FallloutboyDAoC 0 #1 September 1, 2008 So i've never thought about moving out until i started skydiving. I'm not 100% sure if i want to yet, but im thinking of moving as close to the dz as i can during the skydive season (April-September here in PA) and packing for money. Thing is i was a hardcore gamer for the last 5 years so i know jack shit about the real world. Not to mention my extreme shyness. Anyway, what would be the route to go? I plan on living alone, and would like to pay as little as i can to rent a place. Trailer, crappy apartment, w/e. Just looking for a little guidance. Thanks :) Edited to add, i don't want to ask my parents cause they'll be extremely pissed off about this, and i don't really feel like arguing about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #2 September 1, 2008 Go get laid-it'll reroute your priorities You are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFWAJG 4 #3 September 1, 2008 Jerm from the Ranch has a school bus available. Lot's of jumpers live in school buses. It's not the short version either. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cloudseeker2001 0 #4 September 1, 2008 Quote Jerm from the Ranch has a school bus available. Lot's of jumpers live in school buses. It's not the short version either. "Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance, others mean and rueful of the western dream" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallloutboyDAoC 0 #5 September 1, 2008 lookin for a place next to skydive penn ridge in perkasie :) lookin for a place with somethin soft to sleep on, a shower, a stove and running water. thats about it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallloutboyDAoC 0 #6 September 1, 2008 I'm not askin for people to find any exact locations, just what i should be looking for. is there anything that costs like $200 a month? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 800 #7 September 1, 2008 I miss my school bus.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #8 September 1, 2008 >>Not to mention my extreme shyness.Just go for it and it will work out . . . The hardest part will be your first step out the front door of your house. Get a hold of some parachute owner's manuals right now to get familiar with main parachute nomenclature and the names of the various parts. If you post that you will PM your name and address I'm sure some good souls here will send you some they have laying around. Go through the forums on this website and write down every main canopy brand name you see, then research as many as you can online. Don't worry that won't understand everything you're reading just start shoveling parachute speak into your head. Go to the nearest drop zone and just hang out. Find a packer and watch him/her all day long. After a while they'll either tell you to get lost or start showing you a thing or two. On the shyness thing, once you're a packer you'll have your head down all day long and won't have to speak much to anyone. And at the end of the day you just stick out your hand for the money. In a few months you won't even remember being shy. Just live in a tent until you get sorted . . . You're a gamer - use your wits! NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #9 September 1, 2008 QuoteI'm not askin for people to find any exact locations, just what i should be looking for. is there anything that costs like $200 a month? A tent. You might get lucky and find a room in a house. 1/3 or 1/5 of a larger dwelling is usually a lot less expensive than even a studio apartment. In school and when I got my first few jobs I got rooms for ~$300/month when one bedroom apartments were renting for $500-$600/month. It helps a lot on utilities too, especially if you want to live in luxury with things like hot water and cable TV. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFWAJG 4 #10 September 1, 2008 Quote Quote I'm not askin for people to find any exact locations, just what i should be looking for. is there anything that costs like $200 a month? A tent. I just peed myself. You can't even afford Jerms bus. You might be able to find a uhaul to renovate into a mobile home and park it at the dz. I know some people who have done that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #11 September 1, 2008 QuoteI just peed myself. A tent on a dz can be a great (and very cheap) place to live. A lot depends on the dz and the time of year (I can heartily not recommend October-December in southern California) but if the weather's decent, the dzo is cool and you've got an air mattress life ain't too bad in a tent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #12 September 1, 2008 Quote(I can heartily not recommend October-December in southern California) I'm curious about this. I woulda thunk that woulda been the ideal time. Nope, never been there.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aresye 0 #13 September 1, 2008 Another post that reminds me that I'm going to SERE school in November... Crap! Get yourself an air mattress, a sub-zero sleeping bag, and a good tent. If you're planning to live in a tent, make sure its big (5+ size), and it has its own waterproof floor liner. Also make sure it has a good rain cover, and that it will stay secure through some harsh, windy storms. This is coming from experience as a Boy Scout. I had a very good tent, and a great sleeping bag. Only used an air mattress for extended campouts. I love sleeping outdoors. When everyone else goes and grabs a hotel up at Elsinore, or snuggles into their own tent, I just bring a sleeping bad and a pillow, and chill out for the night on a couch in the packing area. Damn sprinklers though!Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tazz 0 #14 September 1, 2008 buy a van and put a bed in it that way you can go from dz to dz and follow the good skydiving and weather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GaryRay 0 #15 September 1, 2008 QuoteAnother post that reminds me that I'm going to SERE school in November... Crap! Get yourself an air mattress, a sub-zero sleeping bag, and a good tent. If you're planning to live in a tent, make sure its big (5+ size), and it has its own waterproof floor liner. Also make sure it has a good rain cover, and that it will stay secure through some harsh, windy storms. This is coming from experience as a Boy Scout. I had a very good tent, and a great sleeping bag. Only used an air mattress for extended campouts. I love sleeping outdoors. When everyone else goes and grabs a hotel up at Elsinore, or snuggles into their own tent, I just bring a sleeping bad and a pillow, and chill out for the night on a couch in the packing area. Damn sprinklers though! quit bitching, SERE isnt to bad ;). atleast you dont have to go to Yuma, Az for 2months for WTI.JewBag. www.jewbag.wordpress.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrightskyguy 1 #16 September 1, 2008 Why not build an elaborate tree home out of branches and twigs? Tarzan had a pretty sweet one so, I know it can be done. You wont need a car either, you can just swing on vines all the way to the DZ. For food, you can just rely on the kindness of strangers, or kill the occasional possum or squirrel. I guess the hardest part will be finding the right kind of sticks to rub together to start a fire. Eventually, a woman will wander by, you'll fall in love and start a family. I think packer pay will support this lifestyle nicely. John Wright World's most beloved skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chubba 0 #17 September 1, 2008 Quote Thing is i was a hardcore gamer for the last 5 years so i know jack shit about the real world. What games? I've been a hardcore gamer for the past 10+ years, at the moment I still sink 60 - 80 hours a week into Team Fortress 2 (see pic). It's unhealthy, good move getting away from it, I got terrible social skills. I like skydiving though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobie331 0 #18 September 1, 2008 I have a firend who started out just mowing and cleaning around the dz. He had his rigger ticket but still had to work his way in. If you have any credit you can buy a small travel trailer for $200 a month and that way you have your home if you move on to another dz. If you don't have credit established yet, it could be a good way to get it started. It's a gift, I don't try to explain it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallloutboyDAoC 0 #19 September 1, 2008 Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC) was my one and only poison. I pretty much shut off from the outside world when i started it. My friends stopped calling, i sat alone in school and talked to no one, etc. But i suppose if i was a normal kid and did the normal things i wouldnt have got into skydiving, so it might not be all bad :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallloutboyDAoC 0 #20 September 1, 2008 QuoteI have a firend who started out just mowing and cleaning around the dz. He had his rigger ticket but still had to work his way in. If you have any credit you can buy a small travel trailer for $200 a month and that way you have your home if you move on to another dz. If you don't have credit established yet, it could be a good way to get it started. i wasnt even thinking of getting a mobile home before, i really like that idea. And i don't have any credit established yet, so this is sounding good to me. thanks :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallloutboyDAoC 0 #21 September 1, 2008 Quote >>Not to mention my extreme shyness.Just go for it and it will work out . . . The hardest part will be your first step out the front door of your house. Get a hold of some parachute owner's manuals right now to get familiar with main parachute nomenclature and the names of the various parts. If you post that you will PM your name and address I'm sure some good souls here will send you some they have laying around. Go through the forums on this website and write down every main canopy brand name you see, then research as many as you can online. Don't worry that won't understand everything you're reading just start shoveling parachute speak into your head. Go to the nearest drop zone and just hang out. Find a packer and watch him/her all day long. After a while they'll either tell you to get lost or start showing you a thing or two. On the shyness thing, once you're a packer you'll have your head down all day long and won't have to speak much to anyone. And at the end of the day you just stick out your hand for the money. In a few months you won't even remember being shy. Just live in a tent until you get sorted . . . You're a gamer - use your wits! NickD Thanks, i dont plan on doing anything untilo next year, so i have all winter to research all that. And, the DZO/rigger at the dz i go to has agreed to teach me how to pack everything. It's a real busy DZ, and the other packers i talk to make good money. I definitely like the mobile home idea. One of the packers is going down to florida for the winter to keep packing for money, so if i decide to do that too i'll be all set. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 220 #22 September 1, 2008 Quote Quote Jerm from the Ranch has a school bus available. Lot's of jumpers live in school buses. It's not the short version either. Doesn't mean it SHOULDN'T be . . .I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #23 September 1, 2008 Quote I woulda thunk that woulda been the ideal time. October isn't bad. But it can get quite cold in the high desert as winter approaches... the December morning I awoke to snow outside was one of the last mornings I awoke in that tent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SARLDO 0 #24 September 1, 2008 Seriously? Put down the game controller, give up skydiving (for now), get a job and go get an education and some life experience. You'll be happier and have more money (eventually) to do all you want. The sky will still be there. p.s. right now, go thank your parents for all they have done for you."Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest" ~Samuel Clemens MB#4300 Dudeist Skydiver #68 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #25 September 1, 2008 Quote Seriously? Put down the game controller, give up skydiving (for now), get a job and go get an education and some life experience. You'll be happier and have more money (eventually) to do all you want. The sky will still be there. p.s. right now, go thank your parents for all they have done for you. I agree. Education first, then do whatever he wants. Nah, screw that. Move out....pack....jump...have fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites