Hmm, well, what kind of constraints would make this actually viable? You'd have to be single and have relatively few possessions (because it would all have to

Hmm, well, what kind of constraints would make this actually viable? You'd have to be single and have relatively few possessions (because it would all have to fit in a tent, and you'd have to carry it all with you). You'd have to have some way to shower (gym membership, most likely). You probably wouldn't have a car (because otherwise, why live in a tent?), meaning you either live and work near public transportation or you camp close enough to work to walk. It would also help to be healthy. In the Bay Area, you can accomplish all of this while living in a $1700/month East Bay studio, if you work in SF near BART, getting half the financial benefit with almost none of the down sides. The only major disadvantage over a more normal apartment lifestyle would be you have less personal space, but if you're willing to live in a tent, you probably don't care about that. All in all, I would say it's probably not worth it. I'd consider van living before I camped in a tent.