Freedom; my new chapter

[BDJ238]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum and think I will foot in week I've the community. I recently left my job, moved out and packed everything I wanted to hold on to in to a storage unit in Western North Carolina. I always dreamed of spending some time working and traveling around Alaska and the timing seemed great so I jumped.

I found a job to transfer to, sold my car, and moved onto an acquaintances' couch. Funny enough, right after I dropped my beloved car off with the friend who bought it, I ended up passing this street sign

It seems this is my new theme

So here I am. I've decided three rent us to expensive and restricting so the future is the van life.
Yesterday I purchased a '98 Dodge 2500 and today I purchased the mounts for a slide in camper. I'm hoping to purchase a camper this weekend and start moving in.

My goals are to live in the camper year around and pay off the small personal loan I have before the end of the year.
Thus winter should be easy as I plan to leave for about 3 months.
I want to spend as much time off the grid as I possibly can. I work at a desk staring at a computer all day...

The camper in currently considering does not come with a generator so I worry I may kik the batteries rather quickly. I would like to find a solar panel to install ideally. My biggest concern is opening for winter and insulating the camper very well

Looks like a lit off good information here. Look for build thread soon.

 

[Patrick46]

Hello BD!!

You're talking about getting a slide in camper, and in case you haven't done your homework, I'd like to suggest getting a Bigfoot, or some other fiberglass model.

The maintenance is SIGNIFICANTLY LESS with a fiberglass unit vs. a traditional aluminum skinned one. (especially with a wood frame)
These are made with sealed fiberglass shells that have the 1 single seam down the middle...therefore, do not have leaking issues. (I do suppose there are the rare ones, but those are likely due to roof vents.)
Sure, the fiberglass model with cost a lot more...but the return is well worth the money spent.

I've been looking at Bigfoots for awhile now, and wouldn't get anything else...but this is just my opinion.


btw...what part of Western NC are you in?? I used to live in Hendersonville.


Welcome to the asylum!

Patrick out on the Oregon coast.

 

[VanDwellerMod]

Welcome to the CRVL forums BDJ238!

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

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[akrvbob]

Welcome, we're glad you're here!! I love Western NC, beautiful country, decent weather and unusually good people.

My recommendation is to get the smallest camper you can find. Weight kills the truck and your MPG. The taller and wider the camper the less places you can go.

In fact my next camper will be a tall shell that I build out like a van inside.
Bob

 

[Theadyn]

Hi and Welcome!!

 

[BDJ238]

Thank you for the advise.  I would have LOOOOVED to have been able to get a BigFoot or and Arctic Fox or something similar.  Unfortunately, the used cost of one was still in the 15K range up here.  WAY over budget.  I ended up going with this guy. Northland Camper.  Zero water issues, really well taken care of.  Plus the sellers were very nice people too.  I looked at a lot of others that had nice amenities like a generator or solar panel, but inevitably everyone of them had significant rot issues.  The first camper/truck combo I looked at was the best by far, but when I took it to be evaluated the rep told the owner he would be scared to drive it home with the damage it had in unseen rot.  

I used to live in Sylva.  Graduated from Western Carolina University and spent plenty of time in the Hendersonville area.  I miss it, that will always be home.  Anchorage is pretty incredible though.  Its so easy to be miles from everything and everyone!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

It looks like a very nice rig.  Do you know how much it weighs?  Not to be a "Donny Downer", but 3/4 ton trucks often don't have enough payload capacity to handle any but the lightest campers.

http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/  has some excellent articles on matching trucks and campers, weights, etc.

Good Luck with it.

Regards
John

 

[Belinda2]

BD,
I'd like to say welcome and I envy you. I am one step away from Freedom Drive but cannot sell my farm for almost a year...and here I rot living off the grid 24/7 in my driveway. If you choose to go to Alaska via Maryland, please do send me a private message. You have a personal invitation for as long as you want on my Maryland farm.
Belinda2

 

[akrvbob]

Are you going to be living in the camper in Alaska? If so you are in for some miserable times. Most of them come with very little insulation and with all the systems it's nearly impossible to get into the walls and roof and add more. There is almost no chance of keeping your water system from freezing.

In Alaska I would definitely get a tall shell and use 2 inches of polyiso in the walls and roof. BIG improvement!! No water tanks or shower to freeze.
Bob

 

[cargovanconversion]

Alaska and its winters is probably not the best place to gain experience with your camper. Many have gone before you in minus 40 degree temps, with broken waterlines and insufficient insulation. However, I do admire your intentions.

akrvbob gave some good advice.

Van Williams

 

[BDJ238]

Yeah, AK year around living is the plan. Fortunately I will be leaving on some pre planned vacation time from the end of November to the end of February. I plan to use reflectix and polyiso to help prep.

Thankfully Anchorage doesn't usually see the -40 type temps, but I've got some work to do to get it prepped for winter living.

 

[akrvbob]

While Anchorage rarely sees -40, -30 is routine nearly every winter. When I was a boy -50 was routine but as an adult it warmed up a lot. The 6 years I lived in a van 1995-2001, it was -30 every year The difference is not very significant.

I lived for 6 years in a box van that I insulated and had no problem staying warm and comfortable. I lived for one year in a travel trailer in an RV park and was miserably cold every cold snap--worst experience of my life. I bought a 500 watt heat lamp and aimed it at my feet and that finally kept me warm.
Bob

 

[Sabatical]

Congrats on you move towards freedom. My guess is you are gonna have the time of your life. There are so many amazing things to see and awesome people to meet out there. Enjoy!

 

[BDJ238]

Thank you all for the words of wisdom and encouragement. So far I have spent nearly two weeks in the camper getting things outfitted and trying to figure out the details. The learning curve is steep.

My biggest regret so far is the size truck I purchased. U knew going into it that she was old and I would need to go easy on her. From what I read and planned I expected ask my weights would work out and that with the overload Springs and tow package I'd be set.

Turns out the older camper was a touch bigger than I realized and significantly heavier than expected. All my research indicates that no slides and around 10' should most likely be in my weight range. Now I wish I had waited for a one ton, though I still really have no desire to have a dwr.

Other than that I'm loving it. Temps are dropping into the low 40s already but she seems to handle that just fine. I am working on adding reflectix to practicality everything I can to give a little umph. I may try and do some closed cell foam plugs for the vents and a few of the utility doors but we will see.

 

[cargovanconversion]

Looks great both inside and out! Driver is a different story. No, just kidding.
Have fun.

Van Williams

 

[akrvbob]

Beautiful rig! It should serve you well!
Bob

 

[thatchickinpa]

The last pic made me smile    You look so happy!

Very nice setup. Enjoy