Homeless Car Sleeping - what to sleep on and where
Finding a comfortable spot to sleep in you car can be challenging, especially if your car is small or a two door. In this post we will review several ideas for ways to sleep comfortably in your car. Note that in cold weather, the best way to stay warm sleeping in a car is in a sleeping bag. It can be hard to keep blankets wrapped around your feet or legs when they are hanging off the seat, or tucked under you.
It can get very cold in a car at nigh, and the moisture from your breath builds up unless you crack the windows making it uncomfortable. I had a very warm blanket with me I was thankful for on several occasions since I didn't have a sleeping bag for the first few months. The Shabby Chic blanket from Target is the warmest blanket I have ever owned. It is so soft, warm and heavy. It gets in all the cracks and crevices and keeps you well covered. If I hadn't had that blanket, I would have needed several other blankets on some nights. In many ways, the Shabby Chic blanket is not ideal for living in a car. The colors are light, dirt shows up more but it was worth having in the car if you are in a situation like this.
Wool blankets are another great option, especially if you are sleeping outside, or for any situation. Here are some of their benefits:
I recommend checking thrift stores and garage sales for wool blankets. Some thrift stores like Goodwill get carried away with their pricing and I've seen them there for $50. If you find one for $20 or less in good condition, get it. Make sure you hold the blanket up to the light before you buy it to check for holes. Moths tend to be a problem with wool blankets but it's possible to find wool blankets with few or no holes. Unless you know what a wool blanket looks and feels like, check for a tag to make sure it's 100% wool. Wool can be itchy, so you might want to buy a dark sheet to keep next to your skin.
I'm going to assume only one person is sleeping in this car, you.
1. Recline the front seat. If your going to do this, I recommend sleeping on the passenger side. The driver side will offer limited mobility for turning or propping up legs. Also, lay the seat back as far as possible. This might be challenging if your back seat is full of personal item(what to do with excess personal items will be discussed in another post).
One way to straighten out a reclined seat a little is to put a pillow or blanket at the low point where the seat and back hinges if you have got the seat all the way reclined and it's still not completely flat.
I often would sleep in an L shape with the char reclined, and my legs slung over the console into the drivers seat.
Be careful of resting your feet or legs on the dash and falling asleep. I did this for a while started waking up with extreme pain in my knees from gently hyper extending them. To this day, from time to time my knees still cause me that same kind of pain and I think I damaged them by sleeping this way. So be careful of your knees and how you sleep.
2. Sleep across the back seat (or front seat if your car has a bench seat). I'm 5'10" so sleeping across the back seat was challenging. I usually modified sleeping across the back seat by laying by back on the right or left side and threading my legs over the console and into one of the front seats.
There are some great air mattresses for back seats you can buy on Amazon for as low as $36.99 that look like they would make sleeping in a back seat much more comfortable. I have not tried them because I did not know they existed when I was living in my car. If I knew about them, I would have bought one!
3. Sleep in the bed of your truck/back of your SUV.
4. Tent sleeping. Unless you are sleeping in a rented campsite, you will not want anyone to know you are sleeping in a tent. Sleeping in parks, unused lots
It's important to have a sleeping pad like a Therm-a-Rest to insulate you from the ground cold if possible, a sleeping bag won't be enough in cold climates. I have purchased them at thrift stores for as cheap as $1 although they usually charge closer to $8. You can find them on Craigslist for $20 and up or on eBay.
5. Bivy
It can get very cold in a car at nigh, and the moisture from your breath builds up unless you crack the windows making it uncomfortable. I had a very warm blanket with me I was thankful for on several occasions since I didn't have a sleeping bag for the first few months. The Shabby Chic blanket from Target is the warmest blanket I have ever owned. It is so soft, warm and heavy. It gets in all the cracks and crevices and keeps you well covered. If I hadn't had that blanket, I would have needed several other blankets on some nights. In many ways, the Shabby Chic blanket is not ideal for living in a car. The colors are light, dirt shows up more but it was worth having in the car if you are in a situation like this.
Wool blankets are another great option, especially if you are sleeping outside, or for any situation. Here are some of their benefits:
- Wool blankets are warm, even when wet they retain 80% of heat.
- They can be used to make shelter.
- They can be fashioned into a poncho or cape
- They shed water quickly
- Wool is basically fireproof, so there is no chance of you catching fire if you sleep too close to the fire at night.
- They are extremely durable.
I recommend checking thrift stores and garage sales for wool blankets. Some thrift stores like Goodwill get carried away with their pricing and I've seen them there for $50. If you find one for $20 or less in good condition, get it. Make sure you hold the blanket up to the light before you buy it to check for holes. Moths tend to be a problem with wool blankets but it's possible to find wool blankets with few or no holes. Unless you know what a wool blanket looks and feels like, check for a tag to make sure it's 100% wool. Wool can be itchy, so you might want to buy a dark sheet to keep next to your skin.
I'm going to assume only one person is sleeping in this car, you.
1. Recline the front seat. If your going to do this, I recommend sleeping on the passenger side. The driver side will offer limited mobility for turning or propping up legs. Also, lay the seat back as far as possible. This might be challenging if your back seat is full of personal item(what to do with excess personal items will be discussed in another post).
One way to straighten out a reclined seat a little is to put a pillow or blanket at the low point where the seat and back hinges if you have got the seat all the way reclined and it's still not completely flat.
I often would sleep in an L shape with the char reclined, and my legs slung over the console into the drivers seat.
Be careful of resting your feet or legs on the dash and falling asleep. I did this for a while started waking up with extreme pain in my knees from gently hyper extending them. To this day, from time to time my knees still cause me that same kind of pain and I think I damaged them by sleeping this way. So be careful of your knees and how you sleep.
2. Sleep across the back seat (or front seat if your car has a bench seat). I'm 5'10" so sleeping across the back seat was challenging. I usually modified sleeping across the back seat by laying by back on the right or left side and threading my legs over the console and into one of the front seats.
There are some great air mattresses for back seats you can buy on Amazon for as low as $36.99 that look like they would make sleeping in a back seat much more comfortable. I have not tried them because I did not know they existed when I was living in my car. If I knew about them, I would have bought one!
3. Sleep in the bed of your truck/back of your SUV.
4. Tent sleeping. Unless you are sleeping in a rented campsite, you will not want anyone to know you are sleeping in a tent. Sleeping in parks, unused lots
It's important to have a sleeping pad like a Therm-a-Rest to insulate you from the ground cold if possible, a sleeping bag won't be enough in cold climates. I have purchased them at thrift stores for as cheap as $1 although they usually charge closer to $8. You can find them on Craigslist for $20 and up or on eBay.
5. Bivy
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