Car/Van Living in something other than a house

[Smoke]

I see that this forum isn't too busy, but is anyone living in their car or other place than a house? I see in Facebook there are all types of threads about car camping, truck cap camping and more, some of the topics are for temporary and some are more permanent type of living. I've been finding a lot of good information about the above, I'm mainly looking for cheaper ways to travel. I can't see pay $100 or more just for a hotel room where I would sleep for 8 hours, so I am outfitting my truck bed with cap on it to sleep in it. Still tweaking things but I have spent a few nights in it. I have an inverter for my bypap machine, hooked up to a battery isolator so the spare battery charges while I'm driving and doesn't drain the starting battery, also have a diesel heater which seems to work well, haven't ran it overnight so not sure about that, it does heat the topper up quite nicely though.

 

[AlaskaSue]

Not I, but I have two close family who live in their trucks fairly well - Washington and Utah. They do it to save money; both have access to gyms where each works out daily and can then clean up. Each eat very well and text me frequently about what they are cooking. Been over a year and so far, so good.

Both are hard-core woodsmen/mountaineers, too - so very situationally aware and prepared.


ETA: Not sure if this counts. My family of 8 (plus two dogs and a cat) lived in a 160 sq’ trailer (8’x20’) for 18 months 1969-70 before, during, and after our move to Alaska. It was actually pretty comfy because of its very efficient layout; it helped that we were all outdoors as much as possible!

 

[nomifyle]

The most alternative I've lived was in a fema camper for over three years. And it was permanently parked. It was okay for one but too crowded for two. That's as far as I was willing to go.

 

[Hfcomms]

If you have a truck I’d get a small tow behind. Older ones aren’t all that expensive and you would be set up with a real bed, small fridge and toilet and then you wouldn’t have to move everything out of the back of the truck if you needed to haul something, etc.

 

[bluelady]

There are lots of YouTubes on this. I'm way too much of a maximalist and I don't camp, but I find it fascinating. "Cheap RV Living" is the best channel, cars up to RV's, mostly full time living. Also "Live Simple, Live Free"; they're older, and recently built out a box truck and tow trailer for commuting between homes in Virginia and Florida, plus they travel a lot. It's actually their only vehicle.

 

[Toosh]

I've lived on boats for extended periods. It can be pretty dang cheap living but only if you are able to make repairs yourself. The more systems you have to control the more stuff there is to break. City water, sewage and power sure is nice and convenient.

 

[Knighttemplar]

7th year of spending 3 months in a camper in the desert each winter. We have changed stuff each year as we get older. Need to add more solar to support starlink and cpap.

 

[Calfisher]

Sold the house, bought a used Airstream trailer and a truck. We rolled out of So Cal Oct of 2019. 30 States so far.

Thousand Trails membership has saved us a lot. 48 weeks last year, no rent, no power bill, no water bill. 3 weeks and go from park to park. Maintenance fee is 1k a year. Lifetime membership can be passed to kids.

Harvest Host when traveling, free over for one or two nights.
Passport America is good for 50% off
Elks lodges have sites also
Retail parks go from 30 to 130 a night, so planning is key.

DM for more information.......

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Decades ago I lived in a wall tent while the log cabin home was under construction. It was summer. Ice only lasted a day and a half in the cooler chest. It rained buckets once and found several inches of water had collected on the floor of the tent. Lesson learned on how to orient tent direction. Cooked on a cast iron hibachi. Life wasn't that bad. Wouldn't want to do it now, not sure if I could.

 

[Shadow]

I live in one state and work 1000 miles away. When at work, for the last 4 years, I live in a box truck I bought from Penske. I have a generator that provides heat and air conditioning. I put 4" of foam insulation in the walls and roof so it gets to a reasonable temp rather quickly after work. I shower at work and have bottled water in the truck as needed. It is not much smaller than the space I had as my own in a shared apartment. No shower, stove or washer/dryer. But I make due.

Shadow