My esteemed colleague Brendan Leonard wrote a piece about what it’s like to try and date while living a “dirtbag” climbing life. Having never really lived in my car before, I can’t relate, but I do know that the dirtbag lifestyle is one that we are all supposed to aspire to at some point as partakers of the outdoors. Odd, isn’t it, aspiring to live in a car. But really, many auspicious outdoor personalities have undertaken this rite of passage. Steph Davis is one who comes to mind; I believe she lived in her Toyota Tacoma for five years or so. Lots of people I know say they are eager to ditch their worldly belongings and move into their Subaru. It’s even one of Morgan’s goals for the next ten years.
Myself, I never had this urge. I have traveled a lot but always with an established home to come back to. Still, I understand the compulsion. Living unladen and fancy-free sounds pretty cool in a lot of ways. But it’s not the path for everyone, nor should it be. There are lots of us who live the outdoor lifestyle in an authentic and serious way while pursuing advanced degrees, building careers, and having families. Myself, I took the corporate route, getting an advanced degree and working up to starting and building my own businesses, purchasing a house, and creating a schedule that allows me my outdoor pursuits. The amount of work it takes to stay active while establishing a career and home is pretty significant, so I thought that it might be worth taking some time to appreciate the Non-Dirtbags out there, the ones who put in serious office time and then keep the momentum to get out and play in the outdoors.
With much affection for my dirtbag friends, all the attention paid to dirtbags results in overlooking the contributions and accomplishments of those who are office-bound and working hard. I think of my Twitter compatriot, Josh Montague, who relentlessly powers through long nights at the lab working on his advanced degree; my hardworking Yukon friends Tony, Sierra, and Jenn, who all work full time jobs, but still find enough time to be a thousand times more awesome than is reasonable; and the Geargals writers as well – Morgan works full time for the Army and Irene is a full-time Forest Service Ranger, wife, and mom to three. Morgan and Irene make sure to take the time to get out and enjoy the outdoors while meeting their family and professional obligations. That’s no small achievement.
While the plusses of living in your car are obvious – simplicity, cheap lifestyle, no need to really work much, long days of doing whatever you want – the benefits of establishing a career and a home are pretty good too.
1. Security. Sure, you can always go hunker in your car for the night, but nothing beats your own home. You never have to borrow someone else’s shower, pay for a storage unit, or wonder where you’re going to sleep when you’re not traveling. You always have a place to dry your gear and you won’t have to pick it up and stow it until you’re good and ready. It’s home. And that’s a great feeling.
2. Retirement. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to retirement. It’s not that far away for me and, done right, it can be rad. Some people think that it’s better to take your retirement while you’re “young enough to enjoy it” but I say no, wait for when you’re older and you’re financially set enough to REALLY enjoy it. I think traveling the world without too much financial stress is gonna be way more fun for me, and I plan to stay fit enough to continue doing all the activities I love to do. Life’s not over after 40, no matter what the kids say.
3. Accomplishment. I know you can’t go climbing every single day if you’re slaving away at a PhD. Sometimes you have to study instead of play. But believe me, this sacrifice translates into character-building that affects everything you do. The PhD will be done one day, and then you can apply all that focus to climbing or skiing or camping or whatever you want. And you’ll know how to finish a project, because your academic achievement is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in your life. Now that it’s done – congratulations! Now you can relax.
4. Flexibility. Guess what? Now that you have a comfortable income and a place to put all your stuff, you can go live in your car if you want to! I’m planning to do just that this summer; I’m on a project a few hours from home four days a week until September. The perfect arrangement to enjoy the dirtbag lifestyle while always knowing a shower, a full kitchen, and my cozy bed is just a few days and a bit of driving away. Conversely, if you’re living in your car but suddenly want to have a house – well, you’ve got some serious work ahead of you.
5. Money. The time you’re investing in your career or your home will pay off in the end. There’s always time to dirtbag it later.
So if you’re reading this from a cubicle, dreaming of the open road but knowing you have other stuff to do first, don’t despair. You’re not any less of an outdoorsperson and you’re still doing it right. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the non-dirtbags in our midst.
I think the hardest thing is to go from being a dirtbag to a cubie dweller. I struggle daily! But I pack in as much as I can with the time off that I have. I think I actually appreciate it more than I did back then.
Oh I bet that is a tough one. That’s the thing – I think it’s harder to do it that way than the other way around. I work so hard at my jobs so that I never, ever have to go back to a cube. And when you finally shed the shackles of the cube, you’ll appreciate it even more!
Awesome! I am trying to find a lifestyle where I can play a lot. After I finish my PhD I hope to find a nine month a year teaching (ONLY!) job. I’m not keen on the lifestyle most of the professors around here have, so I have no desire to seek out a tenure-track position. Then maybe I’ll be able to embrace my inner dirtbag.
Agree, Sonja. The tenure track is an endless treadmill from which you can never stop or slow down; it’s a soul-killer. And you usually spend most of the summer grant-writing which is completely antithetical to the outdoor life. I’m not sure what the job market for teaching-only jobs is like, so I hope you can find what you want near the kind of outdoors you like (instead of, for example Detroit or Cleveland, lol).
Thanks for the shout-out Jill.
Best thing about having a job is money to pay for the bikes… Ditto owning a house, which is a great place to store all the bikes. Hard to fit more than a bike or two into a tent or back of your car.
Of course, the idea of living out of a tent on Montana Mountain riding all day looks pretty good from my side of the ol’ desk just about now. Grass is always greener, I suppose…
If the list were to be six items long, “storage” would be the next one. I do love having a place for all my stuff. And if I want to fill it with bikes – who cares? It’s mine!
The life of world traveling still appeals to me, but I’ll get back to that later in life when I’ve less to handle on the professional side of things. I think it’s gonna be even sweeter when I can travel as long as I want to without EVER having to “get back” for any reason….I can’t wait.
Hmmm, I’m doing a PhD precisely *because* it lets me live like a dirtbag for a few more years, take extended weekends for trips, roll in late after hitting up the trails…
Well, then, just make sure you never quite get done with that degree! Just beware the ever-accumulating student loans…
Whoa whoa whoa, you’re telling me I’ll be *done* with grad school someday?! You clearly have not met my advisor…
There’s a good reason I have as many pairs of skis as I have fingers, And, I want to go BACK to school. However I don’t think my studies will be as rigorous as Josh’s.
Yep, item #5 cannot be overlooked as a benefit for non-dirtbags, that’s for sure.
Kisses! I may not love being a 9-5er every day but I chose it and, for the most part, I fel like I can wring adventure out of my life.
Of course you can, and I will help you, naturally! Can’t forget the annual Pecha Kucha Mountain Trip.
Thanks for this post – it really rings true with me. I remember the days during grad school where we would have to count our pennies to figure out if we could afford the gas in our crappy little car to get to Yosemite for the weekend so we could backpack with our cheap, heavy gear. Although the trips are great memories the rest of the circumstances are not. I do not do well with uncertainty, it’s just my personality.
I love that we are now stable, home-owning DINKs and have the cash to drop on gear, trips, vehicles, house, etc. I am fortunate to work for a company that gives me a lot of vacation time – I consider my 6 weeks of vacation to be worth so much more than my salary or benefits. I even enjoy my job since it stimulates a part of my brain that I don’t get to really feed in the outdoors (my techy nerdy side). But at the same time, I sit here on this Monday morning already daydreaming about my lovely hike on Saturday, wondering how I could possibly get someone to pay me to do that all the time (please submit offers to…)
Like everything in life, it’s about balance and choices. What is good for one, isn’t good for another. I think I’ve found my balance for now, and in 5 years maybe it will be different.
Well said! There’s no right or wrong way to do it. I have to say that it seems like you’re going it about it all very well though
I’m one of those who doesn’t like to worry about the future, so stability and freedom of choice is important to me as well.
I am sometimes jealous of the “dirtbags” but then remember that my career (I’m an attorney) is actually incredibly rewarding and something that I enjoy. It also allows me to do all the other things I like to do for fun. I think balance is good.
Solid as always, Jill! I think these are great points. What I am grateful for a lot of the time is that I am in a position to be able to choose to live in a car if I want to. Which is pretty rad. And the other thing — if you choose to not have an apartment, it sure helps to know several responsible people who do. So you can use their shower/couch/guest bedroom every once in a while…
Definitely solid, Jill. The dirtbag lifestyle has always sounded oddly romantic to me, the freedom of it. But at the same time, I absolutely love coming home from a trip dirty, tired, and exhausted, and being able to crash in my own bed that night.
What does sound incredibly appealing is what Amy Christensen of Expand Outdoors did with her husband, which was to find a way to have an adVANture for a year, then to settle back in to a “home” in Colorado. To me, it’s the best of both worlds. You’ve got temporary freedom and a way to pay the bills while you’re away, you get to explore wherever the vehicle can take you, and you’ve got a home to go back to when you’re ready for it.
For me, having roots is essential. Thanks for reminding me that it doesn’t make me less of an outdoors-person!
Wow, thank you for this! After trying to live the ski bum life I realized I wasnt being stimulated by my work at company in the industry with no initative or creativity. I’m in search of a challenging position at a company with ambitious goals. I have been feeling guilty and like a sellout, but the truth is that I need my work to stimulate me.
I’m glad you liked it! I’m the same way; I am ambitious by nature so I need more than the dirtbag life. At times I wish that weren’t the case, but we are all individuals eh?
The fact that people feel like they are “sellouts” for not living in a car is the reason I wrote this piece. Living in a house and having a job doesn’t make you a sellout. Needing a rewarding career isn’t a bad thing.
Wonderful post Jill – I love the acceptance and recognition that BOTH choices are awesome, depending on who you are and what you want.
Having lived on the road for a year (and heading back out in a few weeks for a month), I can tell you that both are pretty awesome. We worked while on the road, so were able to continue saving for a home, retirement, etc. It’s rare to find working professionals on the road, but it’s totally doable if you have a career that allows it.
However, I will say that the romantic vision is just that – a vision. There are as many unique challenges as there are amazing moments. Now that we’ve settled for a bit again, I fully appreciate the routine (don’t *ever* underestimate the advantages of having a solid routine!) and the homebase from which to head out on new adventures.
I think the biggest thing to consider is your lifestyle and goals… and knowing what YOU want is far more important than doing something or dreaming of something because a culture tells us we’re “supposed” to.
Thanks for bringing the “other side” into the conversation.