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Shit: rest areas, walmarts, starbucks, cathole in the bush, or a porta-potty in the van. Shave: Grow a beard, truck stop restrooms in the morning, you'll blend
by kdbg 9y ago
Shit: rest areas, walmarts, starbucks, cathole in the bush, or a porta-potty in the van.
Shave: Grow a beard, truck stop restrooms in the morning, you'll blend right in with the truckers doing the same.
Shampoo: In the city swimming pools are a decent bet, sometimes you can just ask if you can just shower and they'll let you. Gym memberships like Planet Fitness can be reasonably priced for just the shower. In more remote areas, campgrounds are a good source of showers, sometimes free, sometimes a modest fee. Plenty of van dwellers will even setup a cleaning area in their van, usually some sort of bucket they can stand in a pour heated water over them selves, or at least a sponge bath.
I'm not a fulltime van dweller, I started off just skipping out on hotels during 2-3week long road trips, eventually moved into my car (Pontiac G6) for 6months in the Boston area. Now its more sporadic, a month or two here and there while doing some long distance hiking.
- thsowers 9y ago> eventually moved into my car (Pontiac G6) for 6months in the Boston area. That's crazy! May I ask where you parked in the evenings?
- kdbg 9y agoI wasn't right in downtown Boston but a bit north, I often parked between a few different Walmarts in the area or at the office park the company I worked for had their office in. Though I guess I phrased that a bit poorly, I spent Dec-Mar in the Boston area and fled south after some significant snowfall in January and February (record breaking snow in 2015). While moving it was almost always in rest areas or trail heads (backpacking on the weekends).
- fencepost 9y agoReminds me of a joke I've heard: What's the difference between a thru hiker and a homeless person? Gore-Tex.