Wow, I mean, wow. Seems to me you're making yourself look bad all by yourself.

[edit]

The thing I love most about this sort of thing is that Nick Lubecki's phillosophy regarding bicycle touring flies in the face of everything many people believe. You don't need the best gear, the best food, the best bike. All you need is the will and an adventurous spirit.

And seriously, "Dirt Bag" magazine? What do you read? "Elitist Cycling Plutocrat" Magazine?

Good for the author for actually doing this, but I don't think people should go out and do this kind of thing because of what they read in dirtrag. This kind of lifestyle basically requires you be taught by someone. Just telling someone they can go out and tour with nothing but a milkcrate, relying on food found in the trash for nutrition, could lead to some very bad situations. Just like people at this forum don't reccomend doing an around the world tour as your first tour. There is nothing to say you can't do it, its just there is so much possibility for stuff to go wrong when you are that inexperienced. What the author describes is even more up in the air. Doing what he reccomends could make you ill and put you in some VERY uncomfortable situations with no safety net. I think he kind of glosses over this aspect. Did this guy never get a flat? What happens if you are 2-3 days between towns and you can't find food? What if there is a thunderstorm? What if due to your uncleanliness you get a really cantankerous saddle sore? What happens when you really do need help but nobody will help you because you look like you are homeless (sad but true). I feel he should have talked more about the biking aspect, and less about the parts he ripped off from 'Steal This Book'

I'm pretty sure he does not rely solely on "hand-outs" from locals. The guy says he spends as little as he can. I mean, he obviously has an apartment judging by the photo, but what's wrong with cutting corners wherever one is comfortable. If you're not into eating bagels cooked 8 hours prior our of a bag full of them, that's normal. Don't crap on someone's fun time because you have the time now that you're retired or earned your living, etc.

I'd bet 3/4 of the food in our fridges is older than the food found in most dumpsters. Granted if the weather is warm, foods like dairy and meat/proteins tend to go bad faster. But staple carbs tend to hold their own much better. The only danger in eating from dumpsters is not being able to recognize rotten food. ...And the police.

....and rodent poop.

Here is an intersting link on the freegan lifestyle.

Out of curiosity does anybody have figures on how much they spend on food during a tour. It would obviously differ with tour length, but even a ballpark idea would be interesting to consider.

I usually spend between $10- $15 per day for food. I usually have cravings for fresh fruit on tour and sometimes, it isn't all that cheap, especially when you have a touring appetite.

After trying this myself, I can't help feeling that there are better ways of eating and living.

***
There is also an audio interview with Lubecki, https://www.dirtragmag.com/videos/nickweb.mov

If that isn't inspiring, what is?

Around here all the dumpsters behind the food joints are contained in a locked shed. A motorized rollup door allows access for the garbage truck to empty it. The driver has a wireless "clicker" to open and close it without getting out of the truck. There's no way anyone is going to eat out of a dumpster here. Personally, I would not do that anyway.

All my bikes are purchased from yard sales, thrift stores, or given to me. I find new, never worn cycling clothing in thrift stores with tags still on them for $2. Almost all of it was last year's style. I could care less what the "Fashion Police" have to say about it. I also fabricate panniers from backpacks or surplus military equipment bags. Here is my loaded touring bike with three gasmask bags made into panniers and a PVC plumbing pipe frame holding a backpack to the rear rack.

That bike cost $5 at a thrift store and I spent about $100 for a new rear rim/spokes, racks, and tires.