Hi There!

[Perridox]

This site has been a source of information for us for years and now we are finally ready to take the plunge and say Hi!

We are starting full time in our self-built Ford Econoline Van at the end of this month! Our 1 month summer shakedown trip taught us a lot about organizing the van and managing a budget (of sorts). We found there were a lot of things we didn't need, which is good as there are two of us, plus our dog Milo, in a low top van(!) Dan will be working and I (Perri) will be figuring out how to find work on the road. We are hoping to stay out west and dispersed camp for most of the time.

We would love any organizing advice you might have for making a small space work for couples + pet.

Thanks in advance!

 

[user 22017]

This site has been a source of information for us for years and now we are finally ready to take the plunge and say Hi!

We are starting full time in our self-built Ford Econoline Van at the end of this month! Our 1 month summer shakedown trip taught us a lot about organizing the van and managing a budget (of sorts). We found there were a lot of things we didn't need, which is good as there are two of us, plus our dog Milo, in a low top van(!) Dan will be working and I (Perri) will be figuring out how to find work on the road. We are hoping to stay out west and dispersed camp for most of the time.

We would love any organizing advice you might have for making a small space work for couples + pet.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Perri, Dan and Milo,

Welcome to the forum! You've come to the right place for advice about making a small space work. Best wishes

 

[jacqueg]

You've already learned the only thing you REALLY need to know - the best way to find out what YOU really need is to just go camping, and let your experiences teach you. Because we're all different, and in a van, there is simply no room for anything but the things YOU find most needful.

And welcome.

 

[Perridox]

Wise advice! As we get rid of all our stuff and pack up the van over the next few weeks, I will try to keep that in mind so we don't end up with more stuff than we need (always an issue for me).

Perri

 

[Tony's Dream]

I do not live full time in my van, I just do travel trips for 7-14 days. Like you, I took several trips to determine what I needed and what I could do without. I also wanted a place for everything without having to move something to get to something else. I tried to make sure that everything I packed had dual purposes when possilbe. For example, my pillows doubled as pillows and seat cushions when I set up right. Any "extra" blankets are stored on my bed, I found they took up less space then trying to find a place to store a blankets....I simply roll back what I don't need on a given day. I have a skillet and pot for boiling water, everything I cook can/must fit into one of these. That cut down on multiple pots and pans.

 

[Perridox]

Thanks for your response, Tony! This is exactly the sort of thing I am trying to learn. We are in the process of packing up our house and donating almost everything to the local thrift stores. We found we needed very little when we did our shakedown but are now second guessing everything. We keep thinking... "that could be handy...what if we need that?" At this rate, the van will be packed to the gills when we set out! I like the idea of everything having more than one use.

Perri

 

[D'L]

Greetings.....
Disclaimer: I have not lived full time in a van. But I do know a few things about downsizing and packing to travel.
One piece of advice I would give you is to ask yourself how often you use that thing in your daily life. Then ask yourself how easy both financially and source-wise, to replace it. If it is not often, and it would be easy to replace you don't need it. And vice versa.

I always go as light as possible when outfitting a vehicle for long trips, because I am always needing to optimize gas mileage, so if there are two of something will choose the lighter thing over the heavier one if all else is comparable.

 

[Tony's Dream]

One of my inital mistakes was thinking that I had to carry enough food for my entire trip. I was worried with meat and other perishables spoiling before I ate them. I was not going to travel and camp in one location for weeks at a time so I down sized to carrying only a couple of days worth of perisable food. This also allowed me to reduce the size of my ice chest, thus using less ice. I can always stop along the way and restock. I start out with dry stock food, just enough to fill a milk crate. They last a long time and store easily.

 

[afblangley]

We found we needed very little when we did our shakedown but are now second guessing everything. We keep thinking... "that could be handy...what if we need that?"

Put everything you are reluctant to part with in a storage unit and pay for 6 months upfront. Let them dispose of anything you haven't gone back to retrieve by then.

 

[JeepLiving]

When I started my nomad life, I spent an initial seven months away from my "home base". I also took way too much food and other stuff. I also acquired new stuff. Came back to base in the spring and immediately ditched 2/3 of the stuff. The lesson I learned was to don't think in terms of what you think you need. Think in terms of what you can do without. "If I don't bring that extra folding chair, will I be okay?" Or, "If I don't have a water filter system, will I be okay?" Most stuff you edit out this way will indeed be stuff you don't need. If you discover through experience that you actually do need something you didn't bring, buy it then, either on-line and ship to General Delivery or else at a local store.

I'd rather leave home with almost no stuff and buy as needed on the road than bring a bunch of stuff I can't get rid of easily short of just tossing it.

 

[JeepLiving]

Put everything you are reluctant to part with in a storage unit and pay for 6 months upfront. Let them dispose of anything you haven't gone back to retrieve by then.

I thought of storing stuff, too. Then I added up the replacement cost of everything I guessed I could do without and realized two months' storage would more than cover this cost. Why spend $300 or $600 to store stuff worth $200? Just get rid of it (Sell it? Give to friends? Donate?) and buy as needed if experience dictates. Sometimes it's harder to get rid of stuff you don't need than it is to buy the stuff you really do need.

 

[Malamute]

I thought of storing stuff, too. Then I added up the replacement cost of everything I guessed I could do without and realized two months' storage would more than cover this cost. Why spend $300 or $600 to store stuff worth $200? Just get rid of it (Sell it? Give to friends? Donate?) and buy as needed if experience dictates. Sometimes it's harder to get rid of stuff you don't need than it is to buy the stuff you really do need.

^^^ This.

From personal experience and having a friend that owned a mini-storage, this rings true in so many cases. I think at first you dont think youll have the storage for that long,...it drags on.... You may go back now and then, getting odds and ends, seeming to justify storing it all, but over time, looking at it unemotionally, its often cheaper to get rid of most stuff and get it again if/when you need it. This doesnt apply to family heirlooms or expensive or hard to replace items, but common use items, it often does. Make your own assessment,

My friend said he had many many tenants that paid their storage for years, only to stop paying somewhere down the line, when he checked in the locker after they stopped responding to letters etc, there was often a locker full of stuff that was not worth nearly what they had spent to store it over time.

Im at a point with some family stuff that Im wondering it its worth just having a cheap blowout sale or giving most of it away to stop paying the storage fees.

 

[Perridox]

Put everything you are reluctant to part with in a storage unit and pay for 6 months upfront. Let them dispose of anything you haven't gone back to retrieve by then.

This is a GREAT idea!

 

[Perridox]

^^^ This.

From personal experience and having a friend that owned a mini-storage, this rings true in so many cases. I think at first you dont think youll have the storage for that long,...it drags on.... You may go back now and then, getting odds and ends, seeming to justify storing it all, but over time, looking at it unemotionally, its often cheaper to get rid of most stuff and get it again if/when you need it. This doesnt apply to family heirlooms or expensive or hard to replace items, but common use items, it often does. Make your own assessment,

My friend said he had many many tenants that paid their storage for years, only to stop paying somewhere down the line, when he checked in the locker after they stopped responding to letters etc, there was often a locker full of stuff that was not worth nearly what they had spent to store it over time.

Im at a point with some family stuff that Im wondering it its worth just having a cheap blowout sale or giving most of it away to stop paying the storage fees.

This is super a helpful way to think about it. We are lucky to have a cedar storage closet in our garage that we can use while we have renters in our house this year. Mostly it is sentimental stuff. ... But I am also grabbing all kinds of extra doodads as we pack up-- more duct tape, more teabags, extra blanket. I have a hard time just letting these things go when I may need them someday. A great bit of backpacking wisdom I've heard is that when we pack more than we need we are packing for the things we are afraid of the most. Being aware that we are "packing our fears" helps us leave them behind. I guess the things I worry about are being cold.(Blankets) And hungry. (Ridiculous amount of extra food) And needing to fix a lot of things. (Duct tape!)

 

[VanFan]

I like not having to move things to get to other things, too. Makes a big difference day-to-day. Lately, I've been back sliding on that a little.

One of my grandmothers used to say to pack half as many clothes and twice as much money as you think you'll need. I've got the first part down.

Re duct tape: I carry a good length wrapped around a short pencil in my fanny/bum pack, along with a length of dental floss. Must admit to having a full roll in the "what now?" box, too.

I am really struggling with down-sizing the contents of the S&B, and agree that it's exposing tons of insecurities. It's clearly not going to get easier with the passage of time, either.

 

[bullfrog]

Decide how often you want/need to make trips to the laundromat. Determine the least amount of changes of clothes you need to make it to laundry day. Put them in a milk crate. If they don’t fit try making it with less. Two people two crates. Same thing with shoes, jacket, coat, hats and rain gear. Two people two crates. Small backpack(go bag) with medicines, important documents (photos of on phone) change of clothes, hygiene items, some cash/credit card and a attached water bottle. This stays usually at the foot end of bed easily accessible. Sleeping bag, pillow stay on the bed or make a back rest while sitting stored in the open or folded under the mattress. Two spray bottles, microfiber towels, small containers of liquid soaps (dish and hand) collapsible water container all in milk crate with bottles of water in any remaining space or dog’s frizzy (makes a water dish as well till it gets chewed up). One milk crate for crackers, instant oat meal, canned meat, soups etc. You can make padded lids for the milk crates so a couple can be used as stools. Bucket toilet again in a milk crate to make it more stable. Milk crates can be attached to a rack above the foot of the bed or underneath. Four yellow lid totes 20” x 30” can also be used for each person if you have room and arranged to make a 30” wide x 80” platform with a single piece of 3/8” plywood 20” x 80” sitting on top makes a great place for a mattress. The totes can then be slid out one at a time like drawers with little effort. This works for us in a utility type trailer, with a van space is more limited but the idea is the same. Having a small tent/screen room makes a world of difference during longer stays, just be prepared to drop it down and weight it down with sand bags/rocks in wind. In good weather we put the totes/bed in the tent as it is more comfortable as it is well ventilated.

 

[Perridox]

Decide how often you want/need to make trips to the laundromat. Determine the least amount of changes of clothes you need to make it to laundry day. Put them in a milk crate. If they don’t fit try making it with less. Two people two crates. Same thing with shoes, jacket, coat, hats and rain gear. Two people two crates. Small backpack(go bag) with medicines, important documents (photos of on phone) change of clothes, hygiene items, some cash/credit card and a attached water bottle. This stays usually at the foot end of bed easily accessible. Sleeping bag, pillow stay on the bed or make a back rest while sitting stored in the open or folded under the mattress. Two spray bottles, microfiber towels, small containers of liquid soaps (dish and hand) collapsible water container all in milk crate with bottles of water in any remaining space or dog’s frizzy (makes a water dish as well till it gets chewed up). One milk crate for crackers, instant oat meal, canned meat, soups etc. You can make padded lids for the milk crates so a couple can be used as stools. Bucket toilet again in a milk crate to make it more stable. Milk crates can be attached to a rack above the foot of the bed or underneath. Four yellow lid totes 20” x 30” can also be used for each person if you have room and arranged to make a 30” wide x 80” platform with a single piece of 3/8” plywood 20” x 80” sitting on top makes a great place for a mattress. The totes can then be slid out one at a time like drawers with little effort. This works for us in a utility type trailer, with a van space is more limited but the idea is the same. Having a small tent/screen room makes a world of difference during longer stays, just be prepared to drop it down and weight it down with sand bags/rocks in wind. In good weather we put the totes/bed in the tent as it is more comfortable as it is well ventilated.

This is great advice! I aspire to be this minimal! Right now we have a milk crate each for tops and also one each for pants, small backpacks for everyday gear and backpacking ones for overnights... I thing we have double everything you mentioned

but we are working on it!

I agree the screen tent is an awesome addition-- we used one on our month long shakedown trip and it helped make our outside space feel like "home"

 

[Happy Camper]

I would also check out and read the on the road with pets section. Even some of the older threads. Having a dog might or might not change how you do certain things. Simple example might be needing to go into a store that you can't bring the dog in with you and how that's handled. You might decide that you need ac or some other way to keep them cool. Or adjust things so one of you is with the dog always. Or something as simple as shopping at night when it's cooled down.

Whatever you decide on these things will also affect what you bring with you and the space you have.

Not the most important thing. But I think people either overthink about this, or don't give it enough thought when I read through a lot of threads and posts when pets come up.

 

[savana1957]

When I started my nomad life, I spent an initial seven months away from my "home base". I also took way too much food and other stuff. I also acquired new stuff. Came back to base in the spring and immediately ditched 2/3 of the stuff. The lesson I learned was to don't think in terms of what you think you need. Think in terms of what you can do without. "If I don't bring that extra folding chair, will I be okay?" Or, "If I don't have a water filter system, will I be okay?" Most stuff you edit out this way will indeed be stuff you don't need. If you discover through experience that you actually do need something you didn't bring, buy it then, either on-line and ship to General Delivery or else at a local store.

I'd rather leave home with almost no stuff and buy as needed on the road than bring a bunch of stuff I can't get rid of easily short of just tossing it.

Good advice. Seems like everyone says that. I have alot of stuff I want to take in my van and tt.

 

[savana1957]

Good advice. Seems like everyone says that. I have alot of stuff I want to take in my van and tt.