The term "hacker" has been significantly corrupted over the years. The original definition of a hacker was someone who was curious enough about opening up things to see how they work and consequently change the behavior by modifying the internals. This was not necessarily restricted to computers, but also other stuff like cars, audio systems, etc. "Crackers" were hackers acting mala fide.
I also confess to click-baiting you. This post is not about hacking the car electronics. Not just yet. I wanted to share how I am going about converting the interior of the car for my trip to accommodate what I see as a typical day. It's a culmination of internet research, armchair theories, some personal experience, and fantasies of what my days are going to look like.
Sleep
I see myself spending about a third of my time in campsites (a third in hotels, and a third at homes of people who have offered to host me). Did I mention I have never camped before? And that I love my sleep?
I settled on using what's termed an SUV tent (typing "SUV tent" in Amazon will give you a sense for what I mean). It's an extension to the SUV where the tent is partially supported by the raised rear door. The tent uses an elastic band to form a reasonably tight seal around the body. And the lower part of the tent hooks onto the wheel to stretch it. An air mattress inside the car provides the sleeping surface and the tent provides some space that is enclosed.
For the base padding under the mattress I used something that was left over from our yard work. It's super light, water resistant, has no smell, and is both reasonably soft for a base pad and yet stiff enough to offer some support. And they interlock. The end result looks like this,
The end result looks like this.
Work surface
Please don't rat on me to my insurance company or the local cops, but I have planned a nice setup for keeping laptop/tablet. I tested out taking a Teams call while driving and no one really noticed it. Between virtual backgrounds, noise canceling, and AI-technology, it's much easier to engage with teams while on the go. I have this as my setup for the car tray.
Power Supply
The campsites I have planned out do have electricity supply so I don't really see a problem there. But there's a whole lot of electronics that I would power for while on the road. In addition to work laptop/tablet, there's cameras and a drone. I am also working on setting up some data logging for the vehicle that's likely to be a laptop by itself. I don't want to risk overloading the car. So I got myself this to see how this works out.
Food and water
This is still work in progress. But since I am in a car and not constrained much for weight or space, I expect to carry the usual propane stove, and ready-to-eat with hot water type of food. And not like I am roughing it out in the wilderness or something.
Some of the other things that are in the packing list are: - portable chair and work surface for laptop
- portable/travel light/fan combo for inside the car
- privacy curtains and window mesh for sleeping
Mobile data
I have gone with the Solis 5G that can roam across multiple networks. Have heard decent reviews. I won't know how well it works until I try it out. One thing I know is that in some of the remote areas of the US it's gotta be Verizon or nothing.
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