Honda Fit as my new mini-RV

[Clair de Lune]

Hello, All,
I grew up traveling and have a lifelong case of wanderlust. I have moved more than 40 times and that includes 4+ years on a boat with my family. It was a challenging but satisfying way to live; home was wherever my loved ones were.
During the last few years I have seen my home life implode, and I am now single and an empty-nester. I have entered full-time work for the first time in decades, but have found it to be all-consuming, and I am wondering if there is another way to live. I have long read books about people who homestead, travel, or live in minimal space, and I often follow the posts and videos of folks living in RV's, vans, or cars. I used to dream about doing this kind of thing with my former spouse, and now that will never happen, and I am wondering if I can enjoy it on my own. 
I recently purchased a Honda Fit and am working on turning it into a neat little RV. Last week, I drove 2500 miles through snow and temperatures of 6 degrees (less with the wind chill factor) and spent 4 out of five nights sleeping in my vehicle in truck stop parking lots. It was a trial by fire (trial by ice?), and every night I discovered things I should change and learned things about what I could do better. It was frustrating, uncomfortable, and cold most of the time, but each night it became easier. I will be heading back across America in a week or so, and I hope that I can make the trip with fewer difficulties. 
I am a teacher and social worker. My life is centered on loving God with all of my being and loving my neighbor as myself. 
I have always enjoyed the feeling that camping and boating bring--being closer to nature and the changes of the seasons and weather. I like being self-sufficient. I don't mind doing things the simple, or less efficient way. I enjoy the camaraderie of travelers; they seem to take the time to talk to their fellow human beings and to form a community. I enjoy hot chocolate, languages, reading, learning, and looking at the stars in a clear sky.
I look forward to meeting you, learning from you, and sharing with you!

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Clair de Lune to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

highdesertranger

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum   

This is just the place you need to be right now.  I know several people who own Honda Fit automobiles
and they love them claiming that they get good dependable service with them.

Let me invite you to look over the two links at the bottom of this post.  The first "Van Conversion" has a link at the top of the page titled, "a Bug-Out car".  This may be of interest to you in converting the fit to a micro RV.  The second link, "edjautoservices"  is a portal of handy information & links which will make your over the road travels safer, more comfortable, and convenient.

All the best in your travels !

 

[tx2sturgis]

Welcome to the forum.....and weird coincidence, I had mentioned that a Honda Fit that might just 'fit' as a mobile dwelling in another thread a week or so back...I have a friend who used to have one, and with the seats folded down, it was kinda roomy in the back.

If your path brings you thru the Texas Panhandle, I have a place to park, camp, and rest for a night or two...PM me if you'd be interested.

 

[maki2]

Sounds great and if you  ever get get to feeling too cramped in the Honda Fit remember that it has a tow rating of 2,000 lbs.  That means you can pull some models of the Wee Roll trailers that a lot of people are starting to use for camping.  They are well built and insulated have interior paneling and some electric outlets and lights already wired in. The Wee Roll company is very supportive of the Cheaprv living community and its non profit associated Home on Wheels Alliance. https://www.weeroll.com/

 

[Clair de Lune]

Hello, All,
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and your resources. I just returned from my cross-country trip, and it was a trial by fire (more like trial by cold). I spent 8 nights in my little RV, Claire, and I learned something new every night. I was often cold, and I faced numerous frustrations, but I did it!!!! If I can handle nights of lower than 6 degrees without giving up, I will be more than prepared to face tough times when I have an adequate sleeping bag and some insulation in my car . This is just the beginning, and I am looking forward to learning more from all of you and sharing my insights as well in the future. Happy Thanksgiving, and stay safe!

 

[Clair de Lune]

Welcome Clair de Lune to the CRVL forums!  To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started. 

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

highdesertranger

Thank you very much for the help and direction. I love your rules! I am here because 1) I want to learn from others 2) I want to share my knowledge with others and encourage them, so this is going to be great .

 

[Clair de Lune]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum    ...
All the best in your travels !

The links that you shared are interesting and helpful. Thanks! I especially enjoy reading about and learning from people who are creative and don't have everything store bought and expensive. I have never had a lot of money, but I have always been impressed by people's ingenuity, and I have improved my life by thinking outside of the box, too. It's fun and stretches the ol' dollar.

 

[Clair de Lune]

Sounds great and if you  ever get get to feeling too cramped in the Honda Fit remember that it has a tow rating of 2,000 lbs.  That means you can pull some models of the Wee Roll trailers that a lot of people are starting to use for camping.  They are well built and insulated have interior paneling and some electric outlets and lights already wired in. The Wee Roll company is very supportive of the Cheaprv living community and its non profit associated Home on Wheels Alliance. https://www.weeroll.com/

I just checked out the Wee Roll website. It was fun to look through. I have often looked at utility trailers and thought about what could be done with them, so this product is just what I had been wishing for. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Clair de Lune]

Welcome to the forum.....and weird coincidence, I had mentioned that a Honda Fit that might just 'fit' as a mobile dwelling in another thread a week or so back...I have a friend who used to have one, and with the seats folded down, it was kinda roomy in the back.

If your path brings you thru the Texas Panhandle, I have a place to park, camp, and rest for a night or two...PM me if you'd be interested.

Yes. My old mini-van was starting to have some problems, and I was looking into what I could afford that might allow me to live in it as well as drive it. I was really impressed with what can be done with the seats in the Fit, and I am having an interesting (perhaps I won't go straight to fun) time figuring out the best ways to use the space and not go crazy in the process of working in such cramped quarters. I learned a lot during my recent trip and will apply that as I work on a layout and ways to store and organize things...I appreciate the offer of a place to park for a day or two. I don't have any plans to roam to Texas in the near future, but that's very hospitable :thumbsup:

 

[Zephyr]

Clair de Lune, my daughter has a 2008 Fit. I was surprised at the 2000 lb rating. I just looked at her Fit's door sticker. It said combined weight of people and cargo should not exceed 850 pounds. Perhaps later models are beefed up.

Here's a link to a Fit forum with conversations about Fit's towing ability.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-generation-ge-08-13/32112-towing-capacity.html

 

[Clair de Lune]

Hi, Zephyr, I have a brand new Fit, and when I bought it, I checked into the towing capacity and was told no more than 850 lbs. total, as well. I think that some people with older Fits have towed more than that (because the car can do that) and Honda decided to protect the company's interests by posting those limits and voiding the warranty if folks tow more than that. I have found a little motorcycle trailer that could work for me that weighs under 300 pounds, and my dealer said that that would be alright. I read a post by a fit owner who said that the car could easily tow much more than that but that stopping the trailer without problems would be the real issue. I don't know much about it, but since my car is new and under warranty, I will do what I can to protect that for now! I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. Thanks.

 

[gslanm]

Hello, All,
I grew up traveling and have a lifelong case of wanderlust. I have moved more than 40 times and that includes 4+ years on a boat with my family. It was a challenging but satisfying way to live; home was wherever my loved ones were.
During the last few years I have seen my home life implode, and I am now single and an empty-nester. I have entered full-time work for the first time in decades, but have found it to be all-consuming, and I am wondering if there is another way to live. I have long read books about people who homestead, travel, or live in minimal space, and I often follow the posts and videos of folks living in RV's, vans, or cars. I used to dream about doing this kind of thing with my former spouse, and now that will never happen, and I am wondering if I can enjoy it on my own. 
I recently purchased a Honda Fit and am working on turning it into a neat little RV. Last week, I drove 2500 miles through snow and temperatures of 6 degrees (less with the wind chill factor) and spent 4 out of five nights sleeping in my vehicle in truck stop parking lots. It was a trial by fire (trial by ice?), and every night I discovered things I should change and learned things about what I could do better. It was frustrating, uncomfortable, and cold most of the time, but each night it became easier. I will be heading back across America in a week or so, and I hope that I can make the trip with fewer difficulties. 
I am a teacher and social worker. My life is centered on loving God with all of my being and loving my neighbor as myself. 
I have always enjoyed the feeling that camping and boating bring--being closer to nature and the changes of the seasons and weather. I like being self-sufficient. I don't mind doing things the simple, or less efficient way. I enjoy the camaraderie of travelers; they seem to take the time to talk to their fellow human beings and to form a community. I enjoy hot chocolate, languages, reading, learning, and looking at the stars in a clear sky.
I look forward to meeting you, learning from you, and sharing with you!

Love your story/attitude, welcome and really best of luck with it all.

 

[highdesertranger]

well according to that link to the forum the Fit is not rated to tow anything.

that idiot that said to put air shocks on it is passing out bad advice of which is all to common on the internet. never ever never use air shocks on any vehicle. did I mention never?

with a 850 pound payload you do not have enough carrying capacity for a trailer. in fact you will have to watch your payload without a trailer.

highdesertranger