening at the back of the pickup. A roll of duct tape will serve to hem the cut edges. Then figure out how to get it hung so that the mossies can't find you.

That and a fan will give you a whole lot better night time temperatures.

I also notice from your initial pics that you're sleeping directly on the cot surface - try finding some memory foam - even a couple of inches will make a big difference in comfort.

 

[jl75]

X2 on the memory foam and yes, most Planet Fitnesses are 24 hours. I think it varies but I haven't seen one yet that isn't

 

[Bdog1]

Maybe a $99 AC unit could be in your future.

 

[differently]

So here are some current photos. I took your advise and purchased a sleeping mat. I didn't use foam because of the risk of it collecting moisture. Instead I used a water proof ground mat for sleeping bags. You can also see how I hung up my curtains with clothes pins and covered the two top windows. Also you can see my homemade towel rack and I invested in a super bright LED lantern. Its a little messy because I was rearranging everything to fit more stuff for my driveway location. Its about 30 min from my new camp site to my storage unit so I don't want to have to make that trip too often

 

[myke]

Wow, sounds like a great location. No neighbors and a lake nearby seem quite ideal.

 

[ilovemyvan]

Differently,

This is quite impressive how quickly everything fell into place for you. That must be because it was exactly what was suppose to happen. I'm impressed that you can sleep in the hot Florida's nights. We live in Central Florida and I KNOW I couldn't, so here's to you! (raising my imaginary glass)

Nicole

 

[differently]

I started on some of the yard work today. It was brutal out. I got attacked by mosquitoes, chiggers, and a variety of unidentifiable insects. I need to check myself for tics :s  I did manage to clear out about 50lbs of weeds and I don't even think that put a dent in it. Last night was the best sleep yet and surprisingly the bugs didn't bother me inside my truck. I think the fans helped keep them away.
I took more of your guys advise and got myself a membership to planet fitness. I actually just finished working out and am using there WiFi to write this post. Ill take a shower too before I leave to head back to "camp". Thanks everyone for you're support and tips. It has really made the adjustment much more bearable and EXCITING.

 

[highdesertranger]

wow great to here it's all working out. for me just doing the yard clean up would be enough of a workout. lol. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

Personally, I prefer Sawyers' Picaridin for insect repellant - aside from the fact that it won't melt plastic like the other insect repellants can, I find it very effective for mosquitoes and other flying insects. Deer flies, however, walk right through it....

If you find you're dealing with ticks, you can treat a set of clothes with Sawyers' Permethrin spray. Instructions on the box, about $12.00.

There are some very effective home remedies to deal with the chigger bites but since I've never had them, I can't verify their effectiveness.

Oh, and buy some Benedryl for the night when you itch so bad you can't sleep...

 

[differently]

I got a large mosquito net off of a canopy someone was throwing away. It worked great. I haven't found any tics yet but I'm still keeping an eye out for them. So far week two is going much more smooth than week one. Having a place to park with no worries of LEO knocking on my window and a place to shower has made all the difference. As always you guys rock and ill keep you posted!!

 

[RollinWOT]

Glad to hear you've got a suitable place to keep sane and comfortable. Man, do I envy you! And hey, yard work will keep you active and healthy.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

And hey, yard work will keep you active and healthy.

You got that from my father, right?  He was always telling me that when the damn lawn needed mowing . . .

And for the record, my suggestion that we pave the whole damn yard over and paint it green WAS SO perfectly reasonable!

Regards
John

 

[akrvbob]

wow great to here it's all working out.  for me just doing the yard clean up would be enough of a workout.  lol.   highdesertranger

Me too!!! 
Bob