Car Living

Has anyone here ever tried to live out of their car in LV for a month or so? If so, what were your experiences?

Not recently. And not for longer than 3 days or so, back in my "road trip" days where I'd travel to play low limit poker.

IF I were remotely considering that "life" again (and I did like it), I would definitely opt for an affordable RV, camper top for a pick up, or small trailer. There are some "nice" tear drop style trailers suitable for compact cars, that sell for pretty low prices. Had a neighbor who did a DIY using a small utility trailer, built a suitable drop down bunk, coolers for refrigeration, chemical toilet, propane camper stove, even an A/C and generator, and finished it for less than $1600 including the trailer which he paid $1K for. His biggest expense were a suitable locking door, and couple of "fancy windows" he installed, and they were salesman samples. Granted he already owned the generator, camper stove, and A/C unit.

The size was maybe 12-14 feet. Maybe smaller, just my guess.

I could see almost being able to "live" in that for a month, provided access to a shower was easy enough.

I would not consider living out of my car, and probably not consider even sleeping in it, if I were on a long roadtrip drive in this day and age.

I would be fearful of sleeping in my car in Las Vegas. Too many people around to try and steal your money, why be an easy target?

I have seen people sleeping in their cars at Foxwoods in CT. I usually think they were there later than intended and were too sleepy to make the trip home without a nap.

With the free and low cost rooms available in Las Vegas, it just seems easier to me to book a hotel. Or the camper idea is good too, there are several campgrounds out on Boulder highway which are a lot cheaper than the ones at Sams Town or Circus Circus.

Where do you take a shower?

If the person has a gym membership they could take a shower there.

There are many choices.

Campgrounds have community showers, as do most marinas. Use of those facilities usually is "restricted" to guests.

Most gyms - health centers.

Many-most truck stops.

Condominium recreation centers - community pools. Municipal pools and also municipal recreation centers are usually "public" and a prime choice.

OK, so some you have to pay for, some you may not have access too unless you "sneak" in, and some are free.

The truck stops used to charge a couple bucks, and included a towel and tiny bar of soap.

OH, forgot. The "homeless" centers, soup kitchens also may have shower facilities.

Many of the hotel pool areas have locker rooms and showers in their pool facilities.

In "my" day, you needed to show a room key to use them. It was never difficult to obtain a room key, if determined.

It "was" never too difficult to use the facilities at a KOA or other campground, was inexpensive to get a 30 day "trial" membership to a gym - health club.

I always tried to look like I belonged, and do not recall many instances where I had a problem.


::: shrug :::

Thanks for the tips on showers. I believe I am thinking a little 'out of the box'. I'm going to have to try this out for a week at home and see if it's do-able prior to setting my sights on a trip out to LV. Next summer.
Stu

If you plan a summer trip, remember that it gets to be well over 100 degrees during the day and not much cooler at night!! With no air conditioning you will be in a mess!!

I hope you are thinking of a van of some sort, with a fold back bench seat for sleeping.

The OP's asking about people living out of their car, not in their car.

Don't know where, etc, but if thinking of super cheap, you MAY still find yourself better served at a very inexpensive motel, a hostel, or other facility. At least you'll have some security, so to speak, or peace of mind. I would not encourage living out of your car.

By the time you spend a few bucks for a shower, and gas to-from, you're probably close to $7-10.00 per day. Add the discomfort of sleeping in the car, even in a "safe" place, the uncomfortable and lack of bathroom facilities, and more, much more, you may find spending a few bucks more well worth the expense.

I'm thinking you should be able to find some place to stay in the very low $20's or less. Especially if you check online (Craig's List, Back Page, etc), and search for cheap housing like hostels, perhaps dormitories, etc.

It's been awhile since I've traveled that cheap, but in 2009 I spent an average of $19.xx per night over 50+ nights in Vegas, at "real" hotels. When I used to regularly visit Biloxi, I was paying $80-$100 / week (depending of events in town, etc), 7-10 miles from the casino strip, in a run down motel owned by mom & pop. But I only needed a place to sleep and shower, and that was pretty darn affordable. I could get a better price if I did not want the weekends. LOL btw: some of those places can be pretty filthy, and you do not want to park a nice, current model car at some of them.

Over the years, I've probably slept overnight in my car well over 100 times to save money. Also, it used to be, that you could check into a cheap motel after 7 am 'ish, and keep the room close to 30 hours. (More if you ask for a late check out later that day from a different desk clerk than the one who checked you in.) I did that more times than I can remember, sleeping twice for the price of one night. Again, it's been a lot of years since I've done that.

I used to travel a lot for work, and often had a per diem expense account for lodging and food. When I did, I'd do whatever I could to use less. MUCH less.

Oh, yeah. Another source for showers..... the YMCA