Comments on: Boondocking Road Nomads: Survival Living in a Vehicle, Van or RV

By: Mindy

Mindy — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 21:04:42 +0000

In reply to Woodrow L Gass. Hi Woodrow, I hope all is well for you! Im also living in my vehicle and just wondered if you have any helpful tips? Thank you

By: Woodrow L Gass

Woodrow L Gass — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 09:22:34 +0000

Lived in a car for several months about 5 or 6 years ago. I wasn’t allowed to stay at most of my family members’ or friends’ houses due to various arguments we had over the years. Every now and then I’d sneak a night or two at a friend’s place so long as I did some work for them. In exchange, I got a hot shower, a bit of cash, and somewhere warm to sleep. It’s safe to say that I didn’t enjoy it at all. But that was mainly because I had absolutely nothing to my name. Not even the car I was sleeping in was mine. I was just borrowing it at the time. Fast forward to the present day, now I have a huge chunk of questions about myself and just want to get out of where I live and be free of all the stress. Mainly due to it falling apart around me, literally, and my neighbors being nosy as crap. An RV is CERTAINLY the way to go, yes. Agreed. Van is second, I’ll agree. But seeing as how I’m unemployed and living off SSI, a truck seems the best way to go for me. My main argument for this is because of the utility of the bed. It’s big enough to sleep in, haul things for odd jobs, and I can always gather up some decent scrap wood from pallets and build a makeshift camper on the back. Already have the plans drawn up for it. Granted the downsides to this idea are pretty big. One of which is I’d have to be able to swing by gas stations and such for a bathroom. The other isn’t having heat for the winter. But overall my main problem would be actually getting a good running truck, seeing as how I live in SC and trucks are an arm and a leg… Yeah. Good thing I’m selling my car to pay for one. Leaning towards a Ranger, s10, or Tacoma but also debating on a bigger truck, like an F150, Chevy 1500/GMC Sierra, or Tundra. Don’t get me wrong, my Impala is pretty big and has a decent-sized back seat to sleep in but it’s NOT comfortable. At all. I’ve tried during the last argument with my live-in-landlord. Ready to just get out of here.

By: EagleSpirit

EagleSpirit — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 06:17:46 +0000

This is an interesting read. I’ve just recently become homeless and living in my Ford Escape Hybrid with my service dog, he’s a great watch dog and listens really well. Vincent is a Labrador Retriever who just turned 7 yo in August’21. We are just two peas in a pod. I recline my seat to sleep and he lays his head on my shoulder. So this article was quite informative. I’ve been hitting a few Walmart parking lots. Who’s very well known for allowing boondocking fir maybe 2-3 nights. You can feel pretty secure there because of the lighting and cameras on-site. However it isn’t so great if you are trying to cook out or use a urinal in your car. I have a portable shower head, hose and pump which has suction cups to attach to the side of your vehicle. It charges on an USB port and runs for up to 60 minutes. A collapsible bucket works well for this situation. When there’s a privacy issue, hang a showers curtain. Of course not in a Walmart parking lot. I also have a high voltage jumpstart generator, a mid sized generator and a small generator that came with two hanger type lights and a small solar panel. It sits in my dashboard and collects the rays while I drive. I also have a built in inverter in my car. This is where I charge my other generators. I also have a few power banks. So, I’m pretty well set for power. I have a cargo carrier on the rooftop where I store various items. I have a mid sized cooler in the far back of my hybrid SUV. Although it does take up lots of space, plus I have to keep buying block ice for it to last 2-3 days. So I’ve been searching around for one of those fridge/freezer combos. And maybe use the cooler as a storage unit for supplies, and put it on the roof. My sleeping situation is not so cool. I do have a futon mattress in storage I’ve been considering. This video gave me an idea to build a platform that will hold my necessities and put the futon on top of it. My dog and I love to sleep together. It would take a lot of work to get it set up right. I’ve seen those tents that fixes onto the side of you vehicle. Kind of interesting. I do have a nice size tent, which sleeps 8 and allows me to stand up inside. But it takes two people to set it up. So it’s a work in progress. Actually I have been trying to make a deal on a 10 acre piece of land I’ve fallen in love with. It sits up on it’s own little hill. No one can see me and all I see is mountains and sky from a 360 viewpoint. And it has water. I’m a certified permaculture design specialist. So I’m waiting to go off grid permanently. Build a house out of Cobb. Cooler in summer, warmer in winter. This is in Arizona by the way. This property is just about a mile and a half north of the Gila River. My dog would love playing in the water while I fish. I’m also a certified herbalist. So my plan is to make a little business with some tinctures, ointments and such. Plus grow a garden and sell half of it to my herbal clientele. What a way of life!! I have put in a proposal to these friends of mine who own the land. They got burnt out of the Northern California Mountain fires a couple years ago and now they are living in Porto Rico. As I’m waiting to hear back on that proposal… I’m boondocking around the Phoenix area where I currently own three storage units. So I’m trying to liquidate most of those assets. I’m so looking forward to a life off the grid.
Bottom line on the article is that it’s very informative. Thanks for your time and efforts in setting up this website/blog! People are really beginning to wake up to new ways of existence. Thx again for the info here. Blessings to all those who participated as well.

By: tuesdayissoylentgreen day

tuesdayissoylentgreen day — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:31:25 +0000

spending the night at a truck stop, as long as you buy their fuel. Power Generation if you have a quiet generator. Fire up a loud one and you will be the bad guy of the area. Also use Propane generator. fuel keeps long term, and no carb failure like with gas. Propane is easy to change out on the road. Almost all towns have a swap propane convience store or Propane dealer. Log on map where sewer dump is available. Most states have roadside parks that have dump stations for rv.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 21:07:07 +0000

Great information and very accurate!

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 14:51:14 +0000

This is a lot of good information. I have never boondock for long periods of time, but I have slept in a van while traveling. I tried staying in a park but found out it closed up at night and was ran off by police. It was not a bad experience, but I thought he would be the right guy to ask as to where I could park over night. He was real nice about it and gave me a good location. Well an hour after I got there the police showed up with a dog and asked to search my vehicle. He said they had problems with drug runners and I had out of state plates. Well long story short I let them search they found nothing and I was able to sleep comfortably that night knowing the police was keeping an eye on my surroundings. Again not at all a bad experience but if you are not doing anything illegal you can get some free protection, after a quick search.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 12:40:01 +0000

Great article which brought back memories some as much as 53 years ago (75 now). Times were tough and living in vans (campers, garage floors, RV’s) was a necessity, but a rewarding experience. So now I can relate to those who are in same predicaments. Life now is comfortable, but occasionally I still camp out, mostly in a RV and/or tent, but not because of the “have too” issue. While out at a camp site I still practice survival techniques, why, because I can. Life is great….