Back to the Rucksack

it was a good run as a domesticated member of society, i learned a lot from being here.. but it's time again for me to hit the road. this whole wide country is my home, and i feel like i'm living in a corner closet in the basement of this big beautiful place.

i am a transient being. i simply can't stay put, i'm not programmed that way. this year i'm traveling west again, i haven't seen the mountains for six years. they're calling.. and this time i have to answer. i'll be leaving later in the summer, and staying in that direction into early spring. what exactly i'll be up to i'm not entirely sure, but it will be an adventure. there's more to do and learn.

i've decided it's about time i get connected with social media, and share photographs and stories along the way. technology has come a long way since the last time i lived out of a rucksack, and it will be a whole new experience. a lot different than having a roll of quarters and a calling card, and using guest access on library computers when moving from town to town. and not to mention cross country finds in my since favourite GPS treasure hunt game, Geocaching!

you can follow me on facebook at:
facebook.com/thesagevagabond

or here on my blog:
sadie-sea.blogspot.ca

thanks to everyone for being a part of the journey. moving along...

Life After Homelessness

i think it's safe to say that once you live 'out there', a part of your heart and mind stays there forever. the habits one picks up from being homeless are long lasting and hard to break. i started this page a few years ago to serve as a sort of vague reference point for people who find themselves in this sort of situation. i used my own experiences as a guide.. but i made a point to never really write about those specific moments or situations  to keep the page simple and easy to navigate.

that and i simply wasn't ready to share the finer details about my 'secret' lifestyle with the rest of the world. now that it's been a few years since i've been 'out there', i feel like it's about time to write down what i remember. these memories serve as lessons, ones i hope never to forget. and ones i hope can maybe someday help someone who gets stuck in a similar situation. it's always comforting to know you're not alone.

since my days of wandering with a rucksack i have spent most of my housed time living communally, with anywhere from three to six people in a house. living alone inside four walls tends to make me anxious, so i prefer to have the company. living with others is another lifestyle of trial and error, and that's a whole other story that has just begun. besides that, i have been keeping busy learning about Permaculture, and trying my hand at some urban farming.

having steady access to the web has allowed me to share my journey, i'm finally getting used to this 'blogging' thing. it has inspired me to continue writing about those moments in my life i don't want to forget.. reflections [of a streetkid]. i'm also planning to post more gear reviews, and i'd like to expand this page with more helpful topics.

follow this link for more of my story:
reflections [of a streetkid].

and here for my adventures in urban food farming:
 Southern Ontario Urban Permaculture

also check back for more gear reviews!

thanks for reading, your feedback is greatly appreciated, as always.
please post in the comments below to suggest a topic.
stay warm!

The Homeless How-To

welcome!

i created this blog as a how-to from my experiences of vagabonding in Canada.
any feedback is greatly appreciated, tell me what you would like to see here!

i have finally started to update my links, including my gear reviews.
checkit!

have a safe and warm 2012.. happy vagabonding!

Storage and Stuff

let's talk about our stuff and where to keep it. i've briefly mentioned storage in a couple of other posts, but it definitely deserves it's own heading.

closets, storage lockers, sheds etc.

i managed to make it most of the year without paying a cent for storage, i'm lucky to have understanding friends and family to lend up some space. free storage is good storage, as long as you can trust whoever is storing it for you. if you can find a space where you are allowed to apply your own lock and key, even better.

if you have a friend with a garage, you may be able to keep some rubbermaid totes stored there, and possibly get a key to the garage for easy access. totes are tough, cheap, and tidy. even extra space in a friend's shed could hold your sleeping gear while you're working or wandering. some jobs may have lockers, or even sheds that you could use if you're boss is cool with it [and you're not trying to hide the fact that you're homeless]. ask friends and family if you can use a hall closet or extra space in their storage closet.. some apartments have access to storage units elsewhere in the building, you could offer someone to pitch on storage or pay/trade to use theirs.


finding a place to lock is rarely free, but storage can be found for cheap. depending on how much space you need, you can find small lockers that are only 3x5 feet, or large ones that can fit an entire house worth of things. assuming that you have as little stuff as i, the smaller lockers are sufficient. i like the smallish 5x7 lockers, you can fit the equivalent of a small couch, a bicycle, and totes of gear with enough room to access it.

the smallest lockers in my local u-haul are 5x7 for $50 a month, but i have found other non-chain self storage places with slightly smaller lockers for as cheap as $30 a month. the no-name monthly storage in my town has 24hour access included in the price, but for places like u-haul the smaller lockers have an additional fee per month for an extra key to get in the gate after hours. you will likely need an 'address' to get a storage locker, for how to have an address see my Jobs and Moneymaking post.


traveling and schools


most storage places are on weekly or monthly rates, but if you are on the move and have less stuff you can take advantage of public lockers. most bus and train stations have lockers with 24 hour access for a few bucks a day.

most colleges don't have assigned lockers. you choose one that's convenient for you, and you put your lock on it to claim it as yours. if you're young enough or at least look it, you could get away with using college lockers to keep backpack worthy loads in. of course you don't want to be seen carrying huge packs or loads of gear into a school, so this option is more for the streamline vagabonds that don't make it apparent that they live outside.


outside


keeping stuff outside can be risky, but still possible. there's a chance that it will be found by people, or animals.. it's open to the elements of nature and any given weather.. and if you're not careful about where you store your stuff you could face a trespassing ticket.

one great idea that i borrowed from a friend is to bury a large cooler in the ground in the woods. this can be used to stash small gear, food and water for when you're camping out, if you have a somewhat permanent spot out there. dig a square hole big enough to set it in lid flush with the ground, cover with brush/leaves and a top with a rock to remember the spot and keep animals out.


some people in the city use things like shopping carts to carry around their stuff. i do have a small wheeled cart myself, but i couldn't imagine dragging it around everywhere. for the longest time i kept it stored in a friend's garage until i needed something from it.. the problem with using carts is where to keep them. there's a young man downtown that has two large overflowing shopping carts full. the police hassle him often, constantly making him move his carts. he was posted up behind a small church for a couple weeks, but i've lost track of him again.


speaking of stuff...


if you're about to be homeless for the first time, you may find it a good opportunity to go through all of your possessions and decide what of your things are 'needs'. it may be hard to let go of things, like your favourite love seat or a bookshelf you built in shop class, but once you try to find a place to keep it all, you will find your priorities change quickly.

in 2008, i had an apartment with my brother. i had all new furniture, a king-size pillow top water bed, a perfectly good couch that had been in my family for decades.. basically, a whole bunch of stuff. i made a decision that i was finished working hard long days just to pay for a place to keep all this stuff, so i sold it, gave it away, and took off on an epic backpacking journey across the country.

sometimes i miss some of that stuff, sometimes i think it's silly that i got rid of it all. but at the end of the day, it's just stuff. easy come, easy go. every time i settle i find what i need, usually for cheap or for free, and i pass it along when i'm finished with it.


i have just recently taken up residence with a friend for the winter. i pulled all of my things out of storage from a few different places so that i could go through it yet again.. to see what i have that i can make use of, and things i didn't miss that i could get rid of. i found clothes that haven't seen the light of day in a few years, good stuff i forgot i had. i kept the bulk of my things that didn't get everyday use in a storage closet that i could access weekly, and kept the most used gear in a different place closer by where it would be used, ex. tent and sleeping gear, a weeks worth of clothing, my laptop, a few books and and a couple changes of footwear.

often you will find that less is more. keep only what you need, and things you feel your heart cannot do without. as time passes, some things may become easier to let go of, and the value of others may grow significantly. things are just things.. keepsakes are nice to have, there's still a few that i carry. just remember, the essence of the person or place you are keeping it for live forever in your heart, no matter what things you carry.

Homeless in Winter

the past few years i have invested effort in making sure that i am not homeless during the winter. in some places winter is too cold to sleep outside without a sturdy well insulated shelter, or top of the line winter gear, which many of us cannot afford.

my first homeless winter was certainly a wake-up call. the challenge increases in late autumn when the rain season comes, one must do their best to stay dry in order to avoid hypothermia. here's a basic outline of how to be homeless in winter.

shelters

in most bigger towns and cities that experience winter, there is a shelter and meal program set up for the homeless, usually running from the month of November until March. there is a program in my town called Out of the Cold. seven churches host the Out of the Cold program, a different location each night. doors open at 6pm when dinner is served, each location having it's own regular meal. at one place it's always chili, at another bow-tie pasta and alfredo sauce, and one of the catholic churches always has roast beef and soup.

in recent years the Out of the Cold program has become crowded, especially for the overnight beds and mats. for the most part i would show up at dinnertime for the meal, stay long enough to get warmed up, and then head back out to the streets to find shelter for the evening. it's hard to sleep in a room full of sketchy people, always wondering when it's my turn to get ripped off.

it is absolutely crucial to find shelter from rain, snow and wind in the winter months. though i would dodge the free beds most nights, on the coldest nights i would stay wherever was warm, even if it meant a full night in a shelter.

outside

if you are homeless and employed, taking the midnight shift during the winter is most beneficial. you can earn cash during the coldest hours of the day, and sleep during sunlight hours when the cold is not so deadly.

regardless, i ended up flipping my sleep schedule to sleep after the sun comes up, so that i was awake and wandering between 2 and 6 am, the coldest hours of the night. bank lobbies were decent in these hours, warm and dry and no people around to tell me to move along. i would hit the free coffee and breakfast at yet another church, then find somewhere cozy to take a nap all bundled up where no one could find me, like the seldom used stairwell at the north side of the parking garage downtown. finding an abandoned house or shed or hallway is a much better option than sleeping out in the open.

if you choose to sleep outside for most of the winter, you must stay warm and dry. once you become too cold to feel a limb or move yourself along, it's hard to recover. sleeping on the ground is guaranteed to suck all of your body heat away. it's best to find a foam mat or even cardboard to put down before you lay. find a place without any wind and where there is no snow drift accumulating or moisture.

if you have a tent for shelter, you can still camp in the winter if you play it safe. google winter camping for your area to find the best method. in places with lots of snow, you can dig a tent spot to help insulate from the wind, using the snow as a natural wind block. also tarps can be handy to create your own wind block when a natural one can't be found. you can even make a tent out of tarps and some rope hung between trees. a friend of mine set up a 3 season tent on a balcony, building a nest inside. it was his shelter all winter, aside from the nights when it would reach forty below.

clothing

dressing in layers is the best way to cope with the cold. it is not only important to keep your body heat, but also to know when to ventilate extra warmth to avoid sweating. sweat can turn to a chill very quickly, which can trigger hypothermia. if you dress in layers you can always adjust accordingly by simply removing a scarf or a coat when it gets warm.

there are three main layers to consider. your base layer closest to your skin, your insulating layer, and then your shell layer. long johns, thin synthetic materials or even pyjamas make a good base layer, but try to avoid cotton at all costs. most clothes are synthetic these days anyways, which wicks moisture much better than cotton.

for best results on the base layer, i always make sure to tuck the bottoms into the socks, the top into the pants and pull my sleeves into my gloves when i'm wearing them. this avoids cold drafts up your back or pant legs.

your insulation layer is best to be anything lofty, like fleece or knitted wool. this layer keeps your body heat against you in pockets, and helps with air circulation to spread your warmth evenly over your whole body. you do not want to dress in clothing too tight, where there is no space to hold your warmth. not too loose either so that your heat can easily escape.

your top layer, or shell layer is best to be waterproof and/or windproof. i had found a long rain trench coat one year that worked perfect as an outer layer, with some splash pants that i would pull the bottom cuffs over the tops of my boots. also very important, is a hat or head cover. having your head covered will make an enormous difference when trying to stay warm. i like to use a long scarf which wraps around my head and face, then tuck it down the front of my coat.

it is important for your gloves and boots not to be too tight. this will restrict the blood flow to your extremities and keep them cold. do not wear too many pairs of socks or gloves at once as this will create the same problem.

be resourceful

if you're in the position to do so, migration is always a good option to avoid the winter chill. besides, being a broke backpacker is much more eventful than being a street kid. having no ties could be your chance to get out and experience all that the world has to offer. now is a good time to check out resources like CouchSurfers or WWOOFing [as listed in my links], or any opportunity trading labour for shelter and food.

keep warm and stay safe!

The Pack System

having a decent system of organization for your backpack is key. how exactly you have organized your pack will depend largely on what type of pack you have, whether it's one large compartment, several small ones or somewhere in between. it will also depend on how much stuff you need to carry with you, and if you have a storage space for things you aren't currently using.

firstly, you must have a method in place to keep the contents of your pack weather safe and dry. ordinary plastic grocery bags can do this effectively. having the contents of your pack sorted into bags before you put it into your pack can save the worry of your stuff getting soggy if ever stuck in sudden rain. if your pack came with a rain tarp, all the better. i used to use the 'foot print' [tent floor] tarp wrapped around my pack bottom side out to protect from the wet.

if my bag is fully loaded ie shelter, sleep gear, clothes, food and water, my pack is organized as follows. the bottom of my pack is filled out with the body of my tent and the sleeping bag, each in their own compression sacks. the tent poles fit perfectly up the backboard of my pack. on top of those is my clothes sack, and a separate sac or plastic bag for dirty clothes. i use mainly lightweight gear, so this fills two thirds of the main large compartment of my backpack. a small food bag fits on top of that, two drink bottles on the outside bottle pockets, and all my hygeine stuff and little things [chargers, batteries, day book, maps etc] are organized in the frontmost pocket of my pack. my sleep mat ties easily to the bottom of my pack by threading a shoe lace around the frame and the hike pole loops i once thought to be useless.

i'm currently using a medium weight 30L Vaude rucksack, which can be zipped down small for city day to day use, or filled out and stacked for a month long treck easily. sacrificing one or two articles of clothing and a snack will give me enough room for a small cannister of fuel and the pocket rocket camp stove. having several small sacs to organize your stuff makes it easier to grab what you need for a day, week or month depending on your storage situation, whether or not you have an indoor place to sleep for the night, or whatever the weather demands.

shoe laces can be super useful. when i run out of room in my pack and i don't want to carry my jacket or sweater, it can be rolled or folded and strappd onto the top of my pack using a lace. they can also be used to tie a tarp or large garbage bag around the pack for rain protection. they make a great clothesline fastened to trees or a fence, or even strung across the outside of your pack to dry things like wet socks or a towel while you're on the move.

it is important that your pack is comfortable, and fits your back and shoulders properly. never carry more than you can handle. useful features to look for in a pack are waist straps and load lifter straps, an adjustable backboard, and side straps that allow you to pull the weight of your pack as close to your body as possible. once you are comfortable with what you are carrying and have a pack system laid out that works best for you, your pack becomes an extension of yourself rather than a burden to carry.

Don't Forget your Towel

one of the best investments i ever made, is the size large pack towel by MSR. the material is lightweight, thin and super absorbent. i always have it in my backpack, whether i'm trippin around for a day or taking off across the country. a towel can be used for warmth, as ground cover to stretch out on, and of course, to get you dry.

one night on a backpacking trip, i realized that i had forgotten to bring a sweater. my pack towel tied over my shoulders like a parka kept me warm, kept my arms free to work around camp, and continued to keep me warm through the night.

a perfect way to be inconspicuous about sleeping in public, is to stretch out on a towel on a beach or in a park. pick a nice shady spot, pull your cap over your face, and use your pack as a back rest or pillow and you're good to nap.

super absorbent pack towels can hold roughly 4 times their weight in water, which will prove useful when hit with sudden rainfall. find an overhang to hide under, a ledge, or set a tarp and wrap up with the towel. it will absorb the water off of you quickly, and help it evaporate from your skin as your body warms it up. also handy when using public restrooms to clean up, you can be assured that you have a means to get dry quick. the towel can be hung from the pack to dry while on the move.

the towel i used before the MSR was a freebie from a hostel in Vancouver. it was pink and purple flowers, oh so pretty.. haha. it's a must-have, no matter if you pay a good penny for it, or get one for free. for me, it's always worth the storage space.

an out stretched towel can be used when gathering branches and brush to get a fire started. a folded towel can be used as a pillow for sleeping, or for making your sitting spot more comfortable. i have used my pack towel to relieve my skin from sweaty pack straps rubbing during long hikes by draping it over my shoulders before lifting my pack back on. with so many uses there's no excuses to be without a towel. to call it crucial or creature comfort, that's for you to decide. for me, definitely a pack necessity.