10 Reasons Why Living in a Car or Van Often SUCKS! #CarLife #VanLife #Nomad

Here I explain the problems often encountered while living in a vehicle.

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#CarLife #VanLife #Nomad #Travel #Camping #Boondocking #LivingInACar #LivingInAVan #LivingInAPrius #Downfalls #Downside #Hiking #Exploring #PriusLife #Prius #Bad #Negative #Things #Parts #Traveling #Hard #Times #carcamping

[tingtingboll]

I'm in South Carolina and work as an ER nurse at a hospital right off the interstate. There's ALWAYS a patients family member sleeping in their car rather than the uncomfortable chair in the patients room. The parking lot is regularly patrolled by security and I've never seen anyone kicked out for sleeping in their car 🤷 It's just something normal to us to see, there's security cameras and emergency call buttons in the parking lot. And because the ER never closes, it's common for those folks to come into the lobby to use the bathroom or get a snack from the vending machine. Truckers often park overnight in our parking lot for that reason. Just a thought for a safe place to overnight

[EyesWideOpenTruth]

I lived in my car for 2 years when I got evicted.
It was very peaceful and I saved a ton of money 💰
I mostly slept at Walmart or a really nice Hotel parking lot.
I was in a small car, it was very uncomfortable. If I had a van it would have been sweet

[Siloquid]

1) living space
2) hygiene 🪥 🚿
3) resources 💧🍲 /food space
4) loneliness 🤦‍♂️
5) legal problems w no address 🏡
6) car problems/ breaking down 🚗
7) going to the bathroom 💩
8) mail 📬
9) lack of privacy 👀
10) finding spot to sleep 🛌

[blairwilliams]

Bro you need to know this, you inspired my wife and I to travel from Toronto to California last year in my wife's lexus CT200h hybrid rocking a similar living setup to you. It saved us so much money and we had a blast .

[bethloomis]

Thanks for clearly enunciating the issues facing car-dwellers.

It's not a life for the faint of heart.

[nokoSSu]

I do have to add 2 really important aspects:
1) being "tethered" to your vehicle. There is a very tenuous sense of security. You always have to be absolutely sure about parking zones, possible theft of your vehicle and break-ins. This is your home. It keeps you safe at night, gets you to where you need to go. You have to take care of it as much as it is taking care of you. To have it stolen or towed is the worst nightmare. So your mind is always there. You can never relax. This hangs over our heads like the proverbial "Damocles sword". Whenever I'm on the road, I have this heightened level of stress at all times. I'm not just going to go for a walk in the woods or go and sit in the library for hours. Without thinking about it very carefully first. Not unless I can see my vehicle out of a window, not unless I take very short walks. I can't just forget it for enemy a few minutes that I'm "houseless". Depending on the amount of property theft in your area, you have that much mental unrest.
2) Food: is very hard to plan and execute a good diet, feeding schedule and is hard to get really healthy food options without a full kitchen. I found that with time I gained a lot of weight and started to get sick a lot. You tend to compromise with food quality and freshness and even may stay to eat things you don't enjoy or even tolerate well out of convenience. You have to be super organized to do this even half as well as you would be doing it at home.
Due to point 1 you're stirring a lot more than you might of you don't have a dedicated exercise plan.
Due to point 2 you may feel sluggish at times and don't want to even bother.
It all comes down to mental and physical health.
On the mental health side I found it extremely troubling that you are forced to constantly link yourself internally to this fact that you have no where to call home, rather than to feel that everywhere is home for you. Because the stigma and shame in society are so strong, you end up having to constantly struggle with issues of dignity and shame for having this lifestyle.
Physical health also turns on a dime. If you are really houseless, one small problem which might require a hospital visit could endanger your vehicle or end up getting it towed. It's a very precarious, delicate balance.

[davidm]

After getting off active duty in the military (which is just a really bad job), I ended up living in my truck which wasn't very different from how we lived in the army on deployment. I noticed I felt isolated or separated from "society", which was actually a very good feeling. I never agreed with our society's primal addiction to a 9-5 routine which everyone does their best to mold their life around (many better than me at this). I'm getting ready to do the same for an unknown period of time. I see it as simply another way of existing on the planet. I'm not working for a business which is basically only adding to the immensity of the damage to our planet and it's resources, including people. I'd even prefer to go live in a cave or other wilderness area, away from the manipulation and pressure of a government and society which is inhuman and mechanical.

[SleepChopTravels]

I lived in my Prius in 2021 for around 6 months. I’m in an apartment now but I do kindof miss those days. The freedom to get up and just go anywhere, do anything, the open roads, so much freedom.

I do agree loneliness was hard though, but that could be a problem even if you have an apartment.

[JourneysADRIFT]

Regarding space, I have a Prius as well, but I removed all the seats. Best choice ever. You gain a ton of storage space. I built a flat wooden platform that runs from the front all the way to the back. Where the front seat was, is a hinged door that lifts up to an insulated food box that's heated using the floor heater vent that was normally under the seat. The space typically the passenger foot well, is now covered and acts as additional storage. With the back seats out, the driver seat can fold entirely flat and reaches the full back position.

[nokoSSu]

Really appreciate your video. No one that I have seen has listed the down sides as forthrightly as this before. I have been forced to live in my car on a few occasions.
The worst issue is the balance between privacy and isolation. There can't be any. That takes a huge toll on our mental health.
The next worst is finding a safe place to sleep where we won't be molested on some way. Criminalization of homelessness and stigmatization of marginalized groups adds to the isolation.
Takeaway: isolation is the biggest downside.

[kyststudio-epicartadventure]

Easier to stash multiple one gallon jugs around the car than make the space for a single big container.

[Megladong]

I lived in my car for 10 months this year. You nailed everything. I could definitely give some unique advice and information but everything you said was 100% spot on for what i experienced last year in 2023. Thank god i had a nice rav4 to live in.

[alphpup]

Get a bedpan. They sell liners at the pharmacy (Walmart/cvs). Inside the liner is a sheet that gelled the liquid. In order to keep the bedpan straight when sitting in the car seat you may want to use a wedge. Also you can get a doggie training pad (or hospital blue pad) and put it under just in case of accidents. It works well, I have used it for #2 on my long drives in the SW on the reservation, where there are no trees and no facilities.

[RichardHarlos]

Re: car tags, I suggest you consider South Dakota. Their process for meeting residency requirements is a single night in a local hotel. The next day, you bring that receipt to the DMV and get your license, registration, and title work done. When I went a few years ago, I needed an appointment, so I scheduled my hotel stay for the night before my appointment.

The nice thing about South Dakota is that they cater to mobile-living folks. There's no VIN inspection, no physical safety inspection, and no emissions inspection. Once you've got your title, tags, and driver's license, you never have to return to SD for any reason. The legal stipulation here is that *IF* you establish residency elsewhere, *THEN* you're surrendering your domicile in SD. And, since South Dakota is likely an easier drive than heading back east, I think it's an option worth considering.

Oh, an important prerequisite to the DMV stuff: sign-up for a mailbox that also satisfies the 'physical address' requirement, and use that address at the DMV for your license, etc. The service I used (broken-apart here to avoid my comment being deleted by spam-bots) was:


(dot)
anytimemailbox
(dit)
com

No downsides in my experience. They'll receive your mail, hold or destroy it, forward it to wherever you happen to be if you need the physical paper or, they also will open and scan the mail so that you can download it and print it yourself anyplace where you can print documents (like Staples, OfficeDepot, etc.). 10/10 do recommend.

[mehameha]

I takes time to change your mindset from a conventional lifestyle to nomad life. The journey of it expands your mind and gives you challenges. That is beneficial. You learn what matters, and eventually the reason why you did this. I started in a backseat of an F-150. That was 8 years ago. I now have a toy hauler which I converted into an RV with full solar. But the freedom of being out of the rat race and finally living the small number of years you have on your terms is what really matters. The challenges are what keeps you strong. It creates your schedule sometimes, but mostly your day is yours and you can do what you want, every single day. If you aren’t good at running your own life, you will either learn quick, or find a way back to conventional living, which is far more expensive.

[kickjack]

Looking forward to Part 2: 10 Reasons Why Living in a Car Often RULES!

[donnamartinez]

You always have good common sense things to share on your channel. Thank you! The stuff about mail, drivers license, where to register a car, all that really sucks! The USPO recently made folks who don't get their mail at their physical locations have to prove WHERE they live so they could continue to get their mail. It feels like a person has to prove that they are NOT a criminal.

[shelbyandmargaret]

Thanks for the video. I believe you help inspire people to try out living in their vehicle because so many are in need of an alternative to the Incredible high price of rent these days
I would highly recommend a van if you can buy a good reliable one. A van can be dressed out a variety of ways with curtains for privacy and room for a portable toilet and sink.
I knew a married couples living in an old VW. It was the smallest van I ever seen.
The husband built a small bed, tiny kitchen and even a small bathroom.

[itsTheKevL]

If you dont have head room in the rear and how you use the space, consider updating or modifying your layout. I went from an Altima to a Sentra and had to do some reconfiguring to get the best use of space. Upgrade your Gatorade bottle to a Nalgene. Wider opening to make reuse between cleanings more hygienic. Also if you don't have a emergency poop bucket at least get a Tupperware or sealable container to lock the scent away. There a company called EcoGel that makes some portable port-a-potty type powder you sprinkle into the bag that works well to absorb and deodorize as well.

[davea]

In general: Only people who have or can afford to have a traditional home think it's fun to live out of a car. People who live out of a car because of lack of money don't find it fun.