Landon's Epic Vlog Thread: living without a car in a car-happy world

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by RH77

This is my biggest concern for you: cold snaps... Bundle up and look for that public transit or bike route!

I'll definitely find some tips about how Winnipeggers survive the cold without a car (there's a lot of them). I already bought some winter boots which are super warm. Instead of wearing a toque (aka knit hat) on frigid days I might wear a snowmobile helmet to enclose my face. Ski pants work wonders too.

The only thing left is the fact that my hands get ice cold very fast. I have yet to find any kind of gloves that prevent them from getting cold.

[GenKreton]

Originally Posted by Peakster

The only thing left is the fact that my hands get ice cold very fast. I have yet to find any kind of gloves that prevent them from getting cold.

Mittens. They may not make you the coolest guy walking or riding the streets but they will do much more than gloves ever can. The ones where the finger part flips up are ok. You may look into the lobster claw gloves where two fingers are kept together; they are supposed to be a good compromise although I have no experience with them.

For anyone who rides a bicycle in the winter, is it honestly practical? Do you switch tires and other gear to deal with ice?

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

Mittens. They may not make you the coolest guy walking or riding the streets but they will do much more than gloves ever can. You may look into the lobster claw gloves where two fingers are kept together; they are supposed to be a good compromise although I have no experience with them.

I was thinking along the lines of getting those thin black gloves, like the kind that kids used to wear in school, and wearing them under a well insulated mitten. That way there's the benefit of keeping all the digits nice and toasty in the mitten while having the ability to use keys, etc. without getting too cold when the mitt is taken off.

The ones where the finger part flips up are ok

Oh man, I've used those before and they were horrible! Wind kept on getting into the flaps which was real unpleasant.

For anyone who rides a bicycle in the winter, is it honestly practical? Do you switch tires and other gear to deal with ice?

Personally I don't think riding a bike is practical in the snow at all. Some people in Winnipeg do it but I think the dangers outweigh the benefit of getting to a location faster than walking.

Keeping warm in even the coldest temperatures is totally possible. Recently, I took 5 blankets from the sculpture building to my dorm-room in real cold weather and the only way to carry them was to drape all of them on my body. I looked like one of those shepherds in biblical times. By the time I got to my building I was sweating!!! If only it was more practical.

[igo]

You probally don't have a car share program like flexcar?

They are available in most large cities in the US. It is a good idea for carless people who need a car, "just in case".

Good luck with that Landon. I think gas needs to go up a few dollars a gallon before I make the leap.

[Peakster]

I'm pretty certain we don't have Flexcar in Regina. At least I've never heard of it on the news or by word of mouth.

If absolutely required (such as hauling a whole bunch of lumber from a hardware store), I can always rent a vehicle, either from a friend or professional renter. I'd much rather spend $20 to use a friend's car for a a single trip than spend $550+ every month for a Geo metro plus $220+ a month for a Tempo I rarely use.

[bennelson]

Going carless is very bold.

We live in an entire culture based on the automobile.

Way to go - Keep us all posted on this!

Maybe you can end up encouraging a few other people to do the same, or at least cut down to just one renewable powered vehicle.

PS: You might want to sell the Metro to somebody else on this board or people of similar mindset.

If you figure all the money you spend on a car, and instead invested it into a retirement account, you will be set!

Here is what Dave Ramsey has to say about car payments:
True cost of cars video

[NoCO2]

Good luck to you man, if you can do this I will be dually impressed. I live near a very large city myself and the only real driving I do on a regular basis is to work each day. If I could replace this with either using my bicycle (or electric bike, see thread in alternative vehicles section) or taking the bus, I could easily stretch a tank of gas in my little Putsaround to last over a month, so far I can get about 2 1/2 weeks per tank and nothing more with all the driving I do.

[Peakster]

Two and a half weeks per tank is pretty amazing. I'd be lucky to ever go than long on one tank in my Geo (I don't think I've ever have, so far). Are you in the same situation I'm in where the weather plays a major role in deciding to live without a car?

[NoCO2]

Well, it's easier during the summer and fall months to live without a car. I live in Georgia where the weather, unfortunately, is rather unpredictable. Generally, however, the summer and fall months are pretty moderate, enough so that riding my bike would not be too terrible in order to get to work. The main reason I get such long stints on a single tank is really just do to the tiny amount of driving I do per week. I drive to and from work daily, which is only about 10 miles round trip and then I go to the grocery store, maybe once per week. Other then that I might take the occasional trip to my girlfriends house which is maybe 7 or 8 miles away and that's about it. In reality, my car only gets between 20 and 30 mpg. I live on my college campus which is in a pretty commercial area so everything I need to live can be found within a 5 mile radius easily.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by bennelson

Maybe you can end up encouraging a few other people to do the same, or at least cut down to just one renewable powered vehicle.

I certainly hope so. I think it would be fantastic if I got some video responses of people doing the same thing. Misery love company you know .

PS: You might want to sell the Metro to somebody else on this board or people of similar mindset.

Hmm... I'm not too sure if I like that idea. The Geo has just rolled over to 280K today (driving back to Winnipeg from Regina) and, well, let's just say I don't feel that she's in the shape where I'd like to sell it to someone I know.

If you figure all the money you spend on a car, and instead invested it into a retirement account, you will be set!

You read my mind! Once I sell both the Tempo (which is costing me 220+ a month) and Geo (which is costing me $550+ a month), I'm going to still pay the $770 a month... to myself! Then, after this is all done, I'm going to make a finale Vlog at the end of the year (Psst: hopefully a down-payment for a house).

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Notice: Thanks for all the replies everyone. However I think I'm going to let this thread die and move this discussion over to the thread I have going on the DIY category HERE.