Living Situation in my Crosstrek

[fuzzybabybunny]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z2nokwWqsI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Kaido]

1. That your video? If so, nice color & congrats on the new ride!

2. I'm sure you already know about Walmart's free overnight parking program, but here's a good article on the Nomads of America: http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2013/11/walmart-parking-lots/

3. If you need security in your car from thieves, I just ran across these, hehe: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008IT2PNA/

4. I have never seen a storage bucket with a side door before, that's awesome! Where did you get it?

 

[Mide]

Nice color and ride! So why are you sleeping in your car?

 

[LTC8K6]

Have you addressed your power problems?

 

[BudAshes]

Love the car but not so into sleeping in that tiny thing. I really like the color and those rims on the crosstrek though. I might be picking one up in the near future if I decide against the Forester.

 

[Meghan54]

Like the car......love the bunny!

 

[unokitty]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z2nokwWqsI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Nice looking car. Nicely done video.

A pair of questions.

While you are sleeping , what do you do for ventilation?

Can you sit up and open the door from your sleeping position?

Best of luck,
Uno

 

[skyking]

you can find a piece of good quality plywood to make an even bed surface. it would be well worth the comfort. It does not need to be thick or heavy if it has lots of plies. Marine ply is best.
Then you'd have an even consistent surface to place a mattress on.

 

[Greenman]

I couldn't imagine voluntarily living in my car. There are things I've come to require in my life as a first world denizen, a toilet, a shower, refrigerated storage for my food, a place to prepare said food, enough space to move around comfortably, air conditioning, heat, the list goes on and on.

 

[nerp]

Me too.

 

[WilliamM2]

Nice color and ride! So why are you sleeping in your car?

Can't afford mortgage/rent after buying the new car.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

1. That your video? If so, nice color & congrats on the new ride!

2. I'm sure you already know about Walmart's free overnight parking program, but here's a good article on the Nomads of America: http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2013/11/walmart-parking-lots/

3. If you need security in your car from thieves, I just ran across these, hehe: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008IT2PNA/

4. I have never seen a storage bucket with a side door before, that's awesome! Where did you get it?

Nice! Thanks!


http://m.homedepot.com/s/rubbermaid access organizer/?searchtype=text

It should also be noted that since I live in a regular car, I'm able to park in far more places than an RV and not raise suspicion. I can park on a normal residential street in front of someone's house and nobody bats an eye. They just think it's a neighbor who has a friend over. And it's a nice car too, not a ghetto looking beater.

Nice color and ride! So why are you sleeping in your car?

Gives me more freedom to drive around and explore.

Have you addressed your power problems?

I'm going to buy another power pack and do the daisy chain thing - connect car outlet to power pack, connect power pack to laptop. So power pack powers laptop. Car recharges power pack when driving. I may also get a solar panel setup and hook it up to the power pack.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Like the car......love the bunny!

Bunny's my best friend and I snuggle with her every day

Nice looking car. Nicely done video.

A pair of questions.

While you are sleeping , what do you do for ventilation?

Can you sit up and open the door from your sleeping position?

Best of luck,
Uno

I will be installing Vent Shades on all of my windows which allow me to crack all the windows 2 inches but won't allow rain or snow in.


Oh yeah, opening the door is fine. Sitting up is OK, but because the ceiling is low my head touches the ceiling. The Fit has a full 10 inches more ceiling height than the Crosstrek, so sitting up is much more doable as well as easier to jump from the back to the driver's seat.

you can find a piece of good quality plywood to make an even bed surface. it would be well worth the comfort. It does not need to be thick or heavy if it has lots of plies. Marine ply is best.
Then you'd have an even consistent surface to place a mattress on.

Because the ceiling is so low, any kind of mattress will make the space even smaller. The current surface is flat enough and I don't mind the bumps. The cheap blue camping mat works just fine. I prefer harder sleeping surfaces anyway.

I couldn't imagine voluntarily living in my car. There are things I've come to require in my life as a first world denizen, a toilet, a shower, refrigerated storage for my food, a place to prepare said food, enough space to move around comfortably, air conditioning, heat, the list goes on and on.

I have all of those things. I think when it comes down to it, people want convenience above all else. I can have all of those things, but it's just not as convenient for me to get them. I have to go drive somewhere for a bathroom and shower, for example. Likewise with an office for me to work.

But for me, I want freedom above all else. Freedom in movement and freedom in being able to utilize all of my time (not just a yearly 3 week vacation) to go do things I want to do. And without an unlimited supply of money I have to pay for that freedom with a hit in convenience.

 

[skyking]

all the more reason to use a piece of marine ply. you'll find all the notches and holes in your current situation soon enough

 

[zaydq]

What's the significance of this car vs other similar cars? I can live in a Honda fit if I wanted to...

 

[BUTCH1]

all the more reason to use a piece of marine ply. you'll find all the notches and holes in your current situation soon enough

My back got sore just looking at that sleeping arrangement but I kinda like OP's style, he lives life on his terms, not what everyone else thinks he should be doing..

 

[WilliamM2]

But for me, I want freedom above all else. Freedom in movement and freedom in being able to utilize all of my time (not just a yearly 3 week vacation) to go do things I want to do. And without an unlimited supply of money I have to pay for that freedom with a hit in convenience.

Living in a car seems like the exact opposite of freedom to me. Having to drive somewhere to do anything.

Freedom, just like any homeless person, but with a newer car.

 

[JMapleton]

Ok, what I'm getting is that you want some money in your pocket to do stuff and to do that, you have to decided to avoid renting an overpriced west coast apartment. Right?

So why don't you just move to a part of the country where it's much cheaper to live and you can have both money and a place a to live?

Do you at least have a gym membership you can go somewhere and shower/whatnot?

You're never going to get a lady sleeping in your car. I'm not putting you down, just giving advice. Hope it works out for you.

 

[NutBucket]

I could never willingly live in my car. I can't stand it when my car is cluttered.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

What's the significance of this car vs other similar cars? I can live in a Honda fit if I wanted to...

I wanted a fuel efficient car that could also go off road into the wilderness without getting stuck.

Living in a car seems like the exact opposite of freedom to me. Having to drive somewhere to do anything.

Freedom, just like any homeless person, but with a newer car.

Freedom in the sense of spatial freedom. I can go anywhere. Life is about bringing together space (you have to get *to* a destination), time (I want to do it at any time), and circumstance (can I afford it / how do I make it happen?). I can bring together the space and time and my circumstance allows it.

Of course, if I made a million bucks a year I could bring together space and time whenever I wanted by just jetting everywhere and staying at hotels wherever I wanted and renting cars for transportation for however long I needed.

 

[Greenman]

My back got sore just looking at that sleeping arrangement but I kinda like OP's style, he lives life on his terms, not what everyone else thinks he should be doing..

I would say it's more along the lines of making different compromises than most others. I'm not enamored enough of travel (in fact, I don't like to travel at all) that I'm willing to give up the comfort of my own home to fund it. FBB has traded creature comfort for mobility, and the ability to operate from almost anywhere. But the reality is he's still tied to modern norms of sanitation and personal hygiene, that keeps him tied to gas station bathrooms and a shower somewhere, unless he baths in a creek.
I would assume that someday he'll want female companionship as well. The death of the hippy movement has pretty much dried up all of the eligible females willing to live the homeless lifestyle. The few that are willing to live in a car will only do it because they have no other options. That's generally not the sort of young lady you want to bring home to meet mom.

I'm not crapping on the guy's choices, I'm just pointing out that they have consequences that would outweigh the benefits for most of us. Kind of like the difference between being a tree or a tumbleweed.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

If you want to make it more permanent, here's a good example to follow. I saw this Saturn years ago and have wanted to duplicate it ever since.

guy who removed rear seats from Saturn SW wagon, raised rear floor, nice long flat bed for sleeping

 

[Alienwho]

Bigups to anyone who can pull this off. I think the crosstrek is a pretty cool vehicle but could never buy one because it's so underpowered and that CVT. Obviously for your means this isn't such a big deal. I also couldn't even fathom living out of the crosstrek. But then again I'm 6'2" and would look at minivans or crossovers if I cared about fuel economy but in reality I'd make an expedition vehicle out of something like a toyota 4runner.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Living in a car seems like the exact opposite of freedom to me. Having to drive somewhere to do anything.

Freedom, just like any homeless person, but with a newer car.

Beats sleeping on the ground.

Congrats on your new car... er home FBB!

 

[Mide]

How are you paying for Gas and insurance if you're living the life of a nomad?