left a toxic living situation this month & i've been sleeping in my car ever since. definitely underestimated the cold even with a decent setup & a few blankets. i've lived in my car on & off since 2020. i've been waking up shivering with my windows frozen from the inside as temperatures are below freezing every night. thank God I have a safe place to park but the constant cold is really starting to take a toll on my mental health. luckily I have a gym close by so I'm able to shower daily. please take care of yourselves. this lifestyle will drain anybody.
Try sectioning off where you sleep. I have a rav4, and I hang a sheet, a fleece blanket, and some black out curtains. It really does help with the cold. It cuts down the area that needs to be kept warm, adds another couple of layers, and completely blacks out my back. Insulation, put right up against the windows, isn't as good as an air gap. My body heats up and warms the blankets. Then the small area around me. The cold has to go through the glass and metal. Then cool the air. Then the sheet. Then the blanket. And then the air around me. Last night I was warm and toasty with just a sheet and blanket and shorts on.
I will give this a try!
Good luck.
How do you get fresh air in there???😅 You need air to breath....
It's not like it's a perfect air tight seal or anything. There are gaps and they are only sheets. All I know is that last night I was warm and cozy. And this morning was brisk when I took the tenting down.
Any one in Southeastern Wisconsin need an overnight tonight let me know. You’ll have your own room, laundry, food, bath, some cats checking you out, a spot in front of the fireplace and all the space you need for decompression. The cold is life threatening here. Don’t play around
The world needs more people like you!❤️
I’m doing this in Madison and might be interested if the offer is relatively open. I mean, playing with cats? Yes please 😅 Last night was BITTER cold, but it’s trending up from there the next several nights, but we know it’s inevitable to dip down again.
Love u
I fully understand I'm living in my car in northern Alberta, weather gets close to -40. Id recommend getting a mummy sleeping bag and try to fall asleep when you are dead tired. I also find a heated blanket helps and wear wool instead of cotton. Good luck!!
This, and dressing in layers, those survival/ space blankets, and covering your windows. Reflectix is the material name I believe but you can get it for cheap, and customize it to fit your specific needs (privacy and helping to hold heat in your car, plus the exact size and shape of your vehicle windows)
Clothe yourself in layers and/or blanket sandwich. If you get hot, take off a layer of clothing or blanket. This will also help prevent you from sweating, thus lowering body temperature and helping to prevent hypothermia. Learning the signs of hypothermia from the mild to imminent danger (aka dying from hypothermia) is essential for survival if you’re already in a serious situation.
Finally, having a hot meal. Preferably a hot comfort food and your favorite non alcoholic hot beverage. Alcohol lowers body temperature too! And stay hydrated regardless of the temperature.
I learned these lessons the semi hard way. Stay safe!
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Fun fact: -40C is the same as -40F.
You HAVE to get a mummy sleeping bag, preferably one that is rated to 0 degrees or below. Blankets just won’t cut it, no matter how many you pile on. I sleep in my boxers in 30 degree weather without waking up once throughout the night. Invest in your sleep!
thank you for the recommendation!
Also be sure to look at specific temp ratings for survival/comfort. Learned recently that the ratings on bags are based off of various factors so can be misleading.
Can confirm. Went from fully clothed, 2 blankets, and cold to a 30f sleeping bag naked and sweating.
I don't think I could survive that lol. I live deep south in Texas and it was almost 90F during the day and like 75 at night, the heat is also its own problem.
I will take the cold over that type of heat any day. I can always ad more blankets and my sleeping bag. I can only get so naked.
Yeah dude summers here are literal hell living in a car lol, you are talking like 100F+ for most of the year that will make you want to cry but you can't because you lost all your fluids sweating. I'd rather cozy up covered in blankets than melting unable to do anything other than maybe running the AC on the car which you can only do if you have a good car, mine is kind of a junker which I'm working to replace soon so I can only do it for short whiles without risking something breaking.
Swallow a few dozen ice cubes whole. Should keep you cold for the night.
I think trying to find that dividing line that isn’t as hot and not as cold is the key. Everyone goes out West for that but I’m prefer to go on the southside of the mid-south.
California is best because temps stay basically the same. I grew up in Florida and it sucks year round. So humid you can't even breathe in the summer. And so humid you feel like you are in a walk-in freezer during the winter. Hate that state.
Heat rises so the bottom of the car is a heat sink. Insulate however you can. Matress on top of blankets on top of cardboard on top of foam mattress on top of blankets type shit
Make sure to throw in a few cats and dogs for good measure.
Haha yep! They are living heaters
I created a little blanket fort around my bed. It's gotten down to 4°, hasn't been as bad as it was before I created my blanket tent. I do utilize hot hands and an electric blanket... I can't run the blanket as long as I want but it does help with the chill in the morning
I know they aren't too cheap, but I've had the same down comforter for over a decade now and can't recommend it enough for cold nights. Wishing you warmth and safety ❤️🩹
This lifestyle secured my financial future.
To stay warm, buy a plastic shower curtain place it over your blanket or sleeping bag. If you need to clip it in place, medium or large BINDER CLIPS work real good.
At that point just wrap yourself in a garden trash bag 😂
That works too. As long as it’s plastic, you will become your own best heater.
If it gets too terribly cold then treat yourself to a night or two in the lower level of an airport parking garage. It's a bit pricy at around $20/day but it's cheaper than a hotel. And you can enter the airport to use the restrooms and charge up your devices.
🙏🙏🙏
Look into cold blue shelters, they’re life saving where available.
Get a Cordless USB rechargeable heated blanket and 3 extra battery banks so you can run it all night $70 for all . And or 2 fleece blankets one under you one over you.
How will do heated blankets work? If you can read my post I’m not sure mine even works correct. Got from a friend
They work very well, they are lap size a tad smaller than a twin it's 50×60 usually and they make them with front snaps so your van sit up and wrap around yourself like a shawl and not fall off. You can also buy heated vests and pants , socks , I have a vest it's amazing and I just got the socks and they are ok but I think they could be better. Cool thing is you can charge up the usb battery banks at the library or coffee shop quickly.
Oh also they make sleeping bag inserts that heat up , but you still absolutely need two thick fleece blankets one under you and one over you and the heated blanket or insert over you but under your top fleece, they also make heated mattress pads which are made to be actually laid on but I don't know if you can get them in usb and cordless, you'll have to search on amazon and one with higher ratings and sales.
If at all possible, drive to Florida or even CA if you have to.
I agree with the Mummy sleeping bag. You definitely need one. I'm in Calli and it has been getting colder. I find fuzzy fleece hoodies , socks and pants really keep me warm and able to move around freely in my bag. I can't imagine living in below 0 temp weather. Winter is tough, but doesn't last. I just look forward to spring. 🌼 🌸 🌻 🌹 🏵 . Sending sunshine your way soon. And praying for you!
Yup definitely getting colder here too. Can't imagine it'll get down to 19f tho 😂 That's the coldest it got before I noped it out of New Mexico.