camping long term or permanently

see also:

• photography and camping main index page
• risk management when camping

• short term camping is generally fun and exciting and you can CHOOSE to confront certain scenarios which may require risk mitigation
• those who wish to camp long term or who are forced to due to homelessness, do not have this luxury and face many other challenges from the law, malevolent humans, the weather, the durability of their equipment, etc.

• in most parts of Australia, there are time limits on staying at free camp grounds - usually 28 days max, but it may be 2-3 days, furthermore, most areas do not allow sleeping in vehicles overnight in areas not designated for camping or long drive rest areas.
• solo women generally prefer to not stay for more than a few days at a given campground to reduce risks of unwanted attention from men - see solo camping for women
• the situation is compounded by a general societal dislike of “permanent” homeless people camping, particularly if they leave rubbish lying around or adversely impact the perceived aesthetics or safety of the area.
• many councils have specific regulations regarding what homeless people can shelter in - and tents are generally forbidden as this would be regarded as “camping”, not sleeping rough.
• sleeping in your car illegally in urban areas runs the risk that bad actors will smash your car windows and steal your gear, or, you may be issued fines or moved on by authorities

• campervans or similar are popular as they are:
  • more stealth for sleeping in non-camping areas
  • perceived as being safer as you can lock the doors
  • allow rapid exit from camp site in case of issues
  • provide better protection from storms
  • HOWEVER, campervans or RVs do have their downsides
    • their doors are generally very noisy which means going to toilet at night will wake others up or alert them to your presence
    • they get very hot in summer (and even those with air conditioners that can be run without the car engine running will need adequate batteries and electricity generators which will not be popular at most camp sites)
    • they can still suffer major storm damage if there are large hailstones (or extremely strong winds such as a cyclone or tornado - but then most shelters would be at risk)
    • they are expensive to repair
    • they will not guarantee protection from spiders, ants, mice, bats, mosquitoes, etc - and these can be much harder to find and remove than in a small tent
    • they lack amenity, especially in prolonged rain events, although an awning may help address this if it is not windy
    • you will lose your campsite if you need to drive somewhere (eg. into town to get supplies)
    • even if it has a toilet, most will prefer to use a public toilet rather than manage the cleaning and maintenance of the toilet
    • you don't really want to be cooking inside a campervan or caravan long term as the steam and oils will affect the bedding, etc.
• rooftop tents
  • less stealthy than campervans and far more exposed to heat, wind, rain and storms but otherwise similar pros and cons to campervans
  • may be an issue for mounting solar panels
• hiking tents
  • these can make a great supplementary shelter to a campervan, rooftop tent or vehicle as it allows “booking” a site while you have to drive into town, and can give you more space and variety
  • if they get damaged, they are generally easily repaired or cheaply replaced
  • they are generally warmer at night and are much more easy to ensure there are no bugs inside
  • they can be set up and packed up quickly -
    • if severe weather is coming - and you can retreat to your vehicle or other shelter without the tent being damaged - this is more problematic to do quickly with larger tents
    • if you decide you need to quickly exit a campground such as when bad actors or bad vibes become evident
  • you can easily set up a couple of them to make it look like you are not alone - bring a couple of chairs as well
  • but will need to be dried out at some point, and will deteriorate after 200 days or so in the sun, so best kept covered with a tarp.
• synthetic touring stand up height tents
  • these have similar pros and cons to hiking tents, but take up more room, take longer to set up and pack up, but the benefit is you gain much more amenity - in prolonged rain you could relax on a chair and keep dry - much better than being stuck in a campervan, rooftop tent or hiking tent.
  • many of these can allow use of a wood stove for cooking, boiling water, drying out clothes, hot showers, as well as providing warmth - see hot tents (tents with wood stoves inside) - but these do take longer to set up and pack away (1-2 hours) and of course are not very stealthy
• canvas touring stand up height tents
  • as for synthetic touring tents but the canvas should provide much more storm and weather protection, longer lasting durability but the downside is they are much heavier, more bulky, take much longer to dry out and can be much more difficult to set up or pack up depending upon design.
• sleeping in your car
  • if you need more security or stealth than a stand up tent or a roof top tent, and you don't have a campervan, then sleeping in the car may be the best option for some
  • ideally, a roof luggage pod in which to put gear to reduce the need to find sleeping space in the car is a handy option
  • ventilation can be an issue - so a well fitted mosquito mesh on windows (you will need doors with window frames to achieve this is advisable
  • privacy, insulation and daylight light protection can be addressed by aluminium foil type measures attached to the inside of windows

• many long term campers will opt to find a shower facility in a nearby town - such as at a swimming pool
• some low cost / “donation” camp grounds have hot shower facilities
• some low cost or free camp grounds have outdoor shower enclosures - you will need your own bucket of water though
• one option is to have a en suite enclosure and have a water pump from a bucket of water or use a shower bag that gets heated by the sun during the day
• sometimes, you can find a discrete spot outside to shower (especially in the middle of the day when campers have left the camp ground)
• for those with a standing height touring tent without a floor (see - larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents and hot tents (tents with wood stoves inside)) you could have a shower inside the tent
• when all else fails, take a bucket of water to a public toilet facility and do a top and tail cleanse

• you will need to be charging phone, laptop, torches, and perhaps even a 12V fridge
• a 12V LiFePO4 battery becomes very useful, however, you will need to work out how to charge it:
  • solar panels
  • petrol generator - not very popular due to noise issues at camp grounds, and some areas they are forbidden
  • DC-DC charger from your vehicle's alternator - if you are constantly driving around
  • AC charger - if you can get access to a AC power point