Contrary to what some may think, it’s more than possible to live out of a car comfortably.
Some people may live in their car by choice, such as if they decide they’d like to save money for a time or go on a road trip around the country.
Others, however, may find themselves forced to live in a car due to more unfortunate circumstances.
For instance, people may be forced to live in their cars due to being unable to afford living expenses, and others may be forced to bug out of their homes due to an SHTF situation and find themselves without a home for an extended period of time.
Regardless of what your circumstances are, knowing how to live out of your car for a temporary or extended period of time is a good life skill to learn. Here’s how to live in your car if you have to:
Clean it Regularly
Make sure the interior of your car stays clean. Bacteria and odors can easily build up in the small space of a car.
That’s why it’s important to open the windows for ten to fifteen minutes at regular intervals to allow the car to air out.
Additionally, invest in disinfectant items and wipe down the surfaces of the car’s interior regularly.
Think About How You’ll Shower
Besides keeping the car clean and hygienic, you need to do the same for yourself as well.
While you can always shower at public showers, it’s important to have backup options as well. Invest in a portable shower, and preferably one that can use the sun to heat up the water inside.
Related: How To Store Water When SHTF
Make sure you can find a place where you can legally (and privately) take a shower as well.
Have a Designated Sleeping Space in the Car
The truth is that most cars and trucks are not very comfortable to sleep in, but you can easily modify yours so that it becomes so. Ideally, you’ll have a car that has enough space inside of it for you to lay down over a mattress so you can sleep.
Alternatively, you can set up a mattress in the back of a pickup truck with a cap over the bed. It’s very important that you get high quality sleep in your car just like you would in your bed back home. Make sure your pillow and mattress or pad are both soft and high quality, and have a good sleeping bag or blankets that can keep you warm.
Make sure that the mattress or pad can deflate/roll up respectively to help save space for when you’re not sleeping. You should also invest in a tent or hammock so you can sleep outside of your car if you’d like to as well.
Additional sleeping related items to consider acquiring are a good four-season blanket and a heater to provide warmth to the inside of your car as well.
Have a Portable Toilet
If you’re going to be living out of a car, you’ll eventually need to use the restroom.
Make sure that you drive near places where you can use the restroom. These places may include public restrooms, shopping centers, or grocery stores.
Related: DIY SHTF Toilet
But just in case you don’t get anywhere that offers free bathroom services, it’s wise to invest in a portable toilet for those times ‘just in case.’
Organize Your Belongings
Organization is essential to living in a car. It doesn’t matter whether you’re driving a full-size SUV either: in a car, space is always limited.
The best solution is to invest in a storage organizer made specifically for vehicles. This will allow you to sort and store your automotive supplies, toiletries and personal hygiene items, electronics, sleeping related items, clothing, kitchen items, and so on.
It’s also a smart idea to invest in duffel bags for storing your clothes. Duffel bags won’t take up a large amount of space but can store a large amount of items.
Pick Your Location Wisely
When you park your car for a good night’s sleep, make sure you do so in a place where it’s legal. You can be fined and given a ticket for parking on private property because it’s trespassing.
Look for places that offer free overnight parking, and you should be good.
Have a Portable Power Bank
It will be immensely beneficial to be able to power your electronic devices while you’re on the road, especially if you’re a freelancer or working remotely.
Buy a portable power bank that can be used to recharge each of your electronic items.
Related: DIY Off-Grid Battery Charger
On that same note, consider buying a portable WiFi device or getting WiFi on your phone so you can access Wi-Fi without having to rely on publicly available WiFi.
Think About How You’ll Store and Cook Food
It’s definitely a bit trickier to store and cook food in your home versus at home. You may think that you can always eat out for a meal, and while you certainly can, just remember that it will add up in cost quickly.
That’s why it’s smart to carry food with you as well as to have the ability to cook that food. Most of the foods that you store with you in your car will need to be non-perishable, and you can store these foods in a plastic bin you have in the car. Think pasta, rice, cereal, soups, and so on.
It’s a good idea to learn how to find wild edible plants. Take, for instance, this “superweed” that helped many folks out during the Great Depression; it could be a real lifesaver when there’s no other food around.
You can also invest in a small propane-powered camping grill that will allow you to cook meals outside. Additionally, make sure that you have a complete kitchen cooking set, complete with all the cooking ware (such as a pot and a pan) and utensils that you will need to make each of your planned meals.
Finally, always carry clean water in your vehicle. You can either buy and carry water bottles, or alternatively, you can have a water cooler that you store your water in. You never want to be dependent on stores or restaurants to provide water for you, so always having your own is important.
Living in your car really comes down to only one thing: scaling down the way you would live in a house or an apartment into the size of a vehicle.
You will have to make sacrifices, but the same principles to living out of a home largely apply to living out of a car as well: keep it clean, have a designated sleeping area, a way to take a shower and stay clean, a way to use the restroom, good storage and organization of your belongings, a way to power your electronics, and a portable kitchen to prepare your meals.
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How lovely another way to be homeless in America!
We come to America, America to steal your cars to live-in as your sidewalks are full of poo, needles and garbage.
Living in a car is a joke. Just as bad as living in a cheap Chinese one-season tent all year long and getting pneumonia and die.
No thank you, only as a very last resort.
Do you think we can survive in an electric vehicle in the dead of Winter?
What about all those electric vehicle batteries that got wet and burned down.
Get real the green all electric vehicles and appliances are an environmental pipe dream joke.
Quit voting for idiots in 2024, build the WALL and drill for oil.
The California governor Newsom who has signed a bill into law to raise burger flipper jobs to the $20 dollar wage range. Which means retail prices increase to cover a semiskilled job that hurts us all, especially retired senior citizens. All politicians get an automatic raise and don’t care about hurting the American taxpayers. These are the wannabe’s to a higher political office position like CA gov Newscam is. There is no accountability to these thieves. Like the illegals flooding America, no accountability for breaking America’s Sovereign migration laws cutesy of the Biden administration minions running the DC show.
Can you afford anymore union protests and greedy politicians using our taxpayer’s money to anyone and increase in wages? What about retirees not getting a large increase in COLA like the unions do. Retirees like on Social Security and Medicare only get the leftover crumbs if congress gets their cut of the action. It’s a deadly circle, who said we should give politicians, unions, healthcare and commercial entities like sports get tons of money.
Why should an athlete get paid in $5-100millions of dollars. Don’t care if they have a limited sports life because of injuries. Most went to college so they can work in the private sector like the rest of us.
These increase in wages effect all the economy to customers who need to live. Open Border, no wall, No drilling for oil, depending on potential enemies for oil and gas.
Right now both parties in congress can override the tyrannical Executive Orders of the Biden presidency. Build the wall, declare all the illegals deported for breaking the laws and restart the oil drilling. Biden administration drained our strategic oil reserves below the allowed levels to China.
Yes he sold our oil to China, probably because Biden is either a Manchurian Candidate or Blackmailed.
Either way he has sold out America along with other politicians who revolve in Biden’s circle.
Good Lord Victor, you blame everything on politicians!
Blame the regular people for some of the things going on.
As far as I can see the Republicans are too busy infighting
to do anything great!
If you think a Trump administration is going to improve your
life, you may just be wrong.
What the U.S. needs is an entirely NEW administration, since
you don’t have much to choose from. (I am not from the U.S.,
so don’t bother calling me a Democrat… I just watch what is
going on in your country, and I shake my head.
Americans should love one another, and live peacefully, with all
the abundance you have compared to other countries… but no…
there is so much bullying going on, and name calling, and
putting others down. You have the opportunity to be a
great country, but unfortunately, it seems you are all going
down a bad path.
Politicians have the control at this point, via the courts, media, cultural institutions, let’s see how long they can keep it.
A typical conservative hater, a lover of Demoncratic mindset. You hate America. You voted for it. America, love it or leave it!
Take your Liberal politics and shove it!
We don’t need Euro-trash like you telling us Americans are terrible. Look at the rest of the world, not through your rose colored hippie glasses, sir!
A.E. You don’t know Jack Shit. You don’t vote so STFU. Mind your own business.
AE, they started the wars and divisions in our country first. Now we the people have to clean up their messes. Some will die in wars to save the rest of us Americans of things that should not have to happen.
Yeah we can all hold hands and dance around the campfire.
Stop funds to Ukraine and foreign aid, fix America first!
ACE, your the type that buys electric vehicle to be the greenie weenie on the neighborhood block and give us gas car owners the middle finger.
Your one of those Biden illegals who got money from us American taxpayers. America love it or leave it now!
Politicians are meaningless, harmless, worthless without supports of the stupid and complacency of everyone else. Politicians dream up the destruction but the useful idiots and the do nothing complainers let it happen.
When we’re handing out blame let’s not forget to look in the mirror.
Too many complainers here too, no solutions either, Bub!
Shut the modern 21st century American government of Bidenomics!
The shutdown will stop the Demoncrats overspending of our taxpayer’s income. Balance the budget or quit your overvalued congress jobs.
Too much identity politics, skin color over qualified people is racism too!
Content of qualification, not by skin color!
TERM LIMITS ARE NEEDED — NOW!!!
The wage increase is not going to hurt the CEO’s. Not a dang one of them will cut THEIR compensation package so others can actually live.
Congress needs to fix it to stop anchor babies.
Born here should mean born FROM the FATHER being a US Citizen, not the mother.
That can stop the baby mills.
Agree! These foreigners, their anchor babies are not true American citizens. Born from non-American females of foreign illegal law breakers. Just because some Marxist lawyer in America says your an anchor baby is a instant American, your not!
Does not give you the same rights as a Native born American of legal American parents. Your an outsider, you must all earn the right to be an American citizen and speak English. STFU all you Marxist educated nut jobs!
The Chinese are having kids born in liberal tourist hospitals for many years. Maybe their the ones crossing the open borders, Yes!
Take all the Sanctuary States back, take America back from all you Marxist very soon!
MAGA! Not Marxism.
I for one have slept in a car on road trips to save money car camping can get painful in sleeping in cramped quarters. To do that for a year, not!
It is an alternative to sleeping on a cot in a family size tent. Cots get uncomfortable a few days into the camping trip zone too.
News alert!
Diane died, no not the Diane queen of England, the Dianne Feinstein Senator from California, that one.
One less old Demoncrat in office from California. Too many bureaucrats from California, Chicago and New York controlling the Washington DC mess.
The Newsom and Michelle Obama political shows are a glimpse into the future the quality of potential presidential candidates of the DC Swamp.
Time to elect non-politicians who are political science majors with lawyer degrees. get people who have been in small business that can balance a budget, balance the old checkbook. Hire and fire people without a liberal HR department gumming up the works with liberal policies.
We need a new paradigm in politics and leave the rest of us adults alone.
With law degrees? NOPE!
We just need people who can read and understand the written words in the constitution, the purpose and power of constitutional amendments, and act/vote accordingly.
I have no law degree but I dang sure can READ and comprehend the constitution and scope and purpose of amendment.
Law degrees just make candidates part of the problem.
We have too many of the WRONG laws already.
Oh and where is our SAFETY with open borders?
Lol. I’ve lived with considerably less than your list but it could be almost comfortably survivable. There are free campgrounds but you have to move every couple of weeks. I have a camp toilet, air matress, sleeping bags, camp stove, a homemade solar generator, and much more, I could live ok in my crew cab truck. I have water containers, 6 day ice chests, small and large folding tables, tables, and camp cookware, flatware, dishes, fire starters to make real fire, and lots of food, I have an overhead camper that could be set on the truck. It had a stove, 3 way fridge, water storage and even a camp toilet. There is food in mylar that could heat on a dashboard parked toward the sun, There are stews and soups in cans and jars. Minimal heating to be good eating. I have one of those cheap little shower tents where I usually set the camp toilet to one side. Friend has a nice travel trailer with all the comforts. Easy to pull with his crew cab truck or mine. The truck is my only vehicle anymore. But I sure hope I never have to live like that again.
The truth is car camping is good a couple of days on a road trip. After that your looking for a hot shower and comfy hotel, motel bed.
Best make sure your final stop is away from large cities as some other homeless may take up residence in your car. In Bidenomics there maybe a very bad gas shortage supply coming. So make you are able to park the vehicle in a secluded area from the highway drifters.
It is your ticket to a temporary situation, not for the cold winter regions to live in.
yup. Ive seen -20 many winters here and once we hit a miserable -46.
Where is that edit button to fix our spelling mistakes? Please we need it here.
I second the edit button, we can not right now fix the misspellings here.
I vote third for an edit button for this post!
Nope, double check your writing before you post it. I can suffer a bad speller. I can’t suffer a troll who alters his post after you replied to make you look like a jackass. Let whatever was said originally be saved for all to see…
Although I agree with your summary, it’s inappropriate to make unkind comments about Dianne Feinstein just hours after her death.
They don’t care about us. They will have a long boring funeral, talk about the supposedly fake good things they do. And sweep under the carpet the bad things done to us taxpayers.
For one she had a Chinese spy driver for decades. What else don’t we know?
San Fransisco is a homeless mess, shall we go on?
Yup they don’t care about us, if they did we would not have the homeless situation in our major cities Feinstein did lots of stuff for liberal causes not always the best for all Americans, don’t feel sorry. Look at what San Fransisco was like before these Demoncrats came into politics. Do you really want a Newsom as president? Look at California again, the mess all the major cities are in, guess again. One down how many more before 2024?
Don’t forget her assault weapons bans with other anti-gun political criminals against the Second Amendment.
A factual case for term limits. She was there for decades. CA Gov Newsom could appoint VP Harris as the replacement. Harris is useless in both job positions.
Biden appointed a Black female Marxist to the Supreme Court. Which Marxist Black woman will CA Gov Newscam appoint to replace Feinstein’s elected position to 2025?
Yes term limits and the American taxpayer’s decide who goes into political positions. Term limits!
I don’t see it as unkind remarks. I see it as a glorious day for the USA. More evil trash gone! Someone said that she sent a text to the White House complaining how hot it is down here. please hurry to keep me company?????
Hey Susie J, maybe Gov Newsom will give you the job, oh dam, your White, maybe not. Skin identity politics in play, maybe you can feel like one and claim to be something your not, Elizabeth Warren did!
Are you a relative of the Getty clan, will Nancy Pelosi help you?
About Diane – she was a horrible traitor to this country. Good Riddance. May she burn in hell for all the evil she has forced on the people.
Kind of reminds me of the homeless carting belongings in shopping carts. Now they are upgraded to a gas powered shopping cart with real big wheels.
No a car is to get us to and back transportation.
Those that have been in the military will this is not viable long term use. There are reasons certain ideas do appeal to the novice without some experience in the field of camping outdoors.
@ Gerry: Cars help protect us from intruders. Maybe not ones that are really intent on hurting you, but they still offer more protection than a tent! Years (decades!) ago, camping in tents was safe: no more! I’d take a vehicle ANY day over a tent now.
I am a 70 Y.O. woman and travel long distance alone. I have everything I need in my jeep. Some of it is on the carrier on top. I have used it a few times, and feel much safer than if I hauled out a tent and tried to camp. .And, yes, I HAVE camped before. Living out of a vehicle is just another form that requires some strategic innovation, but it can be done.
If I had to live in my car, I would like it to be a van.
But they don’t make them anymore…. too bad.
Forget the portable shower and toilet. I was born
a long time ago,,, we had no indoor plumbing,
learn to take a sponge bath.
We had no indoor toilet… take a shovel, and dig
a hole.
If you are going to crowd up your car with showers,
and toilets… you won’t have much room left for yourself
and your clothing.
Oh baloney, you probably walked 10 miles to school in the dead of winter in a snow storm.
People that did not have indoor plumbing for a toilet. They had Outhouses too.
Tell us another tall fib.
Since you are ignorant, let’s see if we can educate you. I’m not yet 60. My mom’s neighbors in Arkansas still did not have indoor plumbing in 1990! There were still folks in Virginia Beach then that had outhouses, too.
AE is a foreign Marxist causing trouble for the 2024 presidential election. We have seen these people coming across the open border. Taking free money, no remorse. Will tell us anything to get a dime, nickel, dollars out of us at the street corners at the intersection. Are we not tired of these pan handlers?
I would have settled for retirement but this will do…
Cranky, bratty kids and what about your pets, the cat and dog?
Will you abandoned your pets or kids in a survival situation?
I lived in an old station wagon for a few years. They were cheaper than vans or pickups and had plenty of room for sleep in the back. I painted the rear windows dark blue and found safe places to park for the night or in a line at flea markets for a cheap space in the morning. Had tables and awning poles on the roof rack. Got a sellers license and bought cheap items at the wholesalers on Los Angeles street to sell. Alcohol or alcohol wipes can help keep your body clean between showers. I eventually got a membership at an exercise club and could work out and take shower and shave there during slow hours.
Then you had time and energy to rent a room instead. I do not buy your gab of grittiness and why stay in LA if it was that bad?
Living in a car for days on end is not a great idea. Not only your preps are exposed in that type of setting. As you go out looking for more food and water.
Stay Smart! Oh but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Sounds like a BS story a liberal would tell to virtue signal to the homeless. Maybe you stayed at a homeless voucher hotel, then at a Holiday inn Express, Yeah?
I’ve only stayed in my vehicle for a night or two, usually when I was camping and the weather got colder than expected, or the rain came down hard for a long while.
I have watched YouTube videos of people outfitting their vehicles so the can live in them if needed. If I were doing a lot of travelling or driving cross country to visit friends and family, I could see where I’d live in my vehicle. But to my brain, it’s always more if a temporary than permanent thing.
This car camping and prepping are fine for the short term. Long term both have pros and cons depending on what you think is best for you and your family.
The car or vehicle will eventually become trashed in the process beyond being useful. Eventually we will all need to resupply, then what?
Another thing would be car safety.
Parking where the crime rate isn’t as high – sometimes, hotel parking lots are good for that. You could say there is a Gray Car philosophy, akin to Gray Man – don’t draw attention to yourself or your car. It should be as nondescript and plain as possible.
Keeping dangerous things stowed safely. I read about a lady who died while taking a nap in her car in between jobs, because she knocked over a gas can and it leaked a little bit of gasoline, enough for the fumes to kill her.
@ Wood Stock: that’s why you get a roof rack and put things like that outside…..
I traveled a lot a few years ago in my SUV. Slept in the car most of the time and loved it! The one thing that made my nights comfortable was placing a screen over an open back window. Secured it with magnets on the outside and no one knew I was in there. Fresh air makes a difference.
Public showers? A portable toilet? And apparently no clue what WiFi is. Good grief!
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