For many reasons today people are swapping their overpriced apartments and homes to pursue a life of freedom on the road. Their are many reasons and circumstances that can lead to one living out of their vehicle. I have been put in the situation where me and my fiancé have had to live out of our 2006 Kia Sorento, which was quite the squeeze if I do say so myself. We lived that way for about 6-8 months and I have learned and experienced a lot through it. If you are in this situation willingly, congratulations for taking the nomadic route! It is as fun as you make it and freeing beyond compare. However if you are in this situation unwillingly, know that this is not a permanent situation unless you want it to be. And know that you can make it at least somewhat enjoyable. It’s truly all about perspective.
Disclaimer: This does not cover typical van life or camper/RV living.
Vehicle Selection
If you are in the fortunate position where you are able to choose what vehicle you’re in, amazing! There are a lot of things to consider when picking a vehicle that will fit for you and your situation. When selecting your vehicle remember to consider the type of motor it is, if it is electric then you need to stay near charging stations. Gas, though more expensive, is more readily available. It is important to consider what location you are going to be in when making this decision. I would say no one vehicle is perfect for everyone, it is important to choose what is perfect for you.
Vehicle Choices and their Pros and Cons
Mini Van: Pros: Spacious, easy to find used, stealthy. Cons: Not too good on gas, can be pricey, not as reliable as a car.
Trucks: Pros: Bed space to build out, four wheel drive can be helpful. Cons: Not good on gas, can be pricey, not very stealthy
SUV: Pros: Spacious, stealthy. Cons: Not good gas mileage, not very reliable.
Compact SUV: Pros: Okay on gas, decent space, reliable. Cons: Not as much storage or building space.
Car: Pros: Good on gas, reliable Cons: not as much space, not as many 12 v outlets
Clearing out Space
To begin your vehicle dwelling journey you need to first get your space ready. You will need to clean anything and everything you have and are storing in the vehicle out. This will be easy if you have a place to park or are not living in said vehicle yet. After that you will want to look at your interior and really think, “What can I take out?” Removing the seats, if you can remove the center console you may want to do that, and if you are planning on traveling or living in the vehicle solo then the passenger seat as well. By doing this and removing all these things then you can open up more room and will give you valuable storage space and room to build. If you have a storage unit you can utilize that to store the seats. If not then you can ask around and see if there is any family or friends that would be willing to store them for you. Alternatively you can sell it, which may not be idea if you want to convert your car back in the future.
Coincidencing What You Own
Deciding what to bring and what to sell or what to put into storage may seem tricky, but here are a few tips to help you decide what to take with you. Keep in mind that what you can bring depends on the size of the vehicle you will be living in. If you aren’t a fan of selling most of your belongings I recommend renting a storage unit.
Clothing
When you are going through your clothes you need to heavily consider the climate you are living in. This is another instance where a place to store things might be helpful, because as we all know weather is all but consistent. Having a place to store winter clothes in summer and vise versa may be extremely helpful when it comes to storage space within your vehicle. I would recommend bringing 3 pairs of clothes, 1 or 2 hoodies or jackets, 3-5 pairs of socks, and I would recommend a pair of shower shoes as well as one good, comfortable pair of shoes for daily use. Adjust this formula based on your space, climate, and personal needs. You will have to get rid of a majority of the clothe that you already own. To do that I recommend donating to a sheler or the salvation army, which has a clothing assistance program.
Bedding
When it comes to what bedding you should leave or bring, you will need to again consider what climates you will be going into. I recommend that you use primarily the bedding that you have in your bed set up to save some money. Depending on your set up it can be easier to bring more blankets then clothing or other things you may bring from your current living situation. If you are in a warm area I might be good idea to bring one blanket, a sheet, and a pillow. If you are in a colder climate I would recommend that you might bring all of the blankets on your current bed. Plus if you have a sleeping bag that could be extremely beneficial when sleeping in the cold.
Hygiene
As far as hygiene is concerned, you only need the basics. If your space and budgec allows for more, by all means take what you want. However, if you are tight on space it could be a good idea to create a 2 bag hygiene system. In one bag have all of the daily things you will need to take care of yourself such as deodorant, tooth brush and paste, hair brush, etc. In the other bag store everything you may need to shower such as shampoo, body wash, towels, bath shoes, etc. That way everything has a place and when it comes time to shower you can grab the designated bag and be ready to go.
Building Out Your Vehicle
For me this was the fun part. There are several ways to build out and modify your car to make it more comfortable to live in. After removing all the interior that you want to, then it is time to get creative. What I did and what seems to be most popular in the car dwelling community is to simply build a platform to flatten out the interior where you can install a bed. After that you can add so many other things, such as drawers and storage under the platform. It is important to really get to know the interior of the car so that you know of every area that you can utilize. For this I recommend finding the users manual for the specific make and model of the vehicle you will be dwelling in. By doing this I found out that there is a entire drawer under my passenger seat that I had no clue about!
Or alternatively you do not have to build if you do not want to. You can simply fold your seats over, or sleep directly on top of your seat, though not the most comfortable. I have seen many no build rigs that work perfect for those people. It is all about what you need and that you accommodate for those needs. Which is possible without power tools.
Safety and Stealth
Safety is and should be a big concern when it comes to you living in your car or vehicle. The most important thing to know is that stealth is for the most part equivalent to safety. By staying hidden in plain sight you can avoid a lot of the worries you may have. Look at it like this; If no one knows that someones living in the car they wont mess with the person living in said car. It is important that no one knows you are living in your car except those you really trust. Because if someone lives in a car, chances are all their belongings and valuables are in that car. Making it easy for someone to come along and robbing you of what you own or even worst, your entire vehicle.
There are a few things that you can do to keep your set up stealthy. One way is if you can afford to tint your window as much as possible this will make it harder for people to peep in on your things. The most notable way to stay stealthy is to invest in or make some window covers, not only for the front windshield but for all of the windows. You can purchase windshield covers in most of your big box stores. However at my local Walmart they only carry them seasonally for summer, so keep that in mind that while choosing where to go for your covers. Most of the time you will have to custom order the side window covers, but this can be fairy pricey. I recommend making your own. You can also utilize baby bug screens to keep the window cracked and air circulating while still having that covering. You also shouldn’t use your lights at night, this gives you away.
To keep yourself safe you will need to have some sort of self defense. I recommend having both a pretty sizable knife as well as pepper spray or bear spray (it works on people too!) beside you or highly accessible to you while you are asleep or just hanging out in the vehicle. This way if someone were to break in you will have a way to either prevent it or fight back if things go south. It is also very important to pick a safe space to sleep and have several backups in case the spot is occupied or isn’t safe. Do not park where you will have to back up to leave. Park with the nose of your car to the road so if you do need a quick get away you have it.
Final Words
This is by no means a full guide on how to live out of your car. However in my experience these are the basic and most important things that you need to consider in order to prepare to live out of a car or vehicle. And keep in mind that vehicle living is not for everyone and might not be the nomadic situation that suites you. The important thing is finding a living situation that works for you.
https://yourfatnomad.com/category/nomadicliving/ is all my articles about the different types of nomadic living.
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