[The Beast1]

(07-29-2016 04:08 AM)El_Gostro Wrote:  

Mouth Hygiene

If you look at my teeth you'll realize what several years of bad habits and stupid experimentation can do.(I could compete in the catalog of english smiles)

A few months ago I found an unopened small (travel size) bottle of Listerine on the street and somehow I thought about using it instead of tooth paste to wash my teeth and I was surprised at the effects.
When I compared its composition to competing products I found the BIG difference is that Listerine actually has alcohol.

*Now I understand there are differing views on how good ethanol could be for your teeth ,but then again,I'm applying most things to an immediate/medium term use*

I switched to the version that has strong fluoride since I had been told several times that fluorides can actually regenerate dental matter and believe it or not after several months I've actually noticed some positive changes!

The small bottles are actually very affordable last about a week each and though a big bottle would save you cash in the long run,the fact that they take more space and weight makes the counter productive.

How I use it:
I take a sip and brush all my teeth while holding my mouth closed,of course it drips out a bit.
The effects increase when I use an electric tooth brush

Your stories are some of the best. I wish I could have passed this bit of info to you years ago.

Instead of carrying around the Listerine, use hydrogen peroxide instead. The H2O2 has more practical uses (cleaning wounds, clothes, and mouthwash) and doesn't dry out the mouth like the alcohol does.

Arguably, I would say that if you were pinched on stuff to carry I would say carry hydrogen peroxide and some dental floss. Flossing is far more important than brushing as the junk in between your teeth is worse than the stuff on the outside. In an ideal world carry everything. However, in this case you could forgo the brush and paste and still have decent dental hygiene.

Another gent also mentioned baking soda which also makes a great tooth paste.

Do you have any other stories you're comfortable sharing with us?

[debeguiled]

(07-29-2016 09:24 AM)ColSpanker Wrote:  

One of my former employers, an ex-stripper and the only real anarchist I ever met, used to rant about the privileged kids who made up all the activist groups in town. Seems a lot of them didn't have to worry about money as mummy and daddy fronted the bill for them to "stick it to the man". I suspect you will find a lot of them traveling from one "burn" to the next.

Yeah, just a variation of the trustafarian. I will tell you the politics of the anarchists in my town:

"What blow should we strike today?'

"Liberate a case of beer from a 7-11."

[Elster]

(07-29-2016 04:27 AM)IDrinkYourMilkShake Wrote:  

Amazing experience El_Gostro! You should think about writing a book about this, either some type of biography or a practical handbook for modern nomads/bums. .

Actually I have been working on and off for the last two years on a sort of funny book presented as "guide" or "hobodex" (think a bird watcher's guide) with typical traveling archetypes,complete with methods of engagement and geographical distribution.
I would throw in an index that I guess would be very similar to the data sheet compiled in this thread

(07-29-2016 04:27 AM)IDrinkYourMilkShake Wrote:  

As a teenager I had similar a ideas of giving this lifestyle a shot, back then I had a great interest in survival skills, bushcraft and anthropology of pre-industrial societies and cultures. Never did it, but it resulted in a hunting license, wood working (specially bow making), camping/hiking and a bunch of other stuff

I think you made the best choice for the long run, man.
I have some varied tidbits of knowledge of this and that from my moving around but at the end of the day its a tattered rag of patchy knowledge tied together by the sheer power of imagination whereas it sounds as if you achieved solid knowledge of certain crafts.

(07-29-2016 04:27 AM)IDrinkYourMilkShake Wrote:  

Anyway, I can confirm that my (short) experience with WOOFing sounds like what you mention. I went for curiousity and to get some knowledge in, like already said, an un-official apprenticeship type of learning, but i realized pretty soon that wasnt gonna be the case. Most ppl there where lazy and unfit backpackers, except a greek couple who was living there because of the situation in their home country. The guys in charge didnt want to teach their skills (I asked) they where kind of grumpy and one had aspergers which kind of made some pretty funny situations haha.
The owners fit your description of ppl in permaculture, absolutly no clue about buisness or to have a good overview of the place, there was contantly some stuff that needed attention but would have been fixed if you had a routine of regurlarly going through the place. Very ineffective.
They also complained all the time even when there wasnt anything to complain about. Like one time four of us where assembling some pipes at the greenhouse, when we where done the owner started to whine and rant about how much it 'would' have cost to hire someone to do this.....when we just did it for free. Thats the type of mindset they had, which is kind of weird since they got some good potential as their produce where highly sought after (and ridicously overpriced) and basicly no cost of labor.

Believe me ,I am quite relieved to hear this from a fellow RVF member!
Debeguilled's question actually made me once again type "Woofing is a scam" and other similar entries in google with barely any result.
And once again I found nearly no genuinely negative or objective analysis of the WOOFing operation. Practically all articles were written by whiney omega male hipsters and entitled fatties.
However I was able to extract some silver linings: A couple of bloggers-both male interestingly enough- actually dared to do a timid attack on the administration of WOOFing and on how the information provided by the "employers" is bullshit and very far away from the actual thing.
In many articles it is stated that,like with volunteering scams,many woofing hosts actually charge their guests/workers!
Your reply sheds a new light of hope to me as practically every thing I ever read about WOOF,like with vegan student kitches is something that seems reserved to a financially relaxed and tween section of the western populace.

And just for kicks: WOOFing is in a legal gray area in most countries,the site suggests you do not mention in Visas/customs that you are in X country for a WOOfing experience

(07-29-2016 09:24 AM)ColSpanker Wrote:  

One of my former employers, an ex-stripper and the only real anarchist I ever met, used to rant about the privileged kids who made up all the activist groups in town. Seems a lot of them didn't have to worry about money as mummy and daddy fronted the bill for them to "stick it to the man". I suspect you will find a lot of them traveling from one "burn" to the next.

Hahaha,I can relate to that feeling!
I will never forget one time i was passing by Mardi Gras Zone at the marigny on my way to sell my stuff at royal street when I saw one of dirtiest, patchiest and totally unbangeable punks paying for a shit ton of really expensive organic BS with her credit card (I observed keenly,it wasnt a debit or food stamp)

(07-29-2016 04:27 AM)IDrinkYourMilkShake Wrote:  

Edit: About mouth hygiene, what about baking soda?

(07-29-2016 09:34 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

Instead of carrying around the Listerine, use hydrogen peroxide instead. The H2O2 has more practical uses (cleaning wounds, clothes, and mouthwash) and doesn't dry out the mouth like the alcohol does.

Arguably, I would say that if you were pinched on stuff to carry I would say carry hydrogen peroxide and some dental floss. Flossing is far more important than brushing as the junk in between your teeth is worse than the stuff on the outside. In an ideal world carry everything. However, in this case you could forgo the brush and paste and still have decent dental hygiene.

Another gent also mentioned baking soda which also makes a great tooth paste.

Damn! I had completely forgotten about that!
Yeah It would also work as very good whitener too!

In fact,my old math teacher who was actually a biologist once gave me a very good formula for tooth paste:

Bicarbonate+lemon juice (squeezed)+H202

(07-29-2016 09:34 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

Do you have any other stories you're comfortable sharing with us?

Definitely! If there's one thing I love is telling and hearing stories of truth,despair and awesomeness for good measure!
I'll be throwing around some more shortly

[roberto]

You can add eco-camps to the list. Live with a bunch of hippies in the wood, learn 'traditional skills' such as building with cow shit and sticks which are no use whatsoever in the modern world. Lots of that going on in Britain. A few manage to get commissions to build roundhouses and the like for schools or rich folk, but most just end up delaying their entry to the real word for another year and earning no money. It's another variation of the gap year.

[Elster]

Oh damn! That reminds me of the collection of mistky brit losers that were sort of WOOF/work awaying on building a circular birthing temple" in a pikey cam-ahem, "community" in the Alpujarras. The kind that feel they are super rough because they came a few weeks to live in their vans and hang out with real alternative dudes! Also spending a shit ton of cash and generally being the kind of foreigners local people tend to see having an ATM sign instead of a face.
Then again they didn't really need to adapt as the actual village beside the ehrm, property was like mini England complete with cars driving on the right. You only heard spanish in the bar and from the old timers that still lived there...

[debeguiled]

(07-30-2016 09:16 AM)roberto Wrote:  

You can add eco-camps to the list. Live with a bunch of hippies in the wood, learn 'traditional skills' such as building with cow shit and sticks which are no use whatsoever in the modern world. Lots of that going on in Britain. A few manage to get commissions to build roundhouses and the like for schools or rich folk, but most just end up delaying their entry to the real word for another year and earning no money. It's another variation of the gap year.

It's worse than that.

A hippie couple will build something that doesn't conform to code or in a protected wilderness and then play the victim when they are asked to tear it down by the state, and maybe even get a Kickstarter going to get people to throw away their money on a lost cause.

Look, I am no fan of pointless building codes that favor stick built houses that fall apart the minute the mortgage is paid, it is a racket no less.

Still, a lot of these natural builders are a menace, failing to retrofit in seismic areas or forgoing pricey engineers because a design "feels" right.

I have read first hand accounts of women who take a one weekend cob seminar and declare on their blogs: I am a builder!

Or on natural building blogs someone will refer to a pioneer of the natural building trade whose original designs revolutionized the trade, only to find out later the guy died because his experimental roof caved in on him.

Nothing against wish fulfillment fantasies, just keep it out of the building trade and leave it in your weed addled heads where it belongs. If you want to build, learn some math.

[IDrinkYourMilkShake]

(07-30-2016 04:35 AM)El_Gostro Wrote:  

Actually I have been working on and off for the last two years on a sort of funny book presented as "guide" or "hobodex" (think a bird watcher's guide) with typical traveling archetypes,complete with methods of engagement and geographical distribution.
I would throw in an index that I guess would be very similar to the data sheet compiled in this thread

Great to hear! Looking forward to the release whenever that will be. Im pretty sure that there would be a hughe interest for itin general.

Quote:

I think you made the best choice for the long run, man.
I have some varied tidbits of knowledge of this and that from my moving around but at the end of the day its a tattered rag of patchy knowledge tied together by the sheer power of imagination whereas it sounds as if you achieved solid knowledge of certain crafts.

Thanks for saying that, yeah Im not regreting anything today. I realized that im just like evryone else in the sence of being a comfortable first world guy with goals that doesnt fit that lifestyle. Still, I admire what you have done and the experiences you have gathered.

Quote:

Believe me ,I am quite relieved to hear this from a fellow RVF member!
Debeguilled's question actually made me once again type "Woofing is a scam" and other similar entries in google with barely any result.
And once again I found nearly no genuinely negative or objective analysis of the WOOFing operation. Practically all articles were written by whiney omega male hipsters and entitled fatties.
However I was able to extract some silver linings: A couple of bloggers-both male interestingly enough- actually dared to do a timid attack on the administration of WOOFing and on how the information provided by the "employers" is bullshit and very far away from the actual thing.
In many articles it is stated that,like with volunteering scams,many woofing hosts actually charge their guests/workers!
Your reply sheds a new light of hope to me as practically every thing I ever read about WOOF,like with vegan student kitches is something that seems reserved to a financially relaxed and tween section of the western populace.

And just for kicks: WOOFing is in a legal gray area in most countries,the site suggests you do not mention in Visas/customs that you are in X country for a WOOfing experience

Interesting, That description of the people WOOFing and the lack of objective/negative publicity also match the folks I encountered. I remember this brittish guy that had been there for like six months and could be described as part hipster I guess, nice guy in his 20's but dull and naive af. He had that romantic view of manual labor and would constantly point out that this was his first physical job and how great it was, when infact it wasnt that hard and physical at all and during that time he had not gained any skills what so ever during that time. Of course it depends from where you come from, I have worked as a laborer at a landscaping firm and as a wrecker, plus some wearhouses and comparing with them this place was nothing, just occasinally would there be some hard tasks for a couple of hours but never the full day. Once when we where digging down some tubes this guy was huffing and puffing like he was running a marathon and didnt manage to push the wheelbarrow up a small hill later. Im not trying to sound like some wannabee-bad ass, just that these people would constantly glorify the fact that they where doing manual labor at some organic farm when in reality no one of them would have managed to hang in on a real physical job. Bad reality check.

I also got the impression that most of them where from quite well of places (except the greeks), and since they had choosed to be there and had a lot of free time mixed with the romantic view of farm life I guess that made them overly positive and dilusional to the whole thing. The owners where also overestimating the pros of the place, when I told them I was leaving they where truly surprised and wondered why? and said that I could stay and maybe ask the local employment service center to get some wellfare aid. Officially I was on vacation and living of my savings, but I knew that I could be back at my job the next day if I wanted to, I had my own place and was going to uni soon and they knew it so I cant really figure out how the hell they thought that this was a good 'offer' for me.

There where some people that had to be there because of goverment plan on longtime unemployed people in order for them to keep getting their wellfare check. Sounds like a good idea to weed out the slackers, but one gentleman there where a construction worker that was unemployable because of an injury he got at his former job, so now he was there working full time for minimum wellfare. One day he was gone and I asked where he was, the foreman said angrily that he was ungreatful and just took of, demanding his contact to give him something else to do. The owners where officially super PC and would talk about the unjustice of the world, about union busting in third world countries and the importance of equality among people of color, rich and poor. Guess ethnic white blue collar men doesnt count.
So yeah, I also wondered about how legal some of the activity WOOFing does really is. So to sum it up on why few talk about the scam much of it is could be that those who participate dont have little touch with reality and are basicly cucked beliving they are doing something great, maybe.

[debeguiled]

If they aren't teaching you any skills or trades while you are there, it reveals itself to be a racket, and it is time to eject.

[Brian Shima]

This might be fun in your early 20s but I would call anyone a fool for continuing it after that..I stumbled onto a forum for train hoppers, crusties, whatever they call themselves last year and it was amusing..They had info on good places to squat in every city, how the cops were, where to get heroin and had lists of people who robbed or did stupid shit along with their descriptions..

[Phazlenut]

(07-29-2016 04:08 AM)El_Gostro Wrote:  

At the moment my idea is to get a used van and turn it into a mobile home,providing me a much needed home space/faraday cage and a place to leave my pooch in safely when I can t take him somewhere.Plus,I would be able to have a house that can be moved about through land that way too

Not a crusty, but I constantly fantasize about doing this and check out YT vids:

Guy with full working toilet and bedding, cooking space and cabinets:

Dude who is rocking some geoarbitrage on a mountain in Latin America:

And there was that baseball pitcher Daniel Norris with the million-dollar contract who also lives like this, leaves his van in the Wal-Mart parking lot:

[Elster]

I just got off a two day ride from southern Germany to Barcelona with a couple of trustees.
it was quite sad to see how much they reflected my most unflattering parodies i ve made of them.
kinda pressed atm as Im arranging my movement but promise ill post a sincere recollection of the events *which were quite amusing*

[debeguiled]

^
^
If you are into this kind of stuff, there are a shit ton of DIY van conversion videos on Youtube.

[Elster]

Okay then I ve been refreshened enough that I feel obliged to post something new and hopefully useful


APPEAREANCES:
Although this may sound like a no brainer there are so many subtleness to this it deserves a reference as it applies not only to crusty roving but to many other aspects of a life not related to it in the slightest.

People will judge your station in life according to the impression your looks give.
In my last cross border trips the rideshare we went through several checkpoints: Accompanying me were a couple of trustafarians complete with bland tats,silly dreads and entitled attitudes.
I was dressed like your average vacationing student.
Guess who got the solid end of the stick every time?

[Elster]

Long hiatus,Spain is keeping me busy but here is one I overlooked last time.

FITNESS
This one would seem an odd priority for a person who's primary concerns are survival and obtention of resources on a daily basis until you realize that precisely because of these concerns it becomes a top priority.

Many here in the forum have posted videos about homeless PUA's or how they went went through or knew people who went through homeless spells in which they were living in their cars or some public space and relied on a gym membership or work bathroom to keep clean.

I'll try to break it down into several categories:

>Looks:
In my own particular case,aside from my own vanity/ego/whatever,looks are an important part of my sales pitch (broken teeth and all) so I try to make sure I look attractive and healthy.It puts me from "most likely a junkie" into "Romantic Vagabond artist"

Thus,The Halo effect is something I have come to perceive as very real.

>Health:
What strikes us as repelent when we see many street people is not so much the state of uncleanliness as rather the clear message of unhealthiness and potential contagion they represent ----> Clean=healthy=less likely to bear contagious disease) as rather the usuallzy sorry state of their anatonimical appereance:
Shit skin,obese,famished,bloated.toothless.ETC
You are more likelyto be repulsed and seek to abandon the company of someone who looks unhealthy rather than someone who just looks dirty (within reasonable levels),like say: a mechanic covered in grease,a sewage worker out of the manhole or a flour covered baker.

>Power:
That is to say, the physical balance of strenght,alacrity,fighting capacity,resistance and ability to engage in demanding physical activity of anz kind:
The roads and the streets change a lot depending on the geography and culture but like any (rather uncivilized) environment bear a threat and challenge to survival:
A fat or frail individual will have a harder time obtaining food(be it game,container diving,fence jumping,etc) or fighting off and/or escaping from threats or even performing chores/gigs for compensation.



>>>How to tackle fitness being a rover?

It largely depends on the individual,I can only speak of my own experience and what I've seen:
Simplifying thing I separate individuals in four categories:

1) People who are "naturally" healthy and fit:
aka. had a good healthy childhood with physical activities,proper feeding,sleeping etc or just plain good genetics or a combination thereof.


Even if they have entered a phase of disregard or burning out or are simply ignorant of nutritional concepts their base provides them with an increased fitness bonus that might allow them to last longer.

2)People who are completely unconcerned for their physical and mental health and basically who will just act on a fried reptilian brain impulse to quell sudden neccesities be it vice,feeding or ejection (shitting and pissing)

3)Food and life style preachers:
These are the worst,they can often be also part of category 1.
Most often than not these are the hippies or vegetarian punks ore trusties that obnoxiously say "what is good and bad for you" with the same zeal an iman will have when highlighting the evils of pork and the fate of those who would not pray.
Mix neccesity of fate with new age bullshit with criminal amounts of idleness and these are the new age pseudo yoga workshop bullshit you tipically find in rainbow gatherings and the like

4) People with a fit lifestyle:
These are generally a rarity in my own traveling experience,and one of the factors that indirectly influenced me in my finding of the red pill.
The kind of people that have a visible set physical and/or mental routine that has been empirically tested to prove effective.
Not meaning they cant also be raving mentally frieds cuckoolanders either,but you can see simply from their activity that at least they have the fitness apsect covered.


>>>>How I handle it:

When I am in a situation where I do not have a secure shelter where I could safely stash my stuff,I just walk a lot around with my backpack which is adequately prepared so that the weight falls in the right places and doesnt cripple me (though I did often abused my own capacity to endureand paid the price),which makes a nice job of covering both cardio and muscular workout.
Just going from sleeping point to work to the supermarket or the library or the exit ramp takes a massive amount of effort and energy that if compensated with proper eating,keeps me healthy and working.

When I am in a situation where I do have a place where I can store my stuff and/or easily access shower and food then I find a sports store or a hardware store to find a rope and procure sport or as lightweight clothes I can find to engange in daily preferable morning cardio.
I took boxing classes for several years in my youth and retained a high endurance capacity which I developed by speciallz cultivating the jump rope but I love running long distances with uneven ground at low intensity with my dog.
If I have headphones and something to listen my mp3 playlist Im golden.

EDIT:
Also,sex.

[Elster]

Little update on the fitness:

Recently I wemt to decathlon to find some useful equipment for my bird´s exercise program and found elastic bands,wanted to get my hands on the tubes but as she is just starting out and atm she needs to correct a few issues with her coxis we settles for the bands.

I ignored how useful these two types of VERY carriable pieces of equipment are for the vagrant concerned about his fitness state.
And because I did use the seach function I will let someone better qualified than me explain why they are an ideal accesory for the traveling man (forum link)

I would say that carrying either of these and a jump rope in your backpack is an ideal solution for both stretching,muscularity and cardio that take minimum space in the rucksack

[Elster]

This is a slightly modified copy pasta of an article I just finnished writing,some of it is a repeat of things I've already posted here, other stuff is relatively new.

Without further ado:

Quote:

In previous articles we've reviewed gear,nutrition and traveling tips.
This time we'll analyze a different part of a rather optional though not unimportant space and time taker all rough travelers should consider but very few actually and actively partake in,that is, health and fitness.

Many will say that this issue has beeen covered beyond one and a thousand times in almost every other travel and/or fitness blog out there. Take sometime however,to revise that claim and research it.
The higher end host traveling ones rely on budgeting options (which often fail to meet the general reality of most travelers regardless of their style) whereas the more crusty and/or new agey ones tend to discard it alltogether claiming that the movement and miracoulous pseudo eastern diets will cause one to burn all fat off and become the next nutritional health model to be lauded in Science!™ magazine before coming back to Takeoutville and becoming once more Flabby Mcslob.

The freegan method of dumpster diving is a great eye opener to the discovery of alternative ways of using and finding previously unthought of resources and a handy mechanism to reduce costs and cover immediate nutritional neccesities. However the principles of alchemy are inescapable,and in the long run what is cheap ends up being costly,and your health(which includes your looks) will pay the price if you stick to it for a longer time as you will not be able to accomodate the specific nutrition your body requires at specific stages of your journey,particularly if you divert a part of your time to maximizing and/or mantaining your physical performance.

Why are physical performance and health so important to a traveler anyway?-
Though the stereotypical happy go lucky pot headed dreamy traveler certainly indicates the opposite,a fresh and healthy mind is vital to longer term survival and progress. Such a mind can only be mantained through the base of a healthy body which in turn requires constant tuning through adequate nutrition and physical conditioning. The aforementioned traveler will not last more than a few years before he or she either goes back to their previous lifestyle or enter a nearly irreversible downwards spiral.

Why are looks being mentioned all the time?isnt that like,superficial and not deep and gay,brah?
Appereance is a direct reflection of an individual's health and survival potential. Essentialy, the first factor that determines your value to the outer world: whether you are a sea cucumber,a palm tree,a tardigrade,an alligator,a bear or a keyboard-punching ape.
It is why genuine "beauty" is associated with what "feels good" beyond the mere sensual and more into survival practicality.

Does this mean you need to start spending whatever money you might have or make in nutrition and fitness tools or gear?

Not entirely,no. but again,you get something for giving something,and investing a part of your bartering resources in nutrition can yield great benefits with comparatively lower investment.

Examples?

Fruits and veggies can be obtained from recycling (asking nicely can work as well or better than assailing bins) or buying soon to be discarded fresh produce. Fruits make for yummy snacks and an immediate carb boost for pre-workout or in between workouts

Affordable white brand products are a good bet. Because of their very status they are subject to even more scrutiny than many big name brands can get away with are your best bet for consistent nutrition. This is specially true at least in the EU.

Canned tuna in its own juice and water is a nutritional powerhouse with little fat and carbs that serves not only as self-contained meal but an ideal snack for post training. Add that until opened it will last long amounts of time with minimal care.

Beans and rice can be mixed to create a protein rich food (which is not as powerful as actual meat protein) that has the advantage that can be kept or carried around dehydrated.


What kind of work out can one engage in besides walking and hiking around with a backpack?

Bodyweight exercises can be practiced in almost any environment, whether it is urban or rural (prairies will be more challenging in this case). Many cities have open air public gyms or playgrounds which can provide excellent tools to focus on specific body areas or performance areas(for those into aerobical training the walking machines,running paths,mounted bycicles and rope pyramids are a massive boon).
Sea shores and deeper rivers or lakes offer one the possibility of swimming,obviously (personal fancy in cold weather is to take a long jog and instead of cooling down jump into the water for a short swim)

Gostro's personal favorite work out?

Rope jumping.

Before you laugh your asses off and rightfully so I will give you a brief intro:
I took boxing classes when i was younger and I was fascinated by the rope,it was the breaking point of the class which separated the ones who were serious about continuing from the soon to give up amateurs.
I was always a slow learner and under performer in comparison when it came to physical activity but I was quite zealous in my determination to prove myself,endurance was where we more suffered the most at and where I decided I'd force myself to enjoy and excel in-to me the path was through the jump rope.


Several years later and in spite of all the low points I've fell into, I'm back onboard.
At 24 I reached my peak performance and was able to jump for an hour and more, almost non-stop though mis-steps,pissing pauses and tying shoe laces were something I had not yet corrected back then.
Today I'm 30,have been off the caffeine for 4 months and have almost not touched the booze except on very special occasions (I abused it long enough and am quite surpirsed to have been able to cut it,then again having a medical examination scare can do wonders) and have reached and surpassed my previous performance capacity.
(Those that think that at the end of your tweens its over can take a note and realize that it is never too late to start anew with whatever is at hand)

Since my last post, I secured a room situation and have nearly succeeded in making the money I need for my rolling house idea I had posted before about.
It sounds like a no-brainer but in the long term having a stable shelter where you can lay your stuff without fear of loss or damage can do wonders as your mind can be liberated to better concentrate on adressing ways to overcome old obstacles and progress into new structures.
This has been the case with me, in a few months I am hoping to find myself working on tuning up a van to be my rolling home while sort of being back in society.
It feels amazing not having to deal with freaks,loonies and socially problematic dreadlocked losers and being treated with respect and equality by average folk. I think if I hadnt fallen so low and explored the underworld of traveling I would have never been able to appreciate such a simple pleasure.

[RatInTheWoods]

This thread needs an update by the OP

[debeguiled]

Yeah, and where the hell is El Gostro when you need him?

[Hypno]

The film Easy Rider, ostensibly about motorcycles, explored a lot of these issues including the hypocrisy and sexual politics of communes, the Man, charity and karma, normies, and how your alternative appearance can be both an asset and a liability.

The film had welcomed anti-esablishment values including drug use and therefore was seen as an anthem for the 60s generation (what you think of as the sixties really happened in the 70s). So the film is praised more highly than its plot would justify. Still, if you enjoyed this thread you would enjoy the film. Also, a young Jack Nicholson nearly steals the show.

The interesting thing is that something of the 60s zeitgeist has returned. The current generation has a lot less interest in owning things than owning experiences. Tiny houses are a thing now.