Mikedownbytheriver
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- Joined
- May 5, 2014
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In April of this year I made the decision to sell everything, purchase a conversion van and modify it for the possibility of living in it long term. This website has proven such an invaluable resource, without it the transition into the world as a Vandweller would not have been as smooth and conformable. I thank everyone who contributes to this site for I personally have benefited and I thought I might as well share my two cents.
A little about me: I'm 27 year old male and recently graduated from University December of 2013. After sinking a good bit of money into a business venture with a friend and having it fail a few months later I decided to scrounge up the little resources I had left. I bought a van, fixed it up and hit the road.
I didn't plan on going on any grandiose journey across the nation but simply instead find a full time job and perhaps a city where I could start over. In some aspects this proved to be very successful but I wouldn't say my journey has been glamorous or carefree.
The entire process of finding a van and converting it spanned over 2 months and took about 120 man hours to complete. Simply finding the right van was a 2 week ordeal. I looked at easily 10 different vans, often times having to travel 100+ miles for what sounded like a sure thing only to be disappointed. But thankfully I found a 1992 Chevy G20 conversion van for 1600$ (needed a 200$ power steering pump) and was able to sink in approximately 1500$ in renovations. The most costly being a 200watt solar panel kit + 2 agm batteries rated 105ah a piece (400$ panels, 300$ batteries). Total for the Van falling under 3500$
Pics of my Van before I left home in Kentucky
Album Here
A lot has happened since May and I don't feel like making a memoir but currently I have a full time job working in Boulder Colorado. I'm able to sock away a good amount of money, pay down my debts, and hopefully escape the rat race that many of my peers fall into. It's hard to say what will happen in the future but not having to worry about paying exorbitant rents here and Boulder has left many possibilities open for me.
A little about me: I'm 27 year old male and recently graduated from University December of 2013. After sinking a good bit of money into a business venture with a friend and having it fail a few months later I decided to scrounge up the little resources I had left. I bought a van, fixed it up and hit the road.
I didn't plan on going on any grandiose journey across the nation but simply instead find a full time job and perhaps a city where I could start over. In some aspects this proved to be very successful but I wouldn't say my journey has been glamorous or carefree.
The entire process of finding a van and converting it spanned over 2 months and took about 120 man hours to complete. Simply finding the right van was a 2 week ordeal. I looked at easily 10 different vans, often times having to travel 100+ miles for what sounded like a sure thing only to be disappointed. But thankfully I found a 1992 Chevy G20 conversion van for 1600$ (needed a 200$ power steering pump) and was able to sink in approximately 1500$ in renovations. The most costly being a 200watt solar panel kit + 2 agm batteries rated 105ah a piece (400$ panels, 300$ batteries). Total for the Van falling under 3500$
Pics of my Van before I left home in Kentucky
Album Here
A lot has happened since May and I don't feel like making a memoir but currently I have a full time job working in Boulder Colorado. I'm able to sock away a good amount of money, pay down my debts, and hopefully escape the rat race that many of my peers fall into. It's hard to say what will happen in the future but not having to worry about paying exorbitant rents here and Boulder has left many possibilities open for me.
