Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond

Finding Shelter without Money. Part 2 of my first book of note.

One aspect of this site is to share my work as a writer through the years. I’ve already started to share the audiobook version of Notes from Nowhere (2020) but now let’s go further back and hit the first book I wrote, Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond (2003 & 2012 revised). In a sense, the success of this book set me on the path I’m on, or the failure of this book - depending on how you look at it.

In the paid subscriber section this week - I offer three websites that will let you stay for free almost anywhere you want to go (with some conditions) as well as links to where you can get the full PDF versions of the book for free and I’ll also offer some commentary on the parts of the text we cover. In addition, paid subscribers get valuable updates on new ways to do things more than two decades after first publication.

Free subscribers will get pieces of the text itself, delivered weekly. This week - it’s focused on finding shelter when you don’t have someplace to stay. It’s interesting to note that my own journey went from being homeless - essentially to living in one place without paying rent to traveling from place to place to traveling the world. It’s funny how tied we get to one place and how untying ourselves, gives us the freedom to go. Allons-y!

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Shelter: From Couch Surfing to Tarpatecture

You've gotta sleep somewhere.

Vagabonds develop a knack for having a secure place to sleep.

There are a few key things to look for when you're seeking shelter.

A good shelter protects you from the elements. It keeps your gear dry. It keeps your gear from going into some other hobo's hands. Most importantly, it protects you from the human predators are definitely out there.

Shelters and Missions

I've never stayed in a homeless shelter or mission. I've talked with enough people who have to know it's not for me. Four things make me say that. The first is the underlying edge of violence and theft which seems to pervade such places. The second is I'm not interested in hearing about God in exchange for a bed. The third is shelters seem to be places devoid of hope. The fourth is I have too many options which are much more appealing.

Couch Surfing

(*note from CD in 2025 - back in 2003 when I wrote this, Couchsurfing.org didn’t exist. Fun fact, Casey Fenton, th founder of CS.org reached out to me when he was launching because I’d written about it in Rough Living and he thought my readers might be interested in i. I didn’t think it would work - I was very wrong. )

Ben Franklin said, "House guests are like fish, they start smelling in three days." My friends are usually more tolerant. The key to staying at other people's pads is to remember they are working to pay for their space. As a couch surfer you need to make sure you give your hosts their space. Some definite no-no's are hogging the TV, not cleaning up after yourself, and basically occupying space without giving anything in return.

Doing light chores will usually win the gratitude of your hosts. Things like washing the dirty dishes, vacuuming the floor, and cleaning the bathroom don’t take you long but make you look good.

Personally, I like to cook meals for my hosts. I'm a good cook with a knack for taking whatever is available and making it into something tasty. If you don't have the same gift you can never go wrong cooking eggs and toast in the morning. Breakfast is cheap and most people enjoy having it served in their home. Some of my favorite cheapskate gourmet recipes are included in the book.

Urban Camping and Squatting

In a pinch you can do what I call ‘urban camping’. There are different variations depending on your circumstances. In a city like Portland, Oregon there are a lot of couches on a lot of covered porches. If you arrive late enough and leave early enough, these hospitable sites can be the perfect place to crash out.

Once I was caught in a small Colorado town during a snowstorm and managed to stay warm by crawling under a 4x4 which pulled into a driveway at about 10 PM. The heat from the engine lasted long enough to get me through the worst of the storm.

Urban camping can also be more traditional. I once camped on a park bench in Regent's Park across from Buckingham Palace in London, England for three nights in a row. As I lay there wrapped in my blanket, I had a recurring fantasy where the Queen was going to invite me to morning tea. She didn't.

On that same trip to England, I set up a tent in some bushes in Epping Forest for a week. No one discovered me except a few dogs who came galloping in to see what was in the bushes and left in terror when they found me cooking sausages and beans.

The key to being successful in this kind of urban camping is to find a spot which is invisible from roads or paths, has an inconspicuous entrance and/or exit, and that you are discreet in how you behave there.

For example, fires are probably not a good idea in most cities but Sterno is probably fine if you need to cook something.

Squatting is a very different situation. In most American places they can bust you for breaking and entering if you take up residence in an abandoned building. My European friends tell me the laws are different there. One technique I have used while hitching in the Southwest is to scout out houses for sale as I walk along an hour or so before sunset. If you can find one you are pretty sure is not occupied it's usually pretty easy to return after dark and jimmy open a back door or window.

I prefer older, run down houses, as they usually don't have security. If breaking in to the house is too risky, you can usually find a porch, shed, or garage to get you out of sight and the elements.

Living in Vehicles aka Van Life.

(Another fun fact from 2025 - I was using the term van life well before hashtags - when hashtags emerged, it’s possible I was the first to use #vanlife)

If you plan on living in your vehicle there are a few things to take into consideration.

First, make sure you can sleep comfortably in it. Pickups with camper shells, vans, and station wagons are your best bet.

Second, make sure the vehicle is legal so you don’t get your home put in an impound yard.

Third, pick your parking spaces carefully. I've found parking in secluded areas is almost always a mistake. The best places to park are places where there are people around and plenty of vehicles moving in and out all the time. I've parked in dead ends and had people report me to the police because it was "suspicious" to see a car parked there. Oddly, I've parked in residential neighborhoods where I didn't know a soul for weeks on end and no one thought anything of it. I suppose they all thought I knew someone they didn't know.

Of course, the best places to park are where you have friends. My friends in Seattle allowed me to park behind their house for months. It made them feel secure because my being there discouraged the local druggies from congregating and doing deals in the alley. I did yard work and helped out around the house to keep things nice for them and me.

I've lived in three Volkswagen Buses in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii. In every case, not having to pay rent allowed me to live a life I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. With the money I saved on rent I was able to purchase airline tickets, train tickets, or just go out on good benders now and then.

Tarpatecture

The many uses of Tarps My friend Kalalau Larry introduced me to the term tarpatecture. Larry is a modern day Viking. He paddles kayaks, makes mead from honey and water, bakes bread in the jungle, and spends about half of his time living in one of the remotest places on the planet. The Kalalau Valley on the island of Kauai.

I was living in a VW bus on Kauai and Larry had built an incredible little shelter with tarps on the same vacant lot where I parked. You see when Larry isn’t in Kalalau he works in the real world and stays comfortably invisible under his brown tarps. When he is in Kalalau, he lives under the brown tarps too.

Tarpatecture is using a variety of tarps strung between trees, bushes, rocks, or frames to shelter you from the weather. Ideally, a good taipatecture structure has geometric implications which are pleasant to the eye in addition to being functional.

Tarpatecture can be as simple as a lean-to or as complex as a bamboo dome. The key is using your tarp in the most effective way in the particular environment you find yourself in. I've seen tarps on sheds and even in giant trees.

Aquillo Mallot's Camps

(Thank you to Izak Holden for writing this very vivid description of our friend)

Aquillo Mallot is a homeless man of alternative housing. An occupational non-profit mercenary, Gypsy Moth Farmer, comfrey and mullen rancher, pie rat, and purveyor of exotic substances. He currently holds the position of Bishop of the Holy Primeval Coyote Church in his spare time. He is master of the Sacred Marriage bar none. He lives soully on food handouts, dead carrion along Interstate 5, and visions of extraterrestrial guidance.

Aquillo Mallot is also a master of creating cozy and comfortable camps in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve seen him build huts from driftwood on the beach. I've seen him dig pits and cover them with fallen logs and tarps. He usually has a wood burning stove in his camps complete with flashing glued to the tarps the stove pipe goes through.

Everything Aquillo gets is abandoned as garbage. He's used tarpatecture to make derelict fishing boats into comfy homes after he uses scavenged ropes and pulleys to drag the wrecks on shore during low tide and patch them up. The only limit to what you can do is your own imagination. Aquillo is proof of that.

Trolls Under Bridges

If you spend any time traveling among the house-less you will definitely encounter some of the derelicts who live under various bridges all over the country. In my experience, they are a sorry lot who can't figure out how to keep the rain off their heads any other way. Bridges are noisy, dirty, and uncomfortable.

The one bridge I would recommend visiting is in the Fremont District of Seattle. There is a real troll there, made of cement, and about to eat a VW bug. Other than that I would suggest you find someplace else to keep dry.

Beach Bumming

If you are in a tropical climate it's easy to live on the beach. Simply cover yourself with a tarp if it seems like it might rain and you are good as gold. If you are in the a little colder climate make sure you know how to build a fire. I’ll give you a few hints later in the book.

Hostels and Guesthouses

A friend told me he no longer hangs out in bars because he has discovered if you drink at a hostel it is cheaper, more fun, and you meet more interesting people. I agree completely.

Hostels and guesthouses are also the poor traveler’s means of staying in exotic destinations the world over. A guesthouse in Laos can cost as little as $1 US per night for a private room with a king size bed.

A hostel in England will cost you about $20 US as opposed to spending a minimum of $50 at a fleabag hotel.

Hostels and guesthouses exist just about everywhere. The people who stay at hostels are usually more approachable than the people who stay at hotels. They don’t whine about inconveniences and you can usually find someone heading in your direction or willing to accompany you on whatever adventure you hanker.

Hostels are great places to hook up with cheap tours, exciting adventures, cheap transport, and information about where you are heading next. Most hostels provide communal kitchens you can store and cook your food in, activities, internet access, and more. In addition to that, if you come across as a somewhat normal person who is willing to work hard, you can usually find a bed at a hostel in exchange for your labor. The key to this is to be persistent and honest. Tell them what you want and offer your services in exchange.

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(from the Present in 2025)

Next Week: Food. How to Eat Without Buying Food

I am Indignified,

CD Damitio

Satoshi Manor

Otaru, Japan