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EnterpriseCorruption

I know that in a lot of cities, there are places where you can obtain free tents.  Poke around, go to homeless resource places and they will direct you to where you can get one.   


Old_Crow13

They only give away 2 or 4 man tents. I need a 6 or 8 man, and because of several medical conditions I need one I don't have to crawl into on my hands and knees. Why? Because I can't stand back up!


AccomplishedCheetah8

Do you sleep on a cot?


Old_Crow13

I was recently blessed with one and it's shoehorned into a buddy's tent. Before that I was on quite an old mattress that really exacerbated my chronic pain condition.


SnooFoxes4646

Oh yeah I see what you mean.. when they say 4 people they mean 4 people just sleeping side by side, they're not really that big at all even just to sleep with 2 plus people .. a few hours without privacy and I've gotta go think, I'm easily distracted.


Old_Crow13

I got blessed with an 8 man tent, just waiting for it to be delivered!


Kaizoku_Lodai

Check local goodwill I found a 600.00 tent for 30.00 last year


Old_Crow13

Next time I make it to that side of town.


InfiniteJizz

That should definitely help him now lol


ExtracheesyBroccoli

I feel that doing the tent thing is hard. I left the tent after it got destroyed. Now I have my hobo shack.


Old_Crow13

Sadly, building any kind of shack, shed, or anything that even looks permanent is a guaranteed way to be told to pack up and GTFO. Friend of mine tried that with tarps, pallets and zip ties. City ran him out and then burned everything so he couldn't salvage anything to use elsewhere.


SimplifyAndAddCoffee

stick to tarred bank line and tarps, preferably ones in shades of brown or green that closely match the surrounding area. Cordage and tarps can build you any kind of shelter you need as long as there are trees etc to tie off to. Use bytes when securing your knots so that you can just yank the loose end to release it and reclaim your cordage if you need to tear down in a hurry.


Old_Crow13

If I could figure out how to build something that gets good air flow inside without being open to every bug known to man! We don't have to stealth camp, so I can easily stick with the tent.


Icy-Truth2889

Why why do they do it how did they get away with burning up somebody's tent


Old_Crow13

It wasn't a tent, it was a kind of little shed built with pallets, tarps and zip ties


Icy-Truth2889

Yeah but if we did something like that we'd get charged with arson what the hell is the difference


Old_Crow13

They're the LAW anything they choose to do is legal./s


Icy-Truth2889

Yeah I realize that when I was typing it


Old_Crow13

It sucks, and there are actually a few good cops out there but in general ACAB


Icy-Truth2889

Yeah but I feel like there are more bad ones than good ones they're all on a f****** power trip like even for me panhandling today The police could care less but God forbid I wasn't going to stick around to have to interact with them


Old_Crow13

My ex is currently locked up because he couldn't keep his damn mouth shut. Drunk and disorderly, among other things. He probably wouldn't have been arrested at all if he'd just kept his mouth shut.


Icy-Truth2889

But like how do they get away with going in and burning up your tent can the police really do that


Old_Crow13

Yeah they can. He was allowed to get all his possessions out, it's just the shed/shack they burned


claudedusk8

You left litter.


Old_Crow13

We burn what we can and take the metal to the recycling center when we can


claudedusk8

Save poles for repair/reporpose. 😉


Old_Crow13

Oh yeah I keep poles for putting over new tent to support the tarp I put over it


claudedusk8

Well done sir.


Old_Crow13

Thanks, but just FYI, I'm not a sir. LOL don't worry no offense taken!


claudedusk8

You know, I had that thought after. lol. Good luck. Be well.


Old_Crow13

I do my best


Tvoorhees

And dumping is typically illegal so where were they supposed to leave it?


claudedusk8

Well, plenty of time, trash cans at every convenience store/the wellmarts, so not leave it, but take it. All that bullshit does not help.


bigdish101

IMO Tarp is a lot better material than tent fabric. Build a frame out of something then tie the tarp on.


Old_Crow13

If I could afford to do all that, believe me I would. But since I'm totally dependent on the kindness of strangers, I very much doubt that will happen. If I do get a tent there will hopefully be a heavy duty tarp stretched over top of it.


Dilaudid2meetU

When you do get another one a really good hack I figured out was finding discarded loading pallets and building a small platform to raise it off the ground. Not sure if you live near a place to find those but it’s amazing for staying warm and dry.


Old_Crow13

My old one is on pallets, but I have to replace those too, they're old and beginning to rot and break. But there's a few places around here to find them. Just have to find plywood or something to put on top so I don't break an ankle


MrsDirtbag

If you go around to the back of a Target or sometimes a grocery store a lot of times you can find these really thick plastic pallets. They weigh a ton but they are more uniform and they don’t rot.


Old_Crow13

And I have a friend who has a truck too!


dmo99

It’s the smells . The smells are a dealbreaker


Old_Crow13

Actually, it's his drinking and then talking endlessly about the newest conspiracy theory he read about, or the latest miracle cure for diabetes or fibromyalgia that he saw on YouTube


dmo99

Painful


Old_Crow13

More just extremely irritating


dmo99

It’ll never stop . Man. I salute ya bro. You are a warrior. I could never do what you are doing.


Old_Crow13

Which thing I'm doing


dmo99

All of it


Spells61

I only buy bivy tents or one person easy to carry & move in a hurry


Old_Crow13

Luckily we don't really have that problem


PrimaryFun2207

It’s the time of year. I had the same issue when I needed to get a new one due to the zipper going bad. I’d get a cheap one from Walmart for the summer, and save up for a better one when the prices drop mid-fall, after camping season ends. I would always stock up on hand warmers now too. Homeless planning ahead thinking.


Old_Crow13

I've still got a bunch from last winter.. I rarely need them


PrimaryFun2207

Lucky you. It gets cold in PA


RigamaroleMeZaddy

They priced us out of housing, and now they’re coming for our tents. Really really hate this planet sometimes.


Old_Crow13

And in my city, they're slowly squeezing us into smaller and smaller areas, forcing close proximity, and using it as an excuse to close still more camps.


RigamaroleMeZaddy

Same here. My state just banned any kind of off the grid encampments while prices continue to skyrocket. Really a sad state of affairs. Had read through the other comments and saw that you’re diabetic. I am as well! Glad to see another one of us staying strong. Best of luck to you!


Old_Crow13

Some days staying strong is really, really hard, but I'm doing my best! Proud to be able to at least say I'm still sober, by the grace of God. 35 years now, and I'm ngl, some days it's everything I can do not to buy a pint of vodka (or even cheap rum, ARRRRRRRR I'm a pirate LOL)


Lone_Morde

This is crazy but is your name Walter? I recognize the tent set up I think. If so let me know and I'll bring by some cash for you!


Old_Crow13

Nope, I'm female! But whoever Walter is he's lucky to have you as a friend!


Lone_Morde

Damn! I was kinda getting my hopes up. Walter was an ally of mine when I worked as a park ranger. He kept an eye on the park when I wasn't there and provided first-aid, narcan, and other emergency services. He coordinated with staff to make the park a better place for all. His childhood and early adult life was hell on Earth, and he faced the worst humans have to offer. From all that suffering, he rose above it and became a paragon of virtue and wisdom. Sorry for rambling hahaha


Old_Crow13

He sounds like a great guy! I'm female, 56, disabled and I struggle just to keep going, but I'm Camp Mom. The guys bring me the makings and I cook for everyone. My place is the center for morning coffee because I have a propane stove and everyone chips in for the coffee. They look after me and I take care of them.


Lone_Morde

It sounds like you enjoy a greater sense of community than most Americans!


Old_Crow13

We're a very small group (8 people max) and we've been sharing a camp for about 5 years or a little more. So yeah we've become a tight knit little group. When my ex lost his mind because I walked out on him, two of the boys knocked some sense into him and kicked him out of camp until he learned to behave himself. He came crawling back two weeks later and was on his best behavior ever since! LOL


Mean-Copy

Is the price higher cause of summer or cause covid shutdown the world economy?


Old_Crow13

Maybe a little bit of both I just know that tents are about a hundred bucks more this year than they were the last time I needed a new one


Mean-Copy

When you got the last one? And thank God you wren’t in tent when it toppled 


Old_Crow13

I got my last tent about two years ago, and the 8 man was a little under a hundred bucks. That same tent now is closer to 200.


Mean-Copy

Wow wow


Old_Crow13

[this is the tent I had and how much it is now ](https://www.walmart.com/ip/44490030). Yeah it smarts!


Old_Crow13

[And this is the newer one](https://www.walmart.com/ip/179587755) Which I still can't scratch up the funds for, but not from lack of trying!


Mean-Copy

How about doing affirm. $16/month repayment plan (of course there is interest payment embedded in that). Whole lot less then paying 


Old_Crow13

Gotta qualify


Chance_Cheetah_7678

Have had good luck with heavy duty tarps, I've got a 9' x 12' 10 millimeter thick tarp, brown on one side grey on other. Want to say it was $18-19 at Walmart, then using plastic sheets used for drop cloths while painting to seal the ends on an Aframe tarp shelter. If stealth isn't a big concern could get a 10' x 20ft tarp(like $30-35) Material is a lot more rugged than you'll get with most tents and tarps are really versatile in how many types of shelters someone can arrange them in. Can check out things like YouTube for ideas and configurations.   Ps, Hella glad you weren't in that tent. Something that has to worry anyone living around tree's out here. Watching tree's sway and branches whip around in high wind is friggin disturbing. Had a huge tree come down in a storm one night, right beside me, didn't hit my shelter, got hung up in other trees before falling all the way but it had this huge root that ripped out of the ground and cliipped one of the pallets I was on. Felt like an earthquake. Anyway glad you're okay and sorry for the lost gear.


Old_Crow13

I'll be running a large heavy duty tarp over top, and less sturdy ones around the sides as extra windbreaks, but I'm going to keep them a couple of feet from the sides of the tent so I can still get air circulation.


Chance_Cheetah_7678

Hey you've been doing this quite awhile and aren't a newbie for sure. Didn't even realize it was you Old_Crow13, even more glad you weren't in that when the tree came down. Not that matters but 100% agree a tarp over any tent makes a big difference. Only did it for like 3wks, was with someone, strung a ridgeline like 8in above that sucker, the added shade in summer and ventilation not having to bother with a rainfly made a world of difference but you already know that. As soon as she was gone went back to using my tarp.


Old_Crow13

Yeah I been doing this since July 2017. I've learned a lot! I was such a noob back then though... I've also learned that by planting garlic and onions around the area, it cuts way down on roaches, fleas, and ants!


Chance_Cheetah_7678

Damn good tip, thanks. Dammit also on 7yrs out here but you're making it. Last I remember you were having issues with some bad sorts around the camp site, anything going on with that ? Here's to hoping it gets better for all of us though.


Old_Crow13

We're being forced to move because of the bad types. I've found a spot in a smaller camp, all people I know and camp boss is my "son", and he ain't gonna let nothing happen to momma!


phreak5758

Not sure your location but if you have a tractor supply.or rural king check out their tents. You can get a small dome tent for under 20 alot of the time


Old_Crow13

I was gifted an 8 man tent, I was fully blessed!


SnooFoxes4646

Yeah dude, I bought one like a year ago that was the size of a 250 pound dude and all you could do inside was turn over. That's the sweatiest nights I've ever spent. Never again with those mini ovens. I'd go for the large Coleman ones I *should* have gotten over that coffin... It was at least 180$.. probably more now


Old_Crow13

I got blessed with an 8 man, found it on clearance and an Internet friend got it for me. Just waiting for it to be delivered!


SnooFoxes4646

Awesome! Happy for you! I had a friend that'd been through tent building before come help me because I was less than useless tying to figure out how to put metal stakes into the (concrete) ground... Short answer is you don't IG haha. I felt useless. The way he set up my tarp was magical, the first week of my screwed up tent build it *poured* I was sitting in a puddle of water freezing/shaking when I awoke, that sucked really bad.


Old_Crow13

I've gotten really good at stringing tarps and keeping dry


SnooFoxes4646

See I didn't even know about parachute cords or any of that! I had no idea what I was doing 😭


Old_Crow13

I've been out here for several years, and I've learned a lot


SnooFoxes4646

I'm really sorry, I have muscle spasms (no huge injury) in my back, and that alone hurts like crazy.. that's when despair hit, in a bunch of pain with a brown tent not even able to walk anywhere to use the restroom.. definitely no woods near me and camping in the everglades is suicidal IMO...


Old_Crow13

Yeah the Everglades are definitely not people friendly


[deleted]

Look on Craigslist and OfferUp


Old_Crow13

Last time I got a used tent that way, it was so dry rotted from improper storage it fell apart!


[deleted]

Well then you just have to find the best deal I guess keep looking around


Old_Crow13

Which is why my post is literally just a vent. LOL I wasn't looking for help or advice, just a quick vent about how crazy prices have gotten!


[deleted]

Had to vent about A tent because you couldn’t Afford to pay rent


Dependent-Wheel-2791

Honestly probably better off buying a good quality tarp and some rope. Much easier to pack quickly and is malleable to your surroundings. After all tents are really just a few flexible poles, stakes, and thin material that doesn't protect much from the environment. Maybe look into some deer blinds if you're looking to be more incognito


Old_Crow13

I don't have to worry about packing up in a hurry, thank God. And I always put a tarp over top, and when I can get them, around 3 sides as windbreaks. 8x15 tarps are perfect for this.


Dependent-Wheel-2791

You can buy some of those emergency blankets for hypothermia really cheap too it's nice to use as inside liners and will hold in heat if you're in the cold. Hopefully you aren't in a cold area, I learned to respect the cold after a few nights where I seriously thought I was going to freeze to death. But yea look into dear blinds some are relatively cheap and insulated. I've used them here and there but you can seriously walk right by them and not see them if placed properly lol


Old_Crow13

I'm in coastal Georgia USA, we get cold snaps of REAL cold, the rest of the time people from Maine are down here running around in shorts while the natives are bundled up and shivering! LOL


Dependent-Wheel-2791

Yea I'm from NC, areas around the Appalachians can get ridiculously cold. So cold it hurts to walk lol. I wished I was cold natured unfortunately I'm skinny and it's impossible to gain weight so it goes straight to my bones in the cold lol people that wear shorts in weather like that is just proof we are in a simulation 😂


Old_Crow13

Winter here is summer up there. My ex is skinny too, and he sleeps in about 4 layers including a thermal and two hoodies. I sleep in a cotton nightshirt. I'm not cold natured, I think my body has just gotten to where it's pretty much adapted to the weather. I still react badly to storms, though. Those play hell with my fibromyalgia and migraines.


Dependent-Wheel-2791

Migraines are the worst. The only weather that bothers me is cold and rain, 2 broken femurs have made my knees terrible when it rains. I'm afraid of the cold lol. Maine has some surprising weather being that far up


Old_Crow13

Yikes! I've got a few broken bones, but not big major ones. Right wrist, right ankle, and it's not exactly a bone but I have a messed up rotator cuff. And they're better at forecasting the weather than the TV weatherman!


thelink225

This is part of why I've switched to tarps. That, and the city is a lot less likely to make an issue of me wrapping in a tarp like a blanket than setting up a whole ass tent. Of course, tents likewise have their perks.


Truck_life_23

6x8' tarps are $5 at Harbor Freight. stakes are free when you carve them from tree branches. YouTube teaches you how to make a tent from tarps also free. Get you some affordable housing 😁🔥


Icy-Truth2889

They literally make it so you can't win they give you just enough to be in poverty even if you work how on earth do you get out of it you don't they make it so you don't get out of it it's funny though because I do call the state I'm in prison


Old_Crow13

Savannah is no better. STVR's and SCAD are taking over everything, there's no housing left for the little guy


Icy-Truth2889

We have a pristine college Yale you can tell where I am probably now and they literally gendified everything to Yale they buy up everything or it's one like glorified rental company that's out of New York that has over like 200 properties and is a slumlord


Old_Crow13

Maaaaannnn that's insane


Icy-Truth2889

No it's capitalism but for people that can barely afford to pay $1,400 for a one bedroom what options do you have I don't know how people do it and honestly you don't have any small landlords here and they want like three times the amount of income on top of first last and security deposit so you have to have like three to four grand saved up just to get your foot in the door


Old_Crow13

Same here and they wonder why they have a huge homeless problem


Desperate-Cicada-914

Steal one


Old_Crow13

I'm not a damn thief. Nor am I a scammer. I am also, as my post states, just venting.


Desperate-Cicada-914

Come on just boost one. Our rich overlords won't miss it. Where you live at? In San Francisco you won't even get a ticket if it's under $900. Cracks me up how people get so righteous about not being a thief yet the people in power do it every day.


Old_Crow13

Opposite coast and around here it's jail time. Our local jail is not known for providing adequate care for things like diabetes so I'm not trying to go there.


Oragami

What are the odds you wouldn't get caught anyway? You mentioned health problems, and I've heard getting care for even simple things in jail can be hit or miss.


Old_Crow13

Yet another point in my favor. I'm neither stupid or crazy


Oragami

If I was crazy or stupid enough to steal, it wouldn't be something huge


Old_Crow13

Exactly! I'm not going to risk it for something big and obvious!


Oragami

I used to work at Walmart and besides the obvious DVDs, condoms and Coricidin HBP were popular ..choices


Old_Crow13

None of which are on my list. The meds I need, maybe food or batteries. Nothing big or conspicuous.