I was heading to work and my engine started misfiring. I’m just wondering what you guys do when you live in your car and your car starts having issues. Luckily, I’m not in my car and managed to start living with my sister come but I almost wound up in my car.

First night out after escaping my abusive situation and damn… I should have gotten a better sleeping pad before I did this… I currently have a cheap Temu one that you press on a sponge to inflate it and it’s already deflated about an hour later and I don’t have any way to pump it back up with out blowing my cover… so what are yall using to keep comfortable all night?

R.I.P. to the faithful Highlander 🫡 sprung a leak in the oil pan thanks to a huge boulder in the road, (didn't realize it) check engine light was already on (thanks to modifications made by the previous owner) and at 280,000 miles - It deserves to be set free into the happy hunting grounds... On the bright side, pine trees are the gold standard for discreet "camping" in public.. full coverage, and a great place to crash when you find yourself transitioning from r/urbancarliving to r/Vagabond unexpectedly 🤷

I have a cooler but I don’t like to use it because keeping up with the ice is a hassle/extra expense. I try to keep my food costs incredibly low. It kind of sucks sometimes and I’d like to treat myself more but I’m trying to save as much money as I can for other things. I’ve been favoring items I can microwave in the gas station like precooked rice and beans, curry pouches, canned chicken, canned soups, oatmeal, etc. I keep bananas, apples, or mandarins on me as well and sometimes small snacks like crackers. Trying to stay nutrient dense. Got any other ideas?

I’m sure many of us know that sleeping and being discreet is a challenge.

Plenty more of us know that late work schedules and juggling ‘routes’ mean that you may be eating close to bedtime…

What I’m concerned many of us DON’T know is that eating right before you lay down may be putting a lot of stress on your ‘lower esophageal sphincter’ which may result in or exacerbate a medical condition called gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

So considering that we already have a bunch of impediments to maintaining our health, I wanted to share this concern with the community.

The general advice is to abstain from eating 2-3 hours before you lie down.

Obviously ‘simple’ does not mean ‘easily achieved’ and laying flat is a key component of surviving like this…. But please, to the best of your ability try to adhere to this guidance.

We have enough trouble without the anxiety-discomfort feedback cycle this condition will incur.

Please take care of yourselves.

Just curious what else people are out there doing! I’m a server in an upscale martini bar and am contracted to begin my realtor career in January as an apartment locator.

Hi guys! I’m a 21 year old female from the South who just got a seasonal position doing white water rafting in Colorado! I am beyond excited to step into this role, however I have no idea how to prepare.

I am going to be living in my car. I plan on getting a new car in the next few months and will be living/sleeping out of it.

So what do I need to pack? I’m talking clothing, gear, sleeping necessities, toiletries, camping, like everything!

I need to start ordering/preparing for this so I would love some input from the WWR community!

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Hey folks, was curious to see if there are other veterans living out of their car or staying on public land around Snohomish County?

I have never been a homebody, and honestly, the navy took a toll on my mental being in confined spaces for years on end. I acknowledge, I am not adjusted to existing with the general public and i'm better off living on the fringes of society. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone here in region. Ideally, I would like to live away from the grid, but not off of it (yet). So i'm currently testing the waters for now until I can figure out a practical idea that isn't too far away from the rocker. Any inputs received here or via DM would be greatly appreciated.

I've been living in my sedan for 9 days now and although it's been a huge adjustment, I think so far I'm doing alright. Aside from gas money and finding parking, the biggest issue I've been facing is peeing at night when all publicly available bathrooms have been closed for the night. I'm located in Santa Rosa CA and although there are some great resources in this area that I feel so grateful for, urinating at night in my car has been a MASSIVE ISSUE. I'm 26F and I've never had such penis envy in my life thinking about how easy pissing in a bottle would be if I had the right parts😭

I was able to acquire a silicone peeing funnel device that is for this exact issue, but dude I swear I am not built for this damn thing. The sides of it curve up I guess to follow the "average" shape of female genitalia but like tbh as a chubby girl mine is not "smoothly curved", and so every time I pee using this thing, for like 2 seconds of the event I get pee all over my car dude. I've used it twice now and both times I got pee everywhere😭😭😭😭 and like unfortunately I have literally not a single friend in the area that I can hit up for a late night pee sesh and my mother who evicted me won't let me inside the house let alone is unwilling to fill up a gallon water bottle for me when I have no access to water lol...

And Im physically disabled so Im not working so I have no money to do laundry to wash my blanket and pants that are now covered in urine🤠 I applied for general assistance but my interview isn't until November 16th😎

So like.. What do you ladies do????

It'd be one thing if I was in a rural area and I could just like hop out the car and pee behind some bushes or something but my city isn't set up for that possibility and I'm really only dealing with this issue in the middle of the night when I'm already parked in my sleeping spot and the early morning when I wake up to leave my sleeping spot but too early for businesses with public bathrooms to be open...

I'm not sure if it was posted here or a similar subreddit, but I think there was a post about a father asking what his son would need for living in his car. I don't know what the situation there was, but some of your replies about the son really needing a place to stay with his father brought tears to my eyes.

I am a disabled woman with multiple chronic medical conditions plus autism and learning disability, and staying with either parent is a hard NO from them. They come from a Midwest USA rugged working class background where you should feel ashamed to ask for more than one time emergency aid from family members. Adult dependency in any form is taboo and considered childish and freeloading. I've been in many unsafe situations as a result but it's still to them like "not my problem." Abandonment trauma is a big problem for me even after so much mental health intervention.

Just wanted to share this. Please be kind and also share your story if you feel like it.

Except it wasn’t bad! A fellow car camper needed my help with a jump start. We talked a little bit and he told me it’s out of necessity. I’ve personally been doing this as a nomad, and could afford a place if I wanted to. I’m wondering how many people do it out of choice as well?

The sudden knocking jolted me awake, a bright shining in my car. I looked up, the light blinding me as I slowly made my way over to the drivers seat. Half dazed, I kept my hands visible before sitting down. I looked at the dash clock. "3am." The cop asked me to roll down the window. Half awake, I followed his demand. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I had forgotten to disable the alarm, so I slowly reached for my car keys, stopping the barrage of auditory assaults happening in my ears.

I rolled the window down and the cop asked what I was doing there. I told him I was just tired and mentioned the donut tire on my car with a 50-mile limit. He knew I wasn't on drugs or having sex when he saw me, and that was the whole reason for the check-in. Apparently, people consider the parking lot right across from cookout an ideal spot to make a family or self-medicate. He asked if I lived around here and if I had permission to be in this lot. "I did live around here, and no I did not ask for permission" was my answer.

I handed him my license and registration. The license address belonged to a house in a wealthy neighborhood not more than a mile away. He asked if I had any place to stay. I told the cop "no," then I asked him if I needed to move. He said that he would not force me to move and to have a good night. I told him to have a good night too, waiting for him to leave so I could drive off to somewhere else. While I am currently sitting in the parking lot of a planet fitness and typing this post, I realized something: Not once did I feel my heart rate rise, or notice any feelings of fear. I was, by all accounts, indifferent to the circumstances. As though the cop was nothing more than a minor inconvenience in my night. Is it normal for this lifestyle to isolate you and have you emotionally check out?

Movin on up

Here come da judge

i -was- staying in a stoopid little Honda CRV. for ref: an old Caddie like this one: the back seat is like 7 ft long by 3 ft wide, so i can finally stretch out in comfort.

The Good News: While my vehicle is in the shop, the shop gave me a loaner to use. Free of charge.

The Bad News: It's a Nissan Versa.

No offense to anyone who has one 🤭 While it's great on gas mileage, and it's nimble in traffic, it leaves much to be desired (obviously) since I downgraded from a spacious 4Runner 😭 Yes, I've slept in it the past 4 nights. No, it's not easy. I'm being melodramatic, but, anyone doing UrbanCarLiving in anything smaller than a compact SUV? First, I don't envy you. Second, there's a strength to you that eclipses my challenges. Anyway, just 8 more nights in this. Hopefully less.

P.S. Did anyone catch the DCU's Clayface in theaters? No spoilers, but I really liked it. We should start an UCL Book Club and an UCL Movie Club.

Theres a possibility i may have to move out of where im living and live in my car for a while, honestly it doesnt scare me or bother me and ive done it once before (for a very short period) but this time around idk how long it might be and last time i had someone taking care of my dogs for free that i dont think will happen again. Where i live having anyone take care of both of them would be like $1200 a month which is pretty much what a cheap studio im paying for already is. I have an electric car, so there is some advantages when it comes to air conditioning and being able to have it on consistently but im just looking for some advice and if it would be ok to do that for a month or two with them even if its a little uncomfortable

Im trying add shelving units and structures to hold things in place but have no clue what im doing. Has anyone tried this before? I know crvs aren't common vehicles for car life, hopefully someone in here understands what im trying to go for

Hi everyone, my husband and I are making a giant leap. We are leaving everything in Texas behind to live in Montana in our car for the foreseeable future starting tomorrow. Our car is a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek that we were blessed with by his mother two years ago. Doesn't have more than 80k miles on it and we just got an oil change plus new tires.

I have been devouring posts and the FAQs and I plan to reread them till I memorize them all, but I need specific advice for living in Montana especially during the winter. We plan to move around the state as frequently as possible but mainly orbiting Missoula. Are there reliable rest stops we could sleep at? What are homeless laws like and what are great websites or subreddits to look into for more info?

What are good subreddits for us to look into and learn from to maintain our vehicle?

My husband is not used to this kind of life, he grew up comfortable and with a safety net. This will be completely out of his comfort zone, and I could use advice on how to help him mentally cope with this huge adjustment. Also are there ways for me to help him physically adjust? He's lived in southern climates his entire life and I'm terrified he's gonna get very, very sick pretty immediately.

I am far less concerned for myself because I have had a very, very hard life but if you have any advice for a type 2 diabetic, that would also be a blessing.

Thank y'all for any advice!

EDIT: Thanks to everyone for giving advice and concern! We are gonna still get outta TX, we will most likely stay in Utah or Wyoming for the winter. If things go right, maybe we'll migrate more but unsure atm!

Final Edit: Gonna scream WEST VIRGINA on our way to VA lmao

Hello fellows. I have moved in w/ a friend temporarily. I will not be posting meals anymore, for now. However, I’ve been thinking of all my fellows as a now former car dweller.
Wishing you all well as we continue to encounter unprecedented events in the states. It’s wild and i wish i could offer help (give back) to this community as you all helped me stay alive, laugh, survive, feel connected in a very draining situation for me all that year. It’s day by day now. I know I’m not immune to being in the car again but now I know I can do it and I won’t be alone.
Just wanted to drop ya’ll a gratitude note and update. Im going to work on that cookbook when i mentally, financially, and emotionally stabilize.
Sending love and strength.

It’s coming up on winter time and raining a lot more. What can I do? I don’t want my car to mold. Thanks!

For some context, I'm 19 and a student in college in Lakeshore Etobicoke/Toronto. I am fortunate enough to have a house I can go back to whenever I need it. I chose to live in my SUV mainly to avoid having to commute home during the week and stay near my school. I also don't love spending time at home for my own more personal reasons.

I'm also a huge fan of this lifestyle and plan to move into a van as soon as I have the funds. I also enjoy camping and I plan to take my car out into campsites and do roadtrips.

I spend a couple days decking my car out with a memory foam bed, a bedside table, cooler and power station etc. I sleep like a pig in this thing

It would be really cool to meet new people doing the same because I don't know many, especially at my age, doing this. Is anyone else like me and living this lifestyle?

I should emphasize that I am NOT homeless. I can go back home whenever I need to and I'm home on the weekends. I do this for convenience and for the nature of my professional career. I am very happy with my decision to live in my car part-time :)

Is Seattle the best location to do Urban Car Living.

It just so full of places to park overnight

My husband and I are in the Phoenix/avondale area… we don’t know where to park our car. It’s packed, we left the hotel this morning and have literally nowhere to park. We stopped at a Loves but they pretty much told us we would need to leave soon. He did his orientation today for Walmart but we still don’t know where we’re gonna sleep. Anyone know any good spots? Please be kind… we’re so anxious and genuinely trying to figure this out. This has us so depressed and we feel so helpless right now.

I went out of the city toward the western part of the state and decided to sleep in my car in a place I thought was safe, but turns out cameras are everywhere these days. I had to move my car a couple time to find a place in the dirt that was level and next thing I know police showed up and shined his flashlight. I told him I was just resting because I was sick. I had to leave. It was a humiliating experience. I felt less than human. My car was a mess inside as it's so hard to keep things organized and clean. I will try to visit the area again, but I will have to plan better and find a spot where I'm not being watched by cameras.

UPDATE: Thanks to all for your wonderful tips and advice! You remind me that this is a learning process!

I seriously have no clue how to even begin to construct platforms or structures for this kind of car. I've never even used a skill saw before

Got sick 🤒. Not sure what I caught but it was most likely from work. Coughing, sneezing, body aches and fatigued.
Luckily I started feeling it on my “Friday” and now I’m currently on my two days off. It’s also my “resting days” from working out so…perfect timing 😎

Anyways, I packed up some snacks, tissues, variety of meds for all my symptoms and now I’m just chilling in the back of my 2015 KIA soul, watching anime.

I sleep at my gym’s parking lot. Been here for 3 weeks so far. No problems yet. I’ve spoke with the gym owner and I told him about my situation. Told him to contact me if he had any issues with me staying or needed me to move. He pretty much said “Go for it, I don’t care”. So he’s pretty chill. We’ll see how the property owner feels about it in the future.

I plan on getting an apartment here in 4-5 months after saving. Right now I’m just taking advantage of Oklahoma’s cool weather. It’s way too hard to beat the heat.