>>2796972
5k isn't a lot for anything, unfortunately. To get properly stocked, and stay stocked is gonna be a money sink. During winter especially, you're gonna need to stay dry and make sure you don't slip and fuck up your equipment, I live in East Tennessee, so while we don't get feet of snow like others, its gonna be muddy, cold and uncomfortably soggy.

>>2796972
Having walked the border between poverty and success I can share some things I found helpful.
>5k for gear
Go lightweight, don't follow all these guys who spend thousands of dollars on shit they don't need, learn to live without it. Some examples
>Don't use a inflatable mat for sleeping
You can use beds of leaves, dig a hole using dirt, or use dirty clothes and other accoutrements to support you if you need it. Make sure to stretch before and after bed, and practice good posture. You'll go a longer way with this then with a mattress pad.
>UL or lightweight travel
Travel with less clothing, wash them out in streams, cut out everything that isn't absolutely essential. Lighter weight will be easier on your body, especially in your age (I'm not sure your physical condition so I'm just guessing.) Ultralight also ensures that as you are accustomed to working with less you have less gear to replace over time.
>Work and occupation
Hitchiking typically allows you to meet people who are looking to hire some cheap labour, you can also check out Wwoofing, which while it doesn't pay, you at least get food and board and can network with other locals that do pay, you also will learn alot from these folks on foraging and other techniques that will be useful. Fly a sign that says your looking for work, ask around, use craigslist Gigs (Not as good as it used to be but still). Wwoof is 40$ for a year subscription but it is worth it if you end up going that route.
>Heavy miles a day
If you can get to the point where you're doing 30-40 miles a day you can resupply a lot easier, I've heard the AT especially has a lot of places to stop or at least hitchhike into towns. Moving heavy miles in a day will burn more calories, so make sure you are counting what you need, protien too, and establishing a budget. I typically run 100-200$ a week depending on where I'm at for food. I prefer to buy produce when I canbecause it's biodegradable and I won't have to carry my trash with me.

>>2797018
You can put napkins in a container of greens to absorb moisture and make it last longer while traveling without a fridge. These and other storage techniques. If you're not to picky about eating goyslop and s-o-y additive foods then just get protein bars, just remember it's more expensive to eat out then build a budget and sue a grocery store.
>Tent
I use a 1Lb tarp, light weight, easy to set up and take down in a hurry, versatile, easily replaceable and cheap. Saves a lot of space in my bag. I'd recomend finding ones with good tent stakes that will last longer.
>Towel
Always bring a towel, it is essential, you'll thank me later.
>Hat and coco oil for sun protection
Hat is cheap and better then having to cover your face all the time, coco oil has an spf rating of 10, which while not great is better then nothing and not full of chemicals. Natural Tan will help out the most, coco oil can also be eaten in a pinch.
>Honey
Great for dressing wounds and for calories, peanut butter and nuts are also easy to pack, fairly inexpensive in bulk, and go a long way.
>Shoes
I'm a barefoot guy myself, I travel with a thin pair of flip-flops because I get a lot better stability, easy to replace, and makes your feet and balance a lot stronger over time. Get some shoes that will last a while if you do, make sure they're comfy, just don't be a 300+$ footfag.
>Water filter
Some people use em, I've been learning to just drink what is available, but definitely still carry one for really gross water when nothing else is around. Sawyer Squeeze is great but the bags degrade really quick, so you'll want to buy the bag separate.
>Rain gear
Don't be a pussy, just get wet, it'll dry off. Watch the weather and don't get caught in more then you can handle. I have a waterproof backpack that makes it easy to just toss everything in when it starts to rain, then I just enjoy the rain on my skin like that one song where no one else can feel it for you.

>>2797023
My overall advice, buy as little gear as you can and use what you have for food, make sure you have some kind of plan in mind for work, travel with the seasons. Use the time you have left in your house to get whatever gear you need, then just get out there and enjoy yourself man. You've got an opportunity to make the most of things, it might turn out even better then where you're at currently. Watch some survival videos on youtube if you can, oh and lastly
>Small fishing kit
The government doesn't want you to know this but you can just fish for free everywhere you go, but a small kit or a collapsible rod, use worms and grasshoppers and whatever else you find for bait. Don't forget to bring a lighter of course, but learning a friction fire is also based.

>>2797026
Thank you so much.

>>2796972
>5k USD saved up
jfc, ive been a fuckup most of my life and even i have more money saved that THAT. get your life together old man

>>2797090
I know. I messed up big time. No debt at least.

>>2796972
>55
>5k in savings
>lost your job and want to just go hiking

>Any advice on getting day jobs on the trail, hostels, survival
Honestly anon, you're almost 60 and you wanna just "live off the land"? What is your experience in hiking/being an outdoorsman? What is your skill level in terms of survival? I wanna tell you to go out there and just do it, but I don't want to see some homeless guy panhandling on the interstate in a few months.

>>2796972
you need to start flinging out applications for McD's and BK's is what you need to do, find some ratfuck motel or ghetto apartment to rent in or whatever you need. itll still be waaay better than living innawoods during winter

>>2797150
Honestly, Anon, whatever happens out in the woods happens. I just want to experience the trail before I check out.
I have fishing experience, can catch and clean and I'm in generally good health. I've hiked the back country in Florida and PA in the past.

>>2797155
Plus I hear that there are organizations and people on the trail that give out food and such to hikers.

>>2797148
You would be better off with debt and a house. If you did that you would have some equity. Rentcucks btfo again

>>2797160
Based
Hope the old cuck dies in a ditch with norovirus.

>>2797148
>No debt at least.
??????
That 5k can buy you 5 years of 50k+ in credit cards at the very least
Make sure you rack up some debt, if you get injured on the trail laugh at the hospital bill
They don't give a shit about sub 800k small fry debtors, that's the entire point of this "economic growth"
They only come after you for multi millions lmao
Don't be afraid of any debt at your age, it's on their bill, besides
They were the ones who took everything from you

>>2797155
Dumbass, its fucking winter, you aren't going to have a good time out there, and no doing some hiking in fucking Florida and Pennsylvania isn't enough experience to go on a several thousand miles long trail during the months of winter.
>fishing
Nigga, can you forage for food? Can you build a shelter with what you have around you in case something were to happen to your tent/tarp? Can you sew/do fast repairs? How good are you at creating safe drinking water/startinga fire if your lighter or matches fail or are lost? That's the questions you need to ask yourself, are you self reliant and able to take care of your belongings when shit gets bad and you're miles away from help.

You have no safety net if shit goes bad, 5k is gonna disappear quickly, just buying the gear you need for the shit months of winter and relyingon the generosityof others is a gamble, especially now.

>>2797153
Listen to this guy, you need to find a job, and cheap housing. Do not put yourself in a situation where you're literally out in the woods during winter, and you got no way out. You will die of the elements or, probably some junkies beating your ass for the brand new shit you just bought and now you're in some ditch.

>>2796972
Your priorities are all ass-backwards. Find a new job, find a new lease, and go for hikes in your spare time.

>>2796972
Don't listen to the demoralizers OP, but don't go into it without a plan. If you want to be mobile you can easily find side work and odd jobs, for winter months it might be good to carry a pot for warming water and using it to bathe. The system is not going to get any better, it's going to get worse, so it's good to get out now while you can.

I know this guy is kind of a meme here but he is legit, and if you decide to set up somewhere then watching his videos might give you more of an idea of what to expect. Find a place with good foraging, a water source (Preferably with fish), and build a shelter. Remember that gardens take awhile to set up, and you need both water and decent soil.
https://www.youtube.com/@ForestAnon

>>2797169
Safe drinking water would be bringing it to a sustained boil and filtering any particles through a coffee filter or if desperate, a clean handkerchief. I can build a lean-to in a pinch if necessary. I know how to make a campfire with dry kindling on the bottom and larger timber on top and sustain it, elements permitting. As for foraging, I only know that Ramp is edible. I have some medical knowledge and access to antibiotics. I can also perform minor surgery on myself, drain and pack wounds. I might be able to bunk with a mate til early Spring. If I use that time to educate myself and get into shape, I should have a shot.
>>2797168
I like your scenario. Debtmaxing might be the way. After all, what can they take from me? With 50k, I could probably live like a king on the trail.

>>2797179
Thanks, bro. Will do.

>>2797171
Context on this image? They're all dead from a gas attack or something?

>>2797206
I thought he was having a kid but still planning to live in his cabin? Haven't seen anything to suggest he was moving back to society, sounds like a psyop.

>>2796972
Anon, how did you fuck up that badly to lose everything but five thousand dollars? Divorce?

>>2797185
>With 50k, I could probably live like a king on the trail.
That's a chatbot tier way of thinking because the gear you need costs minimal but it might as well be free on a credit card and cover years of camp food, besides financing a vehicle or such, and you can't be a king in a place where everything is what you carry
You should be careful

>>2796972
>I've ruined my life with bad choices so here I go making yet another bad choice to make things worse

Well at least it tracks

>>2797168
You may be functionally retarded. Get test ASAP.

My advice, set up a tent in the back yard and live in it for 3 or 4 days, just to see if you can. Some people just aren't cut out for it.

It's rained all day, everything you got is wet. You stay up all night shivering under your wet blanket. That's the problem with winters along the Appalachian Trail. It's not like a winter in Canada where it snows and the ground is covered with dry powdery snow until March or April the next year. Today you get soaked with rain, overnight it snows and falls below freezing. Then it warms up and all that snow and rain turns to mud. Then you're wet and covered in mud, and everything else you have with you. You could tolerate that in summer. In winter you die of hypothermia. Buy a bus ticket and go do the bum thing in Florida or California. Live in a tent under the overpass until spring. Then go on an adventure if you still want to do it. Surviving the winter is your first priority I think.

>>2797257
>Divorce
Yep

OP, I have been in your position , I hope you see this. Do not go to the AT.
You want to find a heavily wooded area that is about 2 miles from a commercial district that has grocery stores, restaurants and a big retailer like WalMart.
In a heavily wooded area you can build a shelter that will protect you from weather out of pallets and tarps.
You can dumpster dive in the back lots of the stores. If you are not scary and weird you can catch a talk to the young people that work at the stores as they take breaks out back. The key is to be nice and not scary to the young people.
Befriending the young people that work at the stores will basically be your key to survival.
- they will not tell their supervisor you are dumpster diving
- they will not tell the local Police , who do not care about dumpster diving, UNLESS someone complains about scary dude behind the store.
- instead of throwing near expiration items in the dumpster the kids will leave good stuff behind the dumpster where you can get it easier.
Pro level homeless:
- maintain a cell phone to put on job applications
- maintain a checking account at a local bank
- maintain a gym membership so you can shower. Keep hygiene, soap , shampoo items in a locker at the gym
- Register for government assistance before you get homeless so $'s can direct deposit into your bank account

>>2797157
Not in the winter.

>>2797298
This is correct as well. The winters in the South don’t necessarily have white out blizzards or 12 feet of fresh snow dumped in an afternoon or temps in the -20’s. It’s miserable in its own way.

Plus it’s totally unpredictable long term. Could be freezing rain, could be sunny and 65. Last weekend I think the high temp on Clingman’s Dome was 50+. This week it will barely make it above freezing (with a high of 17° on Saturday). There were some southbound AT hikers stuck in Gatlinburg because roads into GSMNP were closed (due to snow and ice). A few weeks later and it’s perfect hiking weather. That’s typical.

>>2797179
Op here. I watched most of this guy's videos. Forget the AT, I'll just post up deep in some national forest and so supply runs every so often on the nearest town.

>>2796972
I honestly do not understand why anyone would want to spend time on the AT. It's heavily trafficked, all of the people along it are usually weirdos, most of the public shelters are a complete mess and just a spot for disease to spread.

>>2797619
It is a challenge that is easy to access for the world's population really. It is not easy to complete but it is easy to get to and begin for anyone with the money saved to do it.
Anyone in the world can fly into Atlanta's international airport. You take Atlanta's mass transit system MARTA to the REI store in Sandy Springs Georgia. You can catch a shuttle bus from the REI store to Amnicola State Park which has a nice lodge, restaurant and park station set up to help through hikers.
You can take the approach trail from Amnicola State Park to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The approach trail is only 8 miles and people use it to shake their gear down before they start the AT.
It is pretty great how accessible the AT is. You can have all of the solitude you want by avoiding shelters and trailheads while you are on the AT or you can take part in the hippy culture of the AT by spending time in the towns and trail shelters.
There are many long distance trails in the world but the AT definitely has its own personality.

>>2797619
I do it for the smellz

>>2796972
>I've made plenty of mistakes in my life to get me to this point and have no recourse but to make more.
huh, ok. not how i'd do it.

>>2797179
there's a difference between demoralizers and good samaritans trying to keep this guy from killing himself or fucking his life up further

>>2797583
Exactly. It's easier then you think man. He work on ranches to get an income for food and then does a tiny bit of foraging, all while trying to get his garden going.
I'm doing something similar starting this coming month, except I'll be using the PCT as kind of a training wheel. Hunting and Trapping are the biggest skills, that and storing the meat without waste.

>>2797700
Most people don't even do it in one go. You literally have to be unemployed to be able to. Majority are just section hiking with someone to support them on the weekends or one or two week vacations.

>>2796972
>'m 55 years of age and have 5k USD saved up

You couldn't make it in the comforts of civilized society, what makes you think you'll make it in the wild?
Get a job, bozo.

>>2797708
>>2797744
He's 55 years old and you guys want him to wageslave for what's left of his life?
>>2796972
It's easier then all these kikes are making it out to be, so long as you're smart about it you can really find peace out in the woods. Obviously don't be a fucking retard and jump into more then you can handle at once, but don't give into these talmudic subversions that tell you you have to live in a city for the rest of your life and die with a few extra dollars to your name. Go out in the woods and have an adventure man, pack smart, make sure you can manage food and water, and live like a man. God forbid you fuck it up somehow you will have at least lived more of a life in that short period of time then most of these jews will in their entire lifetime.

>>2797762
Thank you for the support. I'm just to the point where I'm old, I've lived my life and living amongst people in a city/suburb is too confining and generates anxiety for me. I will do my best to prepare and am thankfully in good health for my age (no medications) but if mother nature is to take me down, then so be it, at least I dared to take an adventure off the beaten path in this life. Honestly, slaving away in some no-count job scares me more than a hike into the unknown.

>>2797787
>>2797319 - this is the way. Maintaining your health and wellness while you are homeless in an area you are familiar with that has resources available to you is hard enough. Being homeless and adding in the demands of trail hiking is not a good idea.

>>2797787
Dummy, just work on a ranch or some shit, don't make yourself homeless in the wintertime. Surely to God you have friends to help you and with 5k at least stay at an extended hotel for a bit or something. I swear to God with how many old homeless dudes I see bumming and druggin,' I don't want to see another one.

If you really want to hike your life away at least try it for a week, live in a tent and get a feel for what awaits you,, and see how well it goes. And if you're serious about the AT, get a gym membership and get your body in shape, exercise and get smart. Befriend some hunters or other survivalists and get some tips and the places you can find good gear without breaking your already miniscule bank.

>>2797906
Thanks man for the advice. I was able to get a friend to let me bunk with him in Florida for the winter. While down there, I'm going to be camping at a place called Silver Lake for a couple of days to get a feel for outdoor life. He's got a tarp and three seasons tent and is going to show me some basics.

>>2796972
This is a prime way to get your prostate milked by strangers in the night.

>>2797018
horrible advice for the winter, sleeping on the ground will leach all the warth out of you and you will freeze to death. having some kind of thermal pad is absolutely essential in the winter and even early spring.

>>2797023
you're fuckin retarded and have never done any long distance hiking with any of the gear youre suggesting, hopefully OP isnt retarded enough to take this absolutely fucking terrible advice.

>>2796972
im curious why you have to be out of your place in 30 days if you have 5k saved up. you just dont want to spend it on rent? but it makes it sound like its mandatory

Don't give up OP, God is good, just go for it.

>>2798959
I won't. I've decided to live like ForestAnon and just post up deep in a national forest, probably in North Carolina.

>>2798808
Seethe fatty. I bet you don't even go outdoors, let alone do any long-distance trekking. Why don't you post your "expert" advice for the OP so we all can point and laugh at it?

>>2797204
Nerve gas.

How much would somebody need saved up to walk this for a year and not die?

>>2797018
>Don't use a inflatable mat for sleeping
Don’t be retarded buy an inflatable they’re infinitely lighter and top notch ones will cost you $120 and are genuinely comfortable

>UL or lightweight travel
Op is slightly right, but at a minimum I’d reccomend 3 pairs of underwear (Hanes spandex briefs are goated for hiking), 3 pairs of wool socks(need to be wool can’t get away with cotton), one pair of hiking boots(synthetic is best for summer, leather is great for three season I really like danners), one pair of ultralight sandals (I use xero shoes barefoot sandals work great for camp shoes) 3 tops (lightweight base layer made of polyester is fine, a button up trail shirt so you don’t look like a bum, and finally a sun hoodie for the summer so you don’t die) 2 pants anything that’s not cotton or jeans - I rock fjalraven but there’s cheaper options (check amazon- I bought a pair of ripstop rain proof pants for $20) finally you need your warmth/ weather layers. A fleece, puffer, or wool hoodie for the middle, a large rain and wind resistant outer layer. This is the bare minimum you need for the type of trip your planning. Before some faggot says that’s too many clothes you’re bound to get wet, dirty, and possibly shit yourself. The redundancy guarantees you’ll always have something clean/warm to sleep in. If you’re the type of guy who needs it longjohns are good for an additional thermal layer or for sleeping. I find sleeping in the middle layer if not soiled does just as good.

>Heavy miles a day
Literally impossible to do 30-40 miles a day with a camping load. That alone shows no understanding of backpacking. 10 miles is more than appropriate and won’t leave you fucking trashed at the end of the day. If you’re not some larping faggot longevity is the name of the game.

>>2797023
>I'm a barefoot guy myself
>I've been learning to just drink what is available
>Don't be a pussy, just get wet

you trying to get this guy killed?

>>2797023
>Tent
Don’t listen to this guy he’s actually retarded. A 1lb tent is a dogshit suggestion. Buy a REI half dome 2 and that guarantees you and your gear can be inside a nice waterproof and wind proof shelter. Literally two of the biggest killers outdoors.

>waterfilter
Sawyer squeeze is fine don’t drink water you don’t know is clean ffs. I use a grayl because it’s heavy duty and filters with ease (trade off for weight)

>rain gear
Op is in fact a larping faggot, getting wet will kill you in 50 degree weather if it’s windy. There is zero reason why you can’t carry a poncho or a rain jacket they literally weight next to nothing.

This guy has literally never hiked a day in his life

>>2797026
Wasted space and wasted gear + you’re fake and gay. Go to REI and go off their backpacking list.

It’s solid advice and will save you grief and suffering. Don’t listen to these fags

Is Forest Non a psyop?

>>2796972
You're gonna die old man.