~2 weeks til I hit the road!

[NomadicJay]

[size=small][size=small]Hey everyone![/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]I'm Jeff/NomadicJay, usually Jeff though.[/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]So excited to have found this forum. I'm going full nomad this fall/winter for the first time with my 2003 Dodge Caravan. I've traveled the country a lot, but never did any boondocking. I'm heading to Michigan first to visit a friend who's going to help me a couple little projects and I think I found some cool spots in Huron-Manistee NF and then I'm headed south to DeSoto NF and the gulf coast and then west...  or if hurricanes are on the forecast I'll skip the gulf coast and just head southwest out of MI. Obviously all of that might change in the blink of an eye, but that's what I love about this![/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]Some quick questions. Is getting everything squared away before I hit the road super important? I'm thinking that I'm gonna hit thrift stores along the drives to find stuff to store things in, possibly deals on plywood or other stuff. Is that doable or should I take the time before I go to put together EVERYTHING I need?[/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]The other question... electricity. So much info and so many reviews out there. It's hard to sort through and I know there's probably better options and probably cheaper options, but I'm thinking I might just buy this "[/size][/size][size=small][size=small]power station[/size][/size][size=small][size=small]" because it seems extremely user friendly and has the stats I think I'll need. It can also charge off my car battery through the lighter thing while I'm driving and has a solar power option that's easy to attach if I decide I need it.[/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]Looking forward to talking with people and I'm pretty sure I'll be here in this forum quite a bit once I start putting some time on the road/in campsites under my belt.[/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]Any recommendations on Huron-Manistee are completely welcomed! I should mention I am trying to stay relatively close to Grand Rapids since my buddy is gonna have to go to work some days while we're camping. And any recs on spots between MI and the Gulf Coast too! Send em my way![/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]I'm slowly getting a website set up to document the process I've been going through to hopefully help others down the road - www.AShelterFromTheNorm.com. All feedback and tips welcomed on anything I'm doing.[/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]Safe travels and I look forward to hopefully meeting some of you in the future![/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]Jeff[/size][/size]

[size=small][size=small]"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.” - Vonnegut[/size][/size]

 

[RvDreams]

Welcome NomadicJay to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

Starting with what you have and acquiring as you go is probably the best option. You will know what you need that way and not have to rip out and start over.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Sofisintown]

Well, welcome again, Jeff, since my first welcome got deleted.
Good luck with all your plans!

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum  

What I would suggest is getting a plywood floor in place and carpet on that.  Then establish a bed you can be warm and comfortable in.  Considering your need for a house battery & power for lighting think about using those LED lights.  They won't use much power at all.  An ice chest can stow food and water and should be onboard at the start.
But you should see your rig as a work in progress. 

In the first link below about Van Conversion there is a page with a list of handy stuff to have in your rig.  If you were in your home you would likely have this stuff stored there too.

There are all kinds of thrift stores.  Goodwill, Dollar Tree, Five and Below, and even construction materials recycle stores.  Pawn Stores often have useful things at reasonable prices.  Yard sales are often great sources.  Outlet stores in Outlet Malls and Friday night auctions at the large Flea Market sites can offer some finds.

But ultimately newbies when they hit the road the first time will be half improvised and half compromised.

 

[nature lover]

Welcome Jeff, to the forum and to the nomadic life style. We all have our opinions to share with you but you’ve got the responsibility of picking out what will work for you. You may pick up something at a thrift store along the way and throw it out 100 miles later. One thing I disagree with is carpet in a van. It’s just too hard to keep clean and absorbs every odor you ever put in your van. In my old rig I thought it would help keep my feet warm. But I ended up having to wear moccasins or something anyhow. I like my high-quality vinyl floor, in less than a minute I can have it clean, matter what happens. And like Forrest Gump says “S#$T happens” As for the little Jacorey that’s what it is Little, It will give you something to charge your phones and iPads or laptop with but not much more. It’s cheaper to buy a small solar panel To directly charge your things either while sitting or even on the dashboard while driving. Of course your small things can be charged directly from your cigarette lighter plug. For lighting I use harbor freight lights that are powered by AAA batteries that I can recharge with a solar charger or a charger that runs off My cigarette lighter as I’m traveling. I needed refrigeration because of my medications so I did have to put house batteries and solar panels for that. I think sometimes we nomads want to have everything we had at home in our van but it’s so much easier and better and cheaper to learn to do without some of those things. Make a list have things you really need and can’t get along without. Then as you travel You’ll find out what you really need and then go through that list several times weeding out stuff that you thought you really needed and didn’t. For years as a part timer I wanted to have the convenience of good drip coffee coffee off grid. I saw and coveted one of those Coleman coffee pots running on 1 pound propane canisters. They were too expensive but after years of fantasizing I saw one at a discount store for 50 bucks and picked it up - it is in the bottom of my clothes closet in this van it has never been used. I could use that space for something more important. I have learned that doing is the only way you can really learn what you need and what you don’t need. It is amazing to see what you can get along without. I would think in your location heat would be a number one thing. When I first started out in a years ago I Could endure And even enjoy the cold. Now that I’m older and have all sorts of medical problems cold is an enemy. If it was 38° here in PA last night and it was I’ll bet your Michigan temperatures are lower. Heat is something we have to be very careful with it can kill you very quickly. Well I better stop writing this book or to take you a month to read it. It’s just my opinion for what it’s worth. God bless the nomads everyone of us.

 

[NomadicJay]

Well, welcome again, Jeff, since my first welcome got deleted.
Good luck with all your plans!

Thank you! My first post got deleted too. I never realized if I use the "smile" extension on Amazon that if someone buys it, the charity I chose gets money. Learn something new everyday I guess .

 

[NomadicJay]

Welcome Jeff, to the forum and to the nomadic life style.  We all have our opinions to share with you but you’ve got the responsibility of picking out what will work for you. You may pick up something at a thrift store along the way and throw it out 100 miles later. One thing I disagree with is carpet in a van. It’s just too hard to keep clean and absorbs every odor you ever put in your van. In my old rig I thought it would help keep my feet warm. But I ended up having to wear moccasins or something anyhow. I like my high-quality vinyl floor, in less than a minute I can have it clean,  matter what happens. And like Forrest Gump says “S#$T happens”  As for the little Jacorey that’s what it is Little, It will  give you something to charge your phones and iPads or laptop with but not much more. It’s cheaper to buy a small solar panel To directly charge your things either while sitting or even on the dashboard while driving. Of course your small things can be charged directly from your cigarette lighter plug. For lighting I use harbor freight lights that are powered by AAA batteries that I can recharge with a solar charger or a charger that runs off My cigarette lighter as I’m traveling. I needed refrigeration because of my medications so I did have to put house batteries and solar panels for that. I think sometimes we nomads want to have everything we had at home in our van but it’s so much easier and better and cheaper to learn to do without some of those things. Make a list have things you really need and can’t get along without. Then as you travel  You’ll find out what you really need and then go through that list several times weeding out stuff that you thought you really needed and didn’t.  For years as a part timer I wanted to have the convenience of good drip coffee coffee off grid. I saw and coveted one of those Coleman coffee pots running on 1 pound propane canisters. They were too expensive but after years of fantasizing I saw one at a discount store for 50 bucks and picked it up - it is in the bottom of my clothes closet in this van it has never been used.  I could use that space for something more important. I have learned that doing is the only way you can really learn what you need and what you don’t need. It is amazing to see what you can get along without.  I would think in your location heat would be a number one thing. When I first started out in a years ago I Could endure And even enjoy the cold. Now that I’m older and have all sorts of medical problems cold is an enemy. If it was 38° here in PA last night and it was I’ll bet your Michigan temperatures are lower. Heat is something we have to be very careful with it can kill you very quickly. Well I better stop writing this book or to take you a month to read it. It’s just my opinion for what it’s worth. God bless the nomads everyone of us.

Thanks for the tips! I'm trying to bring the bare minimum I need to get by to start with and I figure I'll find stuff and eventually I'll have to cut it down again down the road. It'll be a learning curve and I can't wait!

 

[NomadicJay]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum  

What I would suggest is getting a plywood floor in place and carpet on that.  Then establish a bed you can be warm and comfortable in.  Considering your need for a house battery & power for lighting think about using those LED lights.  They won't use much power at all.  An ice chest can stow food and water and should be onboard at the start.
But you should see your rig as a work in progress. 

In the first link below about Van Conversion there is a page with a list of handy stuff to have in your rig.  If you were in your home you would likely have this stuff stored there too.

There are all kinds of thrift stores.  Goodwill, Dollar Tree, Five and Below, and even construction materials recycle stores.  Pawn Stores often have useful things at reasonable prices.  Yard sales are often great sources.  Outlet stores in Outlet Malls and Friday night auctions at the large Flea Market sites can offer some finds.

But ultimately newbies when they hit the road the first time will be half improvised and half compromised.

Reading over those links now, looks like good info for sure. I'm planning on doing just the basics to make the minivan livable. I love my minivan and it's been all over the country with me, but she's getting old and I'm thinking I might get something new in the next year or two so I don't want to put a whole bunch of money into it. I'm hoping to find some plywood for a floor but hopefully find a way to use it that can be taken out and put into the new ride down the line. I've got some big ideas for the first few weeks to attempt making a "roof bed" and a structure to put a tarp over. We'll see how it goes. I'm trying to make the structure to easily use with any car/van/SUV. Can't wait. Stupid work for another week though, ugh.

 

[GoGirl]

We use throw rugs on our vinyl floor. If they get dirty wash em. Sweep and scrub the floor, all clean! And our feet are comfortable.

 

[nature lover]

Yes I should’ve said that throw rugs are wonderful especially in the winter. When I’m camping in the woods I like a nice rubber backed rug under the awning at the door where I go in and that keeps a lot of dirt out. But I can’t recommend these new vinyl floors enough. They’re expensive but worth it And clean up really nice without Much labor.I could’ve saveD some money by putting A smaller piece down after I put the cabinets in but I thought the easiest way instead of all that trimming was to simply put down the floor, cover it with vinyl and then build the cabinets. If I have to replace cabinets there are some silicone things that can repair the little holes that the screws made if they are exposed. I hope that made sense. My experience in others is that the floors are always cold no matter what you do with them mine has 3/4 inches High density foam under the three-quarter inch plywood Band vinyland the floor is still cold. If I camp in cold weather for a longer period of time I plan to put some “Skirting“ around a vehicle to keep the air from moving under it. That’s not very handy when you have to move the vehicle every day but it sure would make the floor more comfortable. God bless the van dwellers and keep their feet warm.