OT resurrection of living in a van thread

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by texbike

We did a "camping" trip this past weekend with my parents at an RV park here in Texas. We stayed in a cabin onsite and they stayed in their RV. It was a real eye-opener. There's an entire sub-culture around the RV/van/trailer lifestyle that I just wasn't aware of. We met multiple people that were living full time in a few of these rigs or at least spending a significant amount of time in them. One of which was a really cool, younger couple with two kids from Seattle. They decided to sell their business and hit the road for awhile in their RV. Different paths...

Texbike

When we had a boat our marina neighbors lived aboard a sloop of about 40 feet. Mom, dad, 2 elementary school kids and a cat. It was a beautiful boat and they sailed it often. When you live in a marina you are always around folks with at least ONE common interest.

[metalheart]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind, but if I were thinking about living a mobile life, this would be high on my list:comes with its own little trailer to haul bikes, you can detach the camper/living space and drive away, it is self-contained by solar power, and has enough space for a couple of people who get along well.



http://www.tonke.eu/en/collection/de...eldsleeper-en/

[jimcav]

I haven't found anything reasonable, unless i get an old van and do the interior
myself. I thought it would make more sense working 4 days on 3 days off,
but there are some small home or room rentals up here that are attractive pricewise.
jim

Originally Posted by metalheart

Maybe not what the OP had in mind, but if I were thinking about living a mobile life, this would be high on my list:comes with its own little trailer to haul bikes, you can detach the camper/living space and drive away, it is self-contained by solar power, and has enough space for a couple of people who get along well.



http://www.tonke.eu/en/collection/de...eldsleeper-en/

[Drmojo]

Originally Posted by cderalow

same situation here except my youngest will be off to college in 12 years when I'm 46!

She will be off to college--when I am 71!

[William]

Bryan and Jen Danger spend most nights on the road in their converted Sprinter van, but when they’re back home in Portland, they sleep in their converted garage. They rent their 3-bedroom home (attached to the garage), as well as the garage when they’re not in town.

Five years ago, the couple quit high-paying jobs (after tucking away a nest egg), rented out their home and moved into a remodeled VW van. Back in Portland after a year and a half on the road (to Central America and back), they realized their 3-bedroom home was too big for their shrunken lifestyle and they began to focus on creating shelter in their garage. Upon discovering their remodel would qualify as an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit), making it free from permitting fees, the couple joined a local wood-and-metal-working shop (Bryan learned to weld) and began to craft the old parking into a 480-square-foot home.

Using mostly recycled wood and steel, they lofted their bed above storage stair unit that includes a closet, washer/drier den and a built-in TV and fireplace. With he same materials, they built floor-to-ceiling storage along one wall (they don’t use all the space). They laid the OSB floor and poured concrete into molds to create industrial countertops. A section of the counter swivels on casters to become a dining table, workspace or cocktail bar. The bathroom, the biggest room in the home, is a “wet bath” in acrylicized waterproof concrete inspired by the road trip’s outdoor showers.

Not wanting to give up on travel, they sold their Westy (not reliable enough) and bought a Mercedes Sprinter van. After adding insulation and wood paneling, they dropped in temporary OSB furniture to test run on road trips. Once they were comfortable with the layout, they crafted permanent furniture in bamboo, including marine-grade off-grid refrigerator, toilet and automated retractable awning (built to withstand high winds).

Today, the couple work designing small spaces for clients, and thanks to their light lifestyle, they haven’t had to return to full-time work even after 5 years on the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sLQ-2rCdmw



The whole video is interesting but the second half (starting at about 14:00 in) is about the van set up.






William

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by jimcav

I haven't found anything reasonable, unless i get an old van and do the interior
myself. I thought it would make more sense working 4 days on 3 days off,
but there are some small home or room rentals up here that are attractive pricewise.
jim

That seems way more practical under the circumstances, but it makes for a less interesting thread.

[jimcav]

Originally Posted by Lanternrouge

That seems way more practical under the circumstances, but it makes for a less interesting thread.

well, I do still LIKE the idea: saw a VW Subaru conversion for 12k in Chula vista (which seems 1/2 the ridiculous typical price), and this weekend hope to explore a bit of the mountains nearby, so maybe I will come away more motivated to go the van route, but I think it more likely I will be motivated to buy a bigger travel bike to do bigger trails
I saw a truck with one of the pop up bondi roof top tents and that could be a good compromise except I know I need one that handles wind, because it get's crazy windy up here at times
jim

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by jimcav

well, I do still LIKE the idea: saw a VW Subaru conversion for 12k in Chula vista (which seems 1/2 the ridiculous typical price), and this weekend hope to explore a bit of the mountains nearby, so maybe I will come away more motivated to go the van route, but I think it more likely I will be motivated to buy a bigger travel bike to do bigger trails
I saw a truck with one of the pop up bondi roof top tents and that could be a good compromise except I know I need one that handles wind, because it get's crazy windy up here at times
jim

Mountains nearby Chula Vista or Ridgecrest?

[jimcav]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Mountains nearby Chula Vista or Ridgecrest?

I mean north and west of Ridgecrest--going to trail of 100 giants near Kernville, Lone pine, Big Pine this weekend

[belopsky]

I had this G30 for a short while, had some carb issues, I ended up selling it before doing anything with it.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by jimcav

I mean north and west of Ridgecrest--going to trail of 100 giants near Kernville, Lone pine, Big Pine this weekend

Ah, well I won't look you up then. :-) I had a lovely campsite on the Kern River a few years ago.

[VoyTirando]

don't know if anyone posted this - didn't see it. my wife and i got a kick out of the article. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...media-movement It's interesting how even something so romantic and 'simple' as living in a van has been dragged into the social media universe: there's a great passage here about how this couple spends forever trying to get just the right pic of a moment to post on instagram. arguably, they're trying to find a way to pay for this awesome lifestyle, and getting sponsors by having paid posts on their van life instagram feed is cool, but it seems to suck some of the joy from what on paper looks like bliss.

[xnetter]

Last year, my now-wife and I spent 3 months touring the US and Canada in a fancy RoadTrek RV borrowed from our parents. It was an awesome experience, but required a lot of patience - and money. Moving around is expensive; perhaps if you've got it parked in a semi-permanent fashion, it's the cheapest way to live in a given spot.

The #vanlife thing is cool if you can swing it but I think in many cases you still need a home base or time off from the road. Many of the Insta van dweller stars say that you need a break now and then, or that climate patterns and practicality push you back into regular shelter at times. Minimal space and lack of capacity for anything beyond just sleeping and eating can be problematic for tinkering and other hobbies.

Boondocking and more rustic camping was great. We have tons of nice memories from Alberta, WA state, New Mexico, etc etc. Serviced campgrounds are necessary for the times you need to recharge the batteries/dump tanks/fill up on water but the KOA/RV park culture is pretty bleak.

The vehicle was based on a Chev Express van so lots of power and comfort. Decent on gas too, surprisingly. Some friends of ours have a Westy from the late 80s/early 90s and I think they have replaced every single part on that thing at least once. It is a true lemon, I'd NEVER want to own one.

KJ

[jimcav]

Originally Posted by xnetter

The #vanlife thing is cool if you can swing it but I think in many cases you still need a home base or time off from the road. Many of the Insta van dweller stars say that you need a break now and then, or that climate patterns and practicality push you back into regular shelter at times. Minimal space and lack of capacity for anything beyond just sleeping and eating can be problematic for tinkering and other hobbies.

KJ

my situation is working M-Th and then going home (or possibly to cool out of the way MTB trails in the van), so the breaks are built in, I have access to a gym with shower if needed, RV parking area with little community center (shower, WiFi). Seemed ideal until I started pricing the vans. I was going to look at road trek near me, but it was 19k.

[summilux]

I'm going to view a Vanagon Wesfalia camper tomorrow. It's supposed to be rust free but people seem to have different definitions of waht rust-free means these days. Maybe I'll be doing this soon.