FlippinFlags

Let's say for simplification you're touring around the USA slowly.

You want to spend a lot of time on BLM land and camp in each spot for as long as possible.

Most BLM land allows 14 days before you have to move.

How can someone traveling by bicycle, needing to pack all the food and water necessary to survive, make something like this work?

TiHabanero

Kind of living like a vegabond?

indyfabz

By surviving on native plants and small rodents?

fishboat

What are your thoughts? What are your plans? What would you pack and how would you resupply?

FlippinFlags

That's the whole point of the post, to see if there was some out-of-the-box idea that could make this possible besides pulling a trailer.

FlippinFlags

Slingshotting rats and eating raw.

FlippinFlags

A bit of both, no time schedule

FlippinFlags

That's why I'm asking, maybe there's an out-of-the-box idea someone else may have, otherwise pulling a trailer makes the most sense.

fishboat

It typically helps quite a bit if the OP (you) provide some framework of your own plans/ideas that people can work off of rather than "..I know nothing..school me on topic X as I don't want to take the time to work out or type out my own thoughts.."

Steve B.

Food is possible, you can carry the required food if using the expensive freeze dried camping food. Store bought foods are bulkier and heavier so harder to find space. Water is the key, you need to be camped near a steady water supply and have the means to treat it.

tcs

A gallon of water per day to drink X 14 days is 116lbs. Then there's water for washing and cooking. And the weight of the water containers.

Visual: if these were all water it still wouldn't be enough.



Then there's two weeks of food (dehydrated food will need yet more water). And food prep gear. And your shelter.



Cargo bike or trike.

indyfabz

Some of us remember the OP from days gone by.

JoeyBike

The #1 thing you need an unlimited supply of is drinking water. If you are totally dependent on filtering all of your water you better have at least two filters with you. Stove fuel is the next thing. I like alcohol stoves because the alcohol fuel works best if you dilute slightly with water - so some of your fuel is already at the site if there is water.

Instant mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta, ramen, oat bran, powdered hummus, and any number of instant pasta/rice dinners found in pouches at the grocery all have little weight and increase in size when cooked. Jerky is the lightest meat you can find. Dry breakfast cereal and powdered milk is a good one. Raisins and other dried fruits are great REHYDRATED. Boil some water, turn off the fire, drop in dried fruit, watch them blow up. Add some multivitamins as this diet is not great. Maybe some psyllium powder to keep your innards lubricated.

I believe using this method I could last ONE week without resupplying or risking eating native plants. You better be an expert at doing that because many toxic plants closely resemble edible plants. Trapping ground squirrels is easy but likely illegal. Deadfall traps are the best because the materials are already at the location. You could haul a rat trap or two. Be sure to TETHER THEM to something so they don't disappear. Skunks, possums, raccoons, feral cats, will steal your catch AND your traps if you just lay them on the ground.

If you are willing to carry sardines, tuna, fresh or canned vegetables, peanut butter, crackers, bread, etc., then maybe 3 days without resupply, unless you are hoping to lose weight. A head of cabbage will stay edible for a week if the weather is not too hot. Peel a few leaves off and boil/steam daily.

From my experience, if you want to stay HEALTHY, I wouldn't push it past 3 days PLUS the day you bike to your spot and the day you leave your spot = 5ish days. More than this has never been practical for me. Your results may vary depending on how good you are at suffering being hungry.

I have other tricks. I'll add them as I think of them.

WATER AND FUEL. This is the challenge. If you are dependent on wood it will rain every single day. Trust me.

axolotl

Flippin', did you ever go on that tour of Central & South America? A few years ago you wrote: "I'm 100% doing this trip, just not sure if I want to do bicycle or scooter."

mstateglfr 

I dont remember this name. Are you saying this is that hobo poster from years ago?...or someone else?

ETA- nevermind, I remember now.

GhostRider62

A water filter and tablets. Multifuel stove. Rifle for game. What else does a good sockpuppet need.

staehpj1

Okay, I'll play even though I doubt the OP is serious. Food and water for 14 days is maybe 250 pounds. I'd assume you aren't going ultralight since this isn't really touring. So I'd imagine someone doing this would likely have another 100 pounds of gear. So probably a trailer. It is more like remote homelessness and I don't know what the attraction would be to this. Also I suspect you may find that the BLM guys may look for and find reasons to force you to move along. It seems like a somewhat more mobile and less remote form of homelessness would be easier and more pleasant. Something walking the line between touring and homelessness. I have met a number of folks doing that happily.

abdon 

A water filter and 10 pounds of peanut butter should support you for 2 weeks. You may want to throw a can of multivitamins there but those are pretty light.

How long do you pan on keeping at it? If you are looking at months go for the low sodium option.

fishboat

Name doesn't ring a bell..I'll add him to the ignore list now so I don't need to waste time on him...thx..

saddlesores

wuzzat?

a vegan wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor?

staehpj1

I assume that was suggested tongue in cheek where the OPs would be stuck if he tried that, but I doubt 10 pounds of anything alone would last 14 days without starving one's self. I always found that when backpacking that the least I could ever get by on was 2 pounds per day and a rule of thumb is 2 - 2.5 pounds per day. If going out to live in the National Forest for 14 days I'd think you'd ne likely to want more real food that would most likely be heavier than the rule of thumb.

Also he mentioned having to carry water so I'd assume no filterable water. The managing to get to 2 - 2.5 pounds per day generally relys using water added to dried stuff to make the food and to cook it in. If you have to haul the water that means more heavy water.

If carrying all water I don't see carrying much less than (8.35 pounds) per day or about 116 pounds for 14 days. If packing like ul backpacking you maybe be able to get down to 28 pounds of food but for a trip like that 50 pounds would be more likely. He'd also need fuel for the multifuel stove he mentioned.

GhostRider62

Peanut butter is 2700 cals per pound or 1900 calories per day for 10 pounds and 14 days. Let's splurge and do 30 pounds of food. Water is the bigger issue, I can't see how packing 14 days of water is remotely possible. Need a source on site to filter and treat. Nasty cattle troughs work.

indyfabz

And what about Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia while sleeping in mosques, wats and temples while riding a penny?

abdon 

You would not starve yourself. Heck you could fast for two weeks without killing yourself. You would be hungry at first because you would not be filling your stomach with much (peanut butter is heavy, about cup and change a day) but you would get enough calories to sustain you.

staehpj1

I wouldn't want to do that for even 14 days, but the way I read the OP, he is talking about staying 14 days in one place and moving on to another for a long stay, and so on over an extended period. I am not sure he is completely serious, but if we take him as such he would need some kind of sustainable diet.