Fitting everything I own in my car?

Hey, I was wondering if anyone had insights on fitting everything they own into their car.

I have moved 27 times in my life, 25 of those moves happened after I turned 18 (I am 36 now). That is a lot of apartments, houses, dorms, rooms, townhouses, etc. haha

While I have always been fairly minimalistic by American standards I have only gotten really, deeply serious about simplicity in the past two years. The last time I moved (June 2015) it took four carloads in my Nissan Versa hatchback. Now, with proper Tetrising, that could have been three carloads (maybe two!) but it would have been tough.

Any suggestions on a challenge such as this? Thanks.

-Jake D.

Hi Jake,

Just wondering...Do you have less items than you did when you moved in 2015? Did you utilize the top of your car too? I don't know if they still have them, but they used to have a plastic boxy thing with a top and bottom and you can pack things in there too?

I'll come back to this later

A Versa is a fairly small car, particularly by American standards. I'm not quite sure how one would fit even some basic furnishings, like a mattress/futon, or a table, into a Versa. I have a Volkswagen Jetta Wagon and just managed to fit a new-in-box queen-size futon mattress into the back. Sure, there was lots of room otherwise, but the width even rolled up was a challenge.

I would guess you would do better either opting to not move furniture at all -- sell the bed, mattress, table, chairs, etc. at your origin point and buy replacements at your destination. Of course, then there's the matter of using the Versa to get some bigger pieces of furniture home, but at least you'd get to do that a piece or two at a time.

It's possible folding furniture (chairs, collapsible table, air mattress) might be easier to move. Even being able to put on a roof rack or cargo carrier or a hitch for a rented trailer would help, but that takes away from the literal act of putting everything you own into the car.

You also really should check out the load capacity of your car. Between you and your cargo (inside and outside) you may exceed what the car was designed to carry safely.

I tend to think one would be better off hiring movers, but I guess that depends on how far one is moving. But say one is moving 30 miles away, the movers would have to be cheaper than selling everything and buying it again (and much less hassle!). But cross country might be different.

if you're not going far, wouldn't it be easier and quicker to get the small UHaul that's $19 plus gas or mileage, I forget how they handle that.

Tussiemussies:

I do utilize the top of my car. I have a soft rack that I put my canoe on but I also used it to move my full sized mattress and a ladder I used for berry picking. When I moved in May I had relatively the same number of possessions as when I moved in June (long story -- but the house mates I lived with were really bad; stuffed me on the first gas bill and let their cat pee all over everything; so I moved out 7 weeks later).

SteveinMN: Good point about the max carry capacity. I am pretty sure that my stuff weighs less than four passengers would. My intention though is to ditch my full size mattress (is it old now, very old) and get a tri-fold memory foam mattress. That way I can fit in in my car along with my other stuff. I have no furniture at the moment, since the house I live in is furnished by my housemates. The air mattress is a suggestion I am certainly going to consider! I have found them to be plenty comfortable.

Part of wanting to fit everything into my car is to make moving easy, but also it is just an arbitrary but measurable and attainable minimalist goal.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and thoughts! Really appreciate it. :)

-Jake

I haven't been able to fit everything I owned into a car since I graduated from college and started purchasing furniture. Fitting my couch in or on it simply wasn't going to happen. Moving has always involved either renting a truck or hiring movers.

At first I was going to snarkily suggest trading in the Versa for an SUV. Problem solved. But then it occurred to me more seriously that perhaps you'd be better off moving into a van. Then you never have to move homes again or have problems with housemates being jerks.

jp1:

I don't mind a little snark! Go for it. haha

I have thought about the van option very seriously. My parents actually own a conversion van that is fully equipped -- it even has a shower and toilet. I could make a home out of a van like this but I am not financially able to buy one (yet...?!).

Also: Dude living in a van screams "creep" rather than minimalist. haha

-Jake

No mattress is so freeing. I ditched my "real" bed on my last move when I couldn't fit it up the stairs into my attic bedroom. I just gave it all away. Then I bought a fairly cheap (not memory foam) small, tri-fold mattress, like you say. Then I bought a foam mattress topper at Walmart for like $20. I get the Queen size and then fold it so I get that extra layer of padding. I find it nice and comfortable that way. And nicely portable, which is the most important thing.

Kestra:

That is great that your "unreal" bed is working for you! I think I will go for it and get the tri-fold mattress. :)

Lugging my old, floppy, "real" mattress everywhere is really inefficient.

-Jake

My son sleeps on a camping cot with a thin cushion on it. When he moved last year he fit everything into his Kia Rio.

Oh! And the move before that he didn't own a car. He moved 2 miles away, and his moving involved carrying his possessions over the course of three trips ... While Walking. :)

Tammy:

Your son sounds like he has got it made! That is some serious simple living.

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Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler

jp1:

...
Also: Dude living in a van screams "creep" rather than minimalist. haha

-Jake

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Only if you live in that van down by the river. haha. We were joking about this with a friend my age who, after being unemployed for a multi-year stent and unsuccessfully selling her house (at the inflated price she thinks its worth) she rented it. She's now hopping from relative's to relative's guest room. She jokes that she's living in a van down by the river like the sweet/sad Chris Farley character on SNL.

Packing everything you own into a vehicle is STILL a fantasy of mine, one that will never be realized. Can't have any real furniture, though, although one can easily construct and find tables and chairs once you land in a place to live.

The issue of furniture is one I have not thought much of, but now I am. I have mostly lived in places that were furnished by my housemates with their furniture. I always take great care of it. Back in college we'd just get free couches and chairs off the side of the road and throw a sheet over them. But that was the era of "Free Couch" -- before bed bugs plagued the land. :/ So you can't do that anymore.

I guess that if I ever have a stable place to live again I will reconsider the furniture issue. I was married before and had a nominally stable place for a few years, so we have couches. But they were damaged in a cross country move. So they were pitched.

Why is your friend going through all that just to make a few extra bucks on a house? That is one tough anchor to have tethered to her. :/

Having just completed a 27th move myself, I feel your pain.

For a while my rule was that if it didn't fit in my car, Honda Civic Hatchback, then I didn't need it. My futon mattress was tied to the top, my bike was on the rack in the back and there was still room in the car for both the cat and her litterbox.

Owning a canoe is a huge possession along w/paddles & life vests. Think portable for EVERYTHING you have a need for. Can you rent your canoe needs or is there a portable blow-up/foldable option to get instead?

People are always giving away pieces of furniture, like others have mentioned, the $20/day econoline van-style Uhaul may be a reasonable option for the big stuff you want to move around.

Dhiana:

Another 27th mover? What are the odds? haha

May I ask why you've moved so much? Feel free to PM if you want. If it is too personal, disregard. :/

You must be an expert at Tetris because Honda Civics are pretty small cars.

The canoe is indeed a huge possession. I go back and forth about it. It is made of Royalex, which is hard to find and is 12 feet long. But it only weighs 33lbs. So it is a really good canoe and I catch mountains of fish from it. But as far as it being part of the infrastructure of my life -- yeah! Major space taker-upper. I will think about the rental option. I might have to rent from a private owner; the liveries here are strict about their canoes.

And an inflatable is an option I am considering.

Eventually my desire to be car-free and my desire to drive to lakes to go fishing will go head-to-head. Not sure how that will turn out...

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Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler

The issue of furniture is one I have not thought much of, but now I am. I have mostly lived in places that were furnished by my housemates with their furniture. I always take great care of it. Back in college we'd just get free couches and chairs off the side of the road and throw a sheet over them. But that was the era of "Free Couch" -- before bed bugs plagued the land. :/ So you can't do that anymore.

I guess that if I ever have a stable place to live again I will reconsider the furniture issue. I was married before and had a nominally stable place for a few years, so we have couches. But they were damaged in a cross country move. So they were pitched.

Why is your friend going through all that just to make a few extra bucks on a house? That is one tough anchor to have tethered to her. :/

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haha yes, bedbugs put an end to my alley picks. I am your mom's age, or perhaps even older, and I furnished my house with alley finds for decades. Only in the past ten years have we purchased "real" furniture. We had a house full of dogs who would ruin all furniture, so it was a foolish waste of money to buy upholstered furniture. I had some great sofas from the alley: a 3 piece orange floral sectional from the 60's and pillow back monster of a comfortable sofa were my favorites.

My friend, like many people my age, can't give up the dream--a house and what it represents. It is a big "Tara" like house, 4,000 sq feet for one person. It is such an anchor for her, you are right.

I stopped bringing home furniture from the trash about 15 years ago before bedbugs had become the issue they are today. I had found an awesome chrome stool with a sparkly red seat. About ten minutes after I got it in my apartment the cockroaches came pouring out of the legs...

My mom is 66. Ha!

I remember loading couches on top of my rusty Dodge Omni back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. My friends and I felt like bandits getting all that free furniture!

Oh... a "Tara"... how sad, really. :(

I have a dog, but he doesn't go after the furniture. He is mostly just a lay-about. haha

Though he did eat three of my fishing reels in the summer of 2013. haha

He is still a good pup though.

Have you had a "Come to Jesus" talk with your friend about her Tara?

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Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler

Dhiana:

Another 27th mover? What are the odds? haha

May I ask why you've moved so much?

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When I was very young my father was in the military, then in college there were quite a few moves, then I found myself a husband that has a job which has him moving to different locations doing energy management & metering studies.

Even my work as an artist has become minimalist in that I need little room & few tools to complete even large installation projects in other countries. I can do it in a hotel room, on a train, on the couch.

Between the two of us we have a total of 4800lbs of crap we own. That's everything, nothing in storage, no cars, everything. I would be happy to part with more items but my husband is a bit sentimental.

Really figure out what's most important. Sure I love the feel of reading a real book but the luxury of not having to move those books and having an entire library of 1000's of books available at my fingertips on my kindle app is more important.

I want to make large scale metal sculptures. A big fabrication studio is not an option, I found another way to make large metal sculptures without all those tools and I've found a great niche for myself.

I think Tetris is a locked game with specific shapes. You have the option to change those shapes before you place them into your car.
Good Luck!

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Originally Posted by Tammy

Oh! And the move before that he didn't own a car. He moved 2 miles away, and his moving involved carrying his possessions over the course of three trips ... While Walking. :)

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There is a whole group of hotel residents here in our town. Sometimes you see them moving from one hotel to another with just a wagon or even a baby stroller to carry their personal belongings.

Dhiana:

Well said. So well said! Thanks.

Float On:

Are you serious?

Hi again, just a thought if you use a air mattress, you will have most likely electrically fill it up and down so you can store it away for the day. Not sure if there are other types out there?

I have thought about the air mattress. I think that I could keep it inflated all day and just have it leaning up against the wall. At night I could just lay it back down, top it off with some air, and then I'd be ready for bed.

29 moves for me since 18, now 54. I remember all in one car at 18, all in a couple car loads, wheelbarrow to the apartment next door, UHauls, Moving companies, borrowing pickup truck. I want to stay in one spot now, sadly my sign above my car says Gypsy Parking Only:|(
But good luck in your move.

ctg492:

Thanks, hopefully I won't have too many more moves. I'd like to find a good place to live a simple life as a minimalist and invest in the community.

I'd obviously prefer it to be near the coast or at least near a lake! haha

In 1974 my partner and I and our two dogs moved from Austin, TX to Williamsburg, VA in a VW Bug. I had just finished my PHD and we were going to my first teaching job at the college there. We sold almost everything of value--much of it she had made--to friends. We had been living on $800 a month with my TA salary and her Social Security Disability. Some of our stuff had no monetary value, for example the grandmother clock packing box that had served as our coffee table. We made it to Williamsburg and only missed one cabinet she had made that had especially beautiful dimensions. We didn't have the money to move any other way and didn't think that was a disaster, we just did it, happy to be able to move when we needed to.

In 1977 we moved from Alaska to Indiana. Brought what we could fit in a Buick Station Wagon, 300 pounds were shipped, and the luggage (including one cat in carrier) that I could bring on a flight. Started all over again.

Our last move took the biggest semi trailer the moving company had and a 12 foot moving truck. Never again.

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Originally Posted by larknm

In 1974 my partner and I and our two dogs moved from Austin, TX to Williamsburg, VA in a VW Bug. I had just finished my PHD and we were going to my first teaching job at the college there. We sold almost everything of value--much of it she had made--to friends. We had been living on $800 a month with my TA salary and her Social Security Disability. Some of our stuff had no monetary value, for example the grandmother clock packing box that had served as our coffee table. We made it to Williamsburg and only missed one cabinet she had made that had especially beautiful dimensions. We didn't have the money to move any other way and didn't think that was a disaster, we just did it, happy to be able to move when we needed to.

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Nice! I like your style. :)

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Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler

Hey, I was wondering if anyone had insights on fitting everything they own into their car.

I have moved 27 times in my life, 25 of those moves happened after I turned 18 (I am 36 now). That is a lot of apartments, houses, dorms, rooms, townhouses, etc. haha

While I have always been fairly minimalistic by American standards I have only gotten really, deeply serious about simplicity in the past two years. The last time I moved (June 2015) it took four carloads in my Nissan Versa hatchback. Now, with proper Tetrising, that could have been three carloads (maybe two!) but it would have been tough.

Any suggestions on a challenge such as this? Thanks.

-Jake D.

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Well, it's fitting with your username, but you could always just get rid of all of your stuff and survive on ultralight camping gear, because it's small, compact, lightweight and really awesome. But make sure it's actually practical. This one time I went camping with some guy who brought an ultralight frying pan that looked like it was made for a barbie, it was no bigger than the palm of my hand. I collected some oysters and wanted to cook them up and gave him one, but he had to use my pot to cook them in because nothing could fit in his, not even the oysters LoL. That tiny frying pan looked cute and didn't take up a lot of space, but it certainly wasn't good for anything. Anyway, if I was in your shoes and had to start over somewhere new that's what I would do but I already have a bunch of camping gear that I would be more than happy to just live on. I think it would be awesome to camp for the rest of my life, but my situation is the opposite of that now.

It all depends on how minimal you are wiling to go, and that depends on a lot of factors, what is important to you to have, what your hobbies and interests are and if you are willing to set aside certain comforts for extreme minimalism. If the only reason you are doing it because you can't move all your stuff, then maybe consider using a truck.

In my opinion, simple, minimal living doesn't have to mean that you can't have comfort and health, it's not like you have to force yourself to make do with nothing. I think a huge part of being zen and minimal is learning to actually enjoy the things you do have, being healthy, and finding a better balance in life. So it's not like owning furniture or comforts is taboo.

I know people who prefer to sleep on the floor or in a hammock or on a matt instead of owning a bed and I've also done it myself before but it really depends on if that's truly comfortable to you, because those options are not healthy or comfortable for everyone. For example, I could never do it now because I have a tailbone injury. But there are some people who swear by some of those alternative bed options.

But if you really do want to fit everything in a small car, forget about having any luxuries, no furniture, and no useless things.

I used to move a lot and live in very small places. The only thing I had was a bike, a longboard, a bed and some clothes and some dishes that were given to me. Back then my priorities were the bike and longboard. And my longboard is HUGE, it's the longest longboard in town. I usually had to keep my bike and longboard inside so they took up the entire space but I sacrificed the space (back then I could only afford to live in tiny places) because it was the only way I could get around. All I cared about back then was that I had a comfy bed to sleep in at night, other than that I was never at home so I didn't care about aesthetics, decorations or owning anything really.

I live in a long term house now and the way I want to live has changed. I spend more time at home and view it as a safe haven where I can relax and be surrounded by things I love. I have pretty much everything I could ever want here, a swimming pool, sauna, hottub, nice soaker bathtub, my art studio, etc. It's minimal in the sense that I like it to be spacious and zen with no stuff or clutter, but it certainly is not lacking when it comes to all the things that make me happy, if you know what I mean. I do not make do or survive here, it's like an oasis where I can truly be myself.

Making do with extremely minimal stuff is possible if you know how to survive on bare minimum, but just remember survival is merely survival, it's not healthy and it's not always pleasant either, so make sure you know just how minimal you want to go lol, maybe think things through before deciding to get rid of absolutely everything you own. Downsizing is great but getting rid of practically everything can really reduce the quality of your life.

So...

Over the past couple weeks I have gotten to the point where I can fit everything I own in (or on!) my little Nissan Versa hatchback.

Well, there are a couple caveats.

One: I will need to get a different mattress, a tri-fold or an inflatable. I am due for one anyway -- the one I have is over ten years old now.

And two: I'll need a bike rack for my car. Currently I just throw my bike into the hatch if I need to transport it somewhere (like to the repair classes I took not too long ago which were on the other side of the city).

Truth be told, I have not done a full dry-run of fitting everything in my car. But I took all the measurements, did some mock-ups, and fit some of the larger and/or awkwardly-shaped items into the car to see how much space would remain.

This has been an interesting experiment in "Tetris" and showed me how to use space rather creatively.

I've slept on air mattresses for the past 6 or so years. Target has a folding air mattress cot thing that is aluminum and open up to a queen size base with a knit fabric casing to put the air mattress into. I liked it because I could replace the mattress every year or so when it would stop holding air. I left mine in Honduras. I now sleep on an IKEA hack base of 2 6' long shelving units on their side with square end tables the same height in the middle. My clothes go into cubes in the squares of the shelving. I think it is 17" high? Anyway, using an air mattress is not a bad way to avoid the hassle of a traditional mattress.

EDITED TO ADD:

http://www.target.com/p/coleman-fram...mattress+frame

Not the same one I had but looks very similar.

I did a "dry run" of actually fitting everything in or on my car. And I did it!

All I need to do (as I mentioned above) is get a bike rack to attach to my hatchback and trash my old mattress and get an air mattress.

It took me less than two hours to Tetris everything in, I even have some internal space to spare. haha

It took my about a half hour to unload everything. So fast!

Moving should be a breeze in the spring!

color me impressed! But what do you do for furniture, like a couch? Just use the air mattress as all seating?

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Originally Posted by freshstart

color me impressed! But what do you do for furniture, like a couch? Just use the air mattress as all seating?

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Yes, I just sit on my mattress or sometimes the floor. But I am really active when I am not at work. :)

That's fantastic! I'm shamed to say it took about 20 trips to move all our stuff, and we have a mini van.

I prefer the tri-fold matress to the inflatables, but I do like a very firm bed.

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Originally Posted by Gardenarian

That's fantastic! I'm shamed to say it took about 20 trips to move all our stuff, and we have a mini van.

I prefer the tri-fold matress to the inflatables, but I do like a very firm bed.

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Thanks!