I have decided that I will be moving into my car. I have many reasons for doing so, but mostly I just want to pay off my student loans. Where once much of my paltry income was devoted to paying rent, that allotment can now be used to pay off loans. It also gives me more time to focus on writing this blog, as well as going on adventures. In the next few months, I will be saving money, getting rid of superfluous possessions, and converting my Honda Fit for car dwelling.
A Honda Fit You Say?
Like any aspiring dirt bag, the ideal is to live in a van. I have thought at length about this, and I’ve concluded that I should start off living in my car. First, the Honda Fit is an ideal, if underrated vehicle for car dwelling. It gets good gas mileage, is reliable, and can easily be converted for sleeping with just a few modifications.
From the outside, the Honda Fit is small. It looks like a bite size little car, ideal for navigating city streets. Don’t let this fool you. Fold the back seats down, and you’ll find that there is plenty of room, even for lankier folks like me. The trick is not laying parallel with the vehicle, but instead laying diagonal. Even with the front seats pushed forward, I still find that I have to put my feet between the front seats. For car camping, this ain’t so bad. For an extended living arrangement, this is not ideal, as I’ll have all my stuff to contend with. By laying diagonally, and pushing the front seat forward, I can spread out my frame.
To make my Honda Fit car dwelling experience as comfortable as possible, I plan on building a sleeping platform. The plan, as it stands, is to fold down the back seats, and construct a platform on top of those. I intend to base it off of this design. This way, I can devote the top of the platform entirely to sleeping. The underside will be used for storage, and can be accessed by opening the side doors, and back hatch. Additional access will be provided by fold up panels.
Second, the Honda Fit is stealthy. Stealth is an important factor for me. I want my car/house to be able to blend in. I don’t want to be attracting the attention of police, or any unsavory characters. Unlike a van, which can be bulky and noticeable, a Honda Fit looks like your average, boring hatchback. I am quiet guy, and I like my privacy. I intend to spend half my time sleeping on forest service or BLM land, and half on city streets. Sleeping in the forest is ideal, as it is quiet, and I am less likely to get harassed. Unfortunately, the city is closer to work, amenities, and Internet access. Groceries, showers, and laundry are not readily available outside of town. Even though I don’t mind going without showers for a few days, part of blending in is maintaining a respectable appearance that doesn’t suggest I’m living on the societal fringes.
Third, living in a car is like living in a coffin. It is cramped, dark, and storage space is at a premium. I would like to live in a van, but how can I expect to comfortably live in a van if I cannot first adapt to my Honda Fit? When I finally do, living in a van will feel downright luxurious. I will have so much more space to move around, and organize my essential items. Speaking of essential items, I will need to pare down my possessions if I intend to make this work. This will probably be a lengthy, difficult process. To help me along, I intend to take a few cues from The Minimalists.
Honda Fit Car Dwelling in Joshua Tree
In early January, I was lucky enough to visit Joshua Tree National Park for the first time. I was meeting a few friends for a climbing trip, and none of us had visited the park before. I decided to use this as an opportunity to test out sleeping in my Honda Fit. Although I had camped in it before, never had I “lived” out of it.
Joshua Tree was a mid point stop between my parents house in Southern California, and my home in Arizona. As such, I had a few Christmas gifts in tow that took up a little more space. Luckily, with some careful stacking and a little creativity, I was able to get it all to fit. Here is a list of all my crap:
-Tool Box full of Climbing Gear
-Duffel Bag of Clothes
-Trash Compactor Bag Full of More Clothes
-Day Pack Full of Books, Computer, IPad
-Violin (unfinished)
-Longboard
-Bunch of Shoes
-Backpack full of Camping Gear
-Two Paper Bags of Food
-Misc. Car Stuff
As demonstrated in the picture, I slept with all my crap on one side of the car, and myself on the other. Since I could not sleep diagonally (due to my crap), in order to have enough room to sleep, I had to push the passenger seat forward, and put my feet between the seats. Although I slept fairly well, this setup was not ideal. One annoyance that I ran into was condensation. If you don’t crack a window, you’ll find that moisture will condense on your car windows, forming a cold, wet veneer of droplets. This can be combatted by keeping a window or two slightly open. Unfortunately, the first two nights in Joshua Tree were cold as heck. An open window meant that I would have an unpleasant night.
While my setup in Joshua Tree was not the most ideal, it did prove to me that car dwelling in my Honda Fit is possible. With just a few modifications, it may even be comfortable. The next steps include building the sleeping/storage platform, finding a way to keep my windows covered (for privacy), and performing maintenance on my car. If my car is going to be my home, I will want it to be in good shape. After that, I will begin to rid myself of extra crap
All in all, I am optimistic for my car dwelling future. This will provide me with ample opportunity to pay off student loans, work on this blog and other side projects, and go on weekend adventures throughout the Southwest. I think that it will also be a good practice in learning about the place of material possessions in my life. If I can learn to go without for a while, I believe that it will enhance my appreciation of both material things, and immaterial experiences.
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