Choices

[Rojo Zoso]

I just wanted to get feedback from the experienced travelers. If you had the choice, which set up would you choose?

Cargo van - low top
Cargo van - high top
4x4 towing a cargo trailer

How important is standing up?

Do you prefer a home base + exploring vehicle or just an exploring home base?

My first option would be cargo van high top but they are out of my budget unless I go 2004ish Sprinter, which isn't my engine/fuel of choice.

Thanks in advance for your replies. Getting close to being on the road with you all.

 

[AMGS3]

Hi Rojo and welcome to the forum.

So I have a few questions for you. How tall are you? Do you have any health limitations that would make regularly being in a non-standing position a bad thing for you? Where are you planning on being - camping on public lands? - stealth camping in towns? - a mix of both?

Again, welcome!
~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Rojo Zoso]

Hi Angie,

I'm 5'10" tall. No real health restrictions, other than limited lifting. I think my living would be a 80/20 mix of camping and city. I will have to find work on the road. Photography, hiking, and golfing are the hobbies. 2 cats will travel with me. I have family in Montana, Oregon, Colorado, and winters will probably be in AZ and Mexico.


I was always a tent camper in the past, but I admit my one comfort I must have is temperature control, both for me and the cats.


I can see both methods working for me, that's why I was curious what made others either move up or down in their setups. What factor made them change.

 

[B and C]

You left out a class B. Standing room, A/C and ducted furnace with a generator you can start from inside. All the comforts of home. There are older ones out there waiting for you. I have camped on many a two track dirt road. Positraction is almost as good as 4WD. Fits in a standard parking space. These were my requirements, they may or may not fit you.

 

[maki2]

if climate control in summer is a going to me a major issue you will need to strongly consider having a generator to power an AC unit. Or to have room for enough solar panels and a big enough engine to haul around a sizeable battery bank. Of the two choices for initial startup cost the generator will be the less expensive option.

The third choice is to follow the weather so that you don't need to use AC or a lot of heat.

As you have not shared your travel plans or travel restrictions no one will be able to give you the best advise for your specific situation.

 

[DLTooley]

The most important space is that outside your vehicle - including the weather. An awning or a ten by ten canopy with a good quality camp chair may be all you need.

Being able to hole up out of a storm is the biggest reason for more interior space.

As a former tent camper going with a simpler vehicle will still seem like glamping, especially with a 12v compressor fridge and the power system to go with it.

Personally, I never sleep where I’d need a black water tank.

By 4x4 do you mean a pickup?

There are good deals out there in the private party reseller market. Shop until you find the right one.

 

[DLTooley]

Here’s my dream vehicle, a shuttle van on a 4x4 van conversion chassis.

 

[Rojo Zoso]

It's hard to predict the future, but I expect to chase the 75* temps as much as possible. Pac NW summers, SW in winters.

Again, my questions were more for why people picked their setup. I expect to travel with the caravans off and on, but mostly I want to explore this great country and take photos. I am mostly interested in do you set up camp then go explore, or just explore then set up camp.

For the people with low top vans, does it absolutely drive you crazy not to stand or it really doesn't matter?
And trailers, are you comfortable leaving your home and pets while you go explore?

 

[Rojo Zoso]

Thanks Doug,

I agree. I am planning on getting a Clam for outdoor space. Van + Clam. Other option being truck with shell or SUV with cargo trailer. I think I can do one of these options inside my budget. These cats are driving me nuts on how to keep them happy lol. My needs are simple.

 

[highdesertranger]

for me it's a no brainer. a 4x4(factory no conversion for me) and a cargo trailer. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

A cargo trailer gives you a lot of options especially if you use it as a toy hauler. I like towing with a 4x4 as it can recover my off road vehicles and get me close enough to use them without putting a lot of highway miles on them. A good topper on the 4x4 gives you enough room for short trips as well plus a lot of storage.

 

[RoamerRV428]

off your list I would be choosing 4X4 towing a cargo trailer

Standing up is absolutely a priority for me. I am older and won't be sliding around on my knees, crouching over. I want to stand for changing clothes and more so as I said, anything I would get I will be standing straight up and tall

 

[ckelly78z]

I have researched all of your choices at one time, or another, and have come to the conclusion that I need to be able to stand up, and move around. One option I was looking at for me was a pickup truck camper shell (cap) for my long bed F150. It would be really simple, but a real nightmare in bad weather being stuck in a prone condition for hours on end.

My choice is for the 7x12 single axle cargo trailer with an 12' awning, and a separate Clam shell "escape" screen room. This would leave my pickup truck to drive off exploring while leaving a secure campsite, and room for my enduro dirtbike, bicycle, and kayak without impeding on living space.

Some folks want absolute minimalist, existence camping, while I prefer to be comfortable, and have options.

 

[MrNoodly]

It all depends on personal priorities.

I want to travel around easily, simply. I'm more of a nomad than a nester. I like to move every few days. A standard size cargo van has served my priorities well fo six years.

I don't think the Perfect Vehicle exists. Most benefits have tradeoffs. For example, being able to stand means a higher center of gravity and greater wallowiness, particularly in crosswinds. It makes overhead clearance a greater issue. (Can I fit under that low branch?) And it decreases fuel mileage. As for a cargo trailer, there are the complications that go with towing anything, including needing larger camping spots, enough room to turn around, a powerful enough tow vehicle, lower fuel mileage, more tires to replace, more things to go wonky while driving... But for some people it's totally worth it.

 

[Qxxx]

"My choice is for the 7x12 single axle cargo trailer..."

After 2 years of traveling parttime in a regular height cargo van, in which I cannot standup. I am thinking that a rig more fitting my interests would be a 4x4 pickup pulling a cargo trailer, although my first choice would be to pull a 16' Casita. And especially if I were going fulltime. 4x4 would allow me to go all those places the 2WD van cannot go. Then I would put a "tall" cap on the pickup, so I could sleep in there on occasion without having to lie totally flat. A short beach chair and you could sit up.

Right now, the low cargo van is not a huge problem, as I can sit in a folding chair and work at the table just fine, plus I spend a lot of time outdoors in any case. The biggest thing is not putting so much stuff inside the van that the floor space gets overly tiny. Then you notice how cramped it is, not being able to stand up. So, a regular height van that is not too cramped for floor space isn't so bad.

Actually, a reasonable alternative is a regular height van with good sized 6-man tent, eg with a height where you can almost stand up. You can put table and chair in the tent, and live and cook outside in the daytime, even if it's raining, and then sleep in the van at night.

 

[Almost There]

I don't think the Perfect Vehicle exists.

Beg to differ but the perfect vehicle does exist - not one for everyone but one for each of us. Yours is perfect for you, mine is perfect for me.

Figuring out what is perfect for oneself is the hard part, particularly if you're coming at this new to being a nomad or if you haven't had much vehicle experience other than a passenger car. I'd suggest sitting down and evaluating all the different choices with a pro and con list. Take your time, even with 40 years of vanning behind me it still took me months of thinking to make a final decision as to what route to go.

Look at either Youtube videos or at different set ups in person, evaluating what you think would work for you.

I chose a cargo van with a high top because standing room is a vital  necessity for me on the road full-time. While it's Utopian to think that we can all spend all of our time outside of our home, reality is that we spend a great deal of time inside and not just for sleeping. In the desert, wind and dust will drive me inside. In the PNW it's those almost daily showers. In both it's the cold, miserable day or just when I'm seeking some quiet alone time. We can't all be outside doing things ALL the time.

I also wanted decent gas mileage (I get 16 mpg which for me is decent). It means that I can do as much travelling in the US as I like to do - Canadian gas prices have me staying in one spot though! The GMC Savana 2500 I have is very reliable. Does the high top give me grief in a high cross wind - yes, but not as much as one would think it would.

I designed my own interior so I have all the things that are important to me - a well functioning kitchen, a comfortable bed, concealed toilet (C-Head), no holding tanks to be drained, lots and lots of storage and an open floor plan that makes the vehicle feel much more spacious than it really is. On day 4 of cold, rainy weather I can dance in the aisles.

I've equipped it well so that I can be totally independent of the grid but at the same time have the comforts I need - both a fridge and a deep freeze, solar, generator and a large battery bank. 

I deliberately chose not to have a 4WD because I know myself too well. It's been said that the only difference between 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive is how far you can go before you get stuck. Me, I'd be in places I shouldn't go - any 2 track leading off in to the bush has me itching to see where it ends. I'd be on it in heartbeat if I had 4WD...

If you can, don't be in a big hurry to settle on a type of vehicle. While some will tell you that you can always switch it out if you want to change, once you're on the road it's not that easy to do.

 

[MrNoodly]

The fact there's a cons list means the "perfect" vehicle is a compromise based on priorities.

 

[Rojo Zoso]

All great responses. Thank you to everyone. Time to shop for deals and see what's out there in the marketplace.

 

[ckelly78z]

A used $2000 cargo trailer will need next to nothing mechanically (just outfitting to live in it), while a $2000 cargo van might need another $2000 in motor, trans, brakes, tires, electrical, hoses, belts, fluids costs to get it reliable (and the outiffing it to live in it). You will still need to do that to your tow vehicle, but if something should happen, you can still stay in the trailer while the truck/SUV is getting fixed.

 

[Qxxx]

Yeah, a couple more comments.

As AT indicated, if you're spending a lot of time where it rains a lot, like the PNW or maybe deep south, then you'll be spending a lot more time inside whatever you have, and that's a big consideration. In regards regular cargo vans, the common philosophy is people saying "I don't live 'in' my van, I live 'out' of it". And as I live in the west, not PNW, rain is not a huge issue. Also, my GMC van with 4.8L engine has a lot of pickup for passing, I can park anywheres, and I get around 20 MPG on the open road, although 17-18 MPG overall, if I don't push it too much. Bigger RVs will get lower MPG in general, although diesel will help.

Also, I camp in organized CGs a lot, when not in AZ in winter, and interestingly, you see very few cargo vans in general. You do see a lot of the much larger tall vans, but they tend to be many times more expensive too, $50K-100K. You can get used cargo vans for $5K-20K. Then that brings up, new or used. Some people such as myself opted to buy a late model cargo van, since it's less likely to have mechanical issues than something older.

People with larger rigs always have parking issues and lower MPG. And it's truism from my many months traveling that, the larger the rig, the less you see the owners outside. They tend to live more like they're at home in S&B.

IOW, many tradeoffs.