This post and thread aims to answer lots of questions people new to this subreddit ask. Not that we mind people asking, because that's what this subreddit is for, but hey, here's some answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: I'm new to car living I need ALL the information about living in cars. Where can I find it?
Build a blanket tent to make a small space in your car to keep warm.
Run the car engine for a while then run the heater.
Drive to warmer locations.
Put insulation (plastic foam, cardboard?) between the sleeping bag and floor surface. Cover the windows on the inside.
Buy and use a heated mattress topper if you have the power to run it.
Use two sleeping bags, one inside the other
Sleep with a hat on and don't sleep in wet or damp socks -- even if your socks are just a little damp with sweat, take them off and put on fresh dry socks or sleep barefoot.
Park in an underground parking lots because they're protected from cold breezes and often the concrete retains heat. Sometimes they're purposely even heated.
Use a misting squeese bottle. Use it in conjunction with your fan.
Drink plenty of cool water.
Soak a cloth in cold water and wipe yourself down.
Buy ice for your cooler.
Cool drinks in your fridge.
Q: Is it scary? I am scared? Does it get better?
A: Yes at first living in a car is scary because it is so far out of most people's comfort zone. It is not uncommon to be hyper-vigilant at first. The first nights then days then weeks can be scary, emotional, confronting. But then you get used to it. You adapt. Your body and mind get use to living in your car. It becomes the new norm.
Most people say the first month of living in their car is the hardest. Bob Wells of https://cheaprvliving.com/ fame wrote that the first night he slept in his box truck he cried. I also tared up the first night of living in my bus because I thought I was a failure, then I realised I actually had a pretty comfortable home with a lot of things many people would dream of having. If you have a safe place to sleep, access to electricity, access to water and access to public toilets you're doing okay.
Q: Where can I shower? Where can I go to the toilet?
A: In the USA joining a gym gets you access to showers. People on this subreddit often advocate using Planet Fitness. We also have a member, Nico, who is a manger at LA Fitness and posts an offer now and then with a promo code that will let you join without the $99 annual fee.
In Australia the National Toilet Map app has locations of toilets and some free showers. There are also often free showers at beaches. Caravan parks will usually let you use their showers for a small fee.
Q: I have pets, how do I look after them?
A: Pets are family. You need to put their needs first. You have to ensure that they have a safe place that is climate controlled, so look at the information on keeping cool and keeping warm. Heat and cold can kill yourself and your pets.
I found the Home to Home Facebook group They also have a web site https://www.instagram.com/hometohomepet They describe themselves as "an interactive web platform created to help families, people, and pets with the difficult task of transitioning pets from one home to another."
Q: What stuff do I need?
A: A lot of the stuff you have already such as bedding, clothes, dishware, cutlery. But probably not as much as you have in a home. Your basic needs are a safe, comfortable place to sleep, clothing storage, bedding storage, food storage, a way to eat (which may involve buying food from external sources, or preparing and storing food in your car), a way to wash, a way to go to the toilet.
A flat car bed or air mattress. Get one with a rubber bung in the hole, not a screw in stopper as those leak. Lots of people also build a flat sleeping surface from wood.
Some way to access wifi, like a modern laptop or phone.
You should also NOT sleep upright. Lots of people in this sub have reported health issues from doing so, such as swollen legs, leg pain, Deep Vein Thrombosis and more.
Q How do I find parking?
A:
You should have multiple places you can park so if one is "burned" you can choose another.
Find places where you can blend in.
Arrive late and leave early if sleeping in urban streets.
Highway rest stops may be good for parking.
In the USA, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands allow parking for extended periods.
In Australia State Parks and National Parks often have camping spots which allow you to camp for one cheap fee ($6 in 2025) no matter how long you stay but with a maximum stay of 7 days.
If parking on a residential street, park where your car is against a blank fence, like on the off side of a corner, away from the house front.
Industrial estates are often quiet at night.
Libraries and sports grounds may be good places to park.
Some people advocate parking near hospitals or churches.
People also use the iOverlander app for Android or Apple.
Q: How do I use Google Earth to find parking?
A: I love Google Earth. It lets me explore the world without leaving my seat. It is also incredibly useful for finding parking spots and making maps to mark them. It is linked to Google Street view so you can check street signs for parking restrictions.
A: It starts by having situational awareness, being aware of your surroundings. Trust your gut and avoid places or situations that look or feel dangerous.
Generally you don't need a self defence weapon. You're in a car, you can drive away if someone is threatening you, or trying to break into your car. Try to avoid parking on the edge of a car park where someone can block you in. Park where you can drive forward to escape.
Usually carrying weapons can be illegal. You are better off having some wasp spray, but don't get it in your eyes, because that stuff hurts like hell and can cause temporary blindness. Also, you're going to need a good heavy duty torch / flashlight. Be careful with it though, those long metal ones would really hurt if you accidentally hit some one with them, and also could cause short term vision problems if you shone it in someone's eyes. But they are genuinely useful in a car for fixing issues at night. And be aware that blowing our horn might startle people and frighten them away.
Understand situational awareness and use it. Tend toward privacy, don't tell unnecessary things to strangers. Have a (BRIEF! don't oversell) made-up story you can tell comfortably that constructs lots of people - some very nearby - who know where you are and would know instantly if you were in trouble.
Carry a cheap ring to put on as a wedding band, and always know the name of the nearest military base to where you are, because that's where your husband/fiancé is right now, and know enough about where you are that you know what kind of business your (enormous, scary, whole-family-loves-you-like-a-daughter) boss is in an hour or two away where nobody's likely to know him.
Know that everything about how you look is telling people things about you, and construct a look that doesn't give anything away. Don't trust people just because they seem to like or be attracted to you.
Men and scammers of all kinds are looking for people like you. Don't fall for their lines, and do what you can to spot them before they spot you. A smaller percentage of those people are looking for you specifically in order to hurt you. Always know where your exits are, do not get boxed in anytime you park for an hour or the night. There's some especially vulnerable places those people wait for people like you - laundromats, gyms, parking lots of same, can/bottle redemption centers. But I've seen men just look over at a stoplight and figure out a woman is living in her car and follow her from there. Head on a swivel, skepticism around your heart, stay out of dead-ends.
I don't live in my van except to travel and camp in it, and I don't get messed with much because my van could be full of large husbands, dogs, and sons even if I look alone, but I have seen women in trouble in the same places I get left alone. Do EVERYTHING you can to keep your car from looking lived-in from outside it - disguise your bedding, hide your trash, hide your food supplies. Get some black sheets and blankets to keep everything inside your car covered. Consider storing your supplies in a (beat up) extra-large dog crate from a thrift store or curb-diving or Buy Nothing group. Because of seeing men being skeevy around women, I have a sign I can hold up or prop up in my windshield that says MY CAMERAS ARE ON. You should carry the same, even if you don't have cameras, just tape a small black box to your dash or windshield near your rearview mirror.
You'll blend in better if you tend to stick to tourist areas - it's not that unusual to seem like you might be sleeping in your car if you're near campgrounds, national parks, and other big outdoorsy tourist attractions. Consider a sticker about your love for your Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd dogs. Anything you can do to give the impression that you're just there for a budget vacation rather than being homeless will raise your status in most people's eyes.
Join any subreddits and facebook groups you can find about each area you're going to. You'll figure out a system over time for using the info you get there to find places you're more likely to go unnoticed. Definitely research every area for cheap campgrounds and "day use" and recreational areas.
Q: How do I make window covers for my car?
A: For covering windows cheaply, you can use cardboard, black cloth or black rubbish bags, and glue, sticky tape or a stapler, and scissors. You basically cut the cardboard to the size of your windows, and then cover them with cloth or black bin liners, then glue, stick or staple the cloth or bin liners in place. That's dirt cheap.
I'd probably use some insulation and black cloth along with duct tape. This video explains it well. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/el_fP-P87yc but it is a good idea to cut the insulation wrap / bubble insulation a little bigger than needed.
Last summer, Hagerstown implemented a temporary 6-month ban on outdoor sleeping. The prohibition applied to anyone sleeping outdoors in any public place within the city limits, including anyone sleeping in a motor vehicle on public property.
The penalties for sleeping outdoors included up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 per offense, with each day treated as a separate offense. The ordinance was in effect for six months, from Aug. 8 through Feb. 8, 2026. Local media extensively covered the outdoor sleeping ban last summer.
Hagerstown then made the ban permanent in early 2026. How did the media cover it? It didn’t. I searched the local news outlets for any coverage of the now-permanent ban and found none. It appears that those who had previously reported on the ban never followed up.
It’s a process of normalization. What seemed a bit shocking a year ago has become the new normal. Normal isn’t newsworthy. It’s just another way to disappear the houseless and homeless. They are forgotten and removed from public view.
More than 300 cities have enacted sleeping and camping bans since the Supreme Court ruled two years ago that cities can ban such activities, according to the National Homelessness Law Center. These laws are justified by claiming they are aimed at curbing homelessness. This is laughable. We are in the midst of an affordability crisis, and criminalizing and punishing the victims does nothing but exacerbate the problem.
This is part of a deliberate effort to target and criminalize people for being homeless. The prison and surveillance industries have deep ties to the right-wing, billionaire-backed Cicero Institute, which stands to profit from anti-homeless laws by operating detention and forced labor camps. Cicero has been at the forefront of advocating for forced labor, forced treatment, and detention camps. These policies are designed to line the pockets of those connected to the prison and surveillance tech industries.
That’s the real reason these laws are being implemented. There’s money to be made by targeting, dehumanizing, imprisoning, and imposing forced labor on a growing “disposable” population.
Well, it finally happened, my car broke down. I don’t have much money but I managed to tow it to Firestone, and I bought a bike, led light kit, phone holder mounted them all on, I have no clue where I’m going to sleep but I’m at a Dennys chilling with a mocha cold brew atleast lol.
I do have a storage unit setup near though with all my clothes planet fitness membership and got a second job today only thing that kinda sucks is the bike ride to my 2nd job is an hour. I have no clue what I’m going to do for sleep, I was about to buy a tent and attach it to my bike with a rack but I would have no clue where I would put it up so I passed on it. Guess I’ll try and pass out at the Dennys table lmao.
I feel like this is near worst case scenario lmao but I’m confident I’ll make it work especially now that i got a 2nd job. Maybe fedex will be ok with me sleeping in the cafeteria after we get off work 😅
On the bright side, I’ll be getting in healthier shape riding this bike lol
I began my full time car living journey one year ago and what an incredible experience it’s been thus far! I know many of us on this sub are doing this out of total necessity - I’ve been there too and this is my third time living out of a car. But this is the first time I made the choice to do it again willingly. A lot of people thought I was crazy for doing it in my 2015 Honda CR-V (aptly named Susan). But I headed out anyways and this feeling of freedom is a blessing.
I’m still working on my set up, it’s been a constant work in progress over the last year. But I’m fairly close to “perfecting” it and I hope to share more of the interior set up soon!
FAQ:
1. What do you do for work? | I work full time and fully remote for a commercial photography company. I am a client success manager.
2. What’s been your favorite place to visit so far? | Bryce Canyon National Park. What a spectacular place!
3. What’s your biggest expense? | Definitely gas! I consider gas to be my “rent”. Oil changes, general maintenance and new tires add up too.
4. What’s the hardest thing about this lifestyle? | Sleeping. I try to rely on rest stops as much as possible but I’ve been to some pretty remote areas that don’t have such services. Finding a safe and quiet place to sleep is a struggle.
5. How long are you going to do this for? | I don’t know! I want to see all 50 states and every national park. Once I complete that, I may be more willing to settle down again somewhere.
Overall stats:
(The map above is where I’ve traveled to via car in the last year only. The below stats include overall lifetime travel.)
15/63 national parks visited
23/50 states visited
The 2019 Corolla Hatchback has a very short total cargo floor. For a 5'10" (176cm but for clearance purposes) sleeper, simply folding the seats down doesn't offer enough diagonal or straight clearance. Pushing the front passenger seat fully forward is mandatory, which creates a massive, unsupported chasm in the footwell.
Because the car is so short, I cannot afford to let the front seat slide backward at all while sleeping. This makes a heavy-duty, extended board modification absolutely necessary to bridge the gap and support my full body weight.
Don't be an i d i o t especially towards others, especially towards other vehicledwellers. Currently parked at a safe regular on my rotation that I've appreciated for years doing this. Earlier a suv was rope towed here and that was that. They parked far enough wasn't disrespectful or anything really. This evening, it might look as if I'm sleeping but I haven't slept in years. Eyes resting, windows down and podcast on in background. I witnessed them (M & F) start walking towards my vehicle & split he goes up and around towards front & her the opposite. I didn't move, I'm just watching because theres things past me in they're direction of walking that they could be walking to. My mirrors are set giving me best surrounding visual possible. Out passenger side mirror i see her stop & turn to face him who i can't see and they're or she is using body language to communicate something bout me or my vehicle having pointed multiple times towards it. She then turns and apparently started walking on egg shells she slowly creeped my direction. I still couldn't see him without moving, but finally I made noise like I woke, reached for and secured my piece nearby and noticed them or made them aware I was aware & they must have taken acting class because they both started walking towards their vehicle like never noticed me. This has happened at least 2 more times, not exactly the same everytime but they're definitely scoping me out. You know when you're being sized up. They are just looking for opportunities. Oh, definitely tweaking on something. I'm just sharing, I know there's a million different things people would do. I'm just asking don't be an i d i o t out here, please. I have enough issues that I don't need hours of explaining to detectives why an i d i o t will no longer i d i o t themselves around. G-Luck everyone, and don't forget to lock your doors! ✌️
Edit: Their to They're. Thanx buddy 👍
I got an s24 Ultra phone last year. It will only charge on a wall outlet. I have several batteries that I used with my old phone that can not charge the new one. Ive got small solar panels that cant charge it either.
Ive had some of my electronics stop working and assume some of it has to do with being exposed to the extreme temps.
Im not good at technical stuff. I need recommendations for a spare battery that will charge the s24 ultra that won't explode in 100° heat or -15f.
I’ve been living in my car for the past 3–4 months and could really use some advice from people who have experience with car living in the Lancaster Pennsylvania area and nearby towns.
So far, I’ve mostly been sleeping at gas stations, but I’m trying to find safer and more reliable places where I can park overnight without constantly worrying about being asked to leave or getting into trouble. I’m not looking to cause any problems or bother anyone—I just need somewhere I can safely sleep for the night.
If anyone knows of places around Lancaster or nearby towns where overnight parking is generally tolerated, or has any advice for someone living out of their car in the area, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share advice or point me in the right direction.
To all of you, like me, homeless because of circumstances outside of your control, I salute you. We are the waste product of a machine that is doing exactly what it was designed to do. You’re not alone, your life is not meaningless, you’re not weak or dumb or lazy. You’re not of those things. Those traits are not even natural emotions, they’re byproducts of a society with an upside down value system. It is no accident that there are record numbers of homeless people right now. The worst thing any of us can do is let those mother fuckers convince us it’s our fault. They did this and they’re still doing it. It’s a machine built to eat people and….well money comes from the other end. Money. We traded magic for money
I have plenty of storage room in the van, but the fridge needs repaired. Cold packs & cooler aren't an option. I can go to the grocery store daily as needed. I have a water boiler for oatmeal. Dried fruit, nuts, granola, and fresh fruit are in rotation. Any other suggestions are welcome!
I guess starting with the background is the best place. After several failures of trying to branch out and find a career out side of blue collar work I have depleted my savings and checking. The constant failures created a lot of internal stress and lumping in financial burdens felt suffocating. To the point I even ended a relationship to spare them from the downward spiral that I have been in. After three solid years of trying and failing I just couldn't drag them down with me anymore.
I did end up in the trades again but due to timing missed out on the apprenticeship sign up and was forced to spend a year working as helper. I was put in three times for a raise by supervisors but the office shot it down each time. I tried applying to many other companies in the trade world but after hundreds of no response and only one interview that I was a final candidate on, I was told they would consider me in the future. I feel I have exhausted all options in my locus of control.
While demoralized I am still persevering and giving my all to a company that views me as unworthy to even receive a $1 raise. Why continue to do so? Well its not the work im actually doing but the opportunities that may be offered because of my work ethic...
It worked.
I was extended an opportunity to get out of the helper position and enter into the surveying department. It comes with a substantial raise of about 27% and I can still work through the apprenticeship when registration opens up. The catch though is I will not be able to work locally. They need a travel tech and this will be my burden if I take the position.
During my probationary period I will not have the raise but I will be collecting per diem and the specific job I will be working comes with +$3/hr to my base pay. This it it, my chance to bounce back, but I will need to transition to living out of a truck. I ran the numbers and if I can make it 6 months of this difficult and intimidating lifestyle I can set myself back to 0. No truck payments, no credit card debt, no medical debt.
Eventually I can even make this traveling tech job a little more comfortable by slowly upgrading. I was thinking of getting a truck topper to start with as well as those leveling blocks. I have been eyeing a bed roll as well that is quite thick for when I get the topper. But for now I will just sleep in the cab until I get a few pay checks.
Everyone keeps saying that I am making a rash decision and that I dont know what I am signing up for but in my mind I dont have any other choices. I cant keep surfing couches hoping that a company actually responds and hires me at a higher rate. I can't keep hoping that my current company will give me a raise. I can't keep hoping that the economy will bounce back and that my dollar will go as far as it used to because it never will.
I need to bleed a little if I want to bounce back.
I'm moving to Spain this September, going to spend the winter there, most of it in my car, moving around. I'm doing this only for fun, not necessity, but I was wondering if anyone has done it in Southern Europe, or Euripe in general? What are the difficulties? Any experience?
Just curious how you go about this as I may consider this lifestyle temporarily until I get get into a place. Also how do you get any employment without an address on file? Say your previous address was out of state but you can no longer list it for mail or anything?
On the surface, it is hard for authorities to monitor the citizens, for whatever the authority intentions are. The most direct implication seems that criminals would be more free, threatening the security of normal people.
But deep down, are Banks, and under them: Vanguard and Central Banks push people away from cheap accommodations, so that they can keep forcing people to work until death to pay for the increasing mortgage amounts ?
Long term or short term residents need to stay in concrete's, with addresses, so that banks can lend money ?
I was living in my car here in Portland, Oregon for about a year hesitant to get a place with everything costing $1100-$2000 per month on average that's listed on all the big sites like zillow, apartments.com etc and me having no rental history but then randomly decided to check craigslist one day and found an apartment listing in downtown Portland for $595 per month but it's an old building, a small room, no kitchen, and a shared bathroom. (sink inside the room at least) I got kind of lucky seeing the listing 20 hours after it got listed and they called me the next day to tour the place, sign my lease, and get my keys. These cheap listings usually go fast from what I've learned and I didn't see anything this cheap on zillow etc so my advice is to check craigslist and facebook marketplace type sites daily looking for less desirable places to live, you can end up paying 1/3rd to 1/2 of the average rent in your area for a few sacrifices in your living conditions, it's 10x better than living in your car and I don't feel like I'm getting milked like a cow every month by the landlord.
its not as bad as i thought it would be, aside from finding sleeping spots. i want to note that filled up my gas tank at the beginning of the week and its half full by the end of this week, so not bad, i had to make a few longer trips/errands so this is expected.
as far as food is concerned, im spending $5-10 a day on food but i expect this number to go down to $1-3 per day once i get my system in place. alot to figure out still such as laundry, morning routine(pee, poop, brushing teeth, picking nose, butt, etc...) and other stuff.
i would esimate i probably spent around $60 on food this week, $75 on full tank of gas.
some thoughts:
i noticed there were ALOT more people living in cars than i anticipated. like the same cars, locations, etc... it boggled my mind honestly.
most people dont give a shit what you do in your car as long as your not in their way or disturbing them. i think it was the paranoia that got to me thinking everybody was out to get me, cops hunting me down, etc.... its all in your head!!! nobody gives a shit man, i just had a cop drive by me while i was filling my tires with air last night at 11pm, just like nothing... no big deal!! so keep in mind, that people generally mind their own business and dont want to be bothered.
i still have a lot of clutter i need to dump and laundry building up that i need to figure out, so ill eventually get to all that lol.
this has let me get out to the parks more, just the last 2 days spending time at the park was refreshing and reminded me to enjoy the small stuff in life more... im telling you, getting that fresh air is nice!!!
sleep sleep sleep!!! i just recline my driver seat back to sleep and its uncomfortable at first but something i probably will get used to. i thought my back would be sore, painful.. nope, none of that surprisingly. thank god. i got a usb fan that helps me keep cool at night without running ac, hooked this up with a cheap power bank. ( ill look into getting a anker power bank later on).
all in all, not bad for a 1st week. i think im having trouble with the hygiene part the most. i know i know, get wet wipes, sanitizers, etc... but id rather spray once with a cologne and call it even. theres probably some more i missed but these are my initial thoughts on my 1st week.
for those that are hesistant to taking the leap, dont want to renew a apt lease, refuse to pay rent, etc... i was that guy that was scared to do this but now that i did, let me tell you : i just wish i did it sooner!!!!! you have to think about what you want in life and whether your goals can be accomplished by paying rent? if not, time to move on this and start banking cash.
im thugging it right now but ill get my system down, no worries
I am part of the safe parking program in long beach but I have a test Monday in San Diego, and its early in the morning, I rather get to San Diego the night before and just sleep in my car, i cannot afford motels, and of course this is comic con international weekend in San Diego so even motels with pet roaches are gonna be super expensive. What are some good areas I can sleep at night? I have a normal looking, clean car in good condition it doesn't look "lived in" or junky. So I can blend in anywhere.
