>>30838

>Backpacking for a few months

>no money

I could be wrong, but wouldn't you need to either have some money or else dumpster dive at some point? But yeah, if it's possible to somehow feed yourself for months despite not having money, I'm interested in hearing how. I can't even imagine a possible way to do that outside of raiding dumpsters or begging since the only US state that allows subsistence hunting is Alaska.

>>30842
A bit of wilderness knowledge will provide you with lots of fruits, berries, and veggies. Wild onions are very easy to spot and grow pretty much everywhere. They're all over public parks and road sides. I would never eat a roadside fruit,though, due to it being contaminated with runoff.

Head to /fo/ and read up on BOBs and such, we have lots of threads and they apply to your situation.

As far as food goes, you will have to forage, fish, or dumpster dive. You can pan handle but you will be in places where you are days away from places in which to pan handle. Water you will need to find and purify as you go. You can't walk anywhere where pedestrian foot traffic is prohibited so state highways are a no go.

As far as gear goes

>Water

-Something to carry it in, preferably two liters.
-Something to purify it with.
This can be a camp fire(risky) or a backpacking stove. You can make an alcohol stove and use the yellow bottle HEET found all over to fuel it with variable results based on design. Mine can boil two cups of water on 1 oz of fuel giving me a gallon and a half of pure water from one bottle of HEET or denature alcohol. DO NOT DRINK WATER FROM TANKS YOU FIND NEAR FARMS, they very likely contain chemicals which will kill you.

>Food

-Basic fishing kit
This can be a "hobo fishing kit" or a collapsible fishing rod.
-Cookset
Not essential but it will make life so much better. It doesn't need to be much. A favorite of backpackers is a heineken keg can. I'd totally get a nice titanium spork.
-Food, you can get rice, beans, corn, and trail mix and live just fine but you will have to ration your food so that you are getting the bare minimum you need to live, only use them when you can't get food otherwise.

>Shelter

You can be fancy or simplistic. Fancy would be a bivy or lightweight solo tent but those are expensive compared to other options. Simplistic is a 8x10 tarp which can be made into a shelter to fit your situation. You will almost need a bedroll of some sort, either make one with 100% wool blankets or buy a sleeping bag and ground pad. You will need to insulate yourself from the ground or you can die.

>Etc.

-A decent first aid kit with gauze, tape, disinfectant like iodine(can be used to treat water too), aspirin, etc.
-Ropes, both 550 paracord and something more substantial like 3/8ths rope for shelter making and various other things.
-Duct tape, pull out the cardboard and smash the roll flat.
-Zip ties, both heavy duty and small, for various reasons.
-Bandanna, countless uses including water pre-filter, splint, bindings, etc.
-A sturdy fixed blade knife with a blade no larger than 5".
-Notebook to document your journey and give the investigating officials and media something to have fun with when/if they find your body. Also helps with maintaining sanity.
-A simple flash light would be a good idea.

A lot of the gear I mentioned can be had from thrift stores, wal-mart, home depot, etc. Thrift stores are the best places to steal from because they usually don't care about theft as much as other stores. You don't need all that gear but it will certainly help you along the way.

Your plan is idiotic. That being said, here is what I would do. You can hop on a train and use it to get around. You can make it to Arizona in less than a week using trains vs around 4-6 months walking(2.3mph average walking speed on level terrain with gear for 7 hours a day to cover 2k miles). You are likely to run into more people which is both a good and bad thing. Some people will help you and teach you, others may want to take your shit. There is a decent number of people your age that you will run into and a lot of them have been travelling for years, most have problems. You may be able to form a party and travel with them, they will slow you down but they may help you. You will need to keep your guard up all the time because you can make friends with some people and they will be great to have around for a week and then they may decide they want your shit and take it in the night and leave.

Now Arizona is a fine place to live with infrastructure but going anywhere near that area backpacking is asking for trouble. You will have to worry about getting food and water for hundreds of miles so I strongly recommend you don't try that because you obviously have no idea what you are doing and you may very well die before seeing Arizona.. Going to Washington is not a bad idea, lots of water, lots of food, but the climate will be just as troublesome as Arizona's.

You will need to re-supply yourself as you travel by stealing. You can not be taken in by the police or you will have even greater troubles. If a shop keep catches you, run. Never bring your gear into town, store it outside of town in a secure place with no evidence of recent foot traffic and go in with a smaller bag that just has a few clothes in it. If the cops stop you at any point and ask you what you are doing, just tell them you are backpacking around before you start college the next semester and be friendly. Don't give them a reason to bug you and they won't. Avoid going through towns entirely if you don't have to, walking around town is a sure fire way to get noticed and bothered in some way.

I touched on a lot but not enough to make your journey successful. I have posted below various materials you will need to go over to help you.
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/index.html
http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.pdf
http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/
http://www.survivalist.info/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO3-AAVTeDA
http://vimeo.com/3461065#

Ask questions here and I will try to answer, you may want to make a thread in /fo/ for backpacking info as many of us also backpack. I may see you out there as I may be leaving from Chicago before winter and will be heading to Oregon but maybe I will get some wonderlust and see other parts of the country before I settle there.

>>30844

I was wondering about train hopping. I'm 18, 5'10 and 150 lbs, in decent shape. I see all the items on your list seem pretty essential. What about carrying a firearm like a small .38 with you? Also, how do you shower? I tend to shower every few days as is so grease and sweat is nothing new to me, but if I needed to go a week like that it would be miserable, smelly, and would probably attract a lot of attention when moving around towns.

Also, I live in San Diego, CA. I was thinking of train hopping up the coast to Seattle, WA. Maybe move into Canada or just along the inside of the US border. I have a friend who is interested as well, but it would be too dangerous for her to go alone.

>I plan to leave in November.

enjoy the metric fuckton of rain and snow and freezing temperatures you'll encounter

>>30847
Taking a gun can be a good idea but you have to be mindful in the laws of the lands through which you pass. Sure carrying a gun is safer but getting caught on a simple vagrancy or trespassing charge with a gun in your pocket in a state with laws against concealed carry will fuck you. A lot of drifters use knives or bandannas with a lock on it for protection. Honestly, the danger comes from people who aren't travelers. Bums, druggies, locals, etc. are the people who are really likely to assault you. Most travelers are kind to one another as long as you are also kind but like I said previously, you can't trust everybody.

As far as showers go, you clean yourself when you can, how you can. Most drifters forgo actual showers for weeks or months on end. The best they get is a mexican shower in a bathroom, maybe they can find a hose and do a hobo shower. You can also bathe in lakes, rivers, etc. A risky option is to take a "bath" in a pool of a house that is vacant.

As to your girl, she should travel with a guy for security, preferably two. There are a decent number of girls travelling but they tend to be with a few guys, otherwise they can end up being raped and such. That isn't always the case, some girls travel just fine without incident but it is always a possibility when you are travelling around the outcasts of society.

I forgot to mention in my previous post but your footwear should be boots, preferably steel toe if you are train hopping. Hiking boots if you are legit walking.

>>30847

Fellow SD here. If you're thinking of jumping on that freight train that runs through the middle of Downtown at around 10pm then you're out of your damn mind.

>>30847
Trainyards could be dangerous as fuck for you, be it from gangs, security guards, or dogs. Be careful mate.

For such a long distance, why not consider doing it on a bicycle? You could cover at least 25 miles a day on average, which turns a year or two long painful expedition into a 2 month journey.

Also, being in a northern area and leaving in November just sounds like a good way to die.

>>30859
A bicycle is fine if it is meant for long-distance travel, which I doubt OP has or can cough up the dough to procure such a means of conveyance. Even if he could get a bike that could work for the task, he still has to worry about keeping it in a state of operation. Last thing he wants is a bike without a tire 100 miles from the nearest replacement, that would place him back at walking but with a bike in tow.

>>30866

You make a good point about keeping the bike in operable condition.

A decent bike is made so it can usually be fixed on the fly, and a lot of the parts are lightweight and compact. OP should keep in mind that they will probably want to carry things such as spare tires and bike tools. Some bikes are made so you can take the wheel off quickly and easily.

As someone who backpacks a lot you will REALLY want a lite pack. It will take a little cash however. Good gear is not cheap but will really be a big advantage. You will not have a good time if you have to fight to keep going after only a week or two in. http://www.linthikes.com/gear-list/ This guy has a good gear list that is under 9lbs. Really think about going into ultraliting if you want to go for prolonged periods of outdoors traveling.

>>30874
Also forgot. Read his take on the price of ultraliting, it makes sense.

>>30874
OP has no money to spend on such equipment or he would have money to spend on his trip. The gear recommended is for ultralight backpackers who are some of the most insane people you will meet on a trail. They rip off tags and cut toothbrushes in half to save grams. The 9lbs figure is base weight without water and food, maybe even without clothes.

As someone who has done two month expeditions, I cannot stress the following enough: Water, water, water, water water. Know where your next water source is before you start hiking. Don't stop until you get there. You can't walk on highways, but you can on state routes.

I have a few transient friends that ride freight trains from time to time and they'll spange out on the street for money when they need it. Just be creative with your begging and you'll make whatever you need. One of my friends learned how to do backflips and he'll do backflips for a dollar, another one will just think of creative and funny shit to write on signs and both of these methods work very well for them. If you are too pussy to spange for change then you're going to have to dumpster your food (which really isn't that bad, grocery stores throw out more perfectly good food than you'll be able to eat).

check out couch surfing.com for places to stay

What type of clothing should you wear?

>>30995
That depends on conditions. Overall I would say 3 pairs of conversion cargo pants made from a ripstop material that resists water fairly well, a set of thermals, 2 shirts, a fleece jacket, 3 pairs of wool socks, and a warm shell should be enough. If you go into cold climates you may need one less pair of conversion pants and a warmer winter pant instead so long as the pants are not excessively bulky when stowed. The key is to not sweat too much in the cold or you get hypothermic. Sweating too much in heat can be a problem due to dehydration.

Some people do just fine with a pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, a few shirts, some wool socks, and a nice jacket but a layered system is more versatile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO3-AAVTeDA

Vice has some legit, awesome doc's.

Watch this

Op here. I forgot all about this thread but I am glad to see t is still here with a bunch of new info. The journey has changed slightly, I will be leaving eraly next spring due to the realization that I will most likely die if leave in November. I have also been considering a bike and have been reading about collapsible bikes but am still debating it. I might just get a cheap bike and ride it for as long as I can then ditch or sell it.

someone post some hitchhiking tips, please

>>30838
Buy the 7" blade Ka-Bar and carry it on your belt all the time, you'll thank me later

>>31059
Your recommendation for a blade is good, but carrying a ka-bar on your bet is not legal in all states.

>>31004
Holy fuck bro, that was awesome! Not OP, but thanks so much. Here, have tits.

dont get stabbed

>>31025
OP Basil, I plan on making the same trip except from Kansas to Colorado, then perhaps to California or Oregon. I probably won't have any money. At the moment I'm trying to lighten my load, which I'm realizing means swapping a tent for a tarp. If you can look up my name somehow, let me know about the trip. I want to get a group together.

>>30847 dude I am 5'10, 150lbs, live in San Diego, and am also planning a west coast tour when I have the savings to accommodate. Ever think of ride sharing your way up the coast and making up the rest? I wanted to hit Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Humbolt, Portland, and finish in Seattle. Maybe move through Canada if I become accustomed to the lifestyle. How do you feel about all of this?

Legitimate question, How do you know which trains are leaving for where? Is there some kind of system to go off of and get familiar with?

nothing sucks worse then being dehydrated, if you plan to train hop double your water.

>>33715>>33715>>33715

I mean for the freights. Those are paid.

Don't use a backpack, use a push cart. You'll nearly double your daily walking.

maybe you should go to new zealand. just saying

>>30838

Just remember it's not like the movies

>>30844

>>31003y

>>30838 look up a website called couchsurf or something like that. also watch a movie called craigslist Jim. its on netflix.

>>34250
Craigslist Joe*