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No worries. With that in mind, you'll want to do a few things before anything else.

You'll have a few challenges ahead of you, but if you're willing to put in some elbow grease and a bit of cash, and your friends are amiable to you making a few modifications, you can have a nice tiny house. The fact that you're looking at living there for the next few years implies you're willing to do some work to make it nice. Your immediate challenges include:

• Weatherproofing. The shed will need to be insulated so you can stay comfortable, and ideally with a moisture barrier to keep mold away. Read up on insulation requirements here and vapor barriers here.
  
• Electricity. You'll need some power in the shed for things like your computer, charging your phone, running an air conditioner, etc.
  
• Privacy. You cannot be caught or else you'll be out on your ass, so avoiding the neighbors as much as possible is a must.
  
• Comfort. You'll need a bed, space for your belongings, and some basic creature comforts for those days when you simply can't go anywhere else.
  
  One thing missing is plumbing. I am hopefully correct in assuming that your friends will allow you to use their bathroom, shower, etc.
  
  First, you'll need to insulate the place. This is to keep your space warm during cooler times and cool during warmer times. The easiest way to accomplish this is with foam sheeting insulation, available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. You simply cut the foam to size and press it in between the studs that make up the walls; friction holds it in place. Cut as carefully as you can as any gaps means a space where heat can bleed through. If your friends are okay with it, you can patch up small gaps between the foam and the studs using expanding spray foam insulation. Insulating the roof is a little more challenging but can be done in much the same way. I'm not a contractor so you'll want to do some research into installing insulation and vapor barriers.
  
  Once insulation is in place you can finish the walls with drywall or other wall coverings, nailed into the studs. Drywall has higher cost and is harder to work with; you might want to consider something simpler like wood paneling. If you want to go on the cheap and are willing to work a bit, start collecting and disassembling shipping palettes. Remove all the nails from the boards, sand the boards smooth, then nail the boards between the studs to cover the walls. When you're done you can paint it or stain it or seal it.
  
  The bare plywood floor is going to be a turnoff, and I would avoid carpet since you won't have a way to clean it. On the plus side, since the shed will be a small space you can get a couple of boxes of good quality vinyl plank flooring and lay it all down in a single afternoon. It'll be durable, attractive, and easy to clean.
  
  For electricity, don't even think about running an extension cord as there's too many ways that could go wrong. I might consider two options. A couple of solar panels on the roof connected to a couple of simple car batteries can provide reasonable DC power for indoor LED lighting, charging your phone, running a fan or Bluetooth speaker, and other low-load devices. Supplement that with a gas-powered generator for higher load items like an air conditioner. Gasoline generators are cheap and run for up to eight hours on a tank of gas. When shopping, find one that's QUIET and reliable (read: Honda).
  
  If the shed has any windows you'll want to install something that will keep light from bleeding out and prevent people from peeking in. The last thing you want is for a cop car to drive by and wonder why there are lights on in a shed late at night. Consider applying mirrored blackout film (allows light in, doesn't allow light out) to the windows and installing blackout curtains on the inside.
  
  Air circulation is going to be key to your comfort. A hang-out-the-window air conditioner isn't in your future, nor is lighting a fire. Consider a small portable heater/AC unit that you can connect to your generator for power. Some of the better ones also act as dehumidifiers (if you're in a damp area) which can be helpful. If your shed has cross ventilation grates near the roof, consider changing them out for powered fans that can be connected to your solar batteries, and are reversible so that you can have good airflow as needed.
  
  A convertible bed or futon would likely be your best approach for sleeping arrangements. If your shed's roof has horizontal beams inside like the green boards pictured here then you might even be able to get creative with some plywood and build a loft bedroom up there. Screw down the plywood, cover the floor with more vinyl planks, put a small mattress up there, and set up a ladder to get up and down.
  
  Then it's just an exercise in minimal living. Forget about a big TV or high-end gaming computer; use a laptop as your "entertainment center" and stream everything. (Oh, right: If your wifi isn't strong enough from the house you may want to bump your data plan to "unlimited" and use your phone as your internet access point for your laptop.) Be careful with appliances as they often consume a lot of electricity (you don't want to be running your generator 24/7). An insulated water cooler filled with ice and water from the house can provide a convenient and cool water source for several days.

If I were homeless I would want lots of things, but as random suggestions:

https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Sleeping-Zone-Reflective-Available/dp/B000Y9H09Q?th=1&psc=1
Some of those are cheaper than that though ... I'd also want uncooked rice and beans, but would then also need to cook them in a cheap pot and have a small burner like :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006A2ZTS/ref=psdc_13838451_t1_B005T0SN0K

Electric so you would not have to buy nor invent your own heat for it, when in public places to mooch off of. Rice and beans are cheap and healthy, water is pretty much free, so is the electric, so the portable cheap burner with a small pot in a bookbag with your foil sleeping bag would be essential, aside from staying clean. Ideally as a homeless I would invest in a battery system to take the electricity with me, and use a small heater whilst sitting inside a box along with the tin foil. The batteries and components to go with it is what would actually get more pricey, as the sleeping bag when bought in bulk is just a couple dollars or three in this supposed higher quality case and the burner only like ten. But if you are mass buying this I am sure you don't want to go buying people ten dollar burners, and rather than buy them pots they do have large can food, I would be one to use a bucket sized used tin can as my pot for rice and beans, I am just saying pots and pans are cheap anyway and get thrown out often, if not there are empty cans made of steel anyway.

I personally like duffel bags more than bookbags, duffel bags can be pretty big.

Hey I'm not the OP, for more info please go to the original post to congratulate them. :)



Personally I DO live in a van, it's a 1992 Chevy G20 Gladiator. I have a memory foam mattress on top of a wooden platform, totes and cardboard boxes for storage (food, clothing, etc.) underneath. having the mattress off the floor gives space for storage, and also insulates the mattress from the heat or cold of the ground.

For privacy I have tinted windows, non-adhesive window film, collapsible foil sunshade for the front window, and black bug screen mesh like this for the side windows.

For water I use sturdy Arizona tea jugs. I have a basic Coleman camping toilet for nighttime and emergency uses - some people simply use pee bottles or five gallon buckets.

If it's cold at night I have a [12V electric blanket](https://www.walmart.com/ip/TREKSAFE-12-Volt-Heated-Travel-Blanket-White/54609929] and/or a 12V "car seat" warmer that I put under the mattress. I also have a propane Little Buddy heater which I have not yet used.

My main luxury item is an Alpicool C15 refrigerator powered by two 35AH "house batteries" (in parallel) which are charged using a Battery Doctor isolator. The Battery Doctor is run by my alternator when I drive-it only starts charging the house batteries after my van battery is full. The fridge uses 5.8AH per day. I used a cooler for a year, but the drawbacks are constantly buying or procuring ice (like from soda fountains), and food spoilage from it getting waterlogged, plus having to drain it frequently.

For hot meals, I use a 12 volt "lunchbox cooker" (works similar to a crock pot) which is powered in my cigarette lighter while I drive (or I can run it with the house batteries through a 12v splitter - the Alpicool is plugged into the other side. I also have a propane camping stove which I have never used.

I have a USB mini fan to run at night, or I can run my small regular fan through the 300W power inventor where I can also charge my laptop and/or phone (I usually charge the phone in the cigarette lighter).

I don't make any money if you buy from any of these links, but I only used them for illustrative purposes - I encourage you to shop around on Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, Walmart, check yard sales, etc. find the best priced similar item that works best for you. You don't have to get everything all at once - I didn't. But if you can get a basic minivan or van (seats removed), a mattress (or sleeping bag even) on a frame, and some jugs of water, it's a start.

polypropelene is great stuff, it's a fabric made from some type of rubber material that is fantastic at retaining body heat and doesn't absorb water. however it melts really easily, if you pick a metal pot off an open flame it'll melt right through.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-GI-Polypropylene-Glove-Liners/dp/B000HKPFS0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1415566310&sr=8-4&keywords=polypropelene

a pair of those with a pair of wool/polyester is a great combo. i've used polypro socks underneath wool socks while hiking and it works great at keeping sweat from soaking through everything. pretty much the best base layer i've found.

You're welcome. I'll take gentleman-in-progress.

If you have any questions about solar panels I'll do my best to advise and answer any questions that come up.

This looks exactly like the one I got: https://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt-solar-battery-charger-68692.html

It's tiny. I seriously doubt it actually could damage a car battery but I am paranoid so I still put a charge controller between the panel and the battery. Charge controller will interrupt the circuit if there is too little or too much voltage coming from the solar panel. It's just a simple way to maintain a battery. Charge controllers can be stupid expensive but I used one of these: https://www.amazon.com/12V-Battery-Charge-Controller-Switch/dp/B071XY3P6T/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1498568897&sr=1-2&keywords=solar+charge+controller#feature-bullets-btf

Now, if you want to try to cool beverages that needs a whole lot more power than you're going to get out of a 1.5 watt solar panel. There are small-ish coolers that are designed to run on the 12 volt electrical systems in a car but they do draw a bit of power and might kill your battery if you ran it all 24x7.

Searched on amazon for the term "12v drink cooler" and found a few small ones that probably wouldn't instantly murder your car battery.

https://www.amazon.com/KWC-4-Personal-and120-V-Fridge-59586509865/dp/B000JLNBW4/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1498569338&sr=1-3-catcorr&keywords=12v+drink+cooler

That one eats 60 watts. Standard car battery is usually what we call a 50 Amp Hour battery (it will provide 1 amp of current for 50 hours). So the formula goes roughly like this. 10 (battery capacity in Amp Hours) over appliance need in watts. 10 50 / 60 = 8.3 hours. Now that assumes all best case scenario and assumes your car battery is perfect. So, as you can see, trying to power even a tiny fridge could drain a car battery in 8 hours.

I used to use dry ice in a cooler on long trips and I found ten pounds of dry ice would keep things cold for about 24 hours but dry ice can be expensive (like $1 per pound) so that might not be a good option for you. Is there an ice maker at work that you might be able to use to keep fresh ice in a small cooler?

The best way to keep your cat happy is to let her sleep on the dashboard so she can subathe alll day :D

Is your cat an outside cat or inside cat? Because you can still set up a litter box for her if she's an inside cat. If she's an outside cat, you'll have to find some sort of enclosed area to let her roam around in and do her business.

For keeping her comfy on hot days: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B16VT6/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_2_w

There is no such thing as a completely waterproof tent. A good tent with additional
tarps will prolly be your best bet. Ground tarps can be pretty important, as can air mattresses or cots.
A good propane heater, used safely, will be more efficient than a campfire.
A very good sleep system, like http://www.amazon.com/Military-Modular-Sleep-System-Goretex/dp/B002LLPILC
will be a really big help.
As far as raccoons getting into his food, trash pandas are smart and persistant.
A locking, hard sided box of some sort would be his best bet. It should be suspended above ground, in general, but the little bandits will not be deterred by that
There isn't much that will outright deter them except killing them, or capture and relocation.

As a homeless Vet Id imagine you would have unique insight into living conditions.


Do you suppose a cheep hammock braced with tarp and insulated with emergency blanket would be a Useful temp shelter? Something like this

http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Trunk-Skeeter-Beeter-Hammock/dp/B001AIFLX2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421559807&sr=8-1&keywords=Hammock+tent


Im working with paracord to make a type of one with tarp, I need to test it, but I have no idea how well it would be to implement when homeless.


I was thinking of trying it on two chain link poles.


I really have no clue what I am going to do, but I know I can never buy another useless piece of crap product made in china, with out remembering every person that actually tried to help me. I just can never do that again, so I plan to do something.


I was even looking into portland camping laws (its okay on private property) I was thinking of hitting up all the local churches and asking them why those big lots are shut down at 3 am when people need warmth and shelter...

https://www.amazon.com/White-Kaiman-Portable-Flashlight-Powerbank/dp/B07QFRTJS9/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=power+bank+flashlight&qid=1572848416&sprefix=power+bank+flashligjt&sr=8-3

Something like this would be very useful to many homeless people.

Road pro d cell powered fan https://www.amazon.com/RoadPro-RP8000-Indoor-Outdoor-Power/dp/B00KJGRLJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526014405&sr=8-1&keywords=roadpro+fan
powered with a couple sets of these D Cells https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-10000mAh-Rechargeable-Batteries-Flashlight/dp/B001AYIRH8/ref=sr_1_sc_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1526014459&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=ternergy+d+cells

Charge them with this charger
https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-T-1199B-Universal-Battery-Charger/dp/B0019273U8/ref=pd_bxgy_121_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0019273U8&pd_rd_r=6AKQTFQM053GGVEPMPC4&pd_rd_w=f0PUk&pd_rd_wg=S4GRX&psc=1&refRID=6AKQTFQM053GGVEPMPC4&dpID=41pRtqenYEL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

Charge up at the local libraries
that setup should power the fan for a few days on high per set of batteries.

I am using an electric blanket in my car. Night time temperatures are currently in the upper fifties. The blanket shuts off after 30 or 45 minutes and gets pretty warm. So far it works.

I'm a big fan of sleeping in vehicles to save on rent. I've lived in my truck for 2+ years, and I love it.

What kind of car do you have? Do the back seats fold down for you to sleep like that? You can also sleep across the interior but you'll have to black out all the windows and buy a sun shade.

I have curtains using hooks, binder clips, and bungee cords, but I'm going to switch to Reflectix soon. Look up some YouTube videos on ideas how to do it. I got the idea from these guys.

You've got some spaces and some friends so you don't necessarily need a gym membership to keep up with hygiene, but you need a place to make shits. You'll find those places no problem; I'd just keep some sanitary wipes to clean the toilet seats.

Wherever you want with the right gear. I have the US military modular sleep system which is basically 2 sleeping bags (a heavy and a light) as well as a waterproof goretex bivvy bag. I could sleep in 6 inches of water in -20 degree weather and be warm and dry. It's rated down to -60.

There are of course down sides. It's bulky and heavy at 10lbs, but it comes with a compression bag, so it fits in my pack. It's not cheap either, I paid $160 at a surplus store, but they're $230 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Military-Modular-Sleep-System-Goretex/dp/B002LLPILC

The book I directly quoted from is copyright 2015. The most salient law principles descent from earlier law. The longer a legal principle persists as part of current law, the more weight it is given in current law.

Not to mention everything smelling like smoke. Just got back from camping and now I get to do a bunch of laundry, Good Times.

Its 60 bucks + propane but I'm looking at this little indoor heater https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F215100-3800-BTU-Propane/dp/B001CFRF7I/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=little+buddy&qid=1573736689&sr=8-3

"Mobile photo pinces" get you a few results, including this.

If you live in a climate with harsh winters, get yourself a military sleeping bag system, such as this. Sleeping naked, it will keep you alive down to -40F.

Poncho $10
totes ISOTONER Unisex Hooded Pullover Rain Poncho with Side Snaps, Royal Blue, One Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009KSSJVK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_A-oPwb8A9SVRE


Wool socks $20
3 Pairs 80% Merino Wool Socks Mens Womens Large Black,Brown,Gray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017KQZT52/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_J.oPwbPKNWYXJ

Wool blanket $25
Olive Drab Green Warm Wool Fire Retardent Blanket, 66" x 90" (80% Wool)-US Military https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D1AJVHY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_OapPwb51XCSK0

Gloves water proof $25
Tenn Unisex Cold Weather Plus Gloves - Black - Med (Womens: XL) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O7RSKGS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_0bpPwbRZHQNWM

Rain Coat $25
Portwest Classic Rain Jacket, Small to XXL, 3 colours - Navy - S https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJLDYO8/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_KcpPwbGR1J558

Beanie $15
Carhartt Men's Fleece 2-In-1 Headwear,Black,One Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029ZC7AA/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_tepPwb6T4KQ0Y