5 Winter Warmth Essentials | 1 Big Mistake | Living In My Car 

I am homeless living in my Jeep near Detroit MI. Donating plasma for gas. Waiting on my public housing unit to be ready...your tips really helped! Stay safe out here

Unfortunate. My brother bought the mummy bag & now he has BECOME the mummy. Jokes aside, this is a great video. Better than some guy telling me to move south like a bird.

I spent half of the winter of 16' living out of a borrowed Ford Focus wagon, and that would be an Iowan winter. I learned that you can buy eletric blankets that plug into cigerette lighters, and one of those portable batteries you jump start cars with can run that blanket for about 6 hours. Also, a nice, sub-zero rated sleeping bag helps, too. One bit of advice though. Don't get out of the car with the motor running 'cause Ford Focus' loves to auto-lock the doors behind you.

I survive winters in Washington State in my Honda Element. Coleman sleeping bags are recommended. I go into the sleeping bag fully dressed and disrobe as it gets toasty. I put my change of clothes for the next day in an insulated bag. I burn candles. If it gets too bad, I get a room. Hypothermia is no joke.

This guy has such a chill demeanor would be great to chill with. I’m also very chill

I love that you are filming and talking about winter... so many of my van life and car life videos content peeps are still showing summer/fall adventures. I want to see recent stuff about winter being hard for everyone and how we get through it. Thanks for the great content... keep it up!

I admire all those people who live in a vehicle and if they work all the more admiration from me.

My apartment is so drafty I might get one of those mummy sleeping bags and just hang out in it while I'm at home!

I wish I could help this man. I've been homeless before so I can emphasize. God bless you sir. Keeping you in my prayers. ❤

Fellow Rhode Islander here. Very cool, my friend

Thank you for this tutorial because I think at some point I'll be living out of my truck. I'm scared as a single , small woman. One of my hugest concerns is warmth in the cold and coolness in the summers and obviously safety.

I am inside a house, and I started sleeping with gloves on years ago. I have arthritis, carpal tunnel, and one hand that just seems to always be cold. Keeping my hands a little extra warm at night can make all the difference between waking up with tight, painful hands, or ones that are flexible. I don't sleep in bulky gloves (though I might if it were really cold!), and I also make certain there is no elastic squeezing around my wrist or hands. I really love those cheap knit gloves to sleep in, but most of them use elastic threads to make the gloves fit tight against your hands. Even worse is how tight they make the part of the glove that goes against your wrist. It kinda defeats the purpose of warming your hands if your circulation is cut off! I will take scissors and literally cut across those threads from the wrists to about the thumbs, and in about 3 to 4 different places down the length of each glove. The gloves may have a hole or two and look bedraggled when I am done, but they aren't comfortable otherwise. They may look wrecked, but they sleep cozy. 😊

I've got a decent Coleman sleeping bag, I spent the winter of 2017-2018 in my car with it and I'm currently spending 2024 the same way. I had the experience all over again of "okay, maybe I _can_ do this" when I spent my first night with the sleeping bag.

2002 Hyundai Accent over here! Only 68,000 original miles!

i think getting a power box is important as well never now when you need to charge or cook something.

Theres nothing wrong with a hairy lady as long as her spirits are high. Awesomest words ever spoken my friend Bless ya.

Thank you for the mummy bag link. I definitely want to get one! I live in a house, but I still get too cold to sleep sometimes and the insomnia is killer. Good for camping, too. Keep it up! You have a good attitude.

I'm SO with you on running the car USING gas. I appreciate this video. I'm full time in my WRX. Started this year in April (done van life for a few months before) and I'm in a northern state working full time. Looking forward to learning how to drive in this snow and thrive in this cold. Oh and I'm gonna get that sleeping bag. Hot hands are great too. This should work better than getting a heated blanket (which I haven't tried).

Ohhh shit elite work ethic pumping out these videos brother! Appreciate the content man fr!

really good tips ty

Hey buddy hope all is well….just started living in my car after a break up…boy it’s scary and tough…thanks for the tips ….1st nigh here we go

Cool video. Stay warm! Days are getting longer beginning tomorrow Dec 22, 2022, so more sunlight and warmer days coming soon.

Thanks for all the great content you give. Best wishes from the UK :)

I used my car for heat and air for YEARS, especially when I slept (I kept my windows cracked). 🤣 I never once had a problem but for some reason, people think idling your car is going to hurt the car. Maybe that was the truth when cars had carburetors and crap but my Yaris was good. The only thing I ever had to replace, that wasn't routine maintenance, was the clutch after my ex, who didn't know how to drive a stick, stole it. I sold it with almost 300,000 miles and it was running like a dream. Now I'm in a SUV and I definitely can't afford to run it all night and still do the stuff I want to do. I'll be utilizing a small propane heater surrounded by a fire blanket on the center console when I'm hanging out inside at night and those hot hands in my bed when I'm sleep. Thanks for the tips.

Great video and information.

What an inspiring attitude!

My compliments on your courage and your counsel.

Hey Bren, have you also considered one of those low power electric throw blankets? I think Bob Wells mentioned them in one of his videos. You could toss it inside your sleeping bag as a kind of electric blanket on those extra cold nights. Stay safe buddy. Can't wait for the next vid.

Maybe get a later model toyota prius with CVT transmission. You can keep car in ready mode and can have AC and heated climate control. Many videos if prius camping and low cost to do so. It is not "idling" the car. Long story, but if you want to be comfortable in any climate check prius hotel or prius stealth camp living videos on RU-vid.

Great video! I went with a Xped MegaMat which has a great r value to conserve heat. I’ll have to check out the Coleman zero degree bag. Kudos to you. I love my Subaru Outback too!

Great advice, thanks! 👍👍

Smart tips, learned something today !

Hang on in there buddy...u can also hang around trucks stops ( Pilot , Flying J) to warm up, a break from ur car, stretch ur legs..etc.) ... continue to save ur $$....and keep God first!!🙏🏾💪🏾💯

Just stumbled upon your channel, looking for advice on staying warm in the vehicle home, and I'm so thankful. I do appreciate your input too. I live in northern MN, and you know it gets pretty cold and usually snowing during the winter season; and I do have a mid sized "car", and know that if I took out my passenger seat, I could have a nice sleeping area. My girlfriend and I live together and have for 19 yrs now. But she's finally wanting to move out of our apartment this coming spring or summer. However, apartmwnts are hard to come by for even myself because of having felonies over 30 yrs ago, combined with credit score under 500. I live on SSDI($1600/mo), and have some health issues, but nothing that would prevent ne from living out of my car. She's insistsnt in moving, so I may not be able to move with her and considered living out if my car, but have to consider needing to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. So anyway, thanks for the advice bro. Btw, I'm 58 this Jan so I'm getting up there. Lol. Bless!

Great tips!

Definitely good information☺

Excellent video. When I slept in my truck I used a buddy heater. It turned my truck into a sauna 🧖‍♀️

Great tips!!!

Wow, i'm ready to do this to save money on buying a house outright. I just might, now. Great video

So inspiring and interesting, I love your story and how tell it. Sending love and light 💛

Saw your comment on Ava's channel recommending this mummy sleeping bag. Great tips for the winter 👍

I ♥️ you Bren, thank you for all your tips!

Thank you so much!

Makes perfect sense. 😊 Good info. We may live in a van someday. Want to travel the USA 👍

Fantastic video man. Great job overcoming that challenge. Keep doing you man.

I love your videos, you share in a very simple realistic way. I lived in my car about 10 months and want to go back soon. I never did it through winter with snow so this video helps. Thank you.

Stay warm, Bren.

Helpful info. & your sense of humor = 👍

You're always interesting! 😊 love all videos❤

I have a Coleman 20° sleeping bag. Here in southern Tennessee it get into the teens maybe a few nights during the winter. For the warmer periods it makes a nice co.fortable pallet to sleep on.

Great content, you're very personable! Keep up the great work! You're almost to 1k subs!

Dude I’m so happy I came across your video! I’m about to try car living myself in the BEGINNING of winter IN New England as well 😮‍💨and I agree with your thoughts on the “waste” of gas. In a 4 cylinder car at idle you burn roughly a sixth of a gallon an hour so say we pay $3.50/gal. We use what, $0.21 /hr. in fuel? (I’m no mathematician) 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Brightest Blessings of Healing Love and Light surround you and give you a Warrior's Strength to keep you going and bring you peace and joy 💫♥️💫 I want some hand/ feet warmers in my emergency kit!!! I don't intentionally camp in super cold weather but, shit happens! Great product! #5 would be rough on my older suv. She no likey! Lol! And she gets crappie mileage at an idle - I'm looking into that bit! Otherwise I agree! Utilities aren't cheap in a sticks and bricks!

Big like to this video 😊👍

Great video..

Think i just fell in love with you hehe "Hey if you're a lady and can grow a beard...nothing wrong with a bearded lady as long as her spirits are high" Love your energy and humour - got yourself a new sub right here. High fives from NZ stayyyyyy toasty!

Like the chill music you used for intro/ending. Great tips on winter items for the car. Thanks for sharing info on the mattress too. Definitely agree with the beard trick. I shaved last winter for a skin check and had to keep a scarf wrapped around my face the entire week until my beard grew back in a bit. Question for you, how do you deal with condensation from your breath and moisture in the car in general while chilling at night? The couple times I chilled in my car in the back within a couple hours its was super close uncomfortable and the windows were steamed up. Obviously chilling in the front with the car on helps or cracking a window works too. 2 of the times it had rained that day or was lightly raining so figured it was due to outside humidity. How do you deal with it in your car? Thanks for sharing your journey and the info on car life Bren. 👍🏻

Good info❤

I started watching you , what a great personality you have and you fold better than me , I live in a 6000 square feet house but I want to sell buy a van to live in while I start over it’s out of my comfort zone , I need to see the world and be alone , was never and I need this but are you going to eventually get a place? Great guy ❤

Mummy bag! I’m here doing my due diligence. Binging on my new favorite channel. Dropping comments for Al Gorithims. #Brenagains

I got a Mr. Buddy heater, Sherpa coat blanket that u wear. It goes past my knees, has long sleeves on it and it's as warm as could be. I wear several layers, including five pairs of socks on. I also have two heavy blankets and below zero sleeping bag that my dogs are put inside of. I'm in very cold area with snow at times and stay pretty warm. The only thing that gets really cold is my nose and have not found solution for yet!

God bless you. U r an inspiration to the USA (or r u Canadian) ?

I insulate my underside and have two 50 pound shorthair dogs. I can stay warm under any condition

Of course I chose to buy a Camry TRD, the only one in the whole line that does not allow you to fold the back seat down. Sheesh.

❤❤

What do you do about ventilation in the winter after you turn off the heat/fan?

Amazon mummy bag $ 71.99

Subaru??? That is the car I want for my coming venture

Europeans >> I'm English don't understand Fahenhight. I even can't remember how to convert lol.

Any idea How long would a 100ah Lithium battery power a heated blanket? I remember watching a video where someone powered a deep freezer for 24-48hrs with one.

Engines were built to run, but your engine/battery was not designed to idle for long periods of time, especially from cold. I'm not saying don't do it, I do the same thing sometimes, but any time your engine spends running below operating temp is extra wear on your engine.

Mummy bags are awesome and the best for winter. Have used them myself.

Anyone have info on using the heated blanket in your car. I have one that plugs into the cigarette lighter 12volt thingy. My concern is will it wear out my car battery if Im keeping that ignition switch in the first “on” stage. Not fully turning the car on but just the battery on.

The wear and tear on that engine idling for that many hours is no bueno. Beware your engine can seize unexpected and you'll be in a world of hurt

How do you keep things like phones and stuff from dying well sleeping over night in ur car?

How can you keep the windshield without getting foggy during cold winter?

My CA cousin lives in her truck with two small dogs and buys the Super Body Warmer size by the case. Bright blessings, Bren. 💖

Nice video. Why not use the car I always do.

Mr buddy heater doesn't work with temperature below 30 degrees

Turn A/C light off when running heat. N turn on circulation.. great tips bro!! I wanna see you do a cooking video

i live in england uk,weather not as harsh,i have just done a full year now sleeping in my subaru wrx wagon,i just sleep on the back seat with a sleeping bag,,its ok for 3-4 hours then have to sit up lean against the back door and strech the legs out..i eat at cafe's in the mornings,,use drive throughs,kfc,mcdonalds ect,,i take laundry to laundrette when it all piles up.i travel around and work where ever i can..my problem is that the inside car windows always get steamed,fogged up,even if i leave the windows open 1/2 inch,is there a remody to solve that?..apart from that,im getting used to this way of life..FREEEDOM...all the best to you all that are in this situation.

what about a electric blanket to the jackery

You are so funny

The music must really start when your car breaks down and has to go in for service or you get in an accident. I mean I’ve been thinking a lot about it, but I just don’t see a path. Sure it would save me about 20 grand a year in rent, minibus the additional costs for using my car a whole lot more…figure I save 15-16K per year, I think getting a second job even if it’s like doing Uber can make up for about half that or more. I mean it’s very tempting to do because that’s a lot of coin to save without having to do a second job like Uber eats or some crap, but it’s a risky play, man. There could be a violent storm, car could die, car could crash, car could get stolen, people could figure you out and Jack you. Etc etc etc. I think a lot less risky and costly in a warmer climate. Like I said very tempting and I want to, but I see too much downside.

Privacy curtains, covers.

Why didn't you just run your car engine with the heater on all night for at least one night so you could get some sleep? No way would I have suffered like that. I even asked my mechanic if it was okay to run all night and he said yes. He said just to make sure I was not blocking the exhaust. That would have given you the sleep you needed (spending a little on gas) and then you could have gotten on with a much clearer head. Don't suffer that way. Use what you have at hand for at least a little while and use that car's engine and heater. Also, anything sherpa will keep you toasty warm and Carhartt makes some sherpa-lined caps that are fab. I bought them for my mother who lost all her hair with chemo and they kept her head so warm. Sherpa throws and blankets are awesome for warmth as well. They even make sherpa-lined shirts and gloves. All kinds of ways for you to keep warm out there. My problem is I live in Texas so keeping AC on all the time will be the challenge. And for that I am looking at the Prius hybrid which has the battery that can run heat/AC all the time without much need for the gas engine to run continuously. Take care of yourself and don't be afraid to take advantage of the elements in the vehicle made just for that purpose. Climate control is paramount in very hot and very cold climates.

If you work at a regular job you will be warm at their expenses 😊

The only thing you need is Diesel heater. I've lived in my car for 4 years in Canada. Sleeping bags suck and are restrictive. I sleep warm every night with a light blanket its my home im not sleeping in the cold.

Only on RU-vid can a homeless guy delivering pizzas be considered a "nomad journey"

GET A JOB, GET A VAN, GET INSULATION, GET A HEATER, GET HOTPLATE,

Hairy laides are not good they are nasty 🤢 and this video isn't useful for places where it doesnt get below 40s in the winter

your gonna destroy your engine running that car in IDLE engines are built to run but not to IDLE

guys a -18 mammut sleeping bag is a passport to evry adventure. i've stay in my car overnight with open window at -12 no problem god bless