q: Can I store my poop bucket outdoors?

Q: A vandweller asked about if they need a metal can or storing poop outside. Ultimately, they wanted to deal with the smell.

Here is my long answer

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A:

Metal works, but is overkill. There are fine plastic ones, you can get for less than $5. Anything wide mouth and rigid.

If airtight doesn't matter, just get a $1 dollar tree bin.

Details:

Coffee can works well and is airtight. But you might need 2. (1 gal, approximately)

You can buy some large 2gal~ barrels that are plastic and filled with snacks. Costco pretzels or pork rinds or cheese balls.

Walmart has cheese balls by Utz. Or you can buy them off amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HBEE4E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_SCJFRF2Z3428RQZ4N8ES

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Considerations:

If you want to store outdoors, you want something that is animal resistant. So you want metal, rigid plastic, or completely odor proof. Being completely odor proof is difficult. How much you will attract animals will depend on your environment. Desert vs forest.

If you want to keep it in your van, animals matter less, but odor more. The odor ideas above are good. And everyone has different levels of sensitivity.

If space is an issue (small van, rather than an RV), then 5 gallon bucket can be too much space and 90% of the time it is half empty or more. Consider having a main container that can hold 3-5 days assuming you usually can dump and resupply every 3-5 days. And then have an "overflow" system. The simplest overflow system would be 1 gal ziploc bags and lots of double bagging. That is great because it is small and compressible when not in use. 5 bags of 1 gallon ziplocs = 1 5gallon bucket! For overflow, I will also use what I have that's already garbage: chip bags. Oatmeal containers (paper, but with good lid). Cardboard boxes.

If you are long-terming it between visits to town, then something that holds 20+ days regularly will be more important. The gamma lid is the one Bob talks about in videos. Then, you might also learn how to build a cathole and bury the poop.

Others have great ideas too:

Laura Keadle , the paint can. But need a screwdriver to open and close.

Ann Schawe chip bags are great. A bag clip that is full size can help seal it. Ikea has good bag clips.

Dennis Portillo military ammo cans are great.

You generally don't want paper because animals can chew through too easily. But I use a paper box sometimes and double bag the poop.

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Some people like videos. This is Bob's video on poop and pee. Covers 5 gal buckets, gamma lid, and a few other options.

https://youtu.be/-gj3ocdO4Qk

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Linkback: https://m.facebook.com/groups/HOWAgroup/permalink/1515545268644525/

Food ideas that don't need refrigeration

Grits
Oatmeal

Peanut butter
Bread
Jelly or jam
Raisins
Peanuts and almonds
Ketchup
Some fruits, banana and oranges
Multivitamins
Parmesan cheese
Instant potatoes

Sugar
Salt
Water
Oil
Apple cider vinegar, instead of lime juice (dollar store)

Cheese?
Yoghurt (1 day only)

---cans
Canned corn and beans
Canned tuna and chicken

Dry sausage

--Salty
Cheezits
Bugles
Pretzels


---Requires cooking
Eggs

Photos from February, 2020; Van Timing in on both US oceans.

It's been a busy February:

• Finishing up a 7 day silent meditation sit (Gil Fronsdal, Theravada-esque, Vipassana ) in Santa Cruz, CA.
• Saw Condors at Pinnacles National Park
• Back to Vegas for some re-tooling of the van
• Out to Columbus Ohio
• West Virginia for Frostburn festival
• Down to South Carolina, and then an impactful trip to the EJI Legacy Museum which highlighted the depths of dehumanization of slavery, Jim Crow, and modern prisons.
• Down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
• Over to the Bayou, and Lafayette, LA, which I'm kinda falling in love with. Southern charms are quite charming.

I wish I had my fiddle or my trumpet with me.

Here are some more of these photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YCYekhCjBbB6b9gZ6
About 20 photos there.

a few tips for starting vanDwelling

I've read a few articles on van life. I think they are good, but often overcomplicate things for beginners. So, this is my guide to getting started really fast.

A view from the Santa Cruz office.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cse1pumy8NZWVzSD9

Or preview:

Laptop, cereal, sandwiches, meditation book, ocean and beach views. About 60deg and sunny.

Two views in Berkeley, CA, at the Marina

Berkeley holds a special place in my development. I learned to sail dinghies here. I also bought a sailboat before knowing how to sail, partly because I was unhappy and wanted to shake things up. I met a lot of people outside my bubble. I think Steve fed me, Peter kept things light but got shit done, and Doughman demonstrated a windsurfer+vanLife option.

About me / this

This is the Semi-Retired Van Buddha blog.

1. Semi-Retired because I haven't worked a regular job in 2 years. I used to be an unhappy college professor. Now, I do some consulting and programming work for myself. My goal was to be able to do all my work in my pajamas and never have to work because I need the paycheck. Success.
2. Van because my primary residence is a van. Lived in 40+ states. I did own a home and homes have their plusses and minuses. #Vandwelling (which is culturally different from #vanlife) started as an experiment about what I really needed. Turns out I didn't need that much (no kids or spouse), so I keep things really simple. My van doesn't even have air conditioning, but that's okay: if it's too hot, I can go North! I'm a Nomad. Say hello, and I can let you know when I'm in your town.
3. Buddha because I am an avid Buddhist, and this is the orientation I've chosen for the rest of my life. I've gotten a taste of what the peace that comes from a mind with calm, non-clinging, non-greedy, non-angry, and non-wishfulness. And, Buddhism is now my primary interest.  I like to point out that I haven't lived a saintly life--I've had all sorts of excesses, youthful indulgences, and minor criminality. I point this out so that you can consider the idea: it's never too late to train the mind.