Gear and Gadgets

i guess you could say i'm a pretty well geared vagabond. i have spent the past couple years building and refining my gear sets depending on whether i'm mobile or stationary, the length of trips i will take, the weather, and if i'm traveling with a partner or solo.

this is a pretty broad subject with many determining factors. what you will need in the gear department will depend on exactly how and where you are living nomadically, whether or not you have a vehicle, your funds, what you left your house-dwelling lifestyle with, and what kind of storage you have access to. stuff and storage will be the next topic i cover.

i can't sit here and tell you what exactly you will need, because that depends on you and your level of comfort with or without certain things. after my first big trip across the country i learned a hard lesson in what i need, or think i need. less is more. carrying less and lighter gear means more freedom to move further, and have less things to worry about. these things come mostly with experience, and you can add and remove pieces as you go along and get a feel for your nomadic style.

there are key pieces that i'd like to always have in any situation such as a knife, preferably a multi-tool one, and a small first aid kit. some kind of bandages and sterilization pads are key. there are pocket sized emergency first aid kits at pharmacies and camping stores for around 5 bucks.

i'm thinking the best way i can cover the gear topic is to divide it up into the various nomadic lifestyles i have encountered. this will encompass city living and urban camping, in the trees, and on the road.


City Living/Urban Camping

if you plan to stay in one city for a while, then finding storage and carrying minimal is the way to go. especially if you are employed, carrying everything you own to a job could prove to be problematic. free storage is always the best storage. if you have a friend or fams that has a spare closet in their house or maybe some room in their garage, this could work well. if you don't have access to free storage, seek out cheap self-storage units or lockers.

food, water, warmth and shelter are always the key factors to consider when picking what you will carry. i like to always have a small pack towel and self-cleaning supplies on me too in case the opportunity arises. i carry always a bottle for water, extra layers, and dry snacks in my pack. shelter can be easy to find in a city, but you may carry a tarp or bivy just in case. if you don't have 24 hour access to where your gear is stored then you will also want to carry a blanket and layers for warmth. cardboard is always easy to find to lay out for ground warmth if you don't have a foam mat.

now that the needs are covered, i'll elaborate on the gadgetry. i never used to be such a tecky nomad, but over the years communication and photography as a hobby has become such a key part of my life, i choose not to live without it. i keep my big camera gear in storage when not in use, and carry a pocket sized adventure camera on me wherever i go. i also keep a netbook in my storage closet, which i take out to the library or over to a friend's house to take advantage of free wireless internet. and of course, a cell phone. all of these things can be charged at my work, in my storage closet or wherever i find a couch to surf.

In The Trees


sometimes it's just more fun and comfortable to take off and hit the sticks for a few days or weeks at a time. this is where having some camping gear makes life easier. not much more is needed than what i mentioned under the previous header, but if you'd like to have warm food then a small camp stove is an awesome investment.




for some a tarp or bivy may be enough shelter, but for me, i need a little more. bugs love to eat me, so i'm sure to have a small shelter that's equipped with bug netting. i also definitely like to have a sleep mat and a lightweight sleeping bag. proper footwear is key as well if you plan to hit the trails or the back country. also, a small trowel for digging catholes is something i like to have, but not absolutely necessary.

you should carry a water filter or some sort of water treatment if you plan to be camping out for a while. a camp stove is much safer and convenient for cooking food than building a campfire, and of course more reliable. i have a stove meant for groups that one of us will usually carry to share, but an MSR pocket rocket and a camp cup will suffice.

i still make use of my storage when i am out and about, it's best to have for different gear sets so that i can switch out what i need depending on the conditions i will endure.


On The Road

i could go on forever about what to have or what not to have when traveling, but the list is different for everyone depending on their style and comfort. since being on the road is basically both of the previous sub-topics put together, the best and lightest gear selection from both is what you want to have.

one thing i can say from experience, don't take too much. have what you need, a little of what you want, and never ever more than you can carry. there were some journeys that i manned out of because i was carrying much more than i was willing to lug up a mountain or down a long forest trail. i'm glad i learned this so that i can tell others. however people tried to tell me the same thing. once again, sometimes these things can only truly be learned from experience.

living in a vehicle is something that i don't have experience with, but this could make your experience completely different in any of these living situations, i'd imagine more so on the road. some see it as an advantage, a mobile home and storage unit, and some like myself still see it as yet another big thing to be responsible for. if you'd like to read more about living from a vehicle, check out the Survival Guide to Homelessness listed in my links.

Communication

these days i've been keeping up with the times.. i have a netbook and a cellphone for communication, but it wasn't always so. the easiest way to keep in touch is the internet, you can access it just about anywhere, and it's possible to do so for free.

back in the days of backpacking around western Canada we were equipped with a long distance calling card and some quarters. i'd call someone back home every week and try to choose a different person to contact each time, so that everyone would know i was still alive, and in fact having the time of my life trippin around the mountains.

now i have a cellphone through koodo, it's a no contract phone plan that allows me to call to and from anywhere in Canada for the same price as a local call. it's 65 bucks a month but with little other living expenses it's very much worth my while to have. it's nice to shoot a text off to everyone in town when i travel from place to place to see who's down for a visit.

the internet is pretty well everywhere lately, we would check every public library along the way for free computer and internet access. most places give 15 minutes at a time, if it's not busy you might be able to sit down for a couple time slots to fulfill your email needs. check also community centres and other public resource centres for free internet access.

i brought a little old junker digital camera with me so that my friends would have something to see of my travels, but libraries usually don't allow capability to upload. for that i'd save my change for when i find internet cafes. the cost varies from place to place, i once paid 2 dollars on a coin op computer for 15 minutes at a laundromat in Grand Forks BC, but it was worth it to post some photos. in Vancouver many corner stores have little islands of computers set up where they charge you 1 dollar for every half-hour of usage. at least that's how much it was at the one place i'd hit up all the time on West Pender.

if you have a wireless internet device like a netbook or one of them iphone things, bigger cities have coffee shops with free wireless access for their customers. most places that have wireless also give you a place to plug inand charge your cell and computer. i decided to get a cheap netbook as a long term investment for my photography jobs and hobby. i can take it on the road and transfer data anywhere whenever i need to without worrying about plugging my hardware into someone else's machine. i suppose you could say i spoil myself nowaday, i'm a more refined tecky nomad than i was in the beginning.

Diet and Nutrition

mmmm food, one of my favourite subjects!

when it comes to nutrition, having less high quality food is better than having more empty calories and fillers. for me, having the best of the best is key. eating the same thing every day will eventually take it's toll and make you weak and ill. it's important to get as much variety and colour as possible when you choose your food. and by colour i mean fruits and vegetables!

this topic is a heavy one, there are so many factors that could determine how you will eat. whether or not you have money is a big one, but i make it a point to have money to buy food. whether or not you have a place to store your food, if you're living from a backpack or from a vehicle will make a difference too. what kind of gear you have will determine if you can cook your own food, or if you'll have to get cooked food elsewhere.. or eat raw or dried foods.

first things first

let's start with covering the basics. first of all, if you don't think you will be able to get the variety of foods you will need, multi-vitamins or supplements might be a good investment. if you're like me and you prefer the most natural route possible, then you will want to do a little research to find the most nutrient dense foods. naturally, the better the quality of the food, the more you are going to pay for it. you get what you pay for though, trust me, it's worth it.

two things that i like to have on me at all times are hulled hemp and local bee pollen. i have provided links so that you can see the health benefits of both, each has an array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and proteins that will keep you healthy and your immune system strong. you can sprinkle them on whatever it is you're eating to make sure you get your vital nutrients. these aren't the only superfoods out there, just two of my favourites.

fresh food

fresh food is the best food, always. living un-processed raw food, is the best thing that you can give your body period. and it's pretty easy to find. it's cheap, plentiful, and everywhere. if you're in a concrete jungle, chances are there's farmer's markets, fresh food markets, and foreign cultured areas of town, which are good places to find fresh cheap deliciousness. at the China Town markets in Toronto, little goes to waste. when fruit is too overripe to sell, they simply bag it up, sometimes 2 or 3 pounds a bag or more depending on the fruit.. and sell that whole bag for a dollar. you can get a couple days worth out of it if you go through and eat the most overripe pieces first.

if you're not so much in the city, then you can find wild and edible plants to add to your diet. there are plenty of wild fruit trees, berries, herbs and roots to be found. make sure you learn what is edible in your area before you go eating unfamiliar plants though, needless to say. true however.

in the town i live in there are inner city paths everywhere. one of the main ones runs up an area of town between back yards all the way to the lake, an old fire route. nearly every back yard facing onto this path has gardens, both decorative and food. many even have old fruit trees from the orchards that once existed. i walk this path so often my face has become familiar with many of the kind elderfolk who tend to these gardens. if i happen to be passing by while they're picking up fallen pears or collecting green beans or tomatoes, they will offer to give a few to taste. they're kind, but also what producer of food doesn't like to hear that they've done a good job. offering to help with gardening in exchange for some of the bounty might sound like a long shot, but there's no harm in asking.

dry food

if you live in Canada, just about any province besides BC, then you have likely heard of Bulk Barn. this is quite possibly my favourite chain store in the whole world ever. there's something similar in BC called Weigh to Go Bulk Foods... basically any type of food store where you scoop and weigh out how much you want. you can take a little or a lot of anything, however much you need and can afford. it's mostly dry food, which is good for living out of a backpack.

i try to keep a few mixed snacks in my backpack at all times, a habit i keep from hiking and backpacking. variety still being key of course. i'll have some type of dried fruit, some kind of nut mix or granola mix, and a little bit of chocolate in some form. it's a sweet treat and a morale booster, and it kills a caffeine headache.

depending on your gear, you could get dried pastas or soup mixes if you have a camp stove. there are super lightweight camp stoves out there that can fit in a pocket, like the MSR pocket rocket. a friend of mine used one of these with a small metal camp cup to heat food and boil water for his cowboy coffee. on the western Canada backpacking voyage we became a good fan of dry pasta mixes like 'sidekicks'. they come in a variety of pasta and rice flavours, so it takes a while to get sick of them. also oatmeal is super cheap and good for you. paired with an apple [or hey some of those dried fruits] it's a filling, high energy start to the day.

restaurants

fast food is gross, and not actually food, so don't make it a staple. sometimes it's cheap, quick and satisfying which is good if there is no other options, or if you're just feeling some mickey D's it could be one of those treats to boost your morale. mom and pop restaurants are way better, and you usually get better quality *actual* food for the same price. sometimes cheaper. there's greasy spoon restaurants everywhere that will serve your bacon eggs and toast for as little as 2 bucks.

every place has something that's cheap, and good, and everywhere. in Vancouver BC for instance, there seems to be a competition going to see who can have the biggest, best and cheapest pizza slices on the block. the pizza joints are everywhere! my favourite is one on West Pender called FM Classic Pizza, where they sell all kinds of flavours of fresh pizza for a buck a slice, and the slices are huge. they're always super fresh too, cause the place is always steady busy. in fact it's pretty much world famous, type it in google and it will pop up before you've typed the 'a' in classic.



in Halifax [on the other coast] there's a lot of indian food places, and they all have huge awesome cheap samosas. good luck finding a cheap slice of pizza though, or a good one for that matter. oh and oat cakes, they're everywhere! you could literally go into any corner store and they would have both samosas and oat cakes fresh on the counter. 5 bucks would get me 2 or 3 samosas and a couple oat cakes which would last me the whole day. don't forget to check out places that have slices or ready made foods at the end of the night, you could get leftovers for half price or free. seek out the deals, you can eat cheaply and still enjoy every bite.

free food

we all get a little broke sometimes. there's free food to be found and foraged if you know where to look. in VanCity there's almost always something for free at a transit station or skytrain stops. it's usually full sized products that they give away too, not just a sample size. i've gotten free cups of yogurt complete with spoon, free energy bars, snack mix packets, coupons for free products, i even once seen a van parked at a skytrain station giving out free full sized mcain frozen pizzas to a long line of people. had i anywhere to cook said pizzas at the time i might have gotten in line. they're always at the exits though, to give to transit customers. you can still walk right up and ask for some, they don't care who they give the samples to, it's their job to get rid of them. catch them at the end of their shift or at a slow time and you might get two or three.

there's always soup kitchens if you're willing to get in line. some cities aren't as hard to get into the soup kitchens as others. Our Daily Bread at the Kootenay Christian Fellowship in Nelson BC is by far the best soup kitchen out there, right in the middle of the hippie capital of Canada. they always serve a main course with meatless as an option, a salad and bean sprouts, some type of bread product, coffee and water, and a dessert. there's also a table at the back with day-over loaves of gourmet bread to take home, and sometimes overripe fruits and snacks. in my town there's a Salvation Army that charges based on your income.



there's an Out-of-the-Cold program in the winter that rotates churches each night to provide dinner and shelter. seek out all and any free food programs, make a list of when they run and plan your days to get around to where the meals are. see if your town has a Food Not Bombs group hangin' around. they prepare mostly vegetarian and vegan food and serve it free to anyone who is hungry.

don't forget the old saying, one man's trash is another man's treasure.. or feast! learn about dumpster diving, freeganism, and urban foraging. we in North America live in the most wasteful societies ever to walk the face of the planet. take advantage of this, and make use of that waste. food that's a day over expiry doesn't instantly turn to poison, it may be a little stale but it's still good to eat. exercise common sense and check that what you're eating isn't spoiled or rotten and you're good to go.

About the Links..

The saGe Wandera
http://thesagewandera.blogspot.com/

a fresh new project on the go, i started a journal style presentation of my many adventures and challenges while backpacking across Canada. not many posts up yet, i'm covering the most recent journey first. then i will venture back in time through memories and photographs to share them here.

Homeless By Choice
http://freesleeping.blogspot.com/

this blog is written by a man named Glenn Campbell, an avid adventurist and outdoor sleeper. he shares an amazingly detailed blog about his experiences and shares them here with photos and map images to help his descriptions. if you are homeless in the US you may find this blog especially useful!

Survival Guide to Homelessness
http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/

i had this big idea to start a blog regarding the art of homelessness. i decided to run a google search to see if anyone had done just that, and this was the first one i found. everyone does it different. the guy who wrote this blog is writing from the perspective of a working car dweller. i have no experience living in a vehicle but it does interest me to some day convert a van into a mobile living space. i find this blog very informative and spirited, i loved reading every word of it.

The Homeless Guy
http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/

this blog is just awesome.. lots of info, news, videos and it's well kept. still digging through it! he shares many many stories and experience of life on the outside. highly recommended read!

CouchSurfing
http://www.couchsurfing.org/

i went into a little detail about couch surfing in my post about finding shelter. it's an amazing resource, a huge network of couch hosts and travelers united to provide one another with a free couch to sleep on, and some real life experience in the town or country you are visiting. there are millions of users registered, all users are rated by other users, and it's about as safe as an interweb networking site could possibly be.

WWOOFing: Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms
http://wwoof.org/
http://www.wwoofusa.org/
http://wwoof.ca/

WWOOFing is an absolutely amazing thing. it gives more affordable options for travel, learning and living abroad. check out the main link, wwoof.org to see where in the world you could find yourself farming. see my jobs and moneymaking post for further words about the WWOOF.

Jacki Rosen: Shopping
http://jackirosen.com/blog.htm

just a wake-up call on the world's food spending habits. definitely an eye opener.

Jobs and Moneymaking

Employment

if you already have a job when you become homeless, then the most difficult part is already taken care of. however, it is still possible to get a new job while homeless.

things you need:
-a bank account [most jobs are direct deposit]
-clean, presentable work attire
-an 'address'
-a phone number
-the right attitude

-bank account-

the first thing, a bank account is only necessary if you plan to get a steady job. temp agencies cut you a cheque each day that can be cashed at depots such as moneymart, or some corner stores will cash them for a small fee.

if you already have an account, it's best to switch to paperless statements. you can stretch your time at your most previous address by not making it obvious that you're still using it. i have personally gone a year and a half using my old address without anyone noticing. apparently mastercard makes debit cards that you can load and use without having an actual bank account, these are available at cheque cashing depots as well.

-address-

getting an address can be tricky, sneaky even.. but not impossible. if you're freshly homeless or about to be, set yourself up with a mailbox at a UPS outlet or something similar using your most recent or current address. make sure you use a place that gives a street address and PMB [private mail box] number, not just a PO box. when filling in your address on applications, use the street address and box number, just drop the PMB prefix. your mail will still arrive in your box. if you can use a friend or family member's address, even better.. and free.

some youth help centers allow you to use their address, and will even collect your mail for you. it's also possible to use the address of a hostel, i've done so in Vancouver when applying to work at Labour Ready. instead of putting 'room number' on you address, use the word 'suite'. sounds much fancier too. i mean, even if you're not really staying at the hostel. so many people use them as their address, they get tons of random people's mail anyways. of course this is only good if you don't need to receive mail, just have an address as a placebo-place-to-live.

-attire-

proper work attire is easy. there are second hand stores everywhere with perfectly decent clothing for next to nothing. you can even find free clothes at some housing help centres or food banks. keep your clothes nice by folding in half, and then rolling tight to prevent wrinkles. if you have a vehicle or a storage unit you can keep a few days worth of outfits hung and crisp. find a laundromat that you can run the dryers one quarter at a time, and toss in a couple outfits for 5 minutes to refresh if you have to. some jobs like mine give you lockers, a much added bonus if you happen to find one. and if your job doesn't require neatly kept clothing, all the better.

-digits-

cell phones are getting cheaper by the day. you can get a prepaid phone for as little as 20-40 bucks, and some include some air time upon purchase. there are 'prepaid plans', some as little as 15 bucks a month with free incoming calls, perfect for awaiting a callback for a job.


Temp Labour

if you're looking to work and travel, agencies such as Labour Ready will transfer your file to their other locations so you don't have to register every time you move about. as long as you are willing to get up fresh and early each morning to beat the sign up list, you will likely find a placement, at least 3 out of 5 days. they will choose to send you to placements more often if you prove to be punctual and a hard worker. you will most likely need steel toe boots, most Labour Ready places will have boots you can borrow, they make a check list of the gear you borrow and if you don't bring it back it comes off your pay.

if you're a female getting a temp job might be harder, some placements ask specifically for men for construction and demolition jobs. you will have much better luck in bigger cities, especially ones with a big tourism industry. traveling acts such as Cirque du Soleil use temp agencies to find large crews of people to help with set-up and maintenance, or even to work in their kitchen or box office. you never know when you could find your chance to run away with the circus.


Alternative Moneymaking Strategies


-Busking-

there are other ways to make money on your own time, using skills you already have. if you're desperate, sitting out front of a busy transit station with a cup and a sign will get you enough to eat for a day, but this is not my first choice. busking is different. buskers, also known as street performers, can pull in a decent amount of loot in a day.

remember that instrument you bought back in high school that you learned how to play? now is the time to blow off the dust and warm up your skills. just about any instrument will do as long as you can do it well, and grab the attention of people passing by. you could use a violin, guitar, saxophone, an accordion, or even just a simple hand drum or a harmonica. the more interesting or unique the better. partnering up with another busker can be beneficial, i saw a dude with a flute find a dude with a japanese bow instrument of some sort pair up and make some awesome sounds. you could draw a crowd and make some good coin to split.



choose your space wisely. you will want to pick a spot with lots of foot traffic, but make sure you're not in the way of business entrances, or close enough to the storefronts that they have a reason to complain. flip open your instrument case or turn over your hat, put on a smile and play.

i went downtown to do my taxes the other day and a young fellow with a saxophone played for maybe an hour out front of the cafe next door. i thought it was pretty sweet to have some live entertainment while i waited.. just as interested as i was in his playing was how much loot he was making. i watched as people walked by and tossed change into his case, the most popular donation was a toonie. [yes, i'm Canadian, and a toonie is a two dollar coin.] some even dropped him five bills. by the way, if you do get dropped a bill, it's best to pick them up and cram them in your pocket so they don't blow away. anyways, in the hour that he was there playing, he made well over 20 dollars. yep, more than i'll ever make per hour at my regular job.

in some places busking is not only welcome, but encouraged. on Granville island in Vancouver Canada, there is a huge farmer's market. out back of the dining area is a large multi-tiered deck backing onto the harbour. inside the dining area is a sign-up sheet for buskers, where each performer can sign up for a half-hour time slot out back on the deck. musicians, jugglers, magicians and comics take the stage here, and people collect to eat their food and toss some change. make eye contact and smile to the people you are performing for. always say thankyou.


-Recycling-

this option isn't for everyone, but it works. in some provinces and states, just about any type of drink container can be returned for a refund at a recycling depot. this job can get dirty, but if you're in a pinch you can make anywhere from 20 to 100 dollars in a day, depending on how diligent a collector you are. find some big plastic bags, keep cans, glass and plastic separated, and pick up anything you see that is worth a refund. most cans and bottles are worth 5 or 10 cents a piece. bigger liquor bottles collect for more. check out what types of recycling are refundable in your area.

you can go collecting solo, but it's much more fun with a partner. if you can scoop a shopping cart, even better. keep the heavier glass inside the cart, and tie your bags of plastic bottles or cans to the outside. check ditches, garbage cans along busy main streets with lots of foot traffic, parks or places that hold large outdoor events, or anywhere likely to collect litter. be careful in bigger cities though, if you're new to the scene some other street people may have their own collection route staked out, and will likely give you a hard time if they catch you collecting on their turf.

i have friends that collect recycling, and they find treasures all the time. you never know what you will find in someone else's trash. also in some suburbs, you might even find that some people, ie nice old ladies, will run out of their house and bring you their recycling if they see you picking up cans and bottles. they may even offer you a snack or drink.


-et cetera-

be creative. you can sell just about any trade skill. you can sell things that you make by hand. you could even score an under the table job for a landscaping or roofing company doing clean up, especially from smaller independent companies. if you see a company on a site and you spot the supervisor, it doesn't hurt to ask if they can use a labourer. some may be willing to pay you a dollar under regular wage to keep you off the books. put a local ad online [Craigslist etc] to offer your labour and services.

money isn't the only thing you can work for, there's also jobs that will offer room and board. farms and hotels or hostels are a good place to start. some hostels offer a free bed for a few hours a day of your time helping with laundry, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, or working at the counter.


WWOOFing

yes, WWOOFing deserves it's very own bolded subtitle. if you haven't heard of it, consider it as an option, it could open up entire worlds of opportunities. in fact, WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms [or Willing Workers On Organic Farms]. There are literally WWOOF placements to be found anywhere in the country, and all over the globe.

the idea behind the whole thing, is that you go to these farms and work for room and board, all the while you get to learn about whatever it is that you're farming. some places raise animals, some grow organic herbs and keep bees, some are small and in cities, some are huge and remote, and anything in between.

the way it works, is you pay a fee for the year, usually around 50 bucks, and this covers your membership that gives you access to all the listed farms' contact information. you email or call them to see if they have any space available. you agree on how long your stay will be, could be a few days or weeks, some will take you for a whole season depending on how well you get along. the thing is, you gotta find your own way there. bus tickets are usually cheaper, and if you pre-purchase weeks before for a specific day, you can get tickets half price depending on the bus line.

so you get out there, they provide you with a place to stay [be it a bed, a cabin, a camper or a place to pitch your tent] and they feed you, in exchange for 25-30 hours a week of labour. investing in a bus ticket to a farm of your choice could lead to opportunities such as learning how to grow, keep seeds, and livestock or bees or whatever you end up doing. you could even score a somewhat permanent spot if you and your host hit it off. if you check out the host listings on the websites, you will find that some hosts even allow you to use their stuff like maybe a bike or even a car, ride their horses, use their canoes or kayaks, hike their trails, and the list goes on.. some host places are actually communes that accept WWOOFers to come help out in their gardens. the possibilities are endless.


bottom line, keep an open mind and have an eye for opportunity. it's everywhere you want to be, believe it.

Hygiene and Staying Clean

proper upkeep of your personal hygiene is absolutely important. especially if you don't want the whole world to know you're homeless, smell is a dead giveaway. also it's important for your health, the best way to avoid infections, rashes and becoming sick is to stay clean.

the key is to find public restrooms where you have enough privacy to get yourself clean. many bigger chain gas stations have washrooms for customers, and from what i've seen they're usually the one toilet private washrooms. if you're quick you can strip down, leave your pants hangin around your ankles, and use a washcloth in the sink to get clean. it's also handy to have a packet of moist wipes or personal fresh wipes handy for sweaty times when washing up in the sink isn't an option.

other places to find public washrooms: Wal-Mart, chain coffee shops like Tim Hortons [yes, i live in Canada..] some bigger grocery stores or 24 hour places have public restrooms, laundromats, the library, bus stations, truck stops, some parks in bigger cities, and colleges or universities. if you're young enough or at least look young enough and dress kinda like the students, you can walk right into a college or campus and look like you belong.

cleaning in a sink will keep the stink off for a while, but having a nice hot shower is still the best way to go. even if friends or family don't have room to let you stay, they probably wouldn't mind you using their shower every once in a while.

i always have my soap, cloth, a pack towel and a toothbrush in my bag in the event that a shower opportunity will arise. getting a gym membership, specially one you can use in multiple cities could be a good investment. this will give you access to not only showers but the pool, sauna and yeah, the equipment. it could also serve as a good place to hang out if it's super hot outside, or cold and rainy. if you happen to live near a large body of water with public beaches, there's always change rooms and shower rooms available to the public, and as far as i can tell they're always free.

My Life Outside the Box

throughout my youth my family spent many years living 'like the gypsies'. my mother, brother and i squatted in houses mid-renovation for the winter, hid out in cabins, a motor home once, and lived in a station wagon for the summer. always on the move from one town to the next i quickly got used to the ever changing scenery and social situations.

mother's addiction, to both drugs and alcohol is what landed her and her children in this sort of lifestyle. i don't share this information with you seeking pity, but to make it known that not all seemingly negative situations have an overall negative outcome. i have learned to make the best of what i have always. i look back and see a lifetime of challenges and lessons, not struggle and hardship. attitude is everything.

when i was in high school, the last couple of years were completed living a homeless lifestyle, while working part time in a photo lab. most of my time was eaten up by work and school, which just left finding places to eat, sleep and shower. no biggie when you've made many friends along the way and have numerous couches to crash.. plus i knew where all the best outside sleeping spots were from the nights spent wandering the town with my homies.

these days i prefer the tent to the park bench, and hiding outside on the fringe of civilization, or as far out into the woods as i can get. i got to know my hometown well enough to get away with camping out around the outskirts without ever being found or bothered.

i kept the same job for many years, houseless or not. my seniority gave me the job security to take multiple month long leaves of absence so that i could move around. being homeless means not paying rent, which also means money can be spent on other things. transportation, food, gear, and other goodness. in 2008 i gave up an apartment i had for a year, quit my job all together and took off across Canada with my mate. and we had the time of our lives.

i've spent much of my time either outside or community living since. i consider it all good practice for my future plans to own some land and live with friends and family in a self sustaining lifestyle.

i plan to blog about my travels in an upcoming post about the homeless lifestyle on the road.

Why Homeless?

the first thing i'm always asked is, why?

not everyone has a choice in the matter. some of us do, and choose it willingly. for someone like myself, single, no children, experience in the outdoors i ask... why not?

when i say i don't have an apartment or a house, i'm not seeking pity. if anything, i'm acknowledging a freedom. i still work, i still have a social life, i still eat well and sleep comfortably, i just choose to do so mostly outdoors.

homelessness has it advantages.. when you don't have to pay for a place to live, it frees up a lot of money. if you don't need to make so much money, it frees up a lot of time. and i like free time.

not paying for a place means more money for better quality food. i can eat fresh food and purchase meals at a time, or a days worth of food at a time and eat well every day. i can afford the better cell phone plan that allows same rate calling all across the country, comes in handy for traveling. i can also afford all the gear and proper clothing i need to stay comfortable. i have extra money to spend on entertainment, theatres, concerts, multi-day out-of-town trips.. and of course some fine herbs for the smoking.

not being tied down to a lease allows more freedom to travel. with a social insurance number i can work anywhere in Canada legally... there are temp agencies everywhere, and lots of work for the willing. i can spend more of my time hiking trails and camping in the wilderness, sitting at the beach, stargazing, visiting friends, catching up with family and enjoying my time...

so, why not?

attitude is everything. don't see your situation as a detriment and it won't be. see it as a blessing and your whole universe changes for the better.

Gimme Shelter!

being homeless doesn't have to mean sleeping outside, unprotected from the elements.. though i tend to prefer it, at least the outside part. there are many options, more or less depending on your comfort level.

this is where it comes in handy to be real resourceful. hanging around my hometown i could always hit up homies or family for some couch time, back yards to camp, maybe even an immobilized vehicle to inhabit. there's also a sun room i can slip into if i don't find shelter elsewhere.

unless you have some homies that like to collect bohemians on their property, depending on the kindness of others can only go so far. i prefer only to use these resources when i cannot find shelter for myself, or weather conditions are unreasonable for sleeping outside.

i personally am uncomfortable in homeless shelters. i feel safer finding my own sleeping space, and less anxious if i am free to come and go as i please. i have tried in the past both winter overnight shelters and women's shelters, both i find too stressful. good thing there are other options..

tenting

of course, there's always tarps and tents. this is the best option in my opinion, finding a lightweight solo shelter at a backpacking equipment outlet could be one of the best investments you ever make. for well under the cost of a month's rent, i have found sufficient lightweight shelters for one person or two. less is more when you carry around everything you own, so finding the lightest shelter with the least amount of parts is key. if you have storage somewhere and the capability to leave behind things you don't need immediately, then finding a 2 pound tent instead of a one pound tarp shelter will be worth the extra little bit of weight.

tresspassing is illegal, so finding some private property that i have permission to camp out on, that's fantastic! if not, i make sure practise well my stealth camping skills, leave no trace of my presence, and refrain from getting caught. there's plenty of places on outskirts of cities that are still within walking distance of public transit where you can find a spot to set a shelter. parks, along hiking trails, back acres of farm property [beware the dangers of trespassing], anywhere your shelter can be set up unseen.



finding a shelter

i think one of my favourite places i have ever found shelter was in a garden shed in Nova Scotia. the inside was finished with scrap paneling and insulation ripped out from the basement, a table and a couple chairs, an oil lamp and a real comfy hammock. it was an old hand built shed with a window along the whole one side of the shed, and moss covered wooden shingles on the other side.

in a bigger city, concrete jungle so to speak, there's many nooks and crannys to hide out in. i've found some pretty sweet overhangs to hang out under in toronto, usually covered back entrances to big businesses that don't get used during the night. this eliminates the need for a shelter. also check out parking garages, go up a few floors and you will find the platforms between staircases to be a good spot. on cold nights you could hang out in a bank lobby. i'd only do this in desperation however, i try to find places unseen to avoid getting robbed. i don't like to spend too much time sleeping in the concrete jungle. i find the dangers posed by other humans much more threatening than possible dangers posed by nature.

to the van!

there's another popular option, living in a vehicle. i personally have zero experience with this, besides a couple months i lived in a camper with my dad while he was building a house. if you would like to check out a blog dedicated to this style, see The Guide to Homelessness in my Links. i do have one tidbit of information.. if you live in a van or a camper, all Wal-Marts in north america allow one consecutive night parking in their lot, free of charge and fear of parking enforcement. many of their stores in the states are open 24 hours, and this is a way to attract more business, and clients in their slow hours. the nights are a perfect time to take advantage of the public restrooms to get clean.

be resourceful

the homeless lifestyle has such a broad spectrum of styles within itself, and truly the options are endless. one could travel for months at a time just surfing couches from town to town. there's handy resources online, like one of the world's biggest online traveller's network, CouchSurfing.org.. there's literally hundreds of thousands of couches available. there's a registration process, and users leave their feedback about their experiences with each other. it's about as safe as the interweb could get. i've heard many positive stories about others using this site, and it's certainly one of the most handy resources i have come across online to date. and then there's facebook, the one stop shop WalMart of the internet world.. everyone and their grandmother has facebook these days. you never know when a status message will find you connections for places to stay in your city or abroad, and sometimes from people you would have never expected.

The Art of Homelessness.

lets make something clear right from the start... homelessness does not equal poor. nor does penniless for that matter, but that's another topic all together. maybe a better term for it is houselessness.

one can be houseless and still live a rich and full, satisfying life. i'd say many believe that there is no other way to achieve such a wonderful life experience than to be untethered to a home-box. mortgages and leases are not for everyone. it is still possible without a house to eat well, sleep well, have access to all the necessities,. hygienic, for cooking, transportation, and communication.

i'll build this blog to be a resource for others who wish to live more freely.

for now i'd just like to say, life is what you make of it. live your dreams, especially the ones people tell you are impossible. be free.

-Sadie Sea

[check out the topics and links!]



post script:
please note! everything that i write and share in my blog is from my own experiences. my methods may not be for everyone, and may not be the best for your situation... or completely 'legal'. i am not a know-all of the nomadic lifestyle, i am here to live and learn. my hopes are that i may provide some insight on homelessness as a chosen lifestyle, and maybe to give hope to those who might unexpectedly find themselves in such a situation. just remember, don't panic.. and never forget to bring your towel.