Man details the shocking realities of living in a remote tent in the woods after shunning modern life

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

A man who sold his apartment to live in a tent in the woods alone has lifted a lid on his unusual lifestyle - revealing he uses baby wipes to bathe and survives off canned beans.
The man, named Keith, who is in his 20s and lives in Australia, explained exclusively to the Daily Mail that the idea dawned on him after years of working tirelessly and still struggling to get by.
'No matter how many hours I worked, I'd still have nothing left at the end of the pay cycle,' he said.
'Sham contracting jobs make you liable for taxes at the end of the year.'
As someone who is 'naturally introverted,' he enjoys 'solitude' and being in nature, so four months ago, he decided to leave his home and try living in the forest full time.
At first he started by sleeping on the tent floor in a sleeping bag, but when he woke up 'drenched and shivering' he got creative.
He bought a stretcher and started resting on that at night - and he now insists he sleeps better than he did at his apartment.
'I can sleep better in the woods than with noisy roommates,' he told the Daily Mail.
The only items he has with him are some clothes, a mop to dry the floor of the tent if it rains, his sleeping bag, a portable clothesline, and 10 power banks that he uses to keep his phone charged.
He sleeps at 'free legal campsites' and usually stays in the same one for a month before he is required to switch to a different campsite.
He has a gym membership and goes once a month to re-charge all of his power banks.
As for food, he explained that he lives off tortillas and canned beans.
'Twenty flour tortillas at $5 a pack, along with a $1 can of large canned beans (either kidney, chickpeas, lentils, baked beans) lasts me three days,' he shared on Reddit.
'I also buy high protein soy milk cartons, a carton costs me $3 and I consume them within 72 hours of opening since I don't have refrigeration.
'I also buy around 10 packets of family sized snacks (potato, corn, biscuits) for calorie bulking.
'These cost me around $2.50 each. So about $40 on snacks, plus water costs me $20 for two 24 bottled water packs. I take vitamins C, B12 and iron supplements.
'My bloodwork is normal and my BMI hovers around 19. I used to have Type 2 diabetes but it is now in remission since going on this diet.'
He uses baby wipes to bathe 'every few days,' but he 'might use a smidge of hand sanitizer once a week with the baby wipes.'
'I use creek water every week or two with the biofriendly soap. I carry a bucket and bathe on the soil away from the water flow,' he added.
He wears his clothes for 'three to six days' before he deems them dirty, and washes them in the river without any detergent.
'I immerse them in the flow, take them out, wring it, and repeat three times,' shared Keith. 'I wash the sleeping bag every few months at a laundromat though.'
While his tent is waterproof, he said rain sometimes seeps through the seams and collects on the floor, which is why he sleeps on a raised stretcher off the ground.
'I mop up the water and occasionally spray some disinfectant on the tent fabrics during heavy rain,' he dished.
As for how he uses the bathroom, he explained the campsites usually have 'drop toilets,' which are non-flush toilets that utilize a drop hole instead of water to dispose of waste.
He told the Daily Mail that he has faced some life-threatening situations over the last four months of living in the woods.
He said he was once worried about getting hypothermia after he 'got drenched' and once had a large branch fall off a tree and nearly hit him.
'I try to set up underneath a gap in the canopy for this reason. I also try not setting up right besides the road as a careless driver could run me over at night,' he explained.
'And [thankfully] my area stays above freezing even in winter so I just adapt.'
As someone who is 'naturally introverted' he said he 'doesn't need constant social stimulation' and is happy to spend his days going on hikes.
He vowed that he doesn't get lonely and is able to stay in contact with his family using his phone.
He estimated that his living expenses are only $500 a month, which includes his car registration, insurance, gym membership, phone bill, food, and supplies.
He lives off 'savings and welfare' and still works 'a few months in the year' to make some income, and he said the 'main benefit' so far has been cutting out his high rent.
'The benefits of this lifestyle are mainly financial, though being able to go on nice walks through the forest trials in the early morning is an underrated advantage,' he explained.
While Keith knows not everyone will understand his lifestyle, in the end, he insisted that he is happier than ever.
And he said he could see himself doing it 'indefinitely' as long as nothing goes astray.