Scotty here!
New van dweller here! Well, I haven't dwelled just yet, but I'm working towards it! I'm from Iowa, but live in San Francisco, and what better place to stealth it.
Started dreaming about camper van life quite a few years ago, and even though I've had a few vans, it never occurred to me, nor did I have the wherewithal to start this journey. I recently bought a 2013 Ford E-150 cargo, and absolutely love it! I'm a big guy, so a big van was in order. Although I have noticed that even with an E-150, space is limited. I don't need a ton of space, so it works out.
I've been following cheaprvliving for about a year now, and am quite inspired by the amount of people out there that are doing this. The plan, for now, is to continue working and paying everything off, save a little cash, and eventually work 6 months, and take 6 months off. Should be ready for that in a couple of years. In the meantime... I've been trial and erroring with my van.
So far... I've put up moving blankets to block light from the cab windows, and for the back windows as well. The people who had the van before me insulated most of the back with reflectix, which is a plus... Still need to get some for the windows and bare spots on the side doors, no biggie. Also put a full sized bed in the back, on a regular frame. It does slide around a little, but doesn't bother me. Eventually I will build out the interior, but I figured that this would be the easiest for testing out what works and doesn't. Also installed a fantastic vent fan recently and procured a goal zero generator. So, it's coming together!
I've attempted to sleep in the van, here in San Francisco, but quickly realized that ventilation is an issue. I can't breathe very well, and even with our mid-50's temps at night, the van was a hot box. This week, I'm going to test it out again, this time WITH the vent fan and possibly another small fan, and see how it goes! The boyfriend and I are headed out for a coastal trip up to Oregon starting Friday, so I'll letcha all know how it goes!
I'm excited to start this journey of my life, and looking forward to making some connections here, and eventually, on the road!
-Scotty
New van dweller here! Well, I haven't dwelled just yet, but I'm working towards it! I'm from Iowa, but live in San Francisco, and what better place to stealth it.
Started dreaming about camper van life quite a few years ago, and even though I've had a few vans, it never occurred to me, nor did I have the wherewithal to start this journey. I recently bought a 2013 Ford E-150 cargo, and absolutely love it! I'm a big guy, so a big van was in order. Although I have noticed that even with an E-150, space is limited. I don't need a ton of space, so it works out.
I've been following cheaprvliving for about a year now, and am quite inspired by the amount of people out there that are doing this. The plan, for now, is to continue working and paying everything off, save a little cash, and eventually work 6 months, and take 6 months off. Should be ready for that in a couple of years. In the meantime... I've been trial and erroring with my van.
So far... I've put up moving blankets to block light from the cab windows, and for the back windows as well. The people who had the van before me insulated most of the back with reflectix, which is a plus... Still need to get some for the windows and bare spots on the side doors, no biggie. Also put a full sized bed in the back, on a regular frame. It does slide around a little, but doesn't bother me. Eventually I will build out the interior, but I figured that this would be the easiest for testing out what works and doesn't. Also installed a fantastic vent fan recently and procured a goal zero generator. So, it's coming together!
I've attempted to sleep in the van, here in San Francisco, but quickly realized that ventilation is an issue. I can't breathe very well, and even with our mid-50's temps at night, the van was a hot box. This week, I'm going to test it out again, this time WITH the vent fan and possibly another small fan, and see how it goes! The boyfriend and I are headed out for a coastal trip up to Oregon starting Friday, so I'll letcha all know how it goes!
I'm excited to start this journey of my life, and looking forward to making some connections here, and eventually, on the road!
-Scotty
