Heres my dilemma

[Wookie]

Put yourself in my shoes for a second; what would YOU do in a situation like this.

10 months ago I had plans to leave this shitty state and everyone behind. I've never been traveling before, I've never seen snow and never been on a train. my life is slowly going to shit, 19 no where to go. I got back with the girl I fell in love with, we've been together since a very happy relation ship, but filled with jealousy. I've tried time after time to convince her to come with me, she doesnt want to leave for more then a week considering shes starting college for ethnobotany ..........................................so today she tells me we should take a break and I should go do what I think would make me happy, fallow threw with my plans I made 10 months ago. I'm stuck between two options; sit around the same four walls and wait for the day she packs her bags and comes with me. Or go venture on my own and leave the girl I love and the shitty state we live in behind.
I can already fit everything I own in one bag, not including my dog.

I'm depressed, and only have about 300$ to my name......Buy pack, smaller tent, and leave? Or stay at my shitty call center job making min wage, and save for a life that seems so meaningless.

 

[Myechtatel]

if she's in college she's not going anywhere.
but if you're leaving for the first time, be very careful. if you don't have the right gear it's going to make it really hard and you're gonna really regret it. you might want to stick around a little bit and save up some more. also, get food stamps. it'll make thngs a lot easier until you learn the ropes. get a nice hiking pack and a lightweight(under 3 pounds) tent. also a good sleeping bag and pad are important. carry socks and underwear and one t-shirt. a jacket helps too. you can do laundry once in a while if you want but get used to being dirty. you want your pack to weigh less than 25 pounds when you're all done. comfort is key. don't fuck around with military gear or walmart gear. you WILL regret it.
this is simply my experience. i tell everyone the same thing because i made almost every mistake i could when i first left. there's a lot you don't think about. you plan for things that won't ever happen and you don't plan for things that happen on a daily basis.

 

[Wookie]

I feel like the way I look is going to hinder my ability to hitch.
How long did you take for your first trip?

I found a alice pack on craigslist for 20 bones and this tent online Wenzel Current - Hiker Tent 2011, 36447 | Backpacking Tents | Tents | GEAR | items from Campmor.
It doesnt say how much it weighs but it doesn't look like it could weigh any more then 5 pounds.

I know I have the ability to go out on my own, just do I have the heart to leave the only thing in this world I care about behind.

 

[ericafuckyea]

The way you look isn't going to hinder you while hitchhiking. Just do your best to look friendly and have a positive attitude about it, you'll be alright. I agree that if your girls in college she probably isnt going to take off with you, so figure out what your priorities are. see if she'll be cool with you taking a trip first to try it out, if not then you're faced with an ultimatum and have to decide what you want. good luck.

 

[Alaska]

The good ol' ultimatum. Always a rip-roarin' good time.

I always seem to pick the traveling. Do I regret it? Sometimes.

Do what ya gotta do, man.

 

[Myechtatel]

I found a alice pack on craigslist for 20 bones and this tent online Wenzel Current - Hiker Tent 2011, 36447 | Backpacking Tents | Tents | GEAR | items from Campmor.
It doesnt say how much it weighs but it doesn't look like it could weigh any more then 5 pounds.

I know I have the ability to go out on my own, just do I have the heart to leave the only thing in this world I care about behind.

not trying to disrespect but that's the shit i'm talking about. ALICE packs are the worst idea ever. they do not properly distribute weight, they are not adjustable to your torso, they are not functional, they are not useful for anything. I did the same thing when I left. Me, my friend and my girlfriend had 25-30 pounds in our ALICE packs and couldn't do it. We left and came back the same day. walking anywhere was excruciating. we upgraded to newer military bags. similar to the MOLLE packs and we made it about a month before someone turned us onto hiking packs. My grilfriend and I ended up getting Kelty Trekkers.You can get them for less than $100 on campmor.com and it is the best traveling pack ever. I could carry 40 pounds easily and comfortably.
as for the tent. we bought a walmart tent. it was horrible packing and carrying that piece of shit every day for a month. our friend didn't last a week so me and my girlfriend got a Kelty Gunnison 2.1 after a month and absolutely love it. we paid $160.
if i was by myself i'd get a bivy and a tarp(150-300 dollars). if that's too steep you can get a single person kelty or eureka tent for 60-80 dollars. i highly reccomend you do some more research. when you only have a couple things it's important that they're good things and not dead weight.
think about sleeping bags too. don't get a walmart or military one. they're heavy, bulky and don't insulate worth shit.
as far as looks go, the stranger you look, the more interested people will be and the better chance you have. at least, that's my theory. i always thought i looked scary to "normal" people but i guess not. don't worry too much about your appearance.

 

[LarZ]

If it was me? Firstly, we all have our own path and it's never a good idea to change that to fit someone else's agenda. If you actually want to go, go, but don't be running from anything, because you won't be able to outrun it. Go to go, go to be free.

Also, as far as gear, (1) I'd skip the tent, go with a tarp or a bivvy sack, and (2) go to an REI and steal that shit! Act like a shopper, go in, ask about the gear, tell them what you're planning (they know their shit and they have great gear), look at the packs, the sleeping bags, the bivvy's, the knives, the camping stoves, the dog packs! Shop around, remember what you liked. Then, when it feels good, grab the pack, stuff your shit in it (but don't be obvious because I'm sure they've watched this go down before) and head for the door. They will not chase you, but if you're getting a lot of gear you may want to find multiple stores to hit and do it in pieces.

Good luck!

 

[Wookie]

As of my first time heading out of Florida, best bet to head out alone, or find a friend?

And if anyone wants to chime in on what their first trip was like I'd love to hear the stories and how it all made you feel.

 

[Myechtatel]

As of my first time heading out of Florida, best bet to head out alone, or find a friend?

And if anyone wants to chime in on what their first trip was like I'd love to hear the stories and how it all made you feel.

haha, why didn't you say so? i'm in florida right now. what city are you in?

 

[Myechtatel]

If it was me? Firstly, we all have our own path and it's never a good idea to change that to fit someone else's agenda. If you actually want to go, go, but don't be running from anything, because you won't be able to outrun it. Go to go, go to be free.

Also, as far as gear, (1) I'd skip the tent, go with a tarp or a bivvy sack, and (2) go to an REI and steal that shit! Act like a shopper, go in, ask about the gear, tell them what you're planning (they know their shit and they have great gear), look at the packs, the sleeping bags, the bivvy's, the knives, the camping stoves, the dog packs! Shop around, remember what you liked. Then, when it feels good, grab the pack, stuff your shit in it (but don't be obvious because I'm sure they've watched this go down before) and head for the door. They will not chase you, but if you're getting a lot of gear you may want to find multiple stores to hit and do it in pieces.

Good luck!

No REI's in Florida =[
Really not a whole lot of hiking stores in florida period. 'cept northern maybe.
but yeah, if you're in florida your best bet is just ordering some shit online. get good gear though. i can't stress that enough.

 

[Myechtatel]

just thought i'd throw up some links:

if you want an external frame pack, this is your best bet. my traveller friend just switched to this from an ALICE after using mine and said he can't believe he didn't do it earlier. he threw is ALICE pack in the trash. haha.

Kelty Trekker 3900 Men's External Frame Pack - 2010, 90295 | External Backpacks | Packs | GEAR | items from Campmor.

if you want a cheap, good internal frame pack this one's great

Kelty Red Cloud 5600 Internal Frame Backpack - 2010, 90283 | Internal Backpacks | Packs | GEAR | items from Campmor.

for shelter you're gonna have to decide whether you want to do bivy+tarp or just a 1 person tent.
for a sleeping bag you can either get a winter bag(0-10rated) and use that or you can get a winter bag and a summer bag if you have somewhere to keep them and trade out. you can get a good sleeping bag for $50 at campmor.
a sleeping pad is important too. i stole my girlfriend and i two thermarest prolite's in georgia which woulda cost $200. but you don't have to spend that much. you can get a good closed cell pad for $20

sorry i know this isn't helping your situation i just want to make sure that if you do decide to go you don't regret it because i've been there and it sucks. i'd hate to see you leave this girl just to be miserable and stranded somewhere else.

 

[RideMoreTrains]

if you are depressed in the state you live in you will be depressed everywhere else. i've been all over the united states and i fucking love Florida. its not that much different than anywhere else it is what you make it. you sound a little pathetic in my opinion. you are 19 years old there is no fucking way your life is slowly going to shit unless you allow it too. you can do whatever the fuck you want right now but if you think traveling and riding trains is going to fix your life your wrong. when your tired, cold, hungry, and lonely that depression does not ease. riding trains is hard and not that glorious. plenty of times i just wanted to go home and see my dogs and family but was not able to. the strong ones deal with it the other ones don't and get a bus ticket home. you'll find out what kind of person you are on the road real quick.

 

[Alaska]

Agreed. But it's not something that is bound.

When you do figure out what kind of person you are, and hate what you see, then you can change yourself. Trust me. I did. I always had a lack of discipline in my life. I was a codependent little shit who thought I could do this just because I was poor and had to live from shelter to shelter most of my youth.

I was way fucking wrong. See my avatar? It's a healthy reminder that I used to suck, hard. Other than the hoodie and shorts I wore, I had probably a shirt, a sleeping bag, and a half empty bag of tobacco with the rest of it scattered about my pack. (Cambridge, 4 years ago)

But, I changed. And after dealing with the repercussions of youth alcoholism, complete despondence, and having my parents send me money whenever I was out (i was such a little bitch), I am anew. And much better suited for the road because of it.

Find out if you were made for the road, or if ya have to make yourself a better person in general.

Just my experience with starting out.

 

[Wookie]

I live in Sanford. And as for a pack I found a really nice one in an als army navy, talked to the manager and possibly will be trading work for a pack. And I am allowing my life to go to shit, the depression spawns from walking around the same old job, streets, shit head friends, same four walls my feet are itching from being here 19 years. And I don't expect traveling to be some kind of magical experience. I'm just looking for some insight on who I am like you said Alaska. And I'm not trying to ride any trains with the little knowledge I have, that can wait. If I could ride a horse out of florida I would. Thank you for the links, Myechtatel. http://squattheplanet.com/members/myechtatel/

 

[Diagaro]

Yea You godda be happy from within no place or situation or drug can make you happy and your down will spread to those you keep company with and they will leave you behind often

 

[riseagainst]

steal a horse yo

 

[MrD]

Why does EVERYONE need things to be spelld out for them?!

 

[riseagainst]

not everyone knows how to spelt

 

[Traveler]

You live in Sanford eh? If you want a little test to get your feet wet, why don't you hitch or w/e over to the Ocala National Forest and hang out there for a few weeks. See how you like being away from home, but not so far that if you got into any sort of trouble that it would be too far away. There's lots of fresh water and fish(plenty of good swimming areas) and as long as you aren't acting shady people won't fuck with you.

 

[riseagainst]

i like travelers idea. and that way ur lady could even come and visit u