(Part 3) Top products from r/homeless

Depends where you live. So I live in California & these options were available to me at one point or another or still are & homeless.

Monthly bus pass. With this you can seek out the longest route that runs 24hrs & sleep for about an hour and a half to two hours before boarding off then back on again for another nap. If you befriend the driver at the same hours they won’t trip. They sometimes like the extra person because it makes them feel as if nobody else will mess with them during those hours.

Storage. Stay away from big brand & go mom & pop. You can crash inside your unit during the day as needed. This will help if you get sick. I have a storage, mailbox & cellphone.

Sleeping outside. Save money for rainy weather or you can tuff it out. Carry a pocket knife & always be prepared to use it. Don’t ever pull a weapon if you’re not prepared otherwise it can be taken from toy & used on you. The pocket knife you can use to stab in to somebody thigh & twist. They will go sown & not be able to get back up. Only in self defense. Otherwise if the local authorities piece together that it looks like it wasn’t self defense then you’re in trouble. Also find a corner to sleep in this way nobody sneaks up behind you. Remember to push somebody off if they’re on top as they’re coming frontal, bring knees to chest & push/kick with legs

best pepper spray to buy, have it sent to a amazon locker near you if you can. my partner has one since I got it for her & works every time

In case it’s cold at night. Use one of those extra size backpacks. I carry three jackets to sleep in & a pair of baggy sweatpants that go over my day clothes & a blanket & sleep easy then pack everything away in the morning.

I find 24hr gas stations that sell food to be reasonably ok for sleeping but camping near a hospital ER is better. Not on hospital ground just on the sidewalk. 24hr bathroom, if you feel you’re in danger you can just walk up & go inside & just ask to use the bathroom or let the security guard know there some creep outside. They also usually have water fountains. So it’s pretty chill imo from my experience & easy to charge stuff as needed .

you can try The National Center for Homeless Education

Have you tried reaching out to The Office of Residence Life or the off campus office for resources? Does your school have Academic retention centers (ARCs)? They can help as well. I’d start with the office of student body. seek out opportunities for free housing, such as working as a resident assistant in a dorm. Look for resource centers for homeless college students in your area and check your school for year-round housing options.

If you can find a school buddy. It’s possible to use financial aid to live in a off campus apartment with some roommates. Also try checking with your finical aid department for additional loans or grants you can quality for.

This is all I have, good luck 🙏

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.

i figured since i did some research on this a while back that maybe this could help with your food issues.
if you get a cooler like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Can-Party-Stacker-Cooler/dp/B0030BGA0U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538939638&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Coleman+25-Quart+Cooler

or any smaller cooler that can typically hold 20-30 quarts of liquid and pack it with ice you can keep things that normally would be refrigerated for anywhere from 3-5 days as long as you top up the ice 1-2x a week.

if you consider the added benefit of food choices and costs a $20 upfront cost and $1-2 a week afterwards a week isnt so bad and could save you money in the long run.

2nd thing to tackle food wise is what to do with dishware and cleaning it.
having access to metal glass or hard plastic plates will help cut down immensely in costs as in order to clean them you simply need a little bit of water from a water bottle and a dishtowel wiping the plates down before applying any soap or water can reduce the total amount of time and supplies needed to clean them as well
any goodwill you can find yourself several varieties of plates and bowls for dirt cheap if you are needing them

if you can afford it you can also use papertowels over the plates for non liquid foods to help reduce cleanup as well.

next lack of a way to heat your food. if all you are doing is simply heating up precooked food you can easily use the heat of the car and or your engine with some alluminum foil to keep things hot that has been opened. think having lunch and dinner same meal could mean opening in the morning leaving in the car wrapped in alluminium it'll be hot by lunch and put 2nd half back in to keep warm for dinner.

alternatively you could possibly find a convenience store that might let you use their microwave a few times a week or more

thats all i can think of for now other than keep dirty laundry in the trunk so it doesnt stink up the car?

also unless its a significant drive to find one i would suggest cutting starbucks out and looking for a bookstore/library/any other air conditioned place you can sit down and it doesnt cost you anything to be out of the heat for a few hours

While you still have some money, get a PO box so you have a stable mailing address. Safe deposit boxes at the bank are also surprisingly cheap- like $40 for the year and are a good safe place to keep important documents.

Get a space blanket or sleeping bag. They are windproof, waterproof and you will never ever die from exposure while you have one. They also fold into your pocket.

If you ever get low and need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me.

Duct tape or zip tie that shit and tough it out 'til Friday. Get rid of everything except for a large back pack worth of necessities. Get a weatherproof bag WITHOUT HOLES IN IT and some rain gear. Put things you don't want wet in the bag. Keep only your most comfortable set of shoes and a back up pair for rainy days. Three changes of outerwear and 5 changes of underwear, as many pairs of socks as you can fit, and a thirty day supply of toiletries stored in a weatherproof container. Get a good backpack and keep it physically secured at all times. I recommend https://www.amazon.com/Condor-3-Day-Assault-Pack/dp/B0086UAF9M for the pack, https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/5ive-star-gear-gi-spec-waterproof-laundry-bag-od-green-690104217680.do?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihi_e-ksXdAhUIEawKHZeGDb4Q9QEwAXoECAQQCA for the weatherproof bag, and https://www.amazon.com/Military-Goretex-Waterproof-Parka-Jacket/dp/B01BFBHYFG for the rain gear.

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?

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...

http://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Signature-Vitamins-Minerals-500-Count/dp/B002RL8FCU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405533771&sr=8-2&keywords=multivitamin

This is what i ended up buying him. I think these are as good as any other multivitamins and they are like 1/2 the price. .03 a day ain't much to keep essential nutrients in your system.

Get him some of these, trust me they're worth their weight in gold and last forever.

https://www.amazon.com/Meals-Ready-Genuine-Military-Surplus/dp/B005I5ML36

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.

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

>How about those sun reflectors? Would that be better?

slightly. A car-cover would be better. Nobody cares about a covered car parked on a public street (probably belongs to some pretentious jerk who is afraid bird poo might hurt his delicate paintjob--whatever) though even tinted windows might help some. remember to leave window cracked to prevent fog build up on the inside (a dead giveaway that someone is in there). Nobody will jack with you if your car is covered with a car-cover.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1411528054&sr=1-1&keywords=heater+portable+propane+indoor

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

https://www.amazon.com/Stansport-712-Tube-Tent-Orange/dp/B002ZZSXG6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tube+tent&qid=1562160398&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Britta-Products-SSR-01-Luminous-String/dp/B0071T7PTW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

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