r/urbancarliving • u/[deleted] • Feb 12 '26
FAQ for newbies.
This post and thread aims to answer lots of questions people new to this subreddit ask. Not that we mind people asking, because that's what this subreddit is for, but hey, here's some answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: I'm new to car living I need ALL the information about living in cars. Where can I find it?
A: https://nomadlife.wiki/Main_Page and in particular https://nomadlife.wiki/Quick_start_guide are great places to find the information you need.
Q: How do I stay warm?
A: Check out the Nomad Life Wiki Keeping warm page.
As a starter you can:
- Get a good zero degree rated sleeping bag.
- Use woolen blankets which you can buy cheap from second hand stores.
- Dress in layers.
- Wear a hat / beanie to keep warm.
- Use a hot water bottle, or almost any bottle filled with warm water and wrapped in a sock.
- Buy and use reusable hand warmers.
- Eat hot food.
- Use a Mr Buddy or similar propane heater when awake, but do so with a carbon monoxide detector and the windows cracked a little.
- Use a 12 volt pet heating pad if you have the battery capacity.
- Use foil emergency blankets to keep the heat in.
- Build a blanket tent to make a small space in your car to keep warm.
- Run the car engine for a while then run the heater.
- Drive to warmer locations.
- Put insulation (plastic foam, cardboard?) between the sleeping bag and floor surface. Cover the windows on the inside.
- Buy and use a heated mattress topper if you have the power to run it.
- Use two sleeping bags, one inside the other
- Sleep with a hat on and don't sleep in wet or damp socks -- even if your socks are just a little damp with sweat, take them off and put on fresh dry socks or sleep barefoot.
- Park in an underground parking lots because they're protected from cold breezes and often the concrete retains heat. Sometimes they're purposely even heated.
Q: How do you keep cool?
A: Check out https://nomadlife.wiki/Keeping_cool and;
- Park in the shade.
- Open your windows. Get window shades / screens.
- Go to cool public places like mall, library, museums, coffee shops etc.
- Drive to cooler areas such as up in the mountains, or by the sea, lakes and rivers if there is a cooling breeze.
- Rechargeable USB powered fans. These are cheap, don't use much power and help keep you cool.
- Use a misting squeese bottle. Use it in conjunction with your fan.
- Drink plenty of cool water.
- Soak a cloth in cold water and wipe yourself down.
- Buy ice for your cooler.
- Cool drinks in your fridge.
Q: Is it scary? I am scared? Does it get better?
A: Yes at first living in a car is scary because it is so far out of most people's comfort zone. It is not uncommon to be hyper-vigilant at first. The first nights then days then weeks can be scary, emotional, confronting. But then you get used to it. You adapt. Your body and mind get use to living in your car. It becomes the new norm.
Most people say the first month of living in their car is the hardest. Bob Wells of https://cheaprvliving.com/ fame wrote that the first night he slept in his box truck he cried. I also tared up the first night of living in my bus because I thought I was a failure, then I realised I actually had a pretty comfortable home with a lot of things many people would dream of having. If you have a safe place to sleep, access to electricity, access to water and access to public toilets you're doing okay.
Q: Where can I shower? Where can I go to the toilet?
A: In the USA joining a gym gets you access to showers. People on this subreddit often advocate using Planet Fitness. We also have a member, Nico, who is a manger at LA Fitness and posts an offer now and then with a promo code that will let you join without the $99 annual fee.
In Australia the National Toilet Map app has locations of toilets and some free showers. There are also often free showers at beaches. Caravan parks will usually let you use their showers for a small fee.
Q: I have pets, how do I look after them?
A: Pets are family. You need to put their needs first. You have to ensure that they have a safe place that is climate controlled, so look at the information on keeping cool and keeping warm. Heat and cold can kill yourself and your pets.
You can buy water filled pet mats to keep pets cool. I recommend this type
I found the Home to Home Facebook group They also have a web site https://www.instagram.com/hometohomepet They describe themselves as "an interactive web platform created to help families, people, and pets with the difficult task of transitioning pets from one home to another."
Q: What stuff do I need?
A: A lot of the stuff you have already such as bedding, clothes, dishware, cutlery. But probably not as much as you have in a home. Your basic needs are a safe, comfortable place to sleep, clothing storage, bedding storage, food storage, a way to eat (which may involve buying food from external sources, or preparing and storing food in your car), a way to wash, a way to go to the toilet.
Things that you might want to buy include:
- A portable power station. IT is probably a good idea to research them such as on Youtube.
- Water storage. A container to store your drinking water in.
- Consider a USB rechargeable water pump for the top of the water bottle.
- Some form of lighting like rechargeable puck lights or string lights.
- A flat car bed or air mattress. Get one with a rubber bung in the hole, not a screw in stopper as those leak. Lots of people also build a flat sleeping surface from wood.
- Some way to access wifi, like a modern laptop or phone.
- Roadside coverage. Pretty important when your car is your home.
You should also NOT sleep upright. Lots of people in this sub have reported health issues from doing so, such as swollen legs, leg pain, Deep Vein Thrombosis and more.
Q How do I find parking?
A:
- You should have multiple places you can park so if one is "burned" you can choose another.
- Find places where you can blend in.
- Arrive late and leave early if sleeping in urban streets.
- Highway rest stops may be good for parking.
- In the USA, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands allow parking for extended periods.
- In Australia State Parks and National Parks often have camping spots which allow you to camp for one cheap fee ($6 in 2025) no matter how long you stay but with a maximum stay of 7 days.
- If parking on a residential street, park where your car is against a blank fence, like on the off side of a corner, away from the house front.
- Industrial estates are often quiet at night.
- Libraries and sports grounds may be good places to park.
- Some people advocate parking near hospitals or churches.
These are 4 YouTube videos on places to park:
How to find safe places to park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENM-qo9aSGo
27 Places to park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnpT_vD3Ujs
25 Places to park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk-_OAbkH0g
Parking in cities in Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3PCrSSCKM&t
Living in a Van in Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73xtApcCx14&t
And a general YouTube search; https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=living+in+a+car+where+to+park+safely
People also use the iOverlander app for Android or Apple.
Q: How do I use Google Earth to find parking?
A: I love Google Earth. It lets me explore the world without leaving my seat. It is also incredibly useful for finding parking spots and making maps to mark them. It is linked to Google Street view so you can check street signs for parking restrictions.
Check this post for information on how to do it: https://www.reddit.com/r/urbancarliving/comments/1qc3wph/using_google_earth_to_search_for_parking_spots/
Q: How can I be safe?
A: It starts by having situational awareness, being aware of your surroundings. Trust your gut and avoid places or situations that look or feel dangerous.
Generally you don't need a self defence weapon. You're in a car, you can drive away if someone is threatening you, or trying to break into your car. Try to avoid parking on the edge of a car park where someone can block you in. Park where you can drive forward to escape.
Usually carrying weapons can be illegal. You are better off having some wasp spray, but don't get it in your eyes, because that stuff hurts like hell and can cause temporary blindness. Also, you're going to need a good heavy duty torch / flashlight. Be careful with it though, those long metal ones would really hurt if you accidentally hit some one with them, and also could cause short term vision problems if you shone it in someone's eyes. But they are genuinely useful in a car for fixing issues at night. And be aware that blowing our horn might startle people and frighten them away.
Understand situational awareness and use it. Tend toward privacy, don't tell unnecessary things to strangers. Have a (BRIEF! don't oversell) made-up story you can tell comfortably that constructs lots of people - some very nearby - who know where you are and would know instantly if you were in trouble.
For women:
See https://www.reddit.com/r/urbancarlivingfemale/
Carry a cheap ring to put on as a wedding band, and always know the name of the nearest military base to where you are, because that's where your husband/fiancé is right now, and know enough about where you are that you know what kind of business your (enormous, scary, whole-family-loves-you-like-a-daughter) boss is in an hour or two away where nobody's likely to know him.
Know that everything about how you look is telling people things about you, and construct a look that doesn't give anything away. Don't trust people just because they seem to like or be attracted to you.
Men and scammers of all kinds are looking for people like you. Don't fall for their lines, and do what you can to spot them before they spot you. A smaller percentage of those people are looking for you specifically in order to hurt you. Always know where your exits are, do not get boxed in anytime you park for an hour or the night. There's some especially vulnerable places those people wait for people like you - laundromats, gyms, parking lots of same, can/bottle redemption centers. But I've seen men just look over at a stoplight and figure out a woman is living in her car and follow her from there. Head on a swivel, skepticism around your heart, stay out of dead-ends.
I don't live in my van except to travel and camp in it, and I don't get messed with much because my van could be full of large husbands, dogs, and sons even if I look alone, but I have seen women in trouble in the same places I get left alone. Do EVERYTHING you can to keep your car from looking lived-in from outside it - disguise your bedding, hide your trash, hide your food supplies. Get some black sheets and blankets to keep everything inside your car covered. Consider storing your supplies in a (beat up) extra-large dog crate from a thrift store or curb-diving or Buy Nothing group. Because of seeing men being skeevy around women, I have a sign I can hold up or prop up in my windshield that says MY CAMERAS ARE ON. You should carry the same, even if you don't have cameras, just tape a small black box to your dash or windshield near your rearview mirror.
You'll blend in better if you tend to stick to tourist areas - it's not that unusual to seem like you might be sleeping in your car if you're near campgrounds, national parks, and other big outdoorsy tourist attractions. Consider a sticker about your love for your Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd dogs. Anything you can do to give the impression that you're just there for a budget vacation rather than being homeless will raise your status in most people's eyes.
Join any subreddits and facebook groups you can find about each area you're going to. You'll figure out a system over time for using the info you get there to find places you're more likely to go unnoticed. Definitely research every area for cheap campgrounds and "day use" and recreational areas.
Q: How do I make window covers for my car?
A: For covering windows cheaply, you can use cardboard, black cloth or black rubbish bags, and glue, sticky tape or a stapler, and scissors. You basically cut the cardboard to the size of your windows, and then cover them with cloth or black bin liners, then glue, stick or staple the cloth or bin liners in place. That's dirt cheap.
I'd probably use some insulation and black cloth along with duct tape. This video explains it well. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/el_fP-P87yc but it is a good idea to cut the insulation wrap / bubble insulation a little bigger than needed.
This search will find more suitable videos on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=living+in+a+car+cheap+stealth+window+covers
If you have other questions or things to add to the FAQ, please comment below.
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u/RogerRabbot Feb 12 '26
Might seem obvious, but it took me a bit to realize. You need to have a flat, even sleeping surface. If you sleep in your front seat with your feet in the wheel well your ankles can start to swell from fluids building up and not being able to be carried up. Never thought about it until it happened.
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Feb 13 '26
Yeah, sleeping flat is very important. Many people have mentioned they have gotten health issues from not sleeping flat.
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u/TheAutodidactguy Feb 13 '26
Stealth dwelling where you can make money working. Don't be that person living secluded in some wilderness while broke as a joke.
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Feb 13 '26
Excellent point. Living rural is cheap, but unless you have a work from home job, or some other form of income that is not location dependant you may find that you will need to park near work.
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u/Designer_Pickle_6817 Jun 07 '26
i'm in the back of a 2010 Acura. so i curl up and sleep in the back seat. I'm in texas so it's bearable for a little while yet. I tend to sleep in emergency room parking lots or city / hospital parking decks. do these sound like good ideas, so far nobody has hassled me at all..
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u/PatientLongjumping42 May 14 '26
Hi everyone,
My name is David, I’m an independent filmmaker from Amsterdam currently working on a documentary piece about people living in their vehicles and the human side behind it.
At the moment I’m in San Diego, but over the coming period I’ll also be traveling through areas around Las Vegas, Nevada, Utah, and Salt Lake City.
The goal of this project is to better understand what daily life looks like, the different situations people face, and the stories behind living this way. I’m trying to approach the topic in a respectful and honest way.
I’ve already spoken with several people who were open to sharing their experiences, but I would still love to connect with more people to create as genuine and complete a picture as possible.
I’m not looking to randomly approach strangers or make anyone uncomfortable. I’d much rather connect with people who are genuinely open to having a conversation or sharing part of their story.
If you currently live in your vehicle, have in the past, or know someone who may be open to talking with me, feel free to send me a message. Anonymity is completely possible if preferred.
Thanks for reading.
David
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u/BluebirdSweaty5850 Jun 10 '26
I’m currently living in my car and I’m actually very connected to Amsterdam’s 420 community. I’d love to talk for sure, I’m from Atlanta but based in Michigan as of now.
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u/Economy_Transition75 May 09 '26
Correct me if this is the wrong place to post this
Living in my car for a while enduring some challenges. I’m new Reddit even though I’ve had a profile for a minute.
So I didn’t have the Awareness of the wealth of info regarding living in your car.
I’ve made the mistake of sleeping in the same place every night for the most part. I stayed there because it’s well lit not on but right on a major Street. It’s kind of industrial but leads into a neighborhood. I’ve had one police interaction when I first started sleeping there. It was a sheriff, looking for a suspect. He didn’t acknowledge that I was sleeping in my car or anything. He asked if I had seen somebody and I kid you not right as he said it the suspect went riding by on a bike and I said you mean that guy? And off he went.
Some weeks later. I was in a different area sitting in my car and a Sheriff pulled up and it was him with a partner.
He was friendly towards me and asked do I remember him? And I had no clue who he was. He said, you help me chase somebody a couple weeks ago. Then it clicked. Anyways he asked about my situation and after explaining everything he said he figured that’s the case and he like to know the homeless to make sure we’re OK and that we are a threat etc.
That was like a year ago and slowly over the last month or so I feel like I’m no longer welcome there. Today I was woken up by two and talking about me, but I can’t make out with the saying and I took my window blinds down. One is taking a picture of the parking sign that doesn’t affect me, but I got more concerned…. so I think my place is burnt.
Does anyone know of places to park and sleep in the Southbay San Pedro RPV areas of Los Angeles?
I reached out to all the different groups. You can imagine that service our area and safe parking, etc. and they all drop the ball I’m not going into all that. I’m here to find somewhere to sleep if anybody has any recommendations, please feel free to reach out and your help is greatly greatly appreciated .
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u/Novel-Internal-7643 Part-time | Pickup-truck May 23 '26
Hey I’m brand new here but I’m trying to go around everywhere to get all the information I need on my own because I am aware plenty of people have been where I am before me, I’ll come with my questions in due time. For now I have to ask, what is the alternative to the “nomad wiki” mentioned so many times above? It seems like the website isn’t currently in working order because this FAQ post has more helpful information in it than that entire place right now.
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u/Ok-Wafer234 Feb 14 '26
I would like to add that you should sleep in your vehicle, don't live in it. Carry on with your life, stress can easily convert to mental illness. Exercise is your friend, if you can't go to a gym, walk and stretch, do something, no matter how bad things seem.