Living in the woods

[sandbender]

"..My question is, is something like that actually legal?..."

No. it isn't legal.

"...Can I do that?.."

No, you cannot do that.

"...however I am in a country that is a part of the European Union if that matters..."

The member countries of the European Union have differing systems regarding residency, some like Germany are happy for any European citizen to live there for any period of time (presuming they are law abiding and support themselves). Others will require you to seek a residency permit if you plan to remain more than three months, that often entails proving that you can support yourself.

If you attempt to set up camp in a remote area the locals (and there are always locals) won't be happy and will alert the police or rangers. If you look like a homeless person, are in possession of axes and knives and are constructing a shelter on state or private land you will be arrested.

UK prisons aren't much fun but the Prisons further east and north are not places you want to stay.

The legal systems in many of these countries will require you to remain in prison until they can put you in front of a judge, if you are lucky that might be only a few weeks.

Do you speak any other European languages?

As an alternative to your somewhat fanciful notion of carving out a little bit of wilderness for yourself I would suggest seeking out some of the more remote 'off the grid' communities that can be found in Europe, most would be happy to have someone with building skills to lend a hand and quite a few are spread over larger areas so finding and building a quiet space for yourself wouldn't be impossible.

Good luck.

 

[Jack Bounder]

Well starting with just your water at 3ltr per day there is 42 kilo (even at 2ltr per day min recommended liquid intake you are talking 28 kilo) it's already heavier than any rucksack i'd wanna carry for a long time, your large axe is easy 2-3 kilo, bowsaw another 1-2 kilo, sleeping kit 2 kilo min (sleeping bag, bivvi and mat), I can't imagine the weight of tinned food for 2 weeks i wouldn't even wanna carry that back from the supermarket, you're gonna want a lot of food and water as building a wood structure is no kind of light labour and carrying all your kit is no easy chore either so we are talking easy 3-4000 kcals per day needed minimum, if it's cold even more.

When out living wild for 2-3 weeks i take around 5-7 kilo of dried food and 1 kilo of that is dried meats like biltong/salted pork or regular beef jerky, this is when i know i am gonna be able to get my hands on plenty of fish and the hope of the odd small game like rabbits, if these aren't a sure thing and i am living on just the food i take then it is easy 10 kilo of dried foods and 3 kilo of that is dried meats (the rest is pasta, rice, muesli, couscous, stock cubes, fruit jerky, nuts and raisins and other dried fruits) and that is just for 2-3 weeks swanning around a couple of Scottish lochs mid summer taking it easy, i don't carry any water except my most recently filtered litre and my rucksack still easy ends up around 20 kilo as i am not carrying an axe or bowsaw.

For 2 weeks you're gonna want changes of clothing??
Cooking kit?
Possibles??
Personally i'd easy go through a kilo of teabags in 2 weeks A kilo of muesli and a kilo min of dried milk to go with both.
Rucksack is gonna be about 2 kilo
However much bogroll for 2 weeks + your toilet kit and washkit??
Knife and medkit?

Am i missing anything? Anyone adding this up?

Suppose you could lighten the load with a titanium spork i'm making jokes here but seriously what you are suggesting is no easy feat even to people with a good base of skillsets suitable for the task

Looks like a Mule is required

 

[GGTBod]

A mule would be ideal and if push comes to shove it's a good slab of meat you brought with you too, i think many people don't realise how heavy water is until they try to carry a few days supply of it, i ran away with the travelling fairground when i was a boy worked the dodgems and lived in a caravan and every 3 days i had to take my 2 x 5 gallon barrels to wherever the fresh water tap was on whatever pitch we were on and carry them back, made you really aware of your water usage, 22.5 kilo in each hand is a hefty weight when your 14, every new pitch you prayed your trailer was near the taps.

All i can say is thank the gods of mice and men that water filtration systems became lightweight and portable or my outdoor living adventures would be constantly next to the water supply

 

[Jack Bounder]

Mule man

 

[GGTBod]

I like Mule man, you'd never get away with that in UK, they'd have you in a mental hospital within weeks and your mules turned to glue and dog food

 

[sandbender]

There is a US Army field manual for the care and loading of pack mules which may be of interest to some.

FM 3-05.213 (FM 31-27) - Special Forces Use of Pack Animals

Donkeys and mules are often found carting goods around parts of Spain, Greece, Transylvania etc. etc.

 

[spandit]

Bringing enough stuff into the woods to build even a small house would attract attention, unless you have a friend with a helicopter who can airlift it all in in one go.

From some of your comments it sounds like counselling or meditation might help. It's not chance that humans live together in groups

 

[forrestdweller]

Am i missing anything? Anyone adding this up?

if you plan to hunt/fish you would have to add the gear for that one, too- unless you're a master bushcrafter and able to make your own gear (bow/woomera) once you reach the area you wanna go.... .legal matters of hunting/fishing are also something you need to consider!
+ hunting/fishing/foraging is a seasonal thing- you might end up getting VERY hungry if you plan to rely entirely on it....


to the OP: and PLEASE do NOT take any animals with you as they will only will suffer WHEN you do'nt make it!

 

[GGTBod]

I was referring to the OP's theoretical trip where he was not going to hunt, fish or forage but instead live on canned food goods.

I always take fishing line and hooks and snare wires and my snare triggers and i also unfortunately often break the law in regards to my fishing techniques (i don't ever use a rod) and rabbit catching practices (hard to always get permission)

My favourite fishing methods

[video=youtube;K1hFKgnon7g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1hFKgnon7g[/video]

 

[GGTBod]

I also like this one but i am yet to have success with it

[video=youtube;yAB7KljY-9E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAB7KljY-9E[/video]

 

[Bishop]

Anybody remember the secret village at Brithdir Mawr? They owned the land and still got into trouble.

 

[GGTBod]

I was not aware of the village, sounds like a very cool place, was it just the no planning permission they got in trouble for or illegal hunting/fishing?

They are still going strong i just had a good read of their website

 

[Bishop]

It's been a long struggle by all accounts even though they owned the land and after seeing the buildings I'm glad they fought the planning system.

The only other examples I can think of in the UK for setting up shack and getting away from it all would be David Burgess down in Devon who stayed under the radar for twenty plus years and vaugely recall some old guy who the National Trust evicted from clifftop pillbox where he had been for quite a while.

Across the pond in America there was the 'North Pond Hermit', love him or hate him his camp setup was a masterclass in camouflage and concealment. Daniel Suelo is another worthy of mention. Don't know about Europe but would like to believe there's one or two folk at least who have managed to achieve this dream.

 

[boatman]

Reference Mule Man, you might get away with that sort of lifestyle. There is an old chap who has lived in a horse drawn trailer for years. His horse recently died and public subscription bought him a new horse and trailer. The UK is not yet a totally heartless country.

http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co....ad-new-horse/story-26137347-detail/story.html

 

[GGTBod]

Does anyone remember The Chiswick Roundabout Tramp? He got a right hard time off the local authorities until he got a social media fan club

 

[nic a char]

the National Trust =

 

[Joonsy]

Reference Mule Man, you might get away with that sort of lifestyle. There is an old chap who has lived in a horse drawn trailer for years. His horse recently died and public subscription bought him a new horse and trailer. The UK is not yet a totally heartless country.

I remember a programme by Ken Hames (the guy who did Beyond Boundaries) about homeless ex-forces guys, I seem to remember there was a guy on there who travelled around the country on a horse (he was the only homeless guy on the programme who was happy with his way of life). Programme was some time ago so i may be mistaken.

Does anyone remember The Chiswick Roundabout Tramp? He got a right hard time off the local authorities until he got a social media fan club

There was ''Fred '' (real name Josef Stawinoga) the Wolverhampton tramp, i used to see him all the time, he lived for 30 years on the central reservation of the ring road, the council let him live there and actually bought him new tents and supplied him with meals on wheels. He became very well known and quite a celebrity even though he had nothing to do with anybody, he appeared on the programme ''Heir Hunters'' after his death as he never claimed benefits or his pension.

See ''Fred'' and his camp in this vid:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9LgK8Kul3I

 

[Robson Valley]

There are a few people who hang out in the forests in my district. Government understands not to come in here and raise a stink.
Frankly, I don't think I'd like to try it even if I were 40 years younger. I would have enjoyed the experience of a winter in this house
but it's used fro instruction and demonstration.

http://www.unbc.ca/releases/34692/official-unveiling-pit-house-saturday

You see? You go up this one valley, a steep-walled side valley, until you get to the bridge. Cross that and keep going. When you
see the 48" x 96" plywood sign which says "Hemorrhoid Hotel," take the trail on the left. You are on your own.

 

[Bishop]

There's probably more escapees from society out there but learning from them presents a paradox.
The truly successful ones are never discovered,
those that fail tragically are seldom discovered
and the ones who are caught often don't want to talk about it.

• 24-year-old spends eight months living in the freezing Russian wilderness as a medieval hermit
• German authorities arrested an American hermit found in the woods of the Rhineland-Palatinate (2007)
• German woman missing for 12 years living in a Swiss forest (2009)
• Alberto Gutierrez the cliff sculptor of Esteli, Nicaragua (2011-present?)

 

[Laurentius]

It has been suggested to me that my allotment shed may technically fall foul of planning regulations because it is too tall, but it is unlikely that it will ever be discovered even by satellite.