squatting or camping? what do you preffer

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Pheonix

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I think they both have their advantages and disadvantages what do you like better and why?

these are some of the advantages and disadvantages I can think of.

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES= I spent 66 days in jail after getting busted squatting and charged with 3 felonies and I have a friend that has spent time in prison for squatting. but I've never got more than a ticket from camping.

BAD WEATHER= sometimes tents aren't always weatherproof but squatting in a building provides a shelter away from the bad weather.

LOCATION= unless there is a huge park close to your hang out spot (central park, golden gate park) a squat will be a lot closer than a good camping spot.

FIRE= not really in a city park but if you have a good spot out in the woods you can get away with a campfire but even if your squat has a fireplace chances are it hasn't been properlly maintained and can catch the roof on fire or the upstairs floor if its on a lower floor. I've had to call 911 on my own squat fire before and have seen and heard of many others. now every time the news reports on a fire at an abandoned building they always blame it on the homeless.

I'm sure I've missed some, what do you think?
 
Personally, I prefer camping these days. When I was younger, it was all about squatting but now it seems like (most of the times) squats tend to be filled with younger kids and a *fuck yeah im hella drunk. let's raise hell* atmosphere. Yeah..I'm not so much into that now adays. I like to be laid back, and drink without worrying about some dumb ass being too loud or getting the cops called. If I DO squat it's only a private squat with me and my partner, or a couple people we have kicked it with and know are cool.

For the most part I also love sleeping outside (of course there have been rainy nights when this just absolutely blows). Nothing beats the stars.
 
Depends really on a few thing. Where you are, the weather, and shit like that. I rarely ever use more than a sleeping bag and a tarp when traveling and you can almost always find a nice secluded place to lay out somewhere. So usually the only time I really look for a squat is if the weather is bad. Even then I'll just post up under a bridge a lot of the time if theres a good one close by. Now when I'm in NOLA I almost always find a squat. There are enough of them so why not. That and I think You're just better off to stay in a squat there.
 
Just to be a dick:
Living illegally on land that you don't own is squatting, regardless of if it's indoors or not.

Also before I was a mega-housie I would enjoy both indoor and outdoor sleeping depending on the situation. But never with more than 3 or 4 people, don't want to deal with that.
 
As much as i can, i squat in cities (though i usually camp, squats are often an upgrade). i really like CONVENIENT (close to resources) squats, but i'm not interested in searching for hours fr one. Some areas have lots of easy potential squats.
in a squat i can have my shit strung out. When camping in the city, i am very cautious and only unpack as much as i need to--always ready to get waken up and moved by the cops or business owners, or to fight off a crack head. i don't worry much about that in a squat--one reason being that i always rig up all the entrances with "crashing junk alarms".

On yr location thang: a good camp is unseen and never tramped thru. a great camp fulfills those conditions and moves frequently. It is easier fr me to find a place to crash than find a squat. Particularly since i am a busker, i like to stay close to downtown. In downtown areas it is easier to find a temp urban camp than a squat. Squats close to downtown often mean mean and dirty ghettos. There are lots of squats in those area, but they are often infested with crack heads, dirty rigs, and covered in humbum poo. i try to avoid those areas, though i nearly end up there in most cities lookin fr homeless services and handouts.

The safest squats (if one doesn't much mind the lack of resources) are the abandoned farm houses on the side of the highway in small town rural amerika.

As Crust suggested, NOLA is squat heaven, due to Katrina. Forgive this opportunist fr benefiting from the miseries of others... i say this about everything (especially about the dirty kid lifestyle in general): it's all depends on what you value.
 
Amen Brotherart been thinking about NOLA like this for a wile . . . just a little more aquatic . . .
but yea trampin through richmond last night me and my roaddog nearly cought cases but te cops were too interested in the graphitti to slap us with trespassing tickets - even though they cought me red handed hanging off a 4 story rusted fireescape kicking in a door. I remember seeing 100's of unboarded perfect squattable buildings all over north Carolina though
 
Living in the woods is alot better than squatting in a city somewhere. Although I have done both, I always get better sleep in the woods camping.
 
I almost never squat and if I do I only spend a day or two wherever I'm squatting unless I'm 120% positive that me or whoever I'm with knows about the place. I've never squatted in a city either.
 
For those who do more camping than squatting, how hard of a time do you have getting back to town/city to re-up on resources?
 
i'll choose camping anyday. i love sleeping outdoors, tent or tarp... bivy or blanket, there's something about sleeping under the stars that just knocks me out. like mouse said.. squats nowadays are usually just a bunch of young kids trying to get drunk and people that "may" or "may not" want to just fuck your shit up while you're asleep. i like solitude at night. i like the wilderness. i like camping better than squatting. the closest trouble i've come into as far as camping in the woods goes is just being interrogated by DNR and me just telling them that i like to camp around. i tell them i'm an eagle scout and show them my card to prove it, and they basically just start getting interested/curious and asking questions. most squats are kind of known by local authorities, and can also be disgusting. you can get nailed for criminal trespassing and more. i already have a record and don't want to add to it. i'll sleep outside anyday (if there is a place i can find that is well hidden) than stay in a squat. there are so many ways to pitch a tarp for any weather situation to keep you dry (i fire doesn't hurt either. that's another reason why i like camping. fire keeps bugs away, and if you know your shit, you can make an underground fire feeding air through the bottom of another hole at the bottom of the pit, and it's virtually invisible). there are so many ways to hang or pitch or stake a tarp is almost funny that a lot of people still use tents. i'm done ranting now.
 
camping can be a good way to get along when you have no other choice, but squatting in a house beats the cold weather and elements. different seasons of the year and different seasons in life can most definately determine which is best. moment to moment :)
 
camping is my perfered method, i like the solitude and feel safer than in a bu;lding in town where anyone could just walk in. out of sight and out of mind.
 
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