New survival enthusiast, So many questions...

@TriColorPansy , my appoligees for my part in derailing your thread. To get it back on track (so to speak) do you have any other questions we can help with concerning your efforts to become self suficient?

 

Yeah, we were bad doing that. Any hekp I can give us yours

Yeah, we were bad doing that. Any help I can give us yours

yeah me too...im bad at rambling very bad...ide be happy to help as well.

 

Yes ReconMike78, I was taken aback by all the replies when I checked the thread this morning and prepared myself to start taking notes X-D


I think I have one more question. Since a camper van is ill-advised, what other affordable portable shelters are there that I could start saving up for? So far I've read trailers and RVs. I've also seen YouTube videos about tiny homes, but those looked pretty expensive.


My thinking was having a portable shelter so if a situation got really bad I could just pick up and leave quickly, not worrying about moving furniture or leaving too much behind. But reading your comments on self-defense is also useful, so I can learn to defend myself and others if running away simply isn't an option.

 

There are quite a few 28-32' bumper pull RVs for sale for $4k and under. Most are not all weather, meaning plumbing can freeze if temps fall. But still, not bad. One option if you are parked in a semi-permanent location is to put skirts of insulated foam with an aluminum covering. The less the cold gets under the trailer, the less the chance of a freeze. And one decent lamp under there, once skirted, will reduce freezing occurrences.

 

My apologies as well for being the engineer who ran the dang train into the ditch. I'm signed up for defensive train driving classes now.

 

It's okay, as a newcomer I was surprised to see my first post have so many comments~

So I'll focus on saving up for a good RV. Awhile back I actually did consider an RV before downgrading to a camper van, but chickened out when I read all the things about proper maintenance and obtaining a specific license to drive one. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd screw something up, but I guess I shouldn't be so afraid of failure especially when transitioning into a new lifestyle.

 

I do not suggest a motor home. It means you have no home if it breaks down. If you leave it parked for an extensive time, you still have to maintain it, run it, deal with the automotive side of the equation. Motorhomes are also considerably higher cost.

 

Oops, I missed the part where you wrote 'bumper pull' - big difference there X-D

Thanks for the clarification, it's good to know I can have the comfort and open space of an RV without as much trouble.

 

And you will probably need a pick up to pull it, and to use as transportation, and groceries, materials, tools, firewood.......

 

It starts out being open and comfortable. Gets smaller every week, lol. The one thing you will learn quickly is that storage is at a premium and a lot of things you would like to have will soon be considered unnecessary luxuries. You would be surprised to find how little stuff you really need. Enjoy, though. It's really a good thing to learn. You won't really be a minimalist but you will find that stacks of magazines, nick-nacks, drawers of pots and pans, all become luxuries and expendable. A small vacuum will be much more storable. Keep it clean, as them dang ants and roaches will start coming in. Peppermint oil on a cotton ball placed in drawers and cabinets will keep mice out. They don't like it for some reason. Keep your grey tank open to drain, unless odor gets to be an issue, but keep the black tank closed and dump it as needed several times a week. If you leave it open to drain, it will dry and fill up, clogging in a mess.

 

If she doesn't get too big an RV they can be pulled with a mid sized SUV, large car as well. But I wouldn't get over a low-mid 20' trailer if pulling with a car

 

Great advice Mike,

I'm not gonna lie, as someone with quite a few books, video games, and nick-nacks reducing what I can keep bothers me a bit, but I know it's a necessary sacrifice. I think about those episodes of Hoarders where the therapist asks the person what they would bring if they had only five minutes before a fire consumes their home.

 

LOL. Well, you can live like a hoarder or you can conform to RV life and restrictions, lol

 

Hahaha trust me I'm not a neat freak but I'm definitely not a hoarder X-D I didn't even know such a thing existed until all those shows started popping up on TV.

I actually did a big cleanup in my room last month and removed a lot of things, but I know if I lived in an RV there's still several things here I'd have to sell or put into storage :-(

 

There is half the battle.

 

Storage cost money, every month, and what ever you are storing is usually losing value.

 

good point. I have wasted many a dollar on storing junk

 

I had it stored, paid for, and then stolen. Never again.

 

We need to work on your self confidence. You're stronger than you realize. You'll do fine. You may stumble and fall a few times, we all do, bit that's how you learn. And you'll be stronger for it.

 

And it's only failure if you quit after something doesn't work out. If you adapt and go on, it's a learning moment. I have a lot of learning moments, but few failures. It's all about perception.