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  1. MetalBryan

    Street Cred - Homeless-name name dropping

    I made the title in the hope it would be respected and not criticized but this is an awkward subject for me so all input is embraced. Right now, and for the past 8 months, I have been housed and working at a non-profit helping folks get free bicycles. On several occasions, folks come in and at...
  2. MetalBryan

    Question How do you talk about your negative experiences traveling or living rough?

    I like to write, but I haven't written anything in a while because instead of offering a critique or "friendly warning" about my experiences, I tend to dwell on the negative and come off as cynical. We've been talking about individuals banned from StP in the past and some of that is relevant, so...
  3. MetalBryan

    Has anyone used ChatGPT to further their nomadic agenda?

    I'm trying to come up with a reason to sign up for Open AI that isn't going to have me wasting hours making useless but amusing images. If you've used this for something related to StP I'd love to hear it. openai.com/chatgpt
  4. MetalBryan

    13k miles/year in North America to have reliable 70 degree weather.

    I didn't post this in "destinations" because it isn't limited to the US and didn't post in van-dwelling because not all of us have vehicles. I posted it here because I hate being too hot or cold when I sleep. Source data: Brian B's Climate Blog...
  5. MetalBryan

    Has anyone been to a show at the Montopolis Bridge, Austin, TX?

    I just heard about this and though Austin, TX is a little far to travel for me I am very curious about how shows happen on a bridge. Any links or info you have I'd be interested.
  6. MetalBryan

    "Phrogging" - advanced squatting or ignorant crime?

    Maybe you've heard of this but I sure haven't. Sounds dangerous for all sorts of reasons and doesn't seem stealthy enough to be viable. There weren't any MSM articles about it and the Phrogging subreddit was private. Dark web something something. Your thoughts...
  7. MetalBryan

    PedalCell - Quick release bicycle USB charging device $$$$$

    Here's something I came across in the bike shop today. Not sure how new this tech is but it's new to me so I watned to share. For cyclists at least it is a better solution for USB than solar charging. There may be other brands I didn't dig too deep...
  8. MetalBryan

    Closeout deal - $75 small sized wearable sleeping bag

    This thing looks impractical to me, but for $75 you can sleep naked forever and nobody will ever know. https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/201426/selkbag-original-6g-wearable-sleeping-bag
  9. MetalBryan

    Portland accused of violating ADA by allowing camping on sidewalks

    Interesting intersection between folks who need mobility devices or are visually impaired and legal(ish?) sidewalk camping.
  10. MetalBryan

    With everything getting hotter, what are your methods for staying cool?

    I typed "Staying cool" into the search and got nothing related to beating the heat on the first page. Hope this can update the topic for 2022 or get moved and make an old post fresh. I am slightly concerned about the 105F+ string of days coming up. There are plenty of "it's a dry heat just...
  11. MetalBryan

    Homeless Island

    5 locations are under consideration in Miami, FL to concentrate the city's homeless population. One of them is an island. https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/police-shut-down-virginia-key-outdoor-center-involved-in-miami-homeless-debate/amp/ The best conspiracy theory so far is that this is...
  12. MetalBryan

    "Liberal US cities change course, now clearing homeless camps"

    https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-ted-wheeler-poverty-edb884d8bf98e45b16372c1c8b7182e7
  13. MetalBryan

    Thermacell Mosquito Repelling Backpacker Gadget

    Saw this on a forum. Takes up more space than spray and the reviews make me believe it is effective but unreliable. Has anyone used something like this...
  14. MetalBryan

    Free tents (and other camping gear) in the news

    Here's a story about a UK festival where the estimate (reddit) 60,000 tents and an estimated (reddit) 1 million pounds sterling of camping gear was left behind at the festival. https://thetab.com/uk/2021/08/31/tents-left-at-festivals-leeds-reading-creamfields-221131 If there isn't already an...
  15. MetalBryan

    Eviction Moratorium Speculation

    I've been thinking about the end of the eviction moratorium and what it means for the future of housing. Generally, I think it's going to crush small landlords. Banks or big corps will buy up their property and there's going to be a lot of housing not lived in. There will probably be some...
  16. MetalBryan

    Your ideal final exit off the road?

    We're talking about it in a thread about not wanting to die in Florida, so okay it got me thinking. If I get to choose, where do I want to die? Obviously we can't control this but we can influence the outcome to some degree. I always wanted to die at work, after my morning coffee but before my...
  17. MetalBryan

    Living at Airports

    Here's a short article about people living at airports, with some updated stats about the pandemic. www.cnn.com/travel/article/how-people-end-up-living-at-airports
  18. MetalBryan

    News & Blogs Van-living ladies man from The Villages documentary says he had to leave town

    "Dennis Dean, the 83-year-old California drifter who in the film cruises community pools looking for well-off women who might provide him a cushy lifestyle, said he’s still crashing in his van and working his pick-up “system.” He’s just not in The Villages anymore." Here's the article about the...
  19. MetalBryan

    Secret Hideaway in Miami

    Chapman Field Park is a baseball field closed for soil testing, but you can't even see the ball fields. Wish I had grabbed a photo because the bleachers are overlooking probably five years of tropical growth. The main attraction is the dog park, but the Google reviews complain how far it is...
  20. MetalBryan

    Question Bike Tour & Camping during Covid - SE US

    Covid got my old cycling & mechanic skill set back into action. I'm in a good place to prepare for a bike tour, so this isn't so much about the HOW or the WHERE, but the WHY. I'm in Miami and I have a place to stay until late January or early February. I've been giving serious consideration to...
  21. MetalBryan

    POLL: should I go back to work?

    Using only the information you have right now, please consider whether or not I should go back to work. If you have time, please include the reasoning behind your vote.
  22. MetalBryan

    To the tweakers scoping out my squat...

    I have been leaving the lights off at night for a few days because I got spooked. I won't do that again because I don't approve of what you did with sugar packets in my front yard. However, I'm leaving the empty packets where you left them because these gentrifying assholes have to learn this...
  23. MetalBryan

    How has covid19 changed your social circle?

    I'm trying really hard to cut my friends slack during the apocalypse. It's been really difficult so it would help me to hear about your experiences. For me, friends who insisted they would help me out in any way they could have not when I finally got the courage to ask for a little help...
  24. MetalBryan

    Turning over the squat

    My squatting is coming to an end. I can either: turn my squat over to the city, giving me some protection if something happens to the physical structure. Declaring the property vacant would give me some legal protection. Or, instead of declaring the property abandoned, give it over to a...
  25. MetalBryan

    Homeless take over home in Los Angeles

    And so it has begun. Mom's leading the movement. https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2020-03-14/homeless-moms-occupy-house-los-angeles-caltrans-coronavirus-pandemic
  26. MetalBryan

    My first week...

    As of March 1, I am a squatter. It's not the first time, but the scale of it feels larger because I'm not sneaking around. I've become the default caretaker of a property without permission and this was the first month a rent check wasn't cut. This all started in March (yeah, almost a year ago)...
  27. MetalBryan

    28 days for $420, become a yoga instructor and eat free meals

    To be upfront, I don't know shit about yoga and don't fancy myself being restrained enough to live here for a month... but my friend was telling me about this last night - Living Yoga Training - Month Long Immersion Program -...
  28. MetalBryan

    Hobo Art

    Text from Kickstarter page, link below. Mostly True (third edition) is the print culmination of, by now, 36 years of obsessive rail culture documentation, collection, and culture jamming by filmmaker and artist Bill Daniel. The book is an ongoing “archive practice” that has followed the...
  29. MetalBryan

    An empty residential plot near downtown Los Angeles

    Like the title says, my friend owns an empty plot of land (zoned residential) near downtown Los Angeles. He hasn't built anything on it because he doesn't want to gentrify, but he brought up that I could make use of it if I wanted to move there. I can't afford to build a proper house and...
  30. MetalBryan

    Smartphones & Plans in 2020

    I was searching older threads about cellular tech and thought it might be worth starting an updated list. I have a hand-me-down iPhone 6, but we're shutting off our internet service in the house in a couple weeks so I thought I'd browse again. Here's something I've been tracking.... TracFone LG...
  31. MetalBryan

    Short-term Food Not Bombs Activist Residency in Washington, DC.

    From the Washington DC Food Not Bombs facebook page: Short-term Activist Residency Available in Washington, DC. Sponsored by DC Food Not Bombs in February. Stay in close proximity to innumerable events suited to your individual, progressive political agenda. Ample space to work on creative...
  32. MetalBryan

    Moms 4 Housing Evicted : News item

    If you didn't know, like me, now you know. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/us/moms-4-housing-homeless-evicted-oakland-trnd/index.html
  33. MetalBryan

    Permanent address & insurance & mail forwarding all-in-one - Escapees RV Club

    I was digging through my ol' van-dwelling info and came across something I never investigated. I hope it hasn't been covered (I could not find a reference on StP to Escapees RV Club, Escapees RV Club (Home) · Freedom Driven - https://www.escapees.com/) by another post. Does anyone have any...
  34. MetalBryan

    Sleeping in the pickup bed - not your vehicle

    I was taking the train to work this morning and looking at all the pickups without toppers in the commuter parking lots. I remembered taking naps in my pickup when I owned one.... Has anyone resorted to sleeping in the bed of an unoccupied pickup? FYI I'm not advocating this as a good idea just...
  35. MetalBryan

    Books vs. Digital Information - specific resources

    I love physical books and I love physically writing. Here's three books (with plenty of space for my own note taking) in my pack that I feel are more or less "necessary" but I'd really love to see a discussion about your favorite books vs. their digital counterparts. Having everything contained...
  36. MetalBryan

    Ditch your whole life & go - story swap

    I'm at the point I just want to blow up my tidy life & hit the road. I'd love to hear your stories about when you just left everything & everyone for adventure! It was 2003 and I was 22. I was in a bad way with all the best vices. I had to leave town, no joke. Before I made the decision to...
  37. MetalBryan

    Happy Pride & Fuck Hatred

    Pride is this weekend in our fair city and we’re making burritos for the rallies. This post is twofold: 1. I’m wearing my new StP bandanna to keep from sweating in the food. 2. Please say hateful things in this thread so you can get banned.
  38. MetalBryan

    Free Boat in Baltimore - link in post 1 week old

    "Free, tall rig, furling sail. engine in good shape. needs keel bolts fixed, I have all the materials to do the job but I do not have the time. Free, at young's boat yard in sparrows point." facebook.com/marketplace/item/624054038022696/
  39. MetalBryan

    Tents in the woods near Greenbelt, Maryland

    I ride the bus to work and for years I've seen a few tent campers in the woods between Greenbelt & Laurel, MD. I always admire these tents - looking for them and noticing changes in encampment gives me something to do on my daily commute. Sometimes these are bicycle-supported smaller tents...
  40. MetalBryan

    Wallet Thread... or Small, Flat Pouches

    After ten years I need a new small, flat case to carry small, flat items. To start this thread I'll share three items, but I hope this starts an interesting thread about how everyone deals with document/dollar storage and transport. I favor a small wallet in my front pocket, but I'm interested...
  41. MetalBryan

    Featured My Alice pack and carry gear

    The reason I am posting this is sort of self-reflective but maybe some of you will find a useful peice of information. I am finally staring down an eviction I always knew was inevitable. I don't know where I'll go, necessarily, but I know it will likely be around the new year - in winter as a...
  42. MetalBryan

    Living Rough Solidarity

    Howdy. I have some experience as a couch surfer and a city-camper. Though I never hitched or hopped, the highlight was living in a van for three years in Los Angeles. Fifteen minutes a week I wouldn't have traded it for the world, but the rest of the time it was hard. It changed me, and I don't...