I live in a house truck out in the woods – rent was too high so I built something cool, one day I’ll buy land for it
A HOME on wheels has become the most desirable place to live for those who want the freedom to explore.
However, an eccentric truck owner has revealed another perk of opting not to live in traditional housing after settling into living in the woods.
Kai (@the_ugly_truckling) has garnered over 858,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares her experience of living in a truck in Canada.
She explained that her decision to build a quirky cabin on wheels was partly inspired by the spiraling cost of rent.
She said: “The rent is too damn high where I live.
“I live in the Pacific Northwest and anyone that lives here knows in the last couple of years with the price of inflation everything is just going to the sky.
“One-bedroom apartments are like 25 hundred bucks a month, it’s just crazy.
“I always figured that building something like this would kind of allow me to secure housing no matter where I was.
“But honestly more than trying to save money I wanted a project. I wanted to build something cool.”
Kai said she developed an interest in off-grid living after watching the documentary Alone in the Wilderness.
She explained that she was unable to afford land to build a cabin but realized that she had the resources to do a similar project using a truck.
She said: “I could get the experience of building it and learn about all of the systems.
“Start building that wealth of knowledge, when the time came and I’m hopefully older and wealthier.
“I’d be able to invest in property and then just drive this on it and have a place to live.”
Kai revealed in a second video that her truck is set in place therefore she has had to think of an alternative solution for getting to and from work.
She said: “I have a daily driver.
“I’ve got the house truck parked up at this nice little meadow here. It is level and plumbed in and everything is perfect.
“If I move this I have to level it all over again which is a major pain in the butt.
“You have to drive back and forth a bunch of times and make sure that your blocks are all right.
“So I try not to move the truck very often.”
Kai has a smaller van that she uses whenever she has to do overnight stays but doesn’t want to move her truck.
She described it as an “apartment on wheels” as she gave a tour of the inside and explained that it’s cheaper than renting a place to stay.
She said: “I’ve got the whole thing insulated and wood-paneled.
“I’ve got a bunch of 12-volt lighting, a tiny little kitchenette area with a sink, and one burner cook stove.
“A bed and a bunch of storage space. It works fine for me.
“Sure it’s not luxurious or anything like that but it’s a whole heck of a lot better than paying to stay in an Airbnb or staying in a hotel when I’m down working in the city.”
The post racked up over 70,000 likes with commenters curious to know more about her experience of living in the woods.
Kai revealed that she has multiple sheds to store items such as firewood and tools.
She added: “I consider myself houseless [laughing].
“Houses are overrated, I actually can’t sleep in large buildings anymore where you can’t hear the weather.”