Hi, names Tao

[Tao_of_Pi]

Greetings.

I've never actually squatted before but it's always been of great intrest to me, and I really want to give it a try. Right now I'm not doing anything with my life, I'm 20, have been out of school for well over a year and am currently leeching off my parents . Because of my grades back in school and financial situation I've pretty much pissed away any chance at college.

My plans right now are to make it out to Las Vegas around mid-March. I checked plane tickets and it looks like I can get a one-way flight for <$150. Which would leave me with about $300 to start out with. Hopefully I can survive on around $5-$7 a day, but I'm not sure how I'm going to make money beyond that (panhandling maybe?). I plan on squatting in residential neighborhoods because I can pick/bump the locks, I'll switch neighborhoods every 2-3 weeks so as not to piss off residents and cops.

After a few months I think I might want to hop up to the pacific north-west (Portland or Seattle). I don't really know much about train-hopping yet except for the fact that it can be a bit difficult with rail bosses and such, but hopefully I'll learn more browsing this site.

I'm not a 100% sure what I'm going to be taking with me yet, but want to limit it to what can fit into my large military type duffel bag. What i'm taking for sure will be 4-5 changes of clothes, 2 spyderco folding knives, lock picks / bump keys, a toothbrush, and maybe some books. I'd like to know what items some of you guys have found very useful?

So cheers, I hope my time spent on this board will turn out to be educational.

 

[Angela]

Welcome! Spend some time researching on here before you head out. I wish I'd had this place years ago. Definitely best to travel as light as you can while still having everything that you need. Don't be stealing from anybody except corporations though, those are always ok to steal from. By "rail bosses" are you talking about bulls(railroad cops)?

 

[Tao_of_Pi]

Welcome! Spend some time researching on here before you head out. I wish I'd had this place years ago. Definitely best to travel as light as you can while still having everything that you need. Don't be stealing from anybody except corporations though, those are always ok to steal from. By "rail bosses" are you talking about bulls(railroad cops)?

Yeah I meant Bulls, couldn't think of the proper term.

As far as clothes, I don't mind dirt or anything, I'm from South Dakota. I'm just not sure what the rate of wear on my clothes would be. But thanks for the heads up, that'll make my load quite a bit lighter. I didn't really plan on coming back home or anything, I was hoping on setting up somewhere once I found a city I really liked.

 

[kai]

the last time I moved somewhere, i took a knit wool sweater, longjohns, merino wool longsleeve, two tshirts, 2 pairs of socks, sleeping bag, scarf, mittens and toque(beanie) because I was hopping to said destination. Once I got a room it filled itself up for free...Everything you need will come your way once you get to where you are going. Also I recommend only a book or two at a time and just swap them once you're done they get heavy.

 

[dirty_rotten_squatter]

as kai mentioned, long johns are a must!! there will be times that you wont find a place to squat and will have to sleep outside, these things are light dont take up much room and they are amazingly warm. a few sharpies as well to make signs and I usually carry a camel pack with me, its easier than lugging a jug, but if you cant ration yourself its better to use a jug.

 

[compass]

Welcome!

Why Vegas? Have you ever been there before? You don't have to go too far off the strip to see that Vegas is just a shitty depressed mess. I don't plan on ever going back there unless I have to. I'd recommend just heading straight to the Pacific Northwest.

Good luck!

 

[stove]

You're bringing bump keys? Seriously? Like, bumps for the common Schlage/etc 5 tumbs? Otherwise, you'd need to be somewhat specific with the keyways of spots you're planning on bumping....Be careful with the picks, some cities have specific laws against carrying "burglary implements" (similarly treated to drug paraphernalia).

Just out of curiosity, why bother flying to Vegas for $150, and then heading off? Why not save the money and hitch from where you're at? Just some thoughts...good luck!

 

[IBRRHOBO]

Yeah, first if u research me you'll find that I'm the blunt asshole so don't take offense. Intros are just that intros. So, I'd first post an intro. Then, I'd read the other posts to find out if there are answers to the ?'s I wanna ask. ALL of them have been addressed.

Now, I'll address a few of them as I am OTR and bored. First, why the fuck r u gonna spend what most of us make in a good month on a plane? If u wanna truely explore this world that ur considering, u might (and here I'm being really liberal) consider grey-dog. Second, ur talking nochallantly (sp?) about picks and bumping like it's ordering a corn dog @ the state fair. If ur gonna squat (and Vegas is the LAST fucking place I'd pick ... no pun intended) do it the right way. Now, here I'm gonna get a lot of backlash and I don't really give a fuck. Let's picture this: gee, I have a pack on, I'm in V-Fucking-egas, and I'm gonna act like I belong @ a place while I use a 'rake' to scatter the tumbler. What if it's a deadbolt? I ask as this as it's what I do out here ... did I mention I do it legally? Yeah, it's a bit more complicated than the Hollywood depictions.

With all that said, read the posts, contemplate what ur gonna do, grab a bottle of bourbon and avoid Nevada like the plague!

Welcome aboard and Good Hunting!

 

[stove]

Oh yeah, and on the "rate of wear of clothes" subject: Shit wears out. When it does, learn to sew and patch it up. When all else fails, aquire new stuff. It happens.

 

[mkirby]

Hey, i'd check out the "what to pack" thread in the trainhopping section. The topic of what goes in your bag has been hashed and rehashed there to the point of insanity.

 

[mkirby]

Hahah ok no offense arrow, but I might never get another chance to use this one.

:deadhorse:

 

[Tao_of_Pi]

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, my internet access is limited.

But I chose Vegas for a few reasons. First my local airport is fairly small and there aren't many places they fly to, and a flight to Vegas is dirt cheap (almost twice as cheap as getting a greyhound ticket, I've checked). Secondly the current real-estate market is terrible, making my housing choices plentiful. LV is also one of the few cities in which I know some people.

As far as bump keys go, I have a good selection (about 16 or so), and most houses use the same type of locks (Kwikset/Schlage/Weslock/Yale). If I don't have the proper key I'll probably just move on to another house, It'd also be pretty easy to just ID the lock and go to the local Home Depot to buy the proper key blank and cut it myself (I'm taking a key decoder with me). And like I said, I know how to pick locks as well, I average <30sec on most Kwikset deadbolts with an S rake. Most states do have burglary tool laws, but for the charges to stick they'd have to prove that said tools were used in a burglary and theft has taken place. I know that I'm going to get picked up sooner or later and there's a definite possibility that the police will take my picks/bump keys, but that shouldn't be a huge concern because I have experience in making my own.

I've considered hitching my way there, but going 1,100 miles without any previous experience in mid-march, when it's still cold as shit where I live seems like I might be biting off more than I can chew. I want to make sure I can swim before I jump off into the deep end.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I have been reading other threads and have a much better idea of what I'm going to be taking with me.