Questions????? Heating, cooking, charging my laptop, WIFI

[Clair de Lune]

Hi, all,

Well, I ran away from home again over Thanksgiving since we are under a stay at home advisory where I live and families weren't supposed to meet. I figured that I could at least enjoy some warm weather and do some exploring by myself before the New Year, so I took off for Florida and kept mostly to myself. I really enjoyed the freedom of not having a tight time constraints and of being able to meander and explore, and I liked the brief exposure to warmer weather. One of the things on my bucket list was to drive to Key West, and I did it! I had Key Lime pie for breakfast while overlooking the ocean on a sunny morning--a lovely memory .

Obviously, I got some more practice living in my little Honda Fit. I made Reflectix covers for my windows, and they stayed much better than what I had used on my last trip, but I still had problems getting them to stay on the small, tear-shaped windows and on the window on the hatchback. Still, I was proud of myself because it went a lot more smoothly (I didn't pull out as many hairs in frustration as I had on the previous adventure).
The Reflectix is very obvious, however, and seemed to scream, "There's somebody sleeping in here!" Does anyone have any helpful responses to my comments above on how to do things better with the window covers?

I learned that it was difficult for me to keep the top half of my body warm because the covers would move while I slept, and was able to solve that problem by using a mummy bag. I didn't cinch it up really tightly, but it is designed to cover the neck and shoulders, and that was a definite improvement when it was below freezing outside. 

I would like to hang some kind of organizational racks on the inside walls of my car (with pockets). Does anyone have any suggestions about how to find/make something like this and how best to secure/hang them?

I found that just about everything fell down in the cracks or open spaces in the car, so any ideas about little organizing tricks or products to keep things handy around the driver's or passenger's seat or in the rear where I sleep would be would be welcomed .

Heating and cooking are difficult in such a small space, but I would love to get someone's input on how to do this safely. 

Also, I have a charger for my phone that runs off my car battery, and I have driven over 8,000 miles, so it has not been a problem to keep my phone charged, but is there a 12-volt charger for laptops? What are some of my options for having extra "juice" between stops with regular 120-volt plug-ins?

One last thing: community. I have found that I am feeling more and more isolated as this lockdown continues. I would really enjoy being able to participate with groups who meet on Zoom or Google meet. I've been taking classes online, and the regular times of interaction have lifted my spirits and helped give me a routine. Any suggestions about friendly groups who meet online?

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Stay warm and safe.

Clair de Lune

 

[RvDreams]

Welcome Clair de Lune to the CRVL forums! Something like this over the door shoe rack can be cut to size and placed where you need it.  As far as reflectix goes, the tighter the fit in the windows works better.  It can also be covered in fabric to help hide the shiny.

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.

 

[Sofisintown]

Cover one side of the Reflectix with black fabric. Use spray glue, it will make it a bit less obvious and more sturdy.
My covers are poster board from the Dollar store that is foam sandwiched between paper, with black fabric glued on one side, and mylar or the other.
They work.

 

[nature lover]

Hello and welcome. I’ll respond to two of your questions. To hang something with pockets on get a shoe container / organizer that they sell at Walmart target bed bath and other places they hang and have about a dozen pockets. you can cut them into different dimensions a lot of people use them they are handy. for charging the laptop I use a small inverter that plugs into your 12 V outlet. It’s rated at 100 watch and it works great I only use it when I’m driving because I don’t want to wear the battery down. I use it for charging only not for running the computer. I’m sure there’s others here who can give you some answers. A lot of the questions you have are the kinds of things that you have to do is go through Bob‘s videos or past posts on here and you’ll have lots of answers. Good luck.

 

[Camper]

Amazon and eBay both have 12-volt charging cords that fit your laptop.

 

[B and C]

For charging laptops from a 12V socket, they make car chargers that plug into a power port in your car. Lookup car charger along with your model laptop. Using an inverter to change 12V to 120v and then back to a voltage your laptop wants is inefficient in the conversions. Inverters generally are in the 80% efficient range. The car charger makes a more direct conversion that cuts out the inverters ~80%.

 

[GypsyJan]

Congrats on your bucket-list trip to Key West! Key lime pie for breakfast sounds perfect. Next time post a picture so we can all be envious.

I got a shoe-pocket organizer and cut the bottom half off, then used a bungee cord to hang it over the driver's seat headrest, facing the back seat. It holds lots of items and doubles as a "nightstand" as I put my phone, ear plugs, face mask, etc. in a top pocket and sleep on a cot behind the front passenger seat.

I have totes and baskets for other items. Any thing left loose will migrate to one of those cracks or nooks you mentioned!

I use my stove on a pull out shelf out of the back of the vehicle, under the raised hatchback when the weather permits. I also have an immersion coil that plugs into the cigarette lighter to heat water. I can make coffee, tea, oatmeal, soup, and ramen noodles with that if it is rainy, cold, or buggy.

If I stay at a campground, I put the baskets and crates of gear in a small dome tent which gives me more room sleeping on my cot in the car.

 

[Clair de Lune]

Thanks so much. I will look into some of the things you've said. It's obvious that there's a ton of information in Bob's videos, so I will try to systematically watch any that apply to me or that share what other folks are doing. I love how ready people are to pass on good ideas.

 

[Clair de Lune]

GypsyJan, this is for you! You can soak up a few of the rays from my trip to Key West.

 

[Clair de Lune]

My picture didn't post last time, so we'll see if it works this time. If it doesn't show up, would someone please tell me how to attach a photo? I do it on email all the time, but this may be a bit different. Thanks.

 

[highdesertranger]

adding a picture,

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=13285

highdesertranger

 

[Clair de Lune]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Here is my breakfast of champions in Key West! Better late than never GypsyJan.[/font]

A big "Thank you" to [size=small]highdesertranger for the technical help .[/size]

 

[highdesertranger]

glad to help. highdesertranger