How we lived in a tent. If you live in a tent, what are the costs? I climbed into the tent and closed my eyes, tightly clutching a camping knife in my hand - it seemed to me that all the wild animals had gathered around my little shelter

Europe

But not from a good life and camping romance here a little. American homeless people organize themselves in tent cities and build all the necessary infrastructure there. This is the case, for example, in New Jersey. Local authorities are trying to relocate them somewhere. But unsuccessfully.

At first glance, it looks like a summer tourist camp. Tents on the edge and food on the fire. The difference is that the people who settled in this forest live in such conditions all year round and this is their last and only refuge. The history of registration here is the same for everyone - first a person loses his job, and then an apartment, because there is nothing to pay for it. Pole Nina lost both. About ten years ago, she came to New York on the advice of a friend to work as a nanny for a family with small children. She also lived there. Everything was great before the 2008 crisis.

“I had a good job, a lot of money. I sent them to Poland to one daughter, another, a third, and also to maintain my house. And then there was no work and problems began,” says Nina.

In Nina's current American home, about eight square meters fit a small kitchen, a bed, and even something resembling a chest of drawers. You can live, she says, only now the pipe from the potbelly stove standing in the middle is completely rusted and broken, but the men living in the neighborhood promised to fix it before the cold weather.

Mutual assistance is one of the main rules of this settlement, which in its way is somewhat reminiscent of a classical commune. There is a shared kitchen with shared products that are donated to these homeless people, mostly by parishioners of local churches, there is a shared garden and even a house where you can tidy yourself up.

shower with warm water, own well, washing machine, all under one roof. In principle, minimum hygiene conditions are provided here. And interestingly, they say that out of the 60 inhabitants of this settlement in the morning, no one chokes on the queue for the shower. It probably affects the fact that people who have chosen life in the forest do not feel the need for daily water procedures.

These people called their settlement Tent City, by analogy with New York City. The island of sparkling skyscrapers is just an hour's drive from here, and it's hard to believe that some of the inhabitants of these tents lived most of their lives in completely different conditions.

"No, we don't miss big city. Here, the town of Lakewood is nearby, we go there, walk along the streets, and such contact with civilization is enough for us, "says the homeless Merelin.

Marilyn was working as a fashion designer in Manhattan when layoffs began due to economic problems and she was fired. It became impossible for her and her husband to maintain an apartment for 2,000 thousand a month.

"Unemployment is very high now, and people live not only in such tent camps and even in cars across the country. And somehow Marilyn said, why don't we move to some similar settlement. She searched the Internet and found this Tent City, the closest to New York," says homeless Mike.

This married couple seemed to have always been preparing for such a lifestyle - they abandoned the TV ten years ago, all their lives, as now they picked up and nursed chicks, and now they also breed chickens. At the same time, Mike, as a staunch vegetarian, lectures on this topic at a nearby college. The elder of the settlement, Steve, helped him find a job. This Indian-looking, robust man evaluates each candidate for the commune and decides to give him a tent or say goodbye.

"Of course, people are brought here by need, because they have nowhere to go and nowhere to live, but on the other hand, the main difference between this camp and other places is the spirit of the community. In most shelters, people only spend the night in common room roaming the streets all day in search of food. Here everyone has their own housing and complete freedom where and when to go. Yes, and life in nature, "- says the elder of the settlement, Stephen Brigham.

In addition to chickens, which are ubiquitous here, white rabbits roam freely around the camp, someone once brought them here and they bred. The carefree life of these almost tame animals indicates that there is enough food for the homeless living here and everything would be more or less good if it were not for the desire of local authorities to evict them from the forest. However, knowing their civil rights, the residents of Tent City filed a counterclaim in court, stating that they would leave their wigwams only if a shelter was built nearby. Given that public funds are now in short supply, such a requirement will not be fulfilled soon, and the forest commune will most likely have more than one winter ahead.

In July 2010, our family, consisting of two parents and two sons aged 6 and 9, made a trip from Tyumen to the south of Russia in a Citroen Berlingo car. This is already the 2nd trip to the seas with a length of 3000 km: a three-day trip to the sea and accommodation on the shore of the latter in a tent. Two years ago we settled on the shore Sea of Azov in the village of Golubitskaya, this year about 70 km further on the Black Sea coast near the village of Veselovka not far from Taman. Since I did not write about the first trip, in this story I will sometimes compare these two places.

WAY

On a trip, we usually leave the dacha in order not to leave a loaded car on the street (in order to avoid minor troubles and delay the vacation) at about 5 am and throughout the entire journey we keep a kind of log of the distance traveled. The "Journal" looks like this: sheets lined with graphs: time, mileage, notes. We make marks every hour, in the notes we write down the points that we pass, gas stations, stops, meals. We do this, most likely, in order not to get bored on a long journey, and in order to account for the money spent.

The first day we get the longest on the road, we stop after 16 hours in a hotel outside Samara in the area of Chapaevsk.

In general, from trips over long distances, we realized that always, not far from major cities, you can find housing that is suitable for the price and quality. But it's better to do it early, before sunset, to have more choice. Prices for 4 local number from 1600 rubles (shower and toilet in the corridor).

We finished the second day of our last trip in Volgograd, as our relatives live there. A good reason to see each other, and you need to relax. But this year they went to rest in the village of Veselovka for the Black Time and invited us to their place. We didn't care and we agreed.

Regarding the road, I want to say that in middle lane Russia, which we pass on the 2nd day from Samara to Volgograd, the road is simply disgusting: either pits or crazy ruts from trucks left on hot asphalt. There is simply no way to go fast. Of course, there are small sections of a decent road, but they, as expected in Russia, quickly end. Of course, I understand that in our country, asphalt is subject to a wide range of temperatures throughout the year: frost, snow and heat over 40 degrees. But in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the temperature range is also quite large, and the roads are good. And yet, in Kyrgyzstan in the summer, heavy vehicles are prohibited from moving on the roads in the daytime, only after sunset, so as not to spoil the roads. They sleep during the day and travel at night. And at first I was surprised why the Kyrgyz had few cars on the road. And here no one thought about it: the road is good, and the drivers do not drive to the maximum and the accident rate is lower.

And many more are afraid to drive a car because of the large extortions on the roads from the traffic police. Do not be afraid. Whether anti-corruption measures have helped, or something else, but the traffic police just do not stop, only for violations, but there are no fewer of them on the roads. For 6000 km there and back we were stopped 3 times and only for violations. I want to say that three years ago we were stopped 15 times on the road only at the sea and just found fault, like “Didn’t you see the speed limit sign at the cafe?” or brazenly “Your children are not fastened. Shall we argue?" It is clear that it was extortion, in hotels I heard that drivers gave 5-7 thousand each, just to leave. But again, in 2010 there was nothing like that.

P. Veselovka

The village is located near Taman, on the one hand the Black Sea, on the other - the estuary, where windsurfers and other water sports enthusiasts train.

BEACH

Wide, fine sand underfoot, but large stones come across. I asked the children within reach to collect stones and they spread them around the tent like a fence. At the entrance to the sea there is a narrow strip of stones. This circumstance upset me at first, but then I found a place where the pebbles lay in a 30-centimeter strip, the rest was sand, there are no stones in the sea either. I liked this place because the tourists did not cluster a meter apart, but were dispersed 20-50 meters apart. On the Sea of Azov, people are more crowded, on weekends there are a lot of people and noisy, as locals from nearby cities and towns come just to relax and “break away”. They don't care that people live in tents, everyone has their own goals. Therefore, from the point of view of the population of tourists, I liked the Black Sea coast more.

I like car trips because, firstly, we are very mobile, we can always go out and buy food, go on excursions. Secondly, we can take everything we need on the trip, because the car is big and we are not particularly limited. In addition, on the way back we buy local wines and fruits and even deliver some of them to our homes. Thirdly, for a family of 4, it is quite economical compared to other modes of transport.

EQUIPMENT

On a long trip, it is better to have a cooler bag with you so that the products are fresh at least the first day. We take on the road a lot of mineral water, juices in small bags or bottles, as they say "on time", drinking yoghurts, bakery products, "hunter's" sausages, vacuum-packed "sliced" cheese. Of course, children need sweets in the form of chewing sweets, toffee, and we chew them too. Vegetables and fruits on the road in our family somehow go badly. Of course, on the second or third day we spend time at a large supermarket, where we replenish our supplies. Sometimes we have dinner at those campsites where we stay overnight and always have breakfast there, it's convenient and you don't spend extra time on it. In cafes, we try to take something less prone to spoilage: freshly cooked sausages, scrambled eggs. So far no one has been poisoned.

This year we were well equipped:

A large new two-room tent, each room has a large air mattress, a pillow, bed linen with elastic bands, padding blankets. We took a cheap brazier from METRO with us, found a permanent place for it, collected it and left it for the next tourists, because it is made of thin metal, charred, rusted in places, it makes no sense to bring it home, but vacationers can still come in handy.
A set of folding furniture: a table and around 4 stools. It is made of plastic and metal fasteners. It folds very conveniently into one suitcase, but is not strong enough, especially on the sand, because the legs of the stools sink in the sand and diverge in different directions. And, apparently, they are designed for weight up to 60-70 kg, they broke under my husband. It’s good for children, but for adults, we’ll probably buy a folding chair in the future.
A folding plastic table for the kitchen, on which we clean and cut fish, put meat or chicken on a grill for frying, etc. It washes well and we do not spoil the main table with “dirty” preparations.
A stove powered by small gas cartridges, we use it in the morning and at lunchtime, we kindle a fire only in the evening. On the Azov coast it is problematic with firewood, so many people carry it with them or take coal. There are a lot of cut bushes and various pieces of wood on the Black Sea.
Good flashlight.
A plastic basin in which I wash dishes. And you can not take “chemistry” for washing, everything is perfectly washed with sand or ash, and there are plenty of both by the sea.

Rest on the seashore in tents has many advantages, although the presence of disadvantages cannot be denied. But as you could understand from my stories, our family is positive, so we try to ignore the cons.

Pros:

the sea is always nearby, woke up - dived or another option, swim before going to bed, dark and scary. We, in childhood, youth, also went "savages", rented housing and walked several kilometers in the heat to the sea. There was still a way back. It was also necessary to go to the market in the heat for food or to the canteen, to stand in line.
there are no problems with food. We take tea, coffee, condensed milk, instant cereals with us, we buy eggs, sausages in stores, there is always fruit. In the morning we fry scrambled eggs, alternating with cereals, you can always buy warm delicious pies from women right on the beach. For lunch we cook soups, sausages, eat fruits. And from 6 o'clock, because it gets dark early, we start preparing for dinner. Every day, the whole family or one by one went to the store or market, bought groceries for only one day. Fruits were bought at the bazaars near the road, straight from the garden, you can always try and compare. We only tried 4 types of peaches, 3 types of melons, 2 types of watermelons and 3 types of grapes. Some varieties are more juicy, others are sweeter. The choice is huge and what is most pleasing is that they were not transported green through the floor of Russia, everything was freshly picked. We always had dinner with food cooked “on the fire”, we really liked the “mullet”, a juicy fish with a small amount of bones. As a side dish, boil or bake new potatoes, fresh vegetables or grilled vegetables.

in the evenings we burned a fire, looked at the stars, sang songs, talked. Modern children like such evenings. I think that in our fast-paced time, we talk little to each other, everyone is on the run, but here nothing interferes. And these are two pluses.

the children had a rest from the TV and the computer, and for us, adults, this is not harmful either.

the sea is beautiful: warm, but in this place it is rarely calm. But both children and we love to jump "on the waves." It was this excitement that prevented us from making full use of the “watercraft” we had, they either flew away or sailed away. By the way, for them we set up a small children's tent from Ikea and put mattresses, armlets, circles, etc. there, so as not to catch them all over the beach later.

in the morning we watched several times how dolphins fish, and they do it in groups of 2-3 dolphins and very close to the shore, about ten meters. It's so interesting to watch how they drive fish back and forth. Remembering the dirty, I'm not afraid to say "stinky" coast near Anapa, which is located tens of kilometers from Taman, it is surprising and pleasant that dolphins are still found.

Minuses:

oddly enough, mosquitoes are found on the Black Sea coast near Taman and there are quite a lot of them. We had to buy a "sprinkler" from them on the second day. There are mosquitoes there, since the estuary with fresh water is very close. There were no mosquitoes on the Sea of Azov.
the water in Cherny is very salty, so you need to constantly wash yourself after swimming, and fresh water is supplied to certain time and many stock up with large canisters, you have to stand in line. If you do not wash, then the skin burns badly, to blisters. On the Sea of Azov, water does not have such a large number salt, and so often you do not need to wash yourself.
for those who do not like to cook, it must be tiring to wash dishes and waste time cooking. But I assure you, in the city I spend much more time on this, on vacation everything is simple, without frills. We also take dishes that are well washed, without unnecessary recesses and patterns, partially disposable and better heavier so that they do not fly.
this year it was generally hot in the south of Russia and on the coast too. In the period from 14:00 to 17:00, it was impossible to step on the sand with a bare foot, we pulled awnings and rested at that time under the "shelter": who was sleeping, who was reading. On our last trip we were at the end of August and we can say with confidence that at the end of summer it is more comfortable to rest.
one day there was such a crazy wind that we lay dressed in a tent and were afraid that we would be carried away with it into the sky. Feelings are not pleasant, even sleeping with such noise from the sea and the "raging" tent is impossible.

MILITARY SLIDE

Sunday is my legal day off.
If you remember that it’s just stupid to sit at home, I didn’t have to for almost a month, then it’s clear how I was waiting for it.
Yes, there were some working moments that pulled me out of the house, there were trips, all this is wonderful and necessary. But how tired I am! She didn't even expect it.
And it's good not to rush anywhere, not to rush.

And so, sitting in a warm apartment, I thought. How great it would be now to sit back on your legal day off on a balcony overlooking the sea or the mountains ... Such as, for example, in my cozy hotel in Northern Cyprus.

Before the eyes of a magnificent landscape, warmly. A slightly cool breeze blows from the sea. And this breeze smells of the sea, flowers and happiness...

Probably, those English pensioners who leave here to live from their cold and foggy country are right. On their pension, they live happily ever after.

And with sadness I thought about my prospects... Where can I live on my pension? I figured that more than half would go only to pay for an apartment and a communal apartment. Products in spite of the sanctions are becoming more expensive day by day. And yes, you need to wear something. Especially in winter. So I will probably have to work for life to survive.

Or maybe put up a tent on the beach mediterranean sea and live to your heart's content?

By the way, I went shopping in Northern Cyprus. The prices don't bite. It is quite possible to meet the minimum that our state allocates to its citizens for "life". And the food there is really delicious.

Thick, "worth of a spoon" natural yogurt - 5.30 lira for 800 gr., which is about 88 rubles. Milk, very tasty, 2.5-3 lira, that's 43-51 rubles. And it really is MILK. When I add our milk from the bag to coffee, the coffee almost does not turn white, remaining dirty brown, and that milk should be added a little and - voila, the color is "coffee with milk".

Here, for example, butter in Northern Cyprus and in our supermarket.

Three dozen eggs.

Meat, of course, is a little expensive, but our pensioners eat meat only on holidays. But, chicken offal is quite affordable. A kilogram of chicken liver will cost 3.95 liras or 68 rubles, hearts 7.65 or 130 rubles, chicken breast 13.7 or 233 rubles / kg.

Meat and mince. True, the meat is different. In the Cypriot store, there is a photo of lamb, we have beef. Lamb in our stores is a rarity and costs more than beef.

Chicken liver.

Bread, cereals, pasta are not more expensive than ours. Canned food is plentiful and prices are at the same level as ours.

And let's not even talk about vegetables and fruits. For vegetarians and pensioners - heaven on earth.

It remains only to find out how the authorities of Northern Cyprus will react to pensioners in a tent.))

Before you go hiking, check that all the pegs and ropes are in place. Set up your tent at home and make sure you have all the parts you need to set it up. Usually a tent consists of a waterproof tent and an inner light tent with a mosquito net and a waterproof bottom. It comes with pegs, frame arches and ropes that hold the rag house in strong winds.

Do not be lazy and check if the zippers on your tent work. With the advent of darkness, not only the cold can creep in to you, but also all sorts of small creatures.

2. Learn to put up a tent

It is very important! A crookedly pitched tent will not only confuse perfectionists with its appearance, but it can also leak in the rain or fly away in the wind. First, read the instructions - it hasn't hurt anyone yet.

Remember that the tent should stand on a flat surface without any holes and bumps. Assemble the tent (tie all the ropes, stick in the pegs, stretch the awning and close all the doors). In this position, the tent should not gather. If it looks like a real flat house, then you can safely spend the night in it.

3. Stock up on a rug or mattress

Despite the fact that the tent is equipped with a waterproof bottom, it perfectly passes the cold. And if you do not want to freeze something for yourself, then get some foam or an inflatable rug. Dense high-quality foam will save you from cold and moisture, but sleeping on it is quite hard. Although after one or two nights you will get used to it, and your back will stop hurting. Lay two narrow foams overlapping so that the cold does not get into the gap between them.

An inflatable mat or mattress is softer than foam. Sleeping on such a bed is comfortable, but it costs five times more. You choose.

4. Prepare your sleeping bag and blanket

If you think that a simple blanket will save you from the night cold in a tent in the summer, you are greatly mistaken. In nature, especially in the morning, it can be very cold. Therefore, a sheet and a blanket will only work if you have a heated tent.

The best solution is a sleeping bag. Choose carefully and Special attention use the comfort temperature indicated on it. This is the air temperature at which you will not freeze in a sleeping bag.

5. Bring a heating pad

It will not take up much space, but on a cold night you will be very happy with it. A good option- salt heating pad: it lasts for a long time, it is safe to use. If the cold took you by surprise, and you don’t have a special heating pad on hand, then you can take an ordinary plastic bottle, fill it with hot water and place it in a sleeping bag.

6. Don't forget the pillow

Another important item that will help brighten up nights in a tent is a pillow. You should not take a large homemade down pillow or a thought from the sofa with you. All this variety will perfectly replace the inflatable analogue. Inflatable pillows are sold not only in tourist shops, but also in hypermarkets.

Another good pillow substitute is a cover for your sleeping bag, which you can put warm things like a jacket in. The tent will be in order, and you will not lose the cover.

7. Prepare insect protection

Mosquitoes, beetles, wood lice, spiders are not the most pleasant neighbors in a tent. To prevent insects from entering the rag house, close the doors tightly. If they have already crawled there, then you can use a folk remedy - hang bunches of tansy in a tent. But it is not certain that you will find it.

You can smoke with special spirals, but they do not smell very pleasant and smoke the inside of the tent. Not only insects, but also you yourself will not want to spend the night in such a room.

There is modern way- battery powered portable device. It works all night, does not smell and does not make noise, but it costs more than spirals.

Do not wear woolen clothes when outdoors, as the scent of wool attracts ticks.

8. Grab a change of socks

In conditions campground you may need to change a pair of socks a day. They won't take up much space, so don't be shy and take at least three pairs for two days.

9. Get a folding chair or foam seat

In order not to look for a decent log and not to sit on blankets, grab folding chairs or a foam seat with an elastic band, with which it is attached directly to the tourist. Sitting on a chair or armchair is very comfortable, but you can not remove the foam during the day. The seating area will be with you wherever you go and your hands will be free.

10. Prepare Lighting for the Tent and Grounds

In order not to stumble over pegs at night and not to look for things by touch, stock up on economical, but powerful enough lighting. Cover a clear plastic jar with glow-in-the-dark paint. Better from the inside, so as not to get your hands dirty later.

Or tie a flashlight to a water bottle, or you can even just put it on your smartphone with the flashlight turned on.

During the day of the first post, I was already asked 3 times to write about life in a tent, I realized that this would be relevant right now, veeeesnaaaa)))
From the age of 8, I managed to live in a tent wherever possible, in the mountains, in the field, in the forest, on the sea, near the river, in the city park, and just in the yard of a private house) You can learn how to set it up and other technical issues in instructions for your tent, but I want to describe life from the point of view of a girl, a girl and a woman who loves comfort like any normal woman.

If you are afraid of insects only spiders, like me, then you can live in a tent, they rarely go there, and if they did, they helped me kill them) after I saw their corpse, I could go into it and sleep) But if you are afraid of any insects, from ants to beetles, then alas, the tent is not your friend. If the entrance to the tent is closed all the time, then it will be difficult for the living creatures to get inside, you can ventilate it at night, quickly before going to bed, so do not listen to those who say that you need to keep the entrance open during the day, so that it would not be hot, it will be hot in anyway! And at least you won't be afraid to sleep)
We choose a place: put the tent, if possible, in the shade of trees or bushes, so during the day it will not heat up, otherwise you will not even be able to enter it on a hot day. Set so that the wind does not blow into the entrance, preferably in the side or back. Look for a place with a hill, so during the rain you will not be flooded. Remove stones, branches, etc., so that they don’t press on your sides at night) From above, you also need to check the place so that dry branches from the wind do not fall on your head. Do not set up the tent so that the sunrise can be seen from the exit, so you will become hot and uncomfortable even faster. Although it will be relevant in cool weather  Look for the most even place, it is not comfortable to sleep on the slopes.
Do not lay anything under the tent that can accumulate moisture, you will wake up wet from the accumulated moisture from the morning dew.

What to sleep on? - I will say right away, sleeping on the sand is hard, if it seems to you that it will be soft and comfortable, ... NO! Sand mounds will float under your body, and you will only suffer. You won’t be able to level it, believe me) You can sleep on an air mattress, but only if it does not release air. Polyurethane foam mat - hard. A litter of grass, branches and reeds is good, but also, like sand, it presses on the sides.
Ideally, these are gymnastic mats, or a warm blanket and a sleeping bag. If it is possible to take a few blankets with you, super, take it, and also take a light blanket, and a blanket) will not be superfluous, it can be cold at night.
It’s best to sleep sideways to the exit, it’s dangerous to sleep with your feet forward, you can be grabbed by them) If the size of the tent allows you to sleep across the tent, then do it, plus it won’t be cold for your feet, and in which case you can defend yourself ... I’m not kidding here)
In general, comfort in a tent depends on the size of the tent itself, there are those where you can put a cot and stand upright. you choose)
For those who have never slept in a tent, I advise you to try it, so you will never understand whether you like it or not.
If there's something I didn't say, feel free to ask questions, I'll be happy to answer!