US Road Trip - advice needed

[EternalOptimist]

Real men don't need a camper vans - they hitch hike and camp out under the stars (bridges if wet)

True story

the problem is this. in order to cover vast distances, many times , you need a kit and a modus operandi.

this reduces the amount you have to think. you need a doctrine. If you plan on doing a thousand miles a day for a few days, you dont want to have to think as well.


you cant sleep under a bridge in australia, unless you want to be a crocodile turd
you cant sleep outdoors oop north unless you want to become a bear turd.
Sleep outdoors in the city and you will get arrested or robbed
the only safe way to sleep outdoors in the wild is under your vehicle, then you cant see the stars anyway.

[EternalOptimist]

This is my all season all-terrain kit

it weighs about 18 lbs. easy for plane travel, easy for living out of when on the road.





1 Holdall
5 pairs underrods
5 pairs socks
2 pairs kecks
5 light tops
1 watch uk time
2 pairs lassies
1 corkscrew
1 compass
1 belt
1 alarm clock
1 battery charger with 4 batts
1 pair short bladed scissors
1 spoon
some emergency loose change
1 swiss knife
1 torch
bumroll (toiletries that can be wrapped up like a sausage roll)

[Ignis Fatuus]

you cant sleep under a bridge in australia, unless you want to be a crocodile turd
you cant sleep outdoors oop north unless you want to become a bear turd.
Sleep outdoors in the city and you will get arrested or robbed
the only safe way to sleep outdoors in the wild is under your vehicle, then you cant see the stars anyway.

Against all expectations, tropical Africa is the safest place to sleep outdoors.

[OwlHoot]

This is my all season all-terrain kit

it weighs about 18 lbs. easy for plane travel, easy for living out of when on the road.

Looks fairly practical, although that mattress must be a sod to cart around.

[Lockhouse]

I'm doing the same next May. Three weeks doing Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Savannah, Charlotte & the Gulf Coast - We're staying in hotels (for free - it's all about contacts!) but are hiring a small RV for convenience. We have friends in Nashville who are arranging the whole thing for us (and joining us). I costed it out with us just as a couple and the RV and I couldn't make the numbers work. The RV really does eat the gasoline making long distances expensive.

[EternalOptimist]

I'm doing the same next May. Three weeks doing Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Savannah, Charlotte & the Gulf Coast - We're staying in hotels (for free - it's all about contacts!) but are hiring a small RV for convenience. We have friends in Nashville who are arranging the whole thing for us (and joining us). I costed it out with us just as a couple and the RV and I couldn't make the numbers work. The RV really does eat the gasoline making long distances expensive.

absolutely. add in the fact that you need to find a hook up, slow speed and difficulty parking sometimes. we decided against it, despite the obvious attractions

[EternalOptimist]

it seems we have quite a community of roadsters here

EO's take on the roles and responsibilities.

1. The Driver.
Most important job is to keep you all alive. bear in mind you may be driving on the other side of the road, unfamiliar vehicle, unfamiliar weather conditions, unfamiliar road traffic rules. You may be jet lagged, hung over, tired, stressed, have the galloping wild-sh1tes. Your job is stay focussed for anything up to 16 hours. You may cross time zones and move from km to mph without warning.

2. The navigator.
The navigators job starts before you even pick up the vehicle. You have to leave the car-hire and hit the route first time. You have to know the road traffic rules as well as the driver and find a way of communicating problems quickly without causing any aggro. You are a navigator not a back seat driver.
e.g. speed limit 50mph. drifting to the right. stop sign ahead. breakfast place 100m ahead on the right. pull in 50m ahead for a photo.
(Not - omg we are going to die. didnt you see that stop sign you idiot. You knew i was hungry why didnt you stop. oh we just missed a brilliant photo op)

You have to know exactly where you are, and you must be able to communicate it accurately. The driver might be asking for a reason , e.g. red warning lights on the dash, low fuel etc
a good answer - 15 miles east of auburn on the I5 heading east
a bad answer - we're near that place, you know, the one we nearly went to, with the wall mart. over by whatisface. oh i dont know, wheres me map.

The navigator has to handle the in car refreshments, the in car entertainment, and work out how all the gizmos operate.

The navigator is not a passenger.

[TimberWolf]

This is my all season all-terrain kit

it weighs about 18 lbs. easy for plane travel, easy for living out of when on the road.





1 Holdall
5 pairs underrods
5 pairs socks
2 pairs kecks
5 light tops
1 watch uk time
2 pairs lassies
1 corkscrew
1 compass
1 belt
1 alarm clock
1 battery charger with 4 batts
1 pair short bladed scissors
1 spoon
some emergency loose change
1 swiss knife
1 torch
bumroll (toiletries that can be wrapped up like a sausage roll)

I'd add the following as they weigh so little: needle + strong thread, paper clip (a handy bit of metal), gaffa/duct tape (wrapped around e.g an old credit card), safety pin.

[DimPrawn]

omg we are going to die. didnt you see that stop sign you idiot. You knew i was hungry why didnt you stop. oh we just missed a brilliant photo op

You been on a trip to Tesco's with my missus then?

[Troll]

the problem is this. in order to cover vast distances, many times , you need a kit and a modus operandi.

this reduces the amount you have to think. you need a doctrine. If you plan on doing a thousand miles a day for a few days, you dont want to have to think as well.


you cant sleep under a bridge in australia, unless you want to be a crocodile turd
you cant sleep outdoors oop north unless you want to become a bear turd.
Sleep outdoors in the city and you will get arrested or robbed
the only safe way to sleep outdoors in the wild is under your vehicle, then you cant see the stars anyway.

Ohh good post... never been to OZ but I guess you have to take into account the local pedator proximity before pitching up

I've slept out in some parks in the US but crawled back into the car due to worries about bears.... prob more me being a chicken rather than any immediate threat - the family who were giving me a lift were in a tent ... not sure they were that safe either

I've been stranded in Seattle late on a Saturday night and kipped down in an alley and survived... I've also kipped out on the streets of Glasgow on a Friday evening having missed the last bus south..was with a girl and local police patrol saw us and advised us to be carefull but didn't arrest us ..keep your wits about you & you'll survive - not sure I'd do the same in LA though