live in truck?

Little bit of an upgrade - slide in? They make some mid-size compatible ones. Get a membership at a gym or something for showers and whatnot.

 

I don't know anyone who hasn't already had a gym membership that offers showers for years
they are $30/mo

 

You may find these 2 fellas that live out of their trucks year round helpful.

https://youtu.be/ZWDLVOQ1DxU

https://youtu.be/Hfeqrkl7TIo

 

^Thought about going with high roof shell. What's the purpose? Feel roomier? Hang more stuff?

Only drawback is it might look goofy with a roof rack, which at this point, seems necessary
Whereas with a flat level top, one can even get shell rack that matches with the cab rack

 

Do yourself a favor and get a slide in. The key to the homeless firefighter is that second word firefighter… he’s got a station/house to chill at… Bed, kitchen, living room… so pick up a shift and you’re homeless or camping for 4 nights a week?

 

Where are you planning on sleeping at night?

You mention wanting to be incognito. There's nothing incognito about sleeping in the cab of your truck unless you're short enough to sleep in the back of the cab. As soon as you put curtains up in the cab of the truck you're going to get attention. You *might* be able to use sunshades, but people don't typically use those on the side windows, so you're probably going to get attention.

Sleeping in the bed makes a lot of sense. You'll definitely have more room. You'll want a high roof canopy, not a cab height. The cab height is nice and low profile, but it *really* sucks not being able to sit up in bed. You can get by with a smaller space but don't be surprised if it gets old after a couple of months. I know that SoCal weather tends to be nice, but when it's not nice you're going to want some shelter. Also, when looking at canopies, make certain that you can open it from the inside. It's usually easy to rig something to hold it closed from the inside while you sleep, but you absolutely don't want to be able to get locked in.

You talk about a solar panel setup. I've got a Renogy 160w mounted on the canopy of my truck. It's usually enough to keep the battery charged and the fridge running, provided that I don't park in the shade. The problem is that canopies tend to turn into ovens when you park in the sun that you'll need to keep the fridge running. There's a little bit of tail chasing going on there. If the fridge is in a space that gets hot, it'll need to run more to keep the inside cool. Getting a white canopy and installing vents will help. Also, keep in mind that solar panels on a vehicle get a tweaker's heart aflutter in the same way that catalytic converters do. I went with a flexible panel that is mounted directly to the roof with a small spacer. You can't see that it's there unless you're higher than the roof of the truck.

How much stuff do you have? You mention a roof rack. That's going to take some planning so that it plays nice with solar. Storage boxes or things on a roof rack will attract attention as well.

My wife and I traveled extensively out of my 1st gen Xtracab for a total of a year and a half over a three year period. The other year and a half we were at sea working on cargo ships. We had a simple sleeping platform in the bed of the truck with all of our stuff under the platform. I had an awning that I could set up off of the side of the truck along with a table that clipped to the canopy for cooking.

Before the 1st gen I lived out of a VW bus during my summer breaks from college. It was a panel bus, so it had no windows on the sides other than the front doors. It was the best stealth camper I could ask for. I could put one curtain up and nobody could see if I was in there without shining a flashlight in. It was small enough that I could go anywhere with it, so long as anywhere didn't involve a freeway. During the work week I would rotate camping through several regional parks in Orange County. None had showers though, so I went through a lot of baby wipes. This was before the big wipes came out.

If I had to do it again now, as much as I love my truck I'd be selling it and getting something like a Ford Transit Connect Cargo van (their small van). It's got far more interior space, it blends in and you can go straight from bed to the driver's seat.

 

I second the idea of a slide in
Had a friend who lived in 1 for a while

 

All of this.

The window tint helps- to hide the curtains or shields. Without some sort of physical barrier, people can still look in, especially if they carry a flashlight, but a bigger concern is that any time you do anything involving light while inside, folks outside will be able to see it. Example, using a headlamp to read or check on something, using any electronic device such as a laptop, Kindle, smartwatch, etc. As he mentions, curtains/shades in the front are a giveaway to anyone paying any attention.

Which brings us to sleeping it the bed. All of the platforms you see folks building for camping and carrying gear are nice, but full sized decks are impractical for actually living out of. The style with the sleeping bench/a cot is much more practical, if you have enough bed space (something the Tacoma definitely lacks). Unless you are in an area with a bunch of bums already, you will be stealth camping meaning once you slip from the cab into the back, you're essentially there until you slip out in the morning and leave. You will want- and need- to be able to move around, but you need to keep movement to a minimum when trying to be stealthy in an area with people. Inclement weather days stuck in the back suck. The more room you leave for sleeping and general living, the less you have for storage. Unless you're an extreme minimalist you're going to have stuff stored in the cab. One of the things I almost always have in the cab (behind the passenger seat) is my fridge because, as already noted, it's bulky and it gives off heat while running. That also means I have to be discreet grabbing stuff out of it before slipping into the back. It also gets bounced around less than if I had it positioned near the tailgate.

Insulation isn't just for cold weather. If it gets cold/chilly, the condensation from your breathing will fog or ice the windows; similarly, if you're a loud snorer, well that one's obvious. My VW was a Westfalia so windows and curtains, but with the darker tinted side windows I could put black felt covered Reflectix panels on the windows so you couldn't see the curtains and no light escaped. A dark colored blanket hung behind the front seats is not readily apparent just walking by at night and with the front seats visible it doesn't look as likely to be occupied. There's a lot to be said for being able to slip from the driver's seat into the back and vice versa, for stealth, comfort and safety.

I did more or less the same thing, worked offshore O&G, twenty eight day rotations, so living within a small space was something I was used to but I wasn't stuck in a city when I was off, I was free to travel wherever. When I did it while working street EMS I was working 24/72s so I had a place to do laundry while working and I could park at the station on my off days or a buddy's farm if I wasn't traveling. I could also go stay at my folk's house if I wanted to, which was nice since most of my stuff including tools was in a storage shed in their backyard.

 

Here's a couple of pictures of my Leer 122 with roof rack:







Sure, the Leer 122/Taco combo looks like some hideous miscegenous mating attempt, but it's extremely utilitarian and roomy, which is all I care about.

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