Sam Salwei lives in a 28-square-foot pod. It was built in 1988, and formerly the car was known as a Ford Festiva. Salwei, a founding member of the YogaSlackers group and a GearJunkie contributor, calls his highly modified vehicle the PeaceLoveCar.
A solar panel on the roof gives power. The seats fold down into a bed. Under the hood is an oven. “We bake burritos in there,” Salwei notes. The back seat has a fridge.
408,841 miles grace the odometer. The Guinness World Record for a Festiva, Salwei says, is 640,000 miles. “I might break it.”
Since 2009, Salwei has lived in the car. It was originally purchased in 2002 by fellow YogaSlacker Andy Magness. He bought it for $600. Andy and his brother Jason, both climbing bums at the time, used the car to get to crags and mountains around North America.
Salwei first drove it in 2004, from San Diego to Fargo. He now calls the car his office, home, and transport system. A year ago he met Raquel Hernández-Cruz, a yoga instructor with a master’s degree in marine biology, and she moved in.
The couple travels the country teaching, filming at adventure events, and generally living free. “I don’t know anything else,” said Salwei, who is originally from North Dakota.
