dirt bags

How many of you have been struck by the allure of dirtbagging... climbing every day on your schedule, living in a vehicle. I've read a fair share of arguments or articles regarding what dirtbagging is really or hows its changed.But since I've returned to regular life & am contemplating a career & my future... every day feels like an argument society is making against itself to be part of the regular world... is it irregular to be stricken with such a strong urge to climb constantly & leave the 9-5 behind?

frankly the allure of dirt baggin is just it, an allure. An idealized thought in the minds of some or an everyday act for others. I'm of the former...i got bored on a six week roadtrip. I need more than climbing to keep me going. Hell i need something new every few years, which is how i now found myself back in school for a fourth degree. Do i wish i climbed more - hell yeah, but i know myself well enough to know better than leave it all behind. Does make small talk rather hard where i live.

thats the thing, after 8 months climbing through california & a little arizona, following the weather, living in a $600 vehicle & climbing constantly! Theres so much more to climbing than just one facet... even rest days were more fulfilling than any day off I've had before.

No. Go forth and live the dream young padawon

Has anyone combined such a venture with an acoustic guitar, or fiddle or whatnot? That way it's more like climbing busking? Not quite dirtbagging.....

How old are you ?

For me it was a specific time in my life when it was romantic and alluring . Now at 32 I have a career , (education), and goals in life that are much broader than I ever did when dirtbaggin' .

That being said , I sometimes would give anything to be climbing full time in Yosemite or Joshua Tree like in the past . I suggest doing it and getting it out of your system , and then get a respectable life going .

Go for it. Without a doubt. I dirtbagged for 3 months last fall after graduating college (and then a summer job) and enjoyed it immensely, met some incredible people and wouldn't take it back for the world.

There is always the 9-5/career/"real world"/etc. to come back to (or begin in my case)

To do something because it is respectable is to do something for the purpose of pleasing others. Do what you want to do. Think it through first though.

I am far from narrow minded. I have served 3 years in the army, gotten my bachelors degree in audio engineering & been to almost every corner of the world in the past 7 years. I am 25 now & at a crossroads in life success is a perspective notion. Its mostly none of those things its just the aversion that seems to be increasing regarding society & how wrong a real, "respectable", ordinary life might be... Is the rest of the world still just easily institutionalized into that way of life? that conformity that signifies success or something respectable?

"Heading up north for some peace of mind
Leaving my baby and my worries behind
Gonna find my freedom brother you should too
Cause if you don't do it now you'll be one year older when you do"

Words of wisdom from Reckless Kelly's Snowfall

I feel like I missed out on the timing - when I was prime dirt baggin age, I didn't climb, but thought of taking off with my cash and surfing the world.
Now I plan on dirtbagging in luxury with an early retirement - climbing and surfing around the globe while having plenty of $$, health insurance, and those other perks. I've seen plenty of guys in their 50's who climb hard, so I don't mind waiting. Until then weekend warrier + vacation time will have to suffice...

If you're young and have the ambition - DO IT! You only get one go 'round...

A good piece of advice that has come up in past threads of a similar nature is to have an exit plan.

If you don't know what you want to do with your life yet, a year or two of introspection while dirtbagging is probably a better choice than taking out loans and getting multiple degrees.

When my now-wife and I were living on the road full time on $2 / day, we met a lot of people on the road who shared their life experience with us. We learned a lot about ourselves in the process and because of this we realized that our "exit plan" would have led us down the wrong path... time well spent if you ask me!

If you ever need a place to crash or a hot shower in bellingham, you should get in touch! Good luck and have fun!

Lol well I generally tend to go that direction anyway, but mostly introspect of a differing experience/opinion is the reason for the query. I spent february & march in Jtree with a few people talked highly of you locker. & thanks for the offer dirtbag I may take you up on that in spring as ill be moving to portland for the winter & be looking to climb that region come spring.

i've been dirtbagging for about 3 mo now.....i know it won't last forever, but i have been to some incredible places and climbed with some really cool people. travelling in a jeep wrangler prob wasn't the best option, but it works. you just have to be able to live cheap when you need to and be willing to find odd jobs and save money when you can.

Take some time and do it and you will never look back and wish you had.
When you are tired of it, change it up and rejoin the world, and you will never look back and wish had hadn't.

Locker wrote:Do what you want with your life so long as you cause no intentional harm to others (Within reason of course. Some harm cannot be avoided). Why even ask what anyone else thinks? Do what the fuck you want.

On this topic, Locker knows what he's talking about. Life is too short to live it for others. If you want to dirtbag, then dirtbag. When you stop wanting to dirtbag, stop and do something else.

But do it for yourself, and do it irrespective of whether you get the validation you're seeking.

terri, phil b., the late great blitzo!, bartlett... all painted a nice picture of yourself. Maybe we'll get to climb together at some point, Im headed through colorado in the next month! Speaking of... how is the flooding in your area? Besides biblical of course, I mean like as of today?

I lived out of my truck, travelling and climbing, for 12 years, and I don't regret a minute of it. Now I own two homes. My main abode is in Mexico where I clip bolts on multi-pitch limestone for 8 months out of the year and my second home is in Wisconsin where I spend the summer months trad climbing on the fabulous quartzite and sandstone.

Do people successfully dirtbag with a family? I feel like it would be difficult to live out of a van on $2/day with a significant other and children.

Think it through very seriously. Calculate out all of your career possibilities, financial needs, potential problems and the impact it will have on your future. Consult the oracle. Prepare a spread sheet to plot all of the different variables. If you go about it with sufficient thoroughness and patience eventually you will be too old for it to be worthwhile and you won’t have to take any chances or make a hard decision.