Saab 2001 9-3

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

dirtbag

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
<p>Love my car. it's brought me so many memorable places. Decided I wanted to save some money and cut rent out of the picture, been in here since the start of July and now that its Sept. 17th I still have no complaints!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I'll make this post quick and come back with more details but so far here are a few pics.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>at first i made the passenger seat come down all the way to lay my seats over it. This ended up working well, but making it take about 3 - 5 minutes to prep it for a passenger... too long imo when i am not trying to be an anti-social weirdo. lol. at this point I would use bed sheets for privacy which would take 3 minutes to put up, but in comparison to the future mod they cramped my space a bit. Atm I only have a picture of the old setup when it went over the passenger seat:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br /><br />now after i moved my bed back a bit, I was able to get a passenger in the car with ease and not needing to mess with the bed much unless its a bigger person who needs lot of knee space. for a bit i'd sleep on these seats arranged like this, before getting a 20$ camper foam mattress from fred mayer.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>next upgrade (before the new mattress pictures) was this reflectix material that was cut up to be window inserts. much less space is taken up with this than the curtains which hung onto me and could be torn down while sleeping. these are also quick to go up, keep heat out, camouflage you into a city well, and was only $20 to cover every window! heres a dark panorama from the inside below:<br /><br /></p><p><a href="http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/...B8ED6D-5182-000004970DCECCC6.jpg?t=1347032331">a</a>nd last but not least the bed:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab39/pinetarcheese/IMG_1323.jpg?t=1347946960">&nbsp;</a></p>
 
First off, welcome to the forum...<br /><br />Your set up is lookin' good! Thanks for taking detailed pix!!!<br />Do you find that you have any trouble with people looking at you while hooking up the reflectix in the daytime, or do you wait until nightfall?<br /><br />Also, do you do any urban-camping? If so, do you run into any difficulties looking for spaces to stealth-park?<br /><br />Thanks for posting. Not enough car-dwellers around here!
 
Welcome &nbsp;Dirtbag, I'm Tim.&nbsp; Looks like you really got it down to a system.
 
<p>nope i dont find any trouble while putting in the reflectix. I put it in anytime from 10:30 to 1 am and take it out when i wake up anytime from 7 - 11am. <br />Since it looks like stuff to keep the heat / sun out of the car, it really isn't too out of place looking, especially during the day <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I do park in a parking lot and have been for months now in a city. It isn't in the best of neighborhoods but i feel plenty safe sleeping here, specifically because i work in the building i park in front of as well... so a bathroom being covered helps there for sure!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>i also just switched climbing gyms too and figured out my new gym has a shower so i am pretty excited and will be sleeping in my car for a couple more months at least to help save money for more traveling and ultimately to live in a city i like more than this one in oregon.&nbsp;</p>
 
put up some new "shelves" today. rofl... will post pics later
 
new shelf... its not totally up, actually its at the height i like for driving atm... although i got it set on a knot that can instantly make it go down and basically all my folded clothing becomes hidden...
 
What's yer' shelf made of?<br /><br />Keep sending more pics throughout the course of time...<br /><br />Thanks for posting!!!
 
Nice setup. Ever have any problems with gym showers outside normal hours? I'm thinking along the lines of shaving, etc. Seems unusual if I go in every day with electric razor doesn't it? Maybe I'm just being too paranoid. :)
 
<div style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #ffffff; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin: 8px;"><p>
mad*sparrow said:
Nice setup. Ever have any problems with gym showers outside normal hours? I'm thinking along the lines of shaving, etc. Seems unusual if I go in every day with electric razor doesn't it? Maybe I'm just being too paranoid. :)
<br /><br />I shave in my work's bathroom. We are glassblowers and have a pretty relaxed attitude so it isn't an issue. I get some sh*t jokingly from my shopmates but I don't care and its nothing serious or personal, purely jokes <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> I could shave at the gym but it'd be a little odd I feel. If i can't shower due to hours or not having enough time in the day to go climb at the gym, I use baby wipes and hand sanatizer.&nbsp;</p></div>
 
<p>k so everything is great except one thing, humidity.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>does anyone have any tips on how to keep the humidity out of my car? preferably with something that doesn't need to be plugged in and can maybe be left in my car to absorb the extra moisture? thanks for any advice <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br /></p>
 
lol i dunno how the prius people got lost in my thread...&nbsp;<br /><br />so no one has a humidity solution fogging up the windows?
 
I cannot remember the name of the product, but it is found in an auto parts store... It is the same stuff that keeps moisture out of products and packages... They sell this stuff as an ice melter, but tell them your issue and they will help ya out... I used it in a stored vehicle in the Seattle area to stop any mold, which is a issue with moisture, for two years changing it every 6 months in wet conditions... The issue with you is the tight area and the product come's in pellet form, thus a spilling issue but you seem smart enough to figure a way to make this work... Pretty cheap too if I remember right...
 
Hi dirtbag.<br /><br />Fluffabear here on this forum turned me on to 'Dri-Z-Air' I found it at Fred Meyer (like a walmart) here in Seattle.&nbsp; It was $10.&nbsp; I haven't managed to try it out for long enough to say YAY or NAY, but fluffabear said it was great stuff.<br /><br />So what Dri-Z-Air is:<br /><br />It's a little container, and it has a little cage, and below the cage a little cup.&nbsp; You put these white beads in the little cage.&nbsp; Apparently they suck up the humidity and turn into water and fall into the cup.&nbsp; As the little beads melt away,&nbsp; you add more white beads ($10 for a gallon bottle full). Apparently the little beads last a long time, but I dunno I've not even had mine for a day yet, so I can't say how well it works, mostly I just want it to keep my TP from being wet, cause that's just gross! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">
 
Hey Dirtbag. Thanks for the post and pics I often think of downsizing to a small vehicle for traveling across country. Instead of my luxurious 89 dodge van&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />. Keep us updated on any new projects.
 
honestly after living in here since july 2012, I wanna get an audi hatchback and convert that... if that dream comes to fruition you can be sure ill post some pictures, and i'd do it better because this was only supposed to be temporary but at this point i couldnt imagine paying rent for an apartment that i dont even need! lol
 
thanks for the tips on the humidity problem also peacetara and soulraven <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">
 
Desiccant is the word you are looking for. Normally I can find it in the airconditioning aisles at walmart, ect. Its pretty expensive but its reusable. To dry it out in a humid locale you can put it in the microwave. Ive heard a couple of pounds of rice will also work but I havent tried it because Im afraid that when I try to dry it out it'll end up cooked. :) To be honest I think cracking a window just a touch is more efficient .
I owned a house right off a giant lake in a humid area and the desiccant would work fairly well if you had a lot of it and kept drying it out. Its the same stuff you find in the little packets with electronics. The little pellets grow as they absorb the moisture. The only way to release the moisture is to heat them.
 
k so the next question..<br /><br />while looking for a leak i did find little vents in the trunk area. I'm thinking of hooking up some tubing and a computer fan to keep my whole car ventilated while I sleep so everything stays nice and fresh like a well ventilated bedroom.... so I assume I'll need an alternative power source, what can I use? will this take up a lot of space? at least i dont need to cut any hole in my roof as contemplated briefly before, hahahaha...
 
Top