Wednesday 9 July 2008

My new abode

It is now 3 days since I had my epiphany, it is absolutely bucketing down outside but it will not dampen my spirits. It is making me more mindful of waterproofing. I have been looking about for tents and have pretty much settled on a bell tent design. They are easy to transport (unlike a yurt or a tipi) but are plenty big enough to stand up in and generally inhabit.

I will be able to have a little wood burning stove and plenty of room for sleeping quarters, cooking space, general living space and storage. I will not have very much stuff so should be quite spacious though I once had exactly the same thought about a 4 bed house, which is now crammed to the gills with pointless guff.

The bell tents come in two designs, a fixed groundsheet and a separate groundsheet model. I think I am going to hedge my bets and get a fixed groundsheet as it will be eminently more weatherproof but it will mean that I cannot roll up the sides when it gets hot. The same company also supply groovy little wood burners so I intend to get one at the same time, will cost me about £550 for Tent, burner and flue. This is considerably less than a months rent and should see me right. I have a few Afghan rugs at home, an inflatable bed, some cushions and a variety of conventional camping gear. Aside from the tent and burner, I think I should have everything I need at the outset, I am sure in a little while that I will be wanting some tarps and some extra weatherproofing measures but for the time being I reckon I should be alright.

The amount of stuff that I can carry is limited by the amount of stuff I can get in my car. I have a medium sized saloon car at the moment though suspect I will need to trade it in for an estate car before long. For the time being though I have a roof rack which should allow me to cart enough stuff about to live pretty damn comfortably. I shall be back later, in the meantime I have an interview for a new job...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your are a star mate... keep up the good work - I will track your progress from this side of the pond ;-)

Here's that link i promised you, it should be good blueprint if you need something bigger.

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2007-07/diy-solar-charger

 
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