u/Chris00008

• I have three sleeping spots, and during the day I park at the gym or the mall parking garage. All within a couple miles of each other. The best one I am already trying to stop using it, because people will notice.

• Gas is crazy expensive in a truck. Most of my driving is idling and low speed going from A to B which is just .5-1 mi. each hop. I drive less than 5 miles a day now. First week I spent $100 in gas, I'm trying to cut that in half.

• Truck is good/bad. Alot of space, but you have to get out to get into the "trunk".

• I have tinted my windows. 20% sides, 5% limo rear window. Should have paid someone, but they came out good (enough), but took much longer than I thought it would.

• Large power bank, 12v fridge, and microwave lets me cook/reheat, and I'm eating pretty much the same as I did at my apartment, although I buy precooked meats like rotisserie and spiral ham. I watched an episode of The Boys tonight with a bowl of popcorn.

• Sleeping is no big deal and I'm getting good sleep. but only because its been cool at night. Will need to install AC and figure that out. (have plans)

• I recharge power station at EV charger every 4ish days. It would last longer but I often forget to turn the inverter off, or I burn it up using the 2000w hair dryer for an hour to install tint. Most chargers in the area are empty at night.

• Rug burns! Moving around inside my vehicle, I am scraping my knees, shins, and hands on things.

• I sleep at places that are close to toilet. There is a business park with medical offices that have many customers entering in the morning for doctors appointments. I think I blend in. I shave there and brush my teeth. It bothers me that I dont have any shame about doing this. As if its completely normal to brush my teeth in a medical building's lobby bathroom.

• A good landromat is worth driving extra for. The first one, I swear is MS-13 territory. Did not feel safe.

• Made window covers with corrugated plastic. When sleeping I only use the back window covers. I figure that black out tint / window shades will draw more attention. I park where there is very little foot traffic and its hard to see in with 20% tint at night.

• I'm not on any public assistance. I have enough money. I'm doing this so I can find a job and still have money no matter how long the job search takes.

• I'm getting stuff done, but not quickly. I usually have one or two business objectives and 1-2 truck build projects a day.

• I have become OCD about security. I keep my computer on my person and am always sure not to lock myself out or keep valuables in my vehicle. There is the extra step of mental math where i'm asking, "is this safe?" When I sleep I have my keys right at my fingertips.

• I am surprisingly horny almost all of the time. The first five days or so I wasn't (probably because stress), but now....all the time. It might be because I'm getting out more often and seeing girls at the gym/laundromat/mall/library/etc. This is motivating me to get another apartment and a good job. I have always had my own place. Being horny while living in public space 100% of the time comes with a sense of urgency.

• Sleep has been good, but its cool at night. I am already planning my AC install.

• Managing clothes / laundry is most difficult part. Always packing a bag, making sure i have fresh clothes, a towel for the shower, etc.

• I'm working out 1-2 times a day, because its the only structure I have. Showering at the gym sucks, this gym has really bad showers but its close to everything.

• It's a dead end socially. This is for people who have checked out from society. From a logistics standpoint, its like camping. But socially, I don't want to be here. There is nothing special or wonderful going on here. I am just saving money on rent in the short term while I handle some local business, but my life has become small and grubby. "This isn't it for me."

I have been working to install tint for past couple weeks between other things It takes a handful of special tools, technique, dexterity, and tons of patience.

Then you have to find a place to do it. One of the tools you need is a hair dryer or heat gun which is a 1500w-2000w appliance. You will need a large power bank or an outlet. Doing DIY car work in a public place is a little unsettling and feels a bit unsafe.

And then you need a time when it isn't windy! My first tint was ruined by a wind gust that folded it onto itself. Its hard to do when windy. And crawling around in ypu car isn't easy when its packed with your things.

The biggest mistake I made was buying Walmart black magic tint. The final result was cloudy, milky, unsafe. I then bought Amazon RockRose brand tint and it looks amazing.

Now I have to redo the Walmart tint.

This might be one of those things you should pay to have done...

I have been urban car living in a pickup truck with cap. I actually sleep in the cab of the truck and use the back for storage. I can reach through the rear window and grab some things, but for the most part its like a sedan with a huge trunk.

Food was pretty easy. I have a power bank, microwave oven, fridge, and a box of paper plates and supplies. I buy rotisserie chickens and canned vegetables and am able to eat well enough. Breakfast and lunch are scrambled eggs, bread. Or I buy fast food. Its easy. I dont wash dishes because everything is disposable. They go into the trash bag and dumped in a receptacle every couple days.

But clothes are harder. I have all my clean clothes in a duffel. I have a laundry basket. I am constantly rummaging through the duffel, trying to find what I need, everything is wrinkled and balled up, and the clean and dirty are co mingling.

Anyone else have this problem? Sleeping and eating were relatively simple compared to all the extra time and logistics that come with getting dresssed, staying clean (showering at the gym), shuttling clothes, doing laundry, etc.

Are there any tricks for handling gym clothes so you aren't doing laundry every second day?

Being unemployed and into fitness, and because the gym has the showers, I get in a good morning workout, then shower. Every day I produce a new set of sweaty clothes.

What I've been doing is soaping, rinsing, and wringing clothes after workout. Then I drape them over laundry basket in trunk, so they dry eventually. I can get a couple workouts from a set, but it takes a couple days for them to dry.

Anyone have better ideas?

Also, laundromat in my area is ms13 dangerous. Dislike.

I have a fossibot f3600 pro 3840kwh, I'm using for boondocking/ vanlife. It was only $1000 and the expansion battery is $900.

My current use is to charge at EV station every 5 days, which powers my gaming laptop and 12v fridge. I will be powering my ac soon and want more battery.

Most important thing is fast charging.

I can go from 10 to 80% in about 2h @ 1500w. Going to 100% takes 3h, so there last 20% not worth it.

If i get the expansion battery, I suspect 80% will take four hours. However two stations charging in parallel will take same time. I can feed one power station from the other via solar input ( will require stepping up voltage from 12v 300w output.)

Are parallel stations too much hassle?

I have a pickup truck with high cap. At the local er hospital parking garage, there is a section on the first floor for "large vehicle parking". I cant go any farther into the garage because my roof would hit.

Wouldn't you know it, the lot is 95% compacts and EVs. It's full and I can't even park to get in the er.

This is just a psa that people driving all sorts of vehicles are shitbags. Ev drivers are not better than ice drivers. It's just opportunists. All those nurses parking in the large vehicle lot dont want to take another 30s to drive to the second or third floor.

So if you think this is "us vs them" ev vs ice, you probably have it wrong.

I've been doing this for a week now and have learned what makes a good spot. You want to find a parking lot that has a 24hr business in the development. At night, most businesses close, but there is still that 24h business, an emergency clinic, or maybe overnight call center. So there will be a smattering of cars, and you will blend in.

In the morning, the parking lot will fill up with cars as people arrive to their jobs, so you will disappear in the sea of cars. You can wake up and walk to the office complex and use their facilities.

It should be in a nice suburb that isn't patrolled. Basically look in the suburbs for 24h clinics that are part of a larger office complex. There will be lots of lighting, which is good for safety. Whixh is fine because you have dark tint or window screens. The parking lot will be big,, so enough cars that you won't be noticed.

Despite my plans to have my truck livable at beginning of May, getting moved out of my house and into a storage space took 24/7 of my time the past week. The cherry on top is with all the moving/stress, I pulled my neck and it is frozen up and in pain. So I caved and rented a motel room so I can sleep on a bed and hopefully work out my neck.

I'm starting at zero. All my shit was stuffed into boxes/bags and piled up in storage (which is falling out the door of the storage space), and my truck bed was overflowing with stuff I can't keep, so I spent all day ferrying stuff between storage and Goodwill/landfill, trying to uncover all the things that are actually useful and decide what to keep and what to throw away. I have thrown away and donated YEARS of good stuff I will have to rebuy some day. (Here you go Mr. Goodwill guy, here is a $150 ladder I bought two years ago...) But when the rubber hits the road, you have to make the hard choices...

I'm down to a huge collection of stuff in my truck bed that is actually ILLEGAL to throw away. You know how f.... hard it is to legally dispose of old fire extinquishers?? Its almost impossible and involves an hour of driving. Not to mention old used motor oil (pep boys took) but still have crates of old antifreeze/brake fluid/anti seize and other things that will melt your skin off (woulndn't take) and other hazardous material (Roundup and similar) that I don't want to dump into the sewers or touch (because cancer).

Now I understand why poor areas of town are covered in trash -- there is literally NO F..... WAY to legally get rid of alot of stuff! All the people in houses just throw it in the garage or in the shed.

Anyway, I'm alone (literally alone, no familiy or friends) in a Red Roof motel room, and trying to figure out the essentials.

I'm putting together a bag with all my toiletries, shaving gel/blades, toothbrush, soaps, shampoo, med kit, Rx drugs, contact lenses, brushes, etc etc. I didn't know how much of this stuff there is. It doesn't fit into a small side pouch, it needs it's own bag.

Thats all I did today. It took all day.

I bought some window tint which I was planning on doing before the entire day was wasted at Goodwill and the city dump.

I'm in a weird f..... headspace. Have lived in a house for years, and I'm trying to whittle it down to almost nothing on short notice. This isn't glamping, I don't have any f.... money or a job.

Good night.