Vandwelling in a city... Pros and Cons.

[One Awesome Inch]

Something that doesn't get mentioned perhaps as much as it should is that being an urban city vandweller is very different that boondocking on public land and travelling. Living in a van in bustling metropolis is loud, more difficult in terms of privacy (and not being disturbed) and generally much less "romantic" for lack of a better word. Essentially its cheaper, but it certainly does have its drawbacks. For example, I find one of the least pleasant aspects of vandwelling in the city is disposing of urine. I figure I am having to "handle" 7 litres every 5 or 6 days. Yuck with a capital "Y"!!! I just bought a large 20 litre container to store urine in. I figure I might be able to stretch it out to 2 weeks before having to dump it down a toilet somewhere.

Anyways, I am a city boy and always have been. I like the excitement of the city and I like the opportunity and convenience the city has to offer. I am bound to where I am due to wanting to be close to my young kids, but even if that weren't the case I would still likely spend most of my time in the city.

Care to discuss further?

 

[ahh_me2]

I think you're right!

The adventures of those that travel, or pick a spot in secluded areas have a different experience than those that dwell in the city.
I for one, am far from retirement and live in my vans, soon to be box truck conversion.
I work a daily job at a location to which I have keys and the permission of the owner to "live" onsite in my vans.
But with many nosy neighbors that start work from 6am on...I find I have to leave by 5:30n am and find a different spot.

It's much easier IMO to find a spot a spot to crash at 6am for a few hours, than a full overnight stay.

I guess these are just some of the challenges of being a van-dweller regardless of locale.

I suppose I'm just a city guy also, but the freedom of independence by living in a vehicle has a strong appeal!

 

[T.he I.nvisible M.an]

Get a 5 Gallon HD Bucket, A spout top lid and a lid wrench as pictured below. You can also find the lids and buckets in various colors as well as a nice Camo Bucket   The reason for the spout top is that the bucket can be resealed with out removing the lid. When it is time to clean out the bucket you remove the lid with the wrench and the bucket can be emptied lightning fast (in the bushes, in a rain storm, the gutter, etc) There are plenty of places to empty "Sterile" Urine without drawing much or any attention.

As an alternative you can save smaller "Pee Bottles" (usually something like a Gatorade bottle or pretty much any bottle with a wider resealable cap) Store these bottles in a 5 gallon bucket and for more stealth put the lid on (In case of leakage). This way you have a double liner to protect against "Accidents" (where the nuclear waste is spilled inside your living area lol). 5 Gallon buckets do very well as a "secondary containment vessel".

You will find if you have a nice full Gatorade bottle and decide to pour it out, just about anyplace outdoors, anytime (but night is better and rain storms are even better) nobody will even take a second glance (especially if you are pouring out in the grass or a bush). I am guessing part of the reason is most Gatorade is fluorescent (and so might a nice full bladder of pee look stored in such a bottle).

In a pinch these bottles (If you have newer ones) can be disposed of full in any outside waste bin. Just put the full bottle in your local grocery stores plastic bag along with your other "trash" and there you go.



And now you know ...

T.I.M.

 

[cyndi]

there are pros to urban dwelling? Not for me. Just passing through urban areas and having to shop is all the civilization I need or want

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I have a clothes washing detergent bottle with a handle, it already has a wide mouth and the handle is great, you have to cut out the spout at the top of the bottle, I empty it every day in the grass, I don' t live in the city but see no issue with emptying it on a grass verge, in the gutter or taking a walk with it in a plastic shopping bag and emptying it in the bushes somewhere. I wouldn't store a whole bunch of it.

 

[ZoNiE]

You guys dumping your piss in the park, the bushes, or the gutter in a rain storm is not exactly helping your situation or public perception of your lifestyle by doing this. Dump it in a toilet. You may consider your urine sterile, but it stinks, and isn't any different than pissing in a park. If you are going to live in a van, at least dispose of your waste materials properly. If you have ever walked through areas where people urinate in public regularly, you will understand.

Taking a laundry detergent or gatorade bottle in a backpack into a public toilet is much more appropriate and nobody will know.

Sorry if this post offends, but actions like this make it more difficult for everyone who wants to camp now and them, let alone full timers.

 

[ramblingvanman]

I agree with Zonie. One of the perks of vandwelling in a city is the easy access to toilets and other waste disposal. Why not make use of them? I also do the laundry detergent bottle trick. I wash clothes at a 24 hour laundry mat. It is nothing to carry a laundry detergent bottle in to the bathroom with me, dump the contents in the toilet, and then rinse the bottle in the deep sink in the bathroom. Since I am in a city, I also deal with much less urine since I have ready access to many many public bathrooms. When I camp, I think nothing of urinating on a tree or bush not too close to my campsite.

Does anybody else use baking soda in their pee bottle to control the smell of days old pee? Is there something better?

 

[One Awesome Inch]

I use 45ml of bleach.

 

[SoulRaven]

I dump in toilets. Always.

For me, pros include:

- The ability to park for days/weeks on end within two blocks of my mailbox, public restrooms, doctor's office, favorite cafe, hardware store, and grocery store.
- I can always find an apartment complex to grab xfinity WiFi when I'm in the mood for a movie. (Perks of having a family member who works for Comcast - free for me!)
- In cases of vehicle breakdown or physical emergencies, help is always close by.

One thing I note about Seattle in particular is there are a lot of folks here who love the outdoors and covet their solitude, but for whatever reason have ended up in the city for now. Such folks are known to respectfully pretend each other doesn't exist when they happen to find themselves in the same quiet spot in a park or beach or wherever it is. There's a commradarie in longing for peaceful spaces and creating the best we've got here, and sharing such spots with others who value them and will not disrupt it with their presence. It's a shared difficulty, with solutions only known to 'insiders', which can add color to life.

I never would have imagined myself a city gal, but seeing as I both cannot afford the gas to commute out of the city and my fragile health needs immediate access to services close by, I've been surprised to find myself quite at home in a little oasis of a neighborhood that has become my stomping grounds.

I've lived near Seattle most of my life so going into the city was always a big deal, and now I'm totally amused that I casually spend the night a block away from the Space Needle in order to walk to my therapy appointment in the morning. What for me has always been an iconic tourist attraction is now literally my backyard some nights.

 

[ramblingvanman]

I use 45ml of bleach.

LOL, I guess I could switch to using an old bleach bottle.

 

[SoulRaven]

Oh, and I almost forgot...libraries! Need to scan or print something on a whim, library is right there. Occasionally check out a book or DVD. I like free.

 

[SoulRaven]

I think there are many more pro's than con's to living in the cities, even though I travel from city to city a lot these days. My friends live in cities, jobs are in the cities, food and entertainment are in the cities.

I enjoy boondocking too, but after a couple of weeks, I get pretty bored, something that rarely happens in a city.

As far as urine, I dump it every day, in a toilet if available, and elsewhere if not. My last trip up the west coast found that many of the parks had their restrooms permanently locked. I'm not inclined to go too far out of my way to dump it when dogs do it wherever they please. Since it only takes a couple of seconds, it is easy enough to dump discreetly without anyone else knowing anything.

 

[DannyB1954]

I once did a tour on a Green Tortoise bus. In the front by the walk up step there was a funnel with a hose leaving the bus. This was their underway bathroom. a unisex funnel. Because urine is sterile, it actually isn't against the law to dump it anywhere. I agree that a toilet would be the best option, but if it is locked or not even there, most cities have storm drains. Nobody sniffs them and they get flushed by nature.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

You guys dumping your piss in the park, the bushes, or the gutter in a rain storm is not exactly helping your situation or public perception of your lifestyle by doing this. Dump it in a toilet. You may consider your urine sterile, but it stinks, and isn't any different than pissing in a park.  If you are going to live in a van, at least dispose of your waste materials properly.  If you have ever walked through areas where people urinate in public regularly, you will understand.

Taking a laundry detergent or gatorade bottle in a backpack into a public toilet is much more appropriate and nobody will know.

Sorry if this post offends, but actions like this make it more difficult for everyone who wants to camp now and them, let alone full timers.

it is far more environmentally correct to dump piss in the bushes or for that matter to piss in the park then it is to use a toilet. it is a great fertilizer, works wonders on your flowers and fruit trees. Dumping a liter of piss in the grass randomly is a lot different then dumping it every day in the same  corner on concrete, we are already trying to make urine separation toilet so we can reuse piss for that exact purpose, it is the way of the future. It is a wasted resource, so if the public is offended I am offended that they would get offended and say get over it. It is far more hypocritical to assume that if we flush good feritelizer out to sea we are doing the right thing.  

 

[ramblingvanman]

Pure urine is too strong for fertilizer. It needs to be diluted ~10 to one. Then it is a really great fertilizer.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Where I work there is a secluded area outside where many a time someone has urinated there. When that happens the smell is overwhelming. If I was in the forest or a natural environment I would have no problem urinating outside, but definitely not on concrete.

 

[accrete]

Easy stuff...
Grab a Stanley 64oz thermos....
Take it to any public restroom and dispose of properly.
No one really takes notice.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Pure urine is too strong for fertilizer. It needs to be diluted ~10 to one. Then it is a really great fertilizer.

I think this depends on where you live, on the Pacific north west where it rains a lot, plants and soil are depleted from salt and nitrogen so you can pee directly on the ground around your vegetables or fruit trees, however in the desert this is different because of the danger of salt build up in the soil, at least that is my understanding of it.

 

[Phantom Blooper]

Urine and pulverized hardwood ashes mixed together and dug in...kept about six inches away from the base of a tomato plant will give a higher yield.

 

[highdesertranger]

I wouldn't say it's legal to dump urine anywhere. I know of areas where it is not legal, same thing with grey water. in these areas you must be totally self contained. highdesertranger