Hello.
- Thread starter drivan
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LargeMarge
Well-known member
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We full-time live-aboard since 2003.
We did and do everything you discuss... plus we did South America.
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Check into our rig for another potential:
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/expeditionvehicle-build.44908/#post-576110.
We are frequent contributors on the skoolie forum.
Could something like that fit your proposal?
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And on this forum plus all others, we offer a suggestion for first-time campers:
* avoid believing 'this rig is my forever rig'.
You grow and evolve, your vehicle needs change.
Example:
* YouTuber Clodd on 'down2mob' spent years designing and engineering his perfect single-person Jeep conversion...
...then met the perfect travel companion.
In today's video, he demonstrates the bent table and warped supports from using a single person bed as a two people bed each day.
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Clodd gained a female plus her dog
Clodd believed his rig was his forever rig.
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As we discuss in our introduction, our ExpeditionVehicle is the compilation of a half-century of make-do camping in lesser rigs.
We have an enormous extensive inventory of stuff to leave out.
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Did you see the thread here from the first-time camper *after* she placed a down-payment on a Sprinter-type van... with "...squeezing by..." payments of us$800 a month for pretty much forever?
We suggested an alternative:
* get some old beater
* toss in some car-camping gear
* go have fun.
Allow the rig requirements to evolve organically.
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Buying then camping or building then camping risks forcing the adventure to fit the rig.
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And focus less on mpg.
Our lumbering beast rarely gets better than 14mpg.
We rarely travel more than a hundred miles a month; fuel is a very minor part of our budget
Never heard of Spacekap, Maranda, or Tufport; thanks for sharing those ideas. I considered trucks with inserts, but I don't feel very pulled in that direction.
It's funny, when I first came across the VanLife experience I favored the PM (it was soon after those models hit the market), and I started dreaming and fantasizing about the idea of it. Eventually, life required my full attention until recently and went right back to the favoring the PM. After doing my own research, and reviewing the research of others, I've decided to place the PM in 3rd place and have been evaluating the Ford's (both young and old) most recently (I've also looked at GMC / Chevy vans too).
If you are correct about inflation and the price of vehicles I'd rather not put out for a new or recently used rig (I'm surprised to find used 2019 Transits running at >$40K). I would rather buy an older model E-series or similar. I have a close friend who has a great mechanic to evaluate the engine, tranny, etc. I still would favor 4x4, because I do intend to use it to reach places I otherwise would / should not be. (I have an itch to explore and get off the beaten path).
I'm really thinking of a small, inexpensive, durable van to start. Throw some 4x4 capability on it and go for it. I can always upgrade down-the-road (pun intended) if that's where I find myself. Also, I think the smaller interior is the perfect size to DIY the first time, learn from the process simply, in a vehicle I can also learn to care for / fix mechanically to some extent.
I've been challenged in ways I believe are just wrong, and wrong on so many levels, living in a big city. I absolutely need the wilderness, birdsong as the sun rises, and unexpected daily challenges to quench the droll, lazy monotony of city life.
That's what it seems like maki2. Tyvm.
Just so you know, I read your post. Just trying not to take up so much real estate. I'll try to respond to all your points.
1. I've come across and read some your posts already (looking around the forums as I have). And I am impressed. Your experience is humbling for me.
2. Not interested in skoolies. But it's a great idea. Especially for a family. I'm single. No children. So there's that. I will be solo.
3. I expect to change, grow, evolve. I sort of yearn for it.
4. I did see that thread regarding the Sprinter van. I do not want to do likewise. Nor do I need to. I feel for them and wish them well going forward. I hope it works out in their favor.
5. Your advice sounds true to me. It just 'feels' right about how I should be looking at this. I will take whatever rig I end up with and take it out before doing anything to it save any engine work and maybe a 4x4 upgrade. It makes sense to let it grow into you and settle before designing something you really don't want or need.
6. One of your design choices was the use of old Pepsi Cornelius Kegs for your water needs. As you said, no plumbing, no pump. I'm pretty certain I'm going to borrow that idea. Such an excellent way to think about water without adding more stuff and stuff that could break down or require replacement.
Thanks for responding LargeMarge!
