Wanted: advice for short term car living

[Lheticus]

Say I wanted to travel to another city for an event that lasts like 2 days to a week--let's say for the sake of example a con--but I don't want to or can't spring for a hotel room on top of event expenses and I don't have anyone to crash with. However, I am willing to pay for food while I'm there rather than bring a mini-fridge that connects to the car outlet or something. What else would I need, or would at least be good to have in order to just sleep in my car each night?

[Chen]

Many urban areas have restrictions on overnight parking and thus also on sleeping in a car overnight. You'd need to look into that for one thing. Depending on time of year and location and can get quite cold too.

[Bulldog Psion]

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is to try to find a spot fairly close to a Walmart or similar. 24 hour toilets with a water fountain nearby.

[Jay R]

You need a plan for showering, tooth-brushing, and other such activities.

You need a place to legally park and sleep in your car.

[golentan]

Showering should be considered non-optional here, yeah. Could you stay at the local YMCA or something, maybe?

[Lheticus]

It's rather assuring so far that if I'm not bringing my own food, all I really need other than basically a blanket and pillow would be a place to park and a way to shower. To elaborate on possible solutions for those two things, I have two questions:

1. Assuming general legality of sleeping in one's car so long as it is not obstructive, would a parking garage, that I have paid/can pay for a full day of parking, allow me to sleep there? As in, is there even a chance. Obviously if there is it would still depend on the garage.

2. I know there are such things as car showers, but from what I know of them they're more meant for the needs of people "roughing it." Where might I find a place to use that, or is it basically impossible given an urban area with lots out outlying towns?

[golentan]

1) Can't speak to that.

2) Look for Truck Centers. There's at least one in a city near me, right off the main highway: You pay I think 5 dollars and they give you a shower stall for 10 minutes, plus a little time for changing in the adjacent cubicle.

[lio45]

I'm a pro of living in my vehicle for a few days in a row... I travel a lot, and I dislike the unnecessary expense of a hotel room just to have a bed to sleep in.

(As chance would have it, I'm actually posting this from a McDonald's free wireless in western Texas after having left eastern Quebec a few days ago; I spent every night sleeping in the truck.)

The rest areas that you'll find alongside interstates are great for basic washing. Some of them have bigger sinks. I can actually wash my hair there. I'll change clothes often (every day), wipe areas like armpits, etc.

Of course I am delivering stuff to a factory where I'm only meeting unimportant people; I would have to shower before any meeting.

So -- expect that you won't be at your best for these few days, but at least lodging will be free.

Make sure you are comfy in your vehicle. I have refined my in-cab truck "bed" so that I can fully stretch and I don't have a bend any more around kidney height like you'd have in a normal lowered-to-the-max front seat.

A quick way to erase that bend is a bunch of towels or a pillow. YMMV on this.

In urban areas, you won't find rest areas, but Wal-Marts officially allow (and even welcome and encourage) overnight parking on their property. At least they did last I checked.

I needed toothpaste and contact lens solution once while I was spending the night in a Boston suburbs Wal-Mart parking many years ago... guess who made that sale to me... :)

In the morning, you can go in their restrooms to summarily wash up, then put deodorant and change into fresh clothes. Hopefully your hair doesn't require too much maintenance (mine is very short, and can therefore stay unwashed for a few days in a row).

[lio45]

A couple more things:

My truck has these window rain guards so I can leave the windows lowered a couple inches at least for overnight airflow regardless of weather -- it's something I'd recommend getting if you plan on making this a habit. Otherwise, you can just leave the windows open a tiny bit, rain or not.

I also have a 120 V AC thing that you can plug into any cigarette lighter (a 12 V DC to 120 V AC converter) and I can therefore plug a standard electric fan aimed at me for the night.

(I'm not leaving the truck running for A/C overnight, and nights can be very hot here, so this airflow is very welcome.)

[factotum]

I also have a 120 V AC thing that you can plug into any cigarette lighter (a 12 V DC to 120 V AC converter) and I can therefore plug a standard electric fan aimed at me for the night.


That might work in a truck, but car batteries are usually lower capacity than truck ones, and 20W consumed all night might be enough to flatten it--and if he's not doing long distance trips between sleeps in order to recharge the battery, as you presumably do, it's a racing certainty the battery will be flat long before the week is out.

[Algeh]

This is one of those things that varies really widely by city and also by what kind of car you drive (the nicer-looking, the better, probably, although a semi truck cab would actually give you the most legitimacy and make people the least likely to hassle you). Some places, this would just not be a safe thing to do. Others, it would be reasonably safe but you would be contacted by police and asked to move along. In many residential neighborhoods, people will notice someone sleeping in their car and call it in to the police (there are plenty of homeless people who sleep in cars, so you're likely to get caught up in whatever enforcement scheme that particular town has for dealing with homeless people, which can range from ignoring them to constant harassment until they leave town). Since there are plenty of homeless people who do sleep in cars, it is obviously a possible thing to do in most cities, but it would probably be an "area knowledge" thing to find the safe places to be. In my area, some Walmarts allow overnight sleeping and others don't. I have no idea how you'd research which ones in advance - some cities forbid it by ordnance and Walmart has to follow city code in those places, basically. You might do a google maps search for Walmarts near your convention then call up that particular Walmart and ask.

In my state, you can generally stay at highway rest areas for no more than 8 hours and you're welcome to sleep in your car during that time (but no tents or campfires). I don't know if there would be any issues with alternating between two rest areas on alternate nights for a week because I've never tried to do that. Some rest areas I honestly would not feel safe sleeping at, but that's another thing that would vary a lot by where you're at. These rest areas tend to be a ways away from cities so you'd probably be driving over an hour to get to the con each day.

The more urban or congested the area, the more likely they are to have a bunch of parking rules. Every place I've gone to a convention at has been a place that's pretty hard to find parking at to start with (and it's usually obnoxiously expensive when I do find it - I try to avoid having a car with me when I go to conventions these days). In such areas, parking is probably patrolled by someone (since it's probably metered or time-limited on street and paid parking in lots) and they will probably ask you to move along if they find you sleeping in your car. I've never heard of a paid parking garage that allowed car-sleeping; I suspect they'd quickly become overwhelmed with homeless people if they did and that would scare off some of their other customers.

If you can find a campground reasonably nearby, that would be a middle-ground on price, but I doubt there are campgrounds near most convention locations. (It'd probably be about an hour's drive or longer between the closest campground I can think of and our local convention center.)

I've had good luck with roomshares at conventions, which can also cut the cost of a hotel room in half (or even smaller if you're willing to sleep on the floor or share a bed with a stranger, which I am not). This also varies widely with the type of convention, though. I've done it at filk conventions with people I met online and didn't actually know at all prior to asking around for a roomshare, but filk is a really small, tight-knit community and that's not something I'd personally do at a general SF con or an anime con unless I at least knew someone who knew the person.

As for sleeping in cars themselves, the one thing that hasn't been mentioned so far is that you might want some way to block out the light from your eyes. For me, car sleeping is usually the result of heavy rainstorms when tent camping rather than a specifically planned thing, but that also means I have all of my general camping stuff with me. I always wear a hat on general principle, and I've had good luck with just tipping my hat down over my eyes to block out excess light (this is also my strategy for sleeping on long bus and train trips). I'm someone who can sleep reclined in a chair pretty well, but it bothers some people. It's certainly much nicer to sleep in the back of my minivan (which has a 2nd row bench seat that folds flat to form a bed with the 3rd row bench seat) but even sleeping in a sedan is do-able if you're someone who can also sleep in a recliner. The passenger side may be easier than the driver's side since there's no steering wheel in the way, and if you have a car with a trunk that can fold open into the back seat (mine doesn't) or a wagon with back seats that fold down to extend the cargo area you might play around with your options there and see if you can get a big enough flat surface to make it work as a bed. You'd probably want to put down a foam camping pad under you in that case since those folded-down seatbacks aren't padded. You might try sleeping in your car for a night or two at home so you can try out some different things and see what works well for you.

Also, you might want to wear a second set of loose, comfortable "day" clothes to sleep in rather than pajamas since it'll be awkward to find a place to change where people won't look at you strangely for exiting wearing pajamas. I also use a sleeping bag and some blankets to keep warm, but that would depend on the temperature where you are (I'm usually doing this during surprise heavy rainstorms, so it's usually also cold enough that I want a sleeping bag). Have a plan for using the restroom as well.

If possible, you might also want to budget for one night in a real bed to get some higher-quality sleep if you have a long drive back home after your trip. I always make sure to have a copy of the local hotel ads coupon book (copies of which are generally available free at diners) with me when I go camping in case I decide I need a day in a hotel to recover before driving home. I haven't ever decided to rent a hotel room for that reason yet, but I always have a plan for how I could.

[lio45]

That might work in a truck, but car batteries are usually lower capacity than truck ones, and 20W consumed all night might be enough to flatten it--and if he's not doing long distance trips between sleeps in order to recharge the battery, as you presumably do, it's a racing certainty the battery will be flat long before the week is out.

A standard small car battery is apparently rated for ~45 amp-hours. That's quite small. (You're right, my truck, like all diesel V8 trucks, has two large batteries, not one, and they can make the starter turn fine for a long time even in the coldest Canadian winter weather, plus I don't sit all week in the same spot so they're fully charged at the start of every night.)

45 Ah, let's convert that into a more useful unit for electric charge. (1 coulomb, which = 1 A*s)

Therefore, 1 A*h = 3600 C, so our battery's charge is 162000 C. Assuming 12 V all the time (acceptable approx. here), that's 1944 kJ of energy.

1944000 J / 20 W = 97200 seconds of powering a fan before it's depleted.

(97200 seconds = 27 hours.)


I think I'd take the risk of running it every night, provided he drives from the suburban Wal-Mart parking where he's lodging, to where the convention is (presumably more downtown), every day, to make sure the battery stays charged.

If his car is a manual, I would definitely go with the extra safety of making sure I park atop a slight slope (large mall parkings are usually mostly flat, but hopefully that's findable) to let a fan run all night.

[lio45]

I have no idea how you'd research which ones in advance - some cities forbid it by ordnance and Walmart has to follow city code in those places, basically.

Thankfully, over 80% of the locations have no such city code problems.

http://www.walmartatlas.com/no-park-walmarts/

Make sure your pick isn't among the 700+ locations listed in there.

[lio45]

This is one of those things that varies really widely by city and also by what kind of car you drive (the nicer-looking, the better, probably, although a semi truck cab would actually give you the most legitimacy and make people the least likely to hassle you). Some places, this would just not be a safe thing to do. Others, it would be reasonably safe but you would be contacted by police and asked to move along.

I actually got woken up by two police officers with flashlights in the middle of the night once, they wanted to see if everything was okay, I said yes, and they wished me a good night's sleep and left to continue their patrol.

That was in a small mall parking (so, not a Wal-Mart, and therefore overnight parking not officially allowed) in Albuquerque NM, probably a place that doesn't have too much homeless people problems. It was also 10 years ago. Plus my car had a Quebec plate and I told the cops I was on my way to uni in California (which was true), it's not like I was a local homeless who was intending to put down permanent vehicle-lodging roots in that exact spot.

The less urban the location, the more friendly the cops will likely be with you.

Plus, AFAIK, if you're on a Wal-Mart's private property that officially allows this, the cops couldn't do anything even if they wanted.

[lio45]

Just saw your edit, Algeh. Nice point regarding the light... it doesn't bother me at all personally, so I forgot to mention it. In rest areas parkings and shopping mall parking, you'll ALWAYS have some kind of powerful white light from these towering lampposts reaching you. If you're sensitive to that -- I'm not -- bring a towel to block the window, or else one of these things you wear over the eyes as a headband that's precisely designed for that.


I'm someone who can sleep reclined in a chair pretty well, but it bothers some people.

Yeah, I can't. I'll wake up with my lower back sore if I do this. That's why I said use a couple towels or a pillow to erase that bend in a front car seat. In a car seat, I personally prefer to have my luggage under my feet so that my feet are straight. Otherwise, if they're resting on the floor, they're lower than the straight projection from rest of the body.

Passenger side is better 'cause no pedals interfering with your feet. But if you're paranoid, driver side with the key in the ignition would allow you to take off quickly! (I've never ever been in a situation that required that, but in zombie apocalypse circumstances, I'd probably sleep in the driver's seat.)

The back of my Honda Civic with rear seat folded is VERY uncomfortable because there's a metal joint between the seat and the trunk that will be mid-back for a sleeping person. You have to have a LOT of floor mats / floor padding to smooth that off. Passenger front seat, fully reclined, is a much more comfy option.

As both of us said, it's very very important to try it first. Maybe you don't need to spend a complete night in your car in your driveway, but at least lay down for a few minutes and see if you could see yourself sleeping in that position for a few days in a row. In my experience, the sleeping position has to be damn near perfect for a few days in a row, otherwise after a night or two you'll want to check in any hotel you can find, price be damned!

If you lay down in what will be your sleeping position and you find it's not that perfect, then try to improve it, EVEN if you think it's acceptable.

[Algeh]

The back of my Honda Civic with rear seat folded is VERY uncomfortable because there's a metal joint between the seat and the trunk that will be mid-back for a sleeping person. You have to have a LOT of floor mats / floor padding to smooth that off. Passenger front seat, fully reclined, is a much more comfy option.
.

Would it work to put an air mattress back there to smooth it out? My car doesn't have foldable rear seats so I've never played with this (my van's foldable rear seats fold with the padding side up in a way that is quite comfortable to sleep on because that was probably a planned feature to make it camping-friendly, although if I were going to do it for more than a couple of days I'd probably put an air mattress over it for extra cushioning and the ability to use fitted sheets and make it a proper bed).

[TheThan]

Study up on car camping. The nice thing about car camping is that you have a vehicle to keep all your stuff so you can bring more than what you can pack on your back. that being said, if you plan on sleeping in your car, you have room than you normally would.

If you have an SUV, station wagon, pickup with bed top or something similar; you can roll out a matt and sleeping bag in the back seat. No need to crash in the front seat. I would suggest a self inflating matt if you have a pickup. That way the ripples in the bed don’t destroy you.

Pack light. You’re probably packing too much stuff anyway. Comb through your bags and take out things you don’t need. Take only what you need. Keep any valuables you bring along hidden, electronics for instance are commonly ripped off out of cars. Heck I’ve heard of people just ripping off a book bag because someone left their car unlocked. Speaking of locks. Carry two extra sets of car keys on you at all time. Stick one in your wallet and one around your wrist just in case you forget your wallet. Getting locked out of your own car is both embarrassing and incredibly problematic.

Use a soft bag like a duffel bag instead of a hard suitcase; it can double as a pillow eliminating the need to pack one. Here’s a pro tip, if you sleep with your head down hill, you will wake with a horrible (and I mean horrible) headache, sleep with your head uphill and you won’t. Make sure any electronics you bring along can be charged from your car, especially your phone. If you want internet access make sure you’re near a free wifi hotspot.

Study up on the weather. If it’s going to be cold where you’re going, pack an extra blanket or two (wool if you’ve got them); if it’s hot consider how miserable it is in a hot car. It’s going to be that bad when you sleep. Also keep in mind things like storms; ever see a car get swept down river on the news? Yeah don’t let that happen to you.

Look at camping supply stores, they offer tons of useful things. Some of which you might want to consider. They make packable showers. It’s a bladder filled with water (heated by the sun even), with a hose and squeeze valve on the end. You hang it up and squirt some water on you, wash, and then rinse, tada a shower. You’ll have to rig up your own privacy screen (for decency and to keep the cops off your back) but it’s totally doable. Some of these are gravity fed so choose carefully.

If you’re packing for a couple of days you can fill a cooler with some non perishable food and not have to leave your car to eat, those pre-measured packs of coffee, military rations, camping meals, just about anything heat and serve or that doesn’t require cooking works well (a favorite of mine are home run pies or the equivalent they make an excellent breakfast; packaged donuts are also ok). Heck if you have a camping stove then you can even cook. You could possibly bring a tent and just camp, but I wouldn’t recommend that if you’re in a town. The hood of your car or tailgate of your pickup suddenly becomes a very handy table to put things while you do other things around your car. Just remember to not leave things out when you get away from your vehicle.

I’ll probably think up some more later.

But one thing I think is vitally important (even possibly life saving) is to consider bringing a weapon, a handgun if you’ve got it. You’re sleeping in a car in the middle of an empty parking lot at night in unfamiliar surroundings. You never know what could happen, have a gun on hand in case something happens. Now you will have to study up on local laws; some places allow for “open carry” others don’t. Pretty much every place requires a special permit for concealed carry or outright bans it entirely. Study up on your planned location quite a few places (like all government buildings; including schools) do not allow firearms on the premises, (even CCW carriers can't carry on state or federal property). Following the local laws will save you a lot of trouble should you get shaken down by the cops or worse, have to actually use it to defend your life. if you do have to talk to the police and they ask you if you have anything in your car (they're looking for drugs most likely) tell them you have one, they won't freak out if they go through your stuff if you let them know before they start looking. The best thing to do with the cops is be honest, you have nothing to hide and you shouldn't be doing anything illegal. When you leave your car, lock your gun up in a gun lockbox and store it somewhere unseen (underneath a seat, glove box etc) if you're unable to take it with you (which is likely the case). keep your gun within arms reach but out of sight and easy to get to should something happen (imagine sleeping and suddenly someone smashes in your window... yeah)

Now if you don’t have a gun. Buying one is expensive, time consuming (there are waiting periods in many places), and sometimes a total hassle thanks to governmental red tape. Also owning a firearm is a major responsibility and should be handled with the utmost care, responsibility and maturity. If you choose to take this advice and don’t already know how, then I strongly, no I vehemently suggest you take a course and learn how to own and operate a firearm safely. Any gun shop can get you enrolled in a class. If you choose to take a gun, don’t take one with sentimental value, it’s always possible to lose it.

Firearms are not something to be taken lightly but it is something to consider if you are going to be doing this. Now if you don’t think you can handle the responsibility, don’t want the responsibility in the first place, morally object to guns, aren’t interested in guns or decide not to pursue this advice for any other reason that’s fine. But it’s something I would certainly consider if I was going to do what you do. Now all this is assuming you're in the good ol' USofA. if you're abroad, look into local laws as well. you may be SOL if you're abroad.

[Scarlet Knight]

Of course you can always not go this year, earn money, and then go next year the right way.

[golentan]

Of course you can always not go this year, earn money, and then go next year the right way.

Why? If he can afford to go legally, why should he feel bad about doing so in an unconventional way? Why is "hotel room" the right way? Half the fun of these sort of trips is cramming 5 people into a single room for sleeping surfaces, or roughing it, it's kind of a modern day walkabout where you brave travel and unusual conditions to pursue something you enjoy, or enlightenment, or whatever else.

More power to 'im.

[lio45]

This morning I was woken up at 6 am by a guy knocking on my truck's window... his team had a ground painting machine and they were re-doing the lines in the parking of the truck stop where I was sleeping in my pickup, and told me he's have to make me move so they can continue their job...

I swapped seats, started the truck, went to the other truck stop next door (this is a busy interstate corridor) and immediately fell asleep from 6 to about 8:30.

This was the first time in a LONG time that any such thing happened (someone knocking on my window while I'm sleeping).

Now, though, I have reached my final destination at last, and I'm therefore writing this from the hotel room I'll be occupying for at least a week :)

[lio45]

Would it work to put an air mattress back there to smooth it out? My car doesn't have foldable rear seats so I've never played with this (my van's foldable rear seats fold with the padding side up in a way that is quite comfortable to sleep on because that was probably a planned feature to make it camping-friendly, although if I were going to do it for more than a couple of days I'd probably put an air mattress over it for extra cushioning and the ability to use fitted sheets and make it a proper bed).

I think most air mattresses will be too large (either width or length, or both) to fit in a Civic's rear area. Plenty of blankets on the floor, or floor mats, would work better.

Honestly, having tried at lot of different vehicles, in a C-segment car or smaller, I would really favor a reclined front seat over a folded rear seat + trunk area for comfort.

I'll say it again, it's essential that the OP tries his own vehicle pretty well, try different positions with the equipment (blanket, rolled towels to fill the seat's bend, pillows, etc.) to simulate exactly what your sleeping position will be. It's not only one night... one awful night can be okay, but not a week in a row of awful, non-restful nights. You'll have checked in a hotel on your credit card before midweek whether or not you can reasonably afford that.

[lio45]

But one thing I think is vitally important (even possibly life saving) is to consider bringing a weapon, a handgun if you’ve got it. You’re sleeping in a car in the middle of an empty parking lot at night in unfamiliar surroundings. You never know what could happen, have a gun on hand in case something happens. Now you will have to study up on local laws; some places allow for “open carry” others don’t. Pretty much every place requires a special permit for concealed carry or outright bans it entirely. Study up on your planned location quite a few places (like all government buildings; including schools) do not allow firearms on the premises, (even CCW carriers can't carry on state or federal property). Following the local laws will save you a lot of trouble should you get shaken down by the cops or worse, have to actually use it to defend your life. if you do have to talk to the police and they ask you if you have anything in your car (they're looking for drugs most likely) tell them you have one, they won't freak out if they go through your stuff if you let them know before they start looking. The best thing to do with the cops is be honest, you have nothing to hide and you shouldn't be doing anything illegal. When you leave your car, lock your gun up in a gun lockbox and store it somewhere unseen (underneath a seat, glove box etc) if you're unable to take it with you (which is likely the case). keep your gun within arms reach but out of sight and easy to get to should something happen (imagine sleeping and suddenly someone smashes in your window... yeah)

Now if you don’t have a gun. Buying one is expensive, time consuming (there are waiting periods in many places), and sometimes a total hassle thanks to governmental red tape. Also owning a firearm is a major responsibility and should be handled with the utmost care, responsibility and maturity. If you choose to take this advice and don’t already know how, then I strongly, no I vehemently suggest you take a course and learn how to own and operate a firearm safely. Any gun shop can get you enrolled in a class. If you choose to take a gun, don’t take one with sentimental value, it’s always possible to lose it.

Firearms are not something to be taken lightly but it is something to consider if you are going to be doing this. Now if you don’t think you can handle the responsibility, don’t want the responsibility in the first place, morally object to guns, aren’t interested in guns or decide not to pursue this advice for any other reason that’s fine. But it’s something I would certainly consider if I was going to do what you do. Now all this is assuming you're in the good ol' USofA. if you're abroad, look into local laws as well. you may be SOL if you're abroad.

Getting a gun is way too complicated, he'd be better served settling for a chainsaw, sharp axe, and bunch of knives of various sizes. It's all stuff that's available over-the-counter.









And yes, I'm joking. If he feels like he actually NEEDS a gun to venture wherever this thing is taking place, then he should probably just stay home. I've traveled all over the USofA without a weapon, even in really non-recommended areas... never had a problem. Only once did I maybe wish I had one (I'm decently trained with several types of guns, did a few years in the military), and in the end that was just me being a bit paranoid.

[TheThan]

Getting a gun is way too complicated, he'd be better served settling for a chainsaw, sharp axe, and bunch of knives of various sizes. It's all stuff that's available over-the-counter.









And yes, I'm joking. If he feels like he actually NEEDS a gun to venture wherever this thing is taking place, then he should probably just stay home. I've traveled all over the USofA without a weapon, even in really non-recommended areas... never had a problem. Only once did I maybe wish I had one (I'm decently trained with several types of guns, did a few years in the military), and in the end that was just me being a bit paranoid.

Just because one person has never had a problem doesn’t mean another won’t. The world is a dangerous and unfriendly place, and every time a person steps out their front door they put their life in their own hands.

Will the OP need to protect himself? I dunno; it’s possible and I for one would rather have that capacity and not need to use it and to NOT have that capacity and need it. Try calling the police when some nut is smashing in your window, spraying broken glass over you and trying to throttle the life out of you.

I’m sorry I don’t find it that funny. I take it very seriously. If you can’t defend your very life or the lives of your loved ones, who will?

That being said, it's the OP's choice whether he/she pursues that course of action. I can not and would not force it upon someone.




I think most air mattresses will be too large (either width or length, or both) to fit in a Civic's rear area. Plenty of blankets on the floor, or floor mats, would work better.


They make packable ones for backpacking that can actually fit into most sleeping bags when inflated. One would easily fit in a car. They’re a bit more expensive because they’re small and light and strong but it might be a good investment for someone doing this often.

[Psyren]

Why? If he can afford to go legally, why should he feel bad about doing so in an unconventional way? Why is "hotel room" the right way? Half the fun of these sort of trips is cramming 5 people into a single room for sleeping surfaces, or roughing it, it's kind of a modern day walkabout where you brave travel and unusual conditions to pursue something you enjoy, or enlightenment, or whatever else.

More power to 'im.

Well for starters, he won't have to shower in sinks, ask strangers for legal advice about sleeping in his car, worry about his battery, or have other strangers argue over whether he'll need to sleep with a gun next to him :smallwink:

I mean, I'm all for adventure but there are way too many unknowns here for the internet to be a particularly good sounding-board. What OP needs is very specific advice aimed at the place he is going, and given by someone who has done this sort of thing before, preferably at that place. Advice like "park HERE at night, drive HERE by TIME to shower, then drive THERE and park during the day while you go to the convention."

I would personally rather stay at a cheap motel on the outskirts of town and commute in every day.

[MrConsideration]

Could you try couch-surfing or a youth hostel as an alternative?

In the UK at least a hostel can be as little as £10.
Coach-surfing is free if you're comfortable with that.

[Lheticus]

I'll be honest, guys--at this point, driving home every night and back every morning for two hours isn't sounding like nearly as much hassle as car camping is anymore. ^^; And btw, I did say the example being a convention was for the sake of example. The actual scenario is poker tournaments in in-state, but still rather far off cities. Tampa would be the most distinct possibility. There aren't any locations I've even looked into yet that are even three hours away.

Among other things, this has been very helpful in unveiling just how complicated an undertaking car camping is, thank you.

[lio45]

I mean, I'm all for adventure but there are way too many unknowns here for the internet to be a particularly good sounding-board. What OP needs is very specific advice aimed at the place he is going, and given by someone who has done this sort of thing before, preferably at that place. Advice like "park HERE at night, drive HERE by TIME to shower, then drive THERE and park during the day while you go to the convention."

Well, yeah. Was pretty much all covered already.

Park at any Wal-Mart not on this list:


Thankfully, over 80% of the locations have no such city code problems.

http://www.walmartatlas.com/no-park-walmarts/

Make sure your pick isn't among the 700+ locations listed in there.

Showers can be had in large truck stops which will only be found alongside interstate freeways, but a shower every day will cost a significant fraction of the cheapest hotel, and might not be available in areas that are too urban. So, maybe one mid-week. That's his call.

In the Wal-Mart restrooms, you can easily get a few paper towels from the distributor, get them wet, then go in a toilet booth for privacy, and you can clean your hair somewhat this way if you don't dare using shampoo a bit more publicly. (That would be understandable; it's something that's a lot easier to do shamelessly in an official interstate rest area than in a Wal-Mart restroom.)

During the day while going to the convention, his vehicle can stay at the same Wal-Mart and he can take public transit, OR simply drive to the place like many people certainly do (convention centers always have tons of parking).


I will add that if you guys seriously think that living in a car for a few days is actually "adventure" then you must have been living extremely sheltered lives...

[lio45]

I'll be honest, guys--at this point, driving home every night and back every morning for two hours isn't sounding like nearly as much hassle as car camping is anymore. ^^; And btw, I did say the example being a convention was for the sake of example. The actual scenario is poker tournaments in in-state, but still rather far off cities. Tampa would be the most distinct possibility. There aren't any locations I've even looked into yet that are even three hours away.

Among other things, this has been very helpful in unveiling just how complicated an undertaking car camping is, thank you.

LOL, you live THAT CLOSE to the final destination??? Why does that thread even exist :P

I was assuming you were going to have to cross half the US for that event, at least several states. I mean it had to be a distance large enough that it was just not feasible to go back home every evening, sleep comfortably in your own bed, in an air-conditioned room (I now see we're talking about Florida summer weather), have a nice shower and non-junk-food breakfast every morning, etc.

[Lheticus]

LOL, you live THAT CLOSE to the final destination??? Why does that thread even exist :P

I was assuming you were going to have to cross half the US for that event, at least several states. I mean it had to be a distance large enough that it was just not feasible to go back home every evening, sleep comfortably in your own bed, in an air-conditioned room (I now see we're talking about Florida summer weather), have a nice shower and non-junk-food breakfast every morning, etc.

Well, I got some inaccurate ideas in my head is all I can say. If a tournament session starts quite early in the morning, say 8-9 o'clock, it would be a massive strain to get there in time--and massive strain is not conducive to playing good poker after--but really not many such things start before noon I think.

[factotum]

Well, you'd have to leave your house at 6am if that were the case, but that actually has some advantages--missing the rush hour traffic, for instance. Of course, my normal waking-up time is around 6:30 anyway, so it wouldn't be a massive bind for me to get up an hour earlier and be out of the house for 6!

[golentan]

Yeah, I was just a couple months ago making a 2 hour commute starting at 5:30 AM. Totally doable, and not even that much of a hardship. Just start shifting your schedule half an hour at a time towards your target wakeup starting a couple weeks before you need to do it.

Maaaan... I was all psyched for the idea of someone enjoying an on-the-road adventure. I love my previous on-the-road adventures. :smallfrown::smalltongue:

[Jormengand]

There's no reason you couldn't mix it up, either: go home and have a shower and a proper rest if there's nothing on the next morning; sleep in the car if there is.

[TheThan]

Tampa Florida?

Yeah I don’t think I’d try to Car-Camp like that down there. The heat and humidity will wreck you. You’ll probably want a shower and there’s no easy way to secure one.

So you might be better off eating the cost of gas to run back and forth (2hours isn’t that bad) or lodging for your trip.

That being said, car-camping is totally doable, it’s just a matter figuring out a system that works for you. There are some that pitch tents, there are some that build adventure vans; there are some that just sleep in their car. There are some that go solo, and some that bring their families along.

It’s just a matter of what sort of vehicle you have (or can get), how long you plan on being away, what you’re doing while away, and how many other people you are taking with you.

[Jay R]

Tampa? Anytime in the near future?

No. Just ... no.

You really, really want air conditioning. Drive elsewhere or find a cheap motel out of town.

[Knaight]

On showering, one option is looking into gyms. You can often get in and shower for about five bucks, which gets you some actual proper hygiene.

With that said, the specifics here sound like the sort of thing which is risking heat stroke in a big way. Florida in or near the summer is a bad place to be trapped in a roasting box, which is what your car will become.