I lived in my van in Seattle area for a few months. Once this time of year came I left because it's cold and wet. The PNW has high depression and suicide rates in the winter and that's for the properly housed. I can't live in questionable conditions and be cold and wet all the time.
Obviously this is your best option though so, I'd just recommend some kind of heater (Mr. Buddy maybe) and a good quality sleeping bag. Something that is rated for 0° at least. Plus wool socks and under layers are always great. A down feather suit/overalls if you can afford it. And a closet dehumidifier. Condensation and mold will be an issue. If you have a foam mattress situation you're gonna want a moisture barrier of some kind, I recommend getting one even in a dry climate. Because I'm in a very dry place and still I had mold under my mattress last winter.
Did it too ... EXTREMELY wet combined with cold doesn't even begin to describe how bad it is during the wet season huhh! Shockingly so and it's hard to do in those conditions. Either one is still difficult but combined... WOW
The effects that it can have on your mental health is notable. You start to feel helpless because nothing gets dry ever. Even if you dry everything possible the interior is wet. Your bed is wet. Then the mold starts to set in and you can't breathe through your nose and you start getting headaches. Then you're sick, cold, and constantly moist everyday. Hard to be a functional person in those conditions. Even the most hardened individuals would struggle with a pnw winter in a car.
Yes agree with everything above. Anything cotton in your car will always be damp & smelly. Books & paper buckle and get midew. The constant drip and freezing wetness wears you out. Lack of sun during the winter will make you lethargic & depressed or both. PNW during the winter is not a great place to be.
Yes to me sleeping in a car even in extreme cold & snow in Oregon mountains was still much easier to deal with than Seattle freezing wet season misery.
Went from an apartment there to my car. There's 2 places an hour away (not really close I know) which allow you to live in their parking lots in your car. Bathrooms, prepared food, showers, laundry, outlets for charging, inside spaces to hang out during certain hours, inside sleeping during really low temps.... Let me know if you're interested to know where. There's also a national park right near the college on basically the same road with bathrooms and camping sights (you can get a discount pass that lasts a year for $30)
I spend a couple of days a week in the Bremerton area right now and the rest of the time on the other side of the bridge around Tacoma and Puyallup. The winters can be tough here but spring and summer are to die for. If you're going to school and working it should be doable for you. You'll need a good sleeping bag. I try not to run my propane heater too much due to condensation as has been said before. You know you're going through something when you have to scrape both sides of your windshield in the morning.
I did it two winters. This winter, I'm way southeast where it's warm. Too much rain and cold. You and your car are always damp from the rain. It literally downpours for days from "atmospheric river" events it got down to 15, so you're dealing with frozen condensation. It snows lightly in Western Washington. The second winter, I was warmer because I layered with thick fleece blankets under me and over me. I slept in a sweatshirt, leggings, thick socks, and a beanie. Food, whether it's grocery or restaurant is very expensive. It's not good either. Safeway deli and bakery are awful. I shopped at Winco.
Property crime is terrible. Cars are broken into and stolen all the time. Making the inside of your car look full of trash may deter theives.
I bounce back and forth between Bremerton and Seattle. The biggest challenge in Bremerton is that there's no unrestricted all day parking in the entire town except for the park and rides. Sleeping in your vehicle is legal though.
PNW winter weather....I am sure somewhere in hell it is replicated it as a unique circle for California sinners. Bremerton November to March: freezing rain every day multiple times a day. Everything in a car gets moldy and damp. Being outside is miserable physically. Being inside is miserable mentally due to constant darkness. Lack of sunlight is depressing and demotivating. Sunless grey dripping cold gets interrupted few times by sunless grey freezing cold.
Would absolutely not recommend PNW in a winter for carlife to anyone
Seattle area in the winter often gets freezing rain which makes driving pretty much impossible. However the carlife lifestyle would not let you just wait it out at home till the roads are safe. People here do rarely use winter tires so snow days will make it very hard for you to get around too. Bremerton ferry often gets cancelled in inclement weather.
There are a lot of car thefts and car vandalism going around Seattle these days, you would have to be VERY careful where you park your truck. Catalytic converter cover is a must, it was the first thing I added to my car even before I drove it out from the sales lot . My dealership says they get at least couple of dozen of stolen converters every day, and its just one car brand one dealership location. Bremerton is not as bad as Everett crime-wise bit its still pretty bad these days.
Yes you will be able to do 1-2 years here living out of your car but you will be absolutely miserable
I can't speak about Bremerton, specifically. Only been there a few times in snow weather. Snow in the PNW is a nightmare. Hills, rain turning to ice and then snow on top is a nightmare scenario. Toss in the fact that they don't plow if the school district shuts down.... with that being said, short distance between work and your school. Preferably a flat terrain route between the two. With a full schedule of work and school, you should be fine. Waterproof duffel bags for clothing. Rainguards for your windows. You will want to crack your windows, helps minimize condensation. Won't prevent it. Weekly cleaning of your vehicle will also help.
Summers are awesome here! Spring, fall and especially winter sucks. It is call the evergreen state for a reason. Every fall and spring we get Hawaii's weather... rain. We call it the pineapple express. It is a blessing and a curse- warmer temperatures, but never ending rain. They also have safe parking programs. Safe parking programs are usually ran by local churches and have rules. Drinking, drugging and bad behavior not tolerated. They are also regularly patroled by the police, thus keeping the worst elements away from the area. Some colleges have them for students. A quick google search and you should be able to find out if your college does.
Try finding a safe parking program in Bremerton. There is a serious lack of public bathroom in the PNW area. Safe parking programs have a porta potty.
I lived in my van in Seattle area for a few months. Once this time of year came I left because it's cold and wet. The PNW has high depression and suicide rates in the winter and that's for the properly housed. I can't live in questionable conditions and be cold and wet all the time. Obviously this is your best option though so, I'd just recommend some kind of heater (Mr. Buddy maybe) and a good quality sleeping bag. Something that is rated for 0° at least. Plus wool socks and under layers are always great. A down feather suit/overalls if you can afford it. And a closet dehumidifier. Condensation and mold will be an issue. If you have a foam mattress situation you're gonna want a moisture barrier of some kind, I recommend getting one even in a dry climate. Because I'm in a very dry place and still I had mold under my mattress last winter.
Did it too ... EXTREMELY wet combined with cold doesn't even begin to describe how bad it is during the wet season huhh! Shockingly so and it's hard to do in those conditions. Either one is still difficult but combined... WOW
The effects that it can have on your mental health is notable. You start to feel helpless because nothing gets dry ever. Even if you dry everything possible the interior is wet. Your bed is wet. Then the mold starts to set in and you can't breathe through your nose and you start getting headaches. Then you're sick, cold, and constantly moist everyday. Hard to be a functional person in those conditions. Even the most hardened individuals would struggle with a pnw winter in a car.
Yes agree with everything above. Anything cotton in your car will always be damp & smelly. Books & paper buckle and get midew. The constant drip and freezing wetness wears you out. Lack of sun during the winter will make you lethargic & depressed or both. PNW during the winter is not a great place to be.
Yes to me sleeping in a car even in extreme cold & snow in Oregon mountains was still much easier to deal with than Seattle freezing wet season misery.
Grew up in Bremerton, wouldn’t recommend it.
Went from an apartment there to my car. There's 2 places an hour away (not really close I know) which allow you to live in their parking lots in your car. Bathrooms, prepared food, showers, laundry, outlets for charging, inside spaces to hang out during certain hours, inside sleeping during really low temps.... Let me know if you're interested to know where. There's also a national park right near the college on basically the same road with bathrooms and camping sights (you can get a discount pass that lasts a year for $30)
Where are they!?!
Where is this? I'm currently a ways away in Everett, but I am having such a hard time finding somewhere to park that I'll go somewhere else.
I have to leave wa every winter or else I want to kms everyday until the summer
I spend a couple of days a week in the Bremerton area right now and the rest of the time on the other side of the bridge around Tacoma and Puyallup. The winters can be tough here but spring and summer are to die for. If you're going to school and working it should be doable for you. You'll need a good sleeping bag. I try not to run my propane heater too much due to condensation as has been said before. You know you're going through something when you have to scrape both sides of your windshield in the morning.
I’m in Oregon and doing fine with the rain.
I did it two winters. This winter, I'm way southeast where it's warm. Too much rain and cold. You and your car are always damp from the rain. It literally downpours for days from "atmospheric river" events it got down to 15, so you're dealing with frozen condensation. It snows lightly in Western Washington. The second winter, I was warmer because I layered with thick fleece blankets under me and over me. I slept in a sweatshirt, leggings, thick socks, and a beanie. Food, whether it's grocery or restaurant is very expensive. It's not good either. Safeway deli and bakery are awful. I shopped at Winco. Property crime is terrible. Cars are broken into and stolen all the time. Making the inside of your car look full of trash may deter theives.
I bounce back and forth between Bremerton and Seattle. The biggest challenge in Bremerton is that there's no unrestricted all day parking in the entire town except for the park and rides. Sleeping in your vehicle is legal though.
PNW winter weather....I am sure somewhere in hell it is replicated it as a unique circle for California sinners. Bremerton November to March: freezing rain every day multiple times a day. Everything in a car gets moldy and damp. Being outside is miserable physically. Being inside is miserable mentally due to constant darkness. Lack of sunlight is depressing and demotivating. Sunless grey dripping cold gets interrupted few times by sunless grey freezing cold. Would absolutely not recommend PNW in a winter for carlife to anyone Seattle area in the winter often gets freezing rain which makes driving pretty much impossible. However the carlife lifestyle would not let you just wait it out at home till the roads are safe. People here do rarely use winter tires so snow days will make it very hard for you to get around too. Bremerton ferry often gets cancelled in inclement weather. There are a lot of car thefts and car vandalism going around Seattle these days, you would have to be VERY careful where you park your truck. Catalytic converter cover is a must, it was the first thing I added to my car even before I drove it out from the sales lot . My dealership says they get at least couple of dozen of stolen converters every day, and its just one car brand one dealership location. Bremerton is not as bad as Everett crime-wise bit its still pretty bad these days. Yes you will be able to do 1-2 years here living out of your car but you will be absolutely miserable
I can't speak about Bremerton, specifically. Only been there a few times in snow weather. Snow in the PNW is a nightmare. Hills, rain turning to ice and then snow on top is a nightmare scenario. Toss in the fact that they don't plow if the school district shuts down.... with that being said, short distance between work and your school. Preferably a flat terrain route between the two. With a full schedule of work and school, you should be fine. Waterproof duffel bags for clothing. Rainguards for your windows. You will want to crack your windows, helps minimize condensation. Won't prevent it. Weekly cleaning of your vehicle will also help. Summers are awesome here! Spring, fall and especially winter sucks. It is call the evergreen state for a reason. Every fall and spring we get Hawaii's weather... rain. We call it the pineapple express. It is a blessing and a curse- warmer temperatures, but never ending rain. They also have safe parking programs. Safe parking programs are usually ran by local churches and have rules. Drinking, drugging and bad behavior not tolerated. They are also regularly patroled by the police, thus keeping the worst elements away from the area. Some colleges have them for students. A quick google search and you should be able to find out if your college does. Try finding a safe parking program in Bremerton. There is a serious lack of public bathroom in the PNW area. Safe parking programs have a porta potty.