Living Free On A Shoestring

[Kat Kanning]

I'm glad someone had the courage to stand up and speak for the crust-infested of the world.  Thank you Dale.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Yes, the crust infested have a hard row to hoe. Thank God they have heros like Dale!

[dalebert]

Well?! It's a side effect of really dry air. In the winter the air is already dryer and then people run heat a lot in their houses and it's really hard on your skin and even harder on your mucous membranes like the inside of your nose. That's just reality. Someone had to say it!

[srqrebel]

Yeah... I've been having that problem at my workplace.  Everyone there complains of the dry air.

Dry air just doesn't seem to be a problem inside my topper.  On mornings that the temp is above freezing, I wake up to water dripping on my face.  Although, for all I know, that could be a symptom of dry air -- all the moisture condensing out of the air?

[srqrebel]

...You could put some solar cells on the roof of your truck and use them to recharge an auxiliary  battery that could blow warm air around your sleeping area.  I would use the thin film flexible cells and epoxy them to the roof.  Insulation is the biggest improvement you can make.

I actually purchased three solar panels for that very purpose just before moving to NH, but never got around to installing them on the topper.  The 12-volt battery I keep inside has only been used rarely -- most of the time when I need a little power, I just plug into the truck battery.

When I start using the fans (or sooner), I will need to install the solar panels.  The truck battery needs all its power for cold starts these days

[srqrebel]

I'd really like to live in a camper, RV or houseboat or even a decent sized sailboat, but when I discussed those ideas with my wife, she was opposed to them. 

Yeah... see, I can do this because I'm single.  I have no illusions about ever encountering a female (in her right mind) who would join me in this adventure

That is one of the reasons I plan on doing this for only one winter

[Lloyd Danforth]

January 2012

"This is going to be my last winter living in this truck!"

[dalebert]

January 2012

"This is going to be my last winter living in this truck!"

Now I understand why people are determined to keep your karma at 666. 

[Pat K]

I've been running a HUMidifier in my room the last couple of nights and it's been WONDERFUL. My nose isn't getting stopped up and I don't wake up with hard, jagged, painful boogers the size of the old man of the mountain in my nose. The thought of running a dehumidifier in this weather just sounds like masochism.

Well if one actually looks like the old man of the mountain,
You can auction it off on e-bay, The Old Man of the Mountain
mysteriously appears in this booger bid starts at 9 dollars.

[Recumbent ReCycler]

I think it would be really cool to live in a tour bus converted into an RV with a trailer hitch for towing a trailer.  I would love to be able to just unhook from water and drive somewhere else anytime I wanted to move.  I would still like to have a permanent location where I could store and use my larger tools and store a boat and other stuff that I don't want to bring with me when I'm going somewhere temporarily.  I want to build some small portable buildings that can be loaded onto a flatbed trailer and moved easily.  One could be 4'x8', have a solar shower and changing room, and collect its own rainwater.  Another could be a wood fired sauna which could provide additional heat for sleeping areas.  They could be easily connected together and disconnected.  But, unfortunately that kind of stuff costs money, something I don't have much of right now.  I wish my wife was more adventurous/rugged.  She seems to have softened up over the years.  A little while ago she complained that she was cold.  When I checked the temperature, it said that it was 68F.  I would rather set it to 55F and put on a sweat shirt.  My older daughter, on the other hand, can be in 40F weather without a jacket and she still says she's too hot to wear a sweater.  I dislike the rules and expenses of living in a rental apartment, but for now at least, I'm going to just have to live with it.  I'll admit that I don't miss waking up in Bosnia in subzero temperatures, having to pee, and wishing the bathrooms were closer to my tent.  I ended up using a Gatorade bottle to pee in on those bitterly cold nights, then I would empty it in the toilet when I got up for the day.  I'm glad I no longer have to put on about 50 lbs of gear and carry my rifle with me to use the bathroom, which was nearly a quarter mile away from my tent.

[dalebert]

Well if one actually looks like the old man of the mountain,
You can auction it off on e-bay, The Old Man of the Mountain
mysteriously appears in this booger bid starts at 9 dollars.

I just got an idea for a cartoon.

[KBCraig]

Old Man fell because he was trying to dislodge a booger?

    ...eh, might want to be careful there. Old Man is pretty close to a venerated saint in NH, and they don't really care if it's idolatry, they want to celebrate their (now fallen) pile of stones.

I don't blame them, Old Man was very cool, and was a great symbol for representing the "flinty Yankee" spirit.

Idol worship or not, you're on thin ice if you poke fun at Old Man.

[Russell Kanning]

If you can really handle the cold, and the condensation is a big problem, then it would make sense to let the air flow and use the topper as protection from the rain/snow. If you want to hold in a little heat, but don't want it dripping, then insulation on the top could help ... you could let the colder parts be on the bottom of the bed, which you said could just shed the water.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I just saw something on AOL about wasting money and I thought I would post it here.  I haven't looked at it, but, it might be interesting.

http://money.aol.com/top5/general/ways-you-are-wasting-money-1

[srqrebel]

If you can really handle the cold, and the condensation is a big problem, then it would make sense to let the air flow and use the topper as protection from the rain/snow. If you want to hold in a little heat, but don't want it dripping, then insulation on the top could help ... you could let the colder parts be on the bottom of the bed, which you said could just shed the water.

Good point as far as keeping water from dripping down.  I think Jim had suggested that to me once, too.  The problem is not just limited to the ceiling, though -- moisture condenses on every surface inside the topper, including any exposed effects.  For example, if I leave my clothes out in the open, they become damp overnight.

If the windows are left open, rain becomes a potential problem.  I like Bald Eagle's idea of constructing an air circulation chamber.  Having insulation on the ceiling is bound to help, too -- at least I wouldn't get water in my face

Between all the great ideas posted here, I'm sure the condensation problem will be short lived.  It's just a matter of implementing some of these ideas.