Digital Nomad Nattering

[user 37921]

I still haven't spent a ton of time on this site but received some great welcomes in my Newcomer's Corner post. Thought I'd start dropping notes here in this post as I Captain my rig.

First off some of the details: I'm 56 and work a full time job out of my van. I am an HR Cloud Software Admin for a global Agriculture company. Basically, I manage all of the software and systems related to how we post jobs all over the Internet, process candidates and hire people. I have been remote at my job for the last 5 years

I mostly moved into the van at the beginning of August but I still had an apartment in Colorado Springs. That lease ended 8/31/23 and I've been full time in the van since.

I have a 2013 Ford E350 Extended Body Passenger Van with about 70K miles. I bought it this last Spring and gutted the passenger area and built out a very primitive living and work space. I had a fiberglass hightop installed by Wasatch Overland in Salt Lake City. I installed a Maxxaire fan, and 12V Dometic Air Conditioner on the hightop as well as a Flat High Performance Starlink dish. I built a pretty big power system to juice it all up. 800aH batteries, 3000K Victron Multiplus, 840 Watts of ground-deployed Bluetti solar panels, 100|50 Victron Solar Charge Controller and a LI-BIM to tap into the engine power while driving. I still have a ton f work to do on the van but it's livable now. I plan to build the rest as I learn what I really need. I am getting a 4WD conversion done on the van along with a 6 inch lift - this is scheduled for November. MANY people have pointed out that this likely a waste of money. They are likely right but I am blessed at this point in my life with more disposable income than I've ever had and I am turning that disposable income into as much adventure as I can.

I have a brother in Iowa who has a garage big enough to hold his RV so I drive out to Iowa for work sessions on the van. He and I have always enjoyed tinkering in the garage and working on anything with an engine. The next things I need to build out are the Diesel Heater installation and my first round of cabinets. I am also upgrading the stock alternator to a high output aftermarket model. I'll go ahead and install a high amp battery when I do the alternator. I realize the importance of preventative maintenance when your vehicle is also your home.

My goals are to mostly stay on Federal/BLM land and live and work. I like to hike in the Mountains and I'm a little anti-social by nature so this is a solid plan for me persoanlly. In the 2-ish months I've been in the van, I feel more at "home" every day (or am I feeling less at "home"?). It's a little bit of a juggling act to make sure I get my job done, but so far, it's all working well.

Currently in the Grand Mesa area of Colorado. It's stunning here.

 

[bullfrog !]

Weather over at Lake Powell is getting nice. If you like hiking ancient Native American sites check out Kane Gulch Ranger Station south of Natural Bridges.

 

[Frood]

I still haven't spent a ton of time on this site but received some great welcomes in my Newcomer's Corner post. Thought I'd start dropping notes here in this post as I Captain my rig.

First off some of the details: I'm 56 and work a full time job out of my van. I am an HR Cloud Software Admin for a global Agriculture company. Basically, I manage all of the software and systems related to how we post jobs all over the Internet, process candidates and hire people. I have been remote at my job for the last 5 years

I mostly moved into the van at the beginning of August but I still had an apartment in Colorado Springs. That lease ended 8/31/23 and I've been full time in the van since.

I have a 2013 Ford E350 Extended Body Passenger Van with about 70K miles. I bought it this last Spring and gutted the passenger area and built out a very primitive living and work space. I had a fiberglass hightop installed by Wasatch Overland in Salt Lake City. I installed a Maxxaire fan, and 12V Dometic Air Conditioner on the hightop as well as a Flat High Performance Starlink dish. I built a pretty big power system to juice it all up. 800aH batteries, 3000K Victron Multiplus, 840 Watts of ground-deployed Bluetti solar panels, 100|50 Victron Solar Charge Controller and a LI-BIM to tap into the engine power while driving. I still have a ton f work to do on the van but it's livable now. I plan to build the rest as I learn what I really need. I am getting a 4WD conversion done on the van along with a 6 inch lift - this is scheduled for November. MANY people have pointed out that this likely a waste of money. They are likely right but I am blessed at this point in my life with more disposable income than I've ever had and I am turning that disposable income into as much adventure as I can.

I have a brother in Iowa who has a garage big enough to hold his RV so I drive out to Iowa for work sessions on the van. He and I have always enjoyed tinkering in the garage and working on anything with an engine. The next things I need to build out are the Diesel Heater installation and my first round of cabinets. I am also upgrading the stock alternator to a high output aftermarket model. I'll go ahead and install a high amp battery when I do the alternator. I realize the importance of preventative maintenance when your vehicle is also your home.

My goals are to mostly stay on Federal/BLM land and live and work. I like to hike in the Mountains and I'm a little anti-social by nature so this is a solid plan for me persoanlly. In the 2-ish months I've been in the van, I feel more at "home" every day (or am I feeling less at "home"?). It's a little bit of a juggling act to make sure I get my job done, but so far, it's all working well.

Currently in the Grand Mesa area of Colorado. It's stunning here.

Where you are seems to be where I'm trying to get to... Sounds like you have a great circumstance now!

 

[Happy Camper]

Since you are going with 4x4, you should consider an Aussie locker up front.

Your setup sounds ideal for what you're doing for the most part. Maybe consider a smaller generator, a 1kw inverter one that doesn't take up much space in case there is an issue with the electrical setup during working hours.

Maybe a personal locator as a precaution since you like to hike.

All in all, it sounds like your in a great position and should really enjoy this chapter of your life. I look forward to following your adventure.

 

[user 37921]

Thanks for the reply.
I'm pretty sure they're installing lockers - not sure what kind. I am a 4WD newbie and have a ton to learn! I have gone back and forth on getting a small generator and I am currently thinking I won't get one. I think the LI-BIM and High Output Alternator will be my fail-safe system to charge my system. We'll see if that's enough. I do have a Garmin In-Reach and pretty much leave it on all the time. My mom appreciates that a ton. She researches places near where I am staying and makes suggestions about things I could go see. She would have loved this kind of adventure back when she was young enough to make it work physically.

 

[bullfrog !]

If you are new to lockers I can almost guarantee you will want control over when they are engaged unless you are only off pavement exclusively and have hydraulic steering ( as in hard core rock crawling ). Another issue that can affect which locker you use is manual locking versus automatic locking front hubs. High quality manual locking hubs have an excellent reliability reputation but require getting out of the vehicle and going to each front wheel to operate but do allow you to select when the front wheels are connected with the front locking differential. Automatic locking hubs are connected any time the front differential sends force through the front axles and can be the weak link in modern four wheel drive systems. As long as you have a transfer case you can shift to stop the front drive shaft from turning you can even use a cheap strong spool and heavy duty axles in the front differential ( instead of a locker ) with manual locking hubs and have fewer problems. One of the issues with these type of modifications is making sure everything is strong enough to work together and the fewer “custom” parts the better. Just my opinions and from an “old school” experience type of guy, hope this helps!

 

[Happy Camper]

An Aussie locker in the front will only engage when 4wd is selected, so it's a nice compromise if price is a thing.

If money isn't an object then spend the money on one of the top two locker makers. If you need brands, I can get them from another forum I'm a member of. They are nice, but expensive.

For the generator I was more thinking if you had a problem with your batteries, controller, etc. Since you need to be online for work you might consider a contingency that is separate to some extent. Just so you can get through a day or two if something unexpected happens. Even the ability to run directly from the alternator/inverter bypassing you regular wiring. I normally wouldn't bother with this level of redundancy, but it's your livelihood.

On a different note. You might be able to raise your star link antenna high enough to make a difference. Not sure it would be worth the trouble. But you never know.