Cargo Van vs Pick Up with Cargo Trailer

[2WOLVES]

OK Tribe. I'm down to a month left in the military, and I need your help. As you know I'm going to start living the life of full time van dwelling on May 15th. My question is would you us my 4x4 F150 with cargo trailer or make your living quarters out of a cargo van. Please advise. I need your help in this matter. I know there are many of you out there that's probably done both. Again thank you for your help. I hope to see many of you soon!

 

[Lucky mike]

if I had a choice the big plus sway for me would be a trailer in tow......you can always drop the trailer and go do things....if you have mechanical problems you still have use of the trailer and can always find someone to move it for you.....you can always upgrade the vehicle without disrupting the trailer......if you decide later you are going to take life down another route.....you can always sell one ...the other or both...

this is my humble opinion........and I live in a Class A RV....for health reasons

 

[Bdog1]

I find the van convenient. Nice to move from front to back without going outside. One vehicle. No towing.

Full disclosure. I'm a traveler/camper not full time.

 

[oldnjung]

You can go more remote places with the 4x4. Especially in the desert or muddy terrain, if you use the 4x4 properly. Just put a small camper in the bed. The van (which is what I have) is better for "stealth". But, how important is that going to be? If you choose a van, I will trade you mine!

 

[Reducto]

Where do you plan to park? The trailer would be easy to manage if you're boondocking on BLM land, but less so if you're in a city.

Assuming you like the truck and it's in good running order I'd say stick with that for now. Either get a camper shell or go with a trailer as you say. After you've spent some time in it you will have a better idea of what your needs are (or if you even WANT to live on wheels) and can swap everything over to a van later if you like. Finding a van seems to be easier than finding a good 4x4 truck. I'd hate for you to sell it and wind up regretting it a month later.

 

[akrvbob]

I have both, a cargo trailer towing a converted cargo trailer. I see it as the best of both worlds. I live in the trailer in the winter and get the comfort and in the summer I put the trailer in storage and travel in the van by itself and get the freedom.

That's the decision you have to make, freedom verse comfort. Only you can decide which is more important to you.
Bob

 

[Dangfool]

I'd suggest a van for safety reasons. When you spend the night in public places like Truck stops, rest areas, and Wal-Marts, there's always the possibility of criminal or other possibly threatening activity outside, and in a van, you're always able to climb into the driver's seat and drive away if things get too scary. In a trailer or truck with a camper shell, you have to exit the camper and expose yourself to whatever is going on out there to get to the cab/driver's seat.

 

[user 423]

I'd suggest a van for safety reasons.

Add exiting in bad weather. Plus having better access to all your stuff.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I've tried the truck topper dwelling style and it was a bit confining, especially if the weather wasn't conducive to cooking, lounging, etc outdoors...if you're in a place to do so. A cargo van allows more options for making a pretty comfortable home from my experience.

Now, if most of your time is spent in 4X country in good weather your rig with a topper might be fun, but I'd probably supplement with a nice tent also.

 

[akrvbob]

It's totally impractical to live stealthy in a trailer in the city so I'm assuming the original post meant for boondocking. Where I boondock there is virtually zero risk of crime so it isn't a factor in the decision making process.

In bad weather a converted cargo trailer is much more comfortable than a cargo van because it's bigger and taller. I'd much rather be in my trailer than in my van in bad weather. But I put windows in mine so I can see out and I have an awning on it so the door can be open the majority of the time. It can be open in the rain but not in cold or wind.

For boondocking, a cargo trailer is better in every way except freedom, and you give up freedom for the extra comfort.
Bob

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Given some of some of the trails we've followed to good boondocking places a small cargo trailer with fair ground clearance would be a good choice.
Darn, so many variables :s

 

[Belinda2]

One exit= trapped:
I agree with Dangfool and Slow2day. The safety factor is scary when at the Walmart and Truck stops. I only have one exit out of my small RV.
Also, when I spend the night in Kansas, and my NOAA radio is talking of a storm, ...and every trucker leaves the highway, ...and those storms whip up, and you can see for miles because it's so flat, and those lightning bolts at night go from the top of the sky to the ground and it becomes as light as day time,....you'll get out in bad weather, put down the stabilizer jacks as tight as they go, stay hitched up to your vehicle, and I sleep your my heavier weight vehicle. So, much for light weight, fuel efficient vehicles. It's the closest thing to "going up in the rapture one can experience" , ha ha ha ha .

 

[2WOLVES]

Bob,
Thank you for your input. Yes I plan on boondocking. I plan on living up north during the summer, and out west during the winter months. I may even head to Alaska in June. I will be 54 in July, and I just want to spend the rest of my days taking in the beautiful sites that our great country has to offer.

I've spent 34 years in the military, and I want to answer the sprits that have been calling my name most of my life. I know without question that boondocking is the life for me!

Also, Bob thank you for making those around us aware of what's facing all of use in time. Tribe trust me read Bob's blogs they are very informational, and what he's telling you is true. The world is changing as we know it!!!

 

[Belinda2]

Bob:
I also would like to thank Bob for this web site, so, with others, we can see the possibilities of this life. You spend so much time, Bob. I thank God for you. Your making history and this will be your legacy.
2Wolves,
Even with it's negatives of being high profile, I would not trade my small RV. It is a wonderful "storage locker" for my city dwelling. A cargo trailer would be even better. Daily, I can travel with less which keeps me in stealth mode. On my, days off from work, I take it out and boondock, catch up on cooking etc.

 

[Unchained]

@Twowolves- First off, thank you for your service. It is very fitting that you will soon be able to spend the rest of your life enjoying the beautiful places in the US that you spent decades of your life protecting.

That said, you may want to consider the best of both worlds by adding a light camper (maybe an Alaskan) or camper shell to your truck and also getting a trailer. Back in the day, I spent a lot of time camping out of my pickup with a simple shell. I liked it so much that, now that I have a TT (travel trailer), I am torn between getting a van or pickup with shell as a TV (tow vehicle). Either way, I will drop the trailer when heading into the backcountry. At the moment, the van is winning, but that might not be the case if I already had a 4x4 truck, esp if I could find an Alaskan camper

 

[jonthebru]

Twowolves, you have a great life ahead of you! I can't add anything other than the practical advice given about towing a trailer. Think about it You already own your truck. Adding a cargo trailer with its open potential for making it just how you like it is fantastic. Later, when your plan develops you may choose to get a van or a sturdy RV travel trailer like an Arctic Fox if you want the luxuries. Or it may work out and you could build a lifestyle with what you have, just the way you like it! You deserve it!
You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait 'til you wake up in the morning after retiring and realize you have no work obligations to fulfill that day...

 

[PastTense]

The obvious question is why a cargo trailer instead of a travel trailer? You will have to make a significant amount of effort to convert the cargo trailer for human habitation--while the travel trailer is already converted. Note there are an enormous range of sizes available for the travel trailer. For example here is a forum which specializes in Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers:
http://www.tnttt.com/

 

[psytechguy]

Travel trailers are typically WAY overpriced for what they are, and a lot of the time the build quality is just not very good. You can outfit a bare cargo trailer, and do it up exactly the way you want it, for much cheaper.

 

[wagoneer]

I can live in my van or trailer it's a 20 footer very comfy I lock it and off I go in the van which also has a bed fridge stove and toilet. Pulling the trailer drops my MPG to 17-19.

 

[akrvbob]

I bought a 6x10 cargo trailer (CT) compare that to a used travel trailer TT:

1) CT is new for $2500. TT for that price will be 15-30 years old
2) CT weighed 1300 pounds, TT that old will weigh at least 4000 pounds
3) CT is all aluminum with steel ribs and will be trouble free for many decades, TT that old will be trouble! You will be lucky to find one without leaks, dry rot, mold and worn out. If you get lucky and find one, how much time do you have left on it before you are start working on it? A year, two? Certainly not decades!
4) CT is empty, a blank slate to make it exactly what I want without a bunch of crap I don't want. A TT is full of systems I don't want and will have to pull out.
4) I've towed my CT many places that there was no possibility of taking a TT. I wouldn't consider a TT for that reason alone.

But everybody has different needs and wants. If you want all the comforts of an RV then you should buy a TT and not a CT. By the time you buy and install all the systems, it will cost you more than a good used TT.

But if you want reliability and freedom and don't care about the comforts of an RV, the a CT is much better.

Different strokes for different folks.
Bob