How to Get Help in Nomad Communities

 Getting help in nomad communities can be tricky. There’s a strict line between the public nomad face and the nomad realities.

Publicly nomads are self-sufficient, independent, financially secure, living in a vehicle by choice, etc. Very reminiscent of my early days as a dyke in my 20s. A lesbian meant Amazon - strong, independent, etc.

The private face of nomads is very different. Most nomads are interdependent, financially insecure, living in a vehicle because that is their only home.




One of my friends saw this photo of some of the rigs at Q group and said “wow, those are fancy”. But what the exterior belies is that the folks inside are living on government benefits and one is currently being given work on my tent job so he can pay his bills this month.

A side note, when people create a “camp” they put  up tall flagpoles and fly flags to indicate the group’s center where there is often a campfire ring (pile of stones in a circle) and a partially enclosed space (it gets very windy here - and - very few people care about infectious disease transmissions).

This post is about how I am getting help to get a tent set up. The tent also needs a raised floor because the tent floor comes up 5” so water doesn’t seep in. So I need the inside tent floor to be 5” high.

Why a tent? The short answer is that for nearly 2 years I’ve lived almost everyday inside my van. While the van is wonderful in many ways it also has some significant challenges: no place to sit comfortably, no insulation so it gets hot/cold depending on the outside temperature, battery limitations impact my ability to use the lift.

So this winter I decided to invest in a desert tent, Springbar Highline 8, since I will be here until mid-April. I also want an outside deck so people can come and visit which they cannot do when I am in the van full-time.

But getting the tent and raised floor set up is fairly complicated. I am hoping you enjoy this tale as much as I do.

1. Identify a Facebook Nomad group that has lots of DIY folks and that prioritizes community help. My group is the Meet in Q group.

2. Purchase the tent. Get it sent to a Quartzsite mailbox service. We can’t use the Post Office General Delivery here. So we have to either pay a mailbox service for each package we receive or get a 6 month season pass for packages.

3. Meet with the Meet in Q Big Cheese, Mike P. Ask him for advice (whether needed or not) so that he is in the loop for the Great Tent Set-up Project.

4. Meet with Ed W, who will actually function as the General Project Manager. He informed me that one of the Q group is struggling to pay his bills so Ed decided that he will be the main worker and receiver of all labor payments.

5. Meet with Ed to discuss what I need.

6. Watch Ed and the team discuss the Great Tent Set-up Project nearby but without including me. Photo shows them meeting at the back of my van. I am listening out of my driver’s window.


7. Take photos of the team mostly so I can learn their names.


8. Design team: Mike D (worker not Big Cheese), Ed (General Manager). Kym (professional carpenter). They spent hours yesterday plotting out specific locations for the Tent, ramp, and deck. Also discussed materials, trade offs, availability of free resources, determining tasks, and marking out the sites with stacked racks.

9. This land requires a special permit. It’s pretty complicated because my location doesn’t fit easily into their requirements. But Q group members are also volunteer staff at the main office. They came by a few times to figure out how to fit me into the ‘system’. They even brought over the paperwork and did the entire permit process on my site (very rare). One of the main advantages of the Q group is networking. 


10. Son Darren and dad Chris made the permit process so easy for me. They also are workers on the Great Tent Set-up Project.

11. Ed and I discuss the plans and budget. When we reach an agreement he organizes the materials pick-ups and specific work tasks.

~~~~

Everyone of these folks is volunteering time and energy to make this happen. This is the ethos of the Q group. Ed is vetting me to the guys. The vetting is a huge component to getting help.

Whenever I see support systems, I am always reminded of Patty Berne (Sins Invalid) asking: but what happens to the assholes? Can they get help too?

One of the biggest challenges of nomad life, especially as someone who is immobile on this desert sand is to connect with folks. Interdependent support is offered once you are known in a group. To be honest, it’s really known and liked. Folks who are not well-liked are routinely excluded.

While I loved camping with the lefties and lesbians in previous trips here, those communities were already stretched too thin. They barely have enough resources for themselves. 

This year I choose to join Q camp because there are many people - 500 or more at the busiest times in January - so lots of folks available to help. And lots of opportunities for me to offer help. 

I came here as early as I could because in a month all these helper guys will be booked busy for the rest of the season.


This is a view of my site as it faces south towards the wash.

Future blogs will focus on location and build designs  




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