Search results

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
  1. LoveCareThinkDo

    Aspiring Minimalist, getting stuck on keeping items just in case.

    Every time the subject of minimalism comes up, whether in this forum years ago, or on Reddit, almost every week, most people seem to jump to the mindset that minimalism has some sort of virtue in and of itself. That leads them to practicing minimalism for it's own sake, rather than for the...
  2. LoveCareThinkDo

    NM State park annual camp pass poss eliminated

    I tried out the NM State Park annual pass thing a few years ago. Just before I (temporarily) went back to sticks & bricks. I hated it. There is a reason why that was so cheap: Almost all of their state parks are terrible and worn out. The places with water have almost no water anymore, or the...
  3. LoveCareThinkDo

    2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Conversion

    I have been happy to find that Rubbermaid is now making these things again. (Or, I was wrong, and they never stopped making them.) I have bought a couple, and they seem almost as good as the originals.
  4. LoveCareThinkDo

    Painting Over Windows w/ Tint

    I'd go with matching vinyl on the outside. Even if the tint is aftermarket, it would be on the inside.
  5. LoveCareThinkDo

    Screens for tilt out windows

    I used Gorilla Tape to tape a salvaged tent screen over the inside of my window. I wrapped the screen around the part that attaches the latch handle to the window, then stitched up the gap by hand. A trick to getting the Gorilla Tape to stick to the screen well is to fold one piece of tape over...
  6. LoveCareThinkDo

    Is Mini Van Insulation Necessary?

    It depends. Not necessarily necessary. I insulated mine as best as I could, simply by stuffing poly fill stuffed animal stuffing wherever I could. I did notice a difference. It is now warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Maybe by just a couple of degrees, but it feels like more due...
  7. LoveCareThinkDo

    How "cheap" are you actually living?

    I already owned my minivan. I spent $2,000 for all the solar and wiring. $300 for my fridge. Maybe $250 for my cabinetry. Maybe, maybe another $400 for other things that I didn't already own. I've lived in it for about 3.5 years. So that's (2,000 + 300 + 250 + 400) ÷ (3.5 x 12) = $72.23 per...
  8. LoveCareThinkDo

    On to the battery isolator questions

    Yup. I highly recommend a dc-to-dc charger.
  9. LoveCareThinkDo

    Is what you seek really still a thing?

    My desires were simple: I just wanted peace and community.  Unfortunately, when I'm around any community, I have no peace. Any time I'm around other vandwellers I find it seriously disheartening. About 2/3 of the time, if I talk to a person long enough, they start dropping what I call "racist...
  10. LoveCareThinkDo

    Cut off switch

    OK, I looked it up on the Northern Arizona Wind & Sun website. It's like this one: https://www.solar-electric.com/mrcb-60-amp-dc-circuit-breaker.html , except I'm pretty sure mine is 50 Amp. Your amperage may vary.
  11. LoveCareThinkDo

    what to do with spare electronic key

    I keep the spare electronic keys hidden away. But I also a bunch of spares of the door key. I keep one in the small pocket of just about every pair of pants that I might possibly wear. You know how you will have a set of pants that you are "currently" wearing, in that you switch back and forth...
  12. LoveCareThinkDo

    I've been visited by the police twice in three days...

    To reiterate: You should have seen the relief on that Sheriff's Deputy's face when he saw me. I think he drew the short straw and was stuck with what he thought was going to be coming out to find a dead body, rotting in some car. Nobody wants to see that crap.
  13. LoveCareThinkDo

    Cut off switch

    I installed a breaker between the battery and all the rest of the 12v system. I ran a cable from the positive terminal of my battery, up to a breaker that I mounted near the head of my bed (because that was close to the batteries, out of the way, while still easily accessible) and then back down...
  14. LoveCareThinkDo

    Do wire gauges have to be uniform?

    Nope, you are good. The only time you will run into trouble is if you extend a fatter cable with a skinnier cable and think the fat cable will "take some of the load off the skinnier one." Nope, all the amps gotta go through both cables.  But you aren't "extending" a single cable. You are...
  15. LoveCareThinkDo

    Newbie how do i let door open on my 2008 dodge caravan without draining battery

    On my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, there is a roller switch just to the right of the headlights switch. This dims and/or completely turns off the dome lights. If you roll it all the way down, till you feel a click, it will turn off the dome lights, even if the door is open. When I do this, I can...
  16. LoveCareThinkDo

    I've been visited by the police twice in three days...

    It's not super remote. I'm in a single spot about a half mile from where most people camp. There have been one or two RVs in the main area about two days out of each week. It's close enough to a small town that locals come out here every once in a while. Plus, I've met at least one birder who...
  17. LoveCareThinkDo

    I've been visited by the police twice in three days...

    If I don't know you, I'm not telling you where I am. Generally, SE Oregon.
  18. LoveCareThinkDo

    I've been visited by the police twice in three days...

    Both times they were just checking to make sure I was OK. Today, the first thing the sheriff's deputy said was, "Boy am I glad to see you!" Someone had called in that there was a dead body in the car. He took my phone number so, next time, they can just call to make sure I'm not dead out here...
  19. LoveCareThinkDo

    Discord Live Chat Server?

    I've been paying pretty close attention, and I've never seen malware issues mentioned for Zoom. Just privacy issues and possible vulnerabilities that weren't addressed. But it seems they are addressing them with a vengence now. They know that people won't let them get away with lazy security...
  20. LoveCareThinkDo

    Battery Tender 5-45W Automatic Solar Controller: to keep your starter battery charged

    This is a gizmo that is designed to trickle charge your starter battery, but it's powered by a 12 - 36 volt solar panel rather than plugging into a 120 volt outlet. It is basically a PWM solar charge controller, but designed to trickle charge your starter battery instead of charge a deep-cycle...
Top