Finding himself employed in the same store—and wanting to avoid his father's inability to enjoy retirement—Wells moved into a box van in 1995[3] purchased with his last $1,500 after working for 20 years at the store.

[5][6] After six years, he remarried, moved into a house,[1] and relocated with his wife to North Carolina, but eventually went back to living in a vehicle full-time.

[7] In 2005, after seeing a mother and her three children sleeping in a car, Wells created the website cheaprvliving.com, to provide tips, resources and strategies for living in a vehicle.

[7][8] As of 2024[update],[9] Wells organized a get-together of vehicle dwellers in Quartzsite, Arizona each January known as the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR).

Based in Pahrump, Nevada, the organization helps those with housing insecurity by acquiring vehicles and having volunteers convert them into a habitable space.