I'm failing at Van Dwelling

[QinReno]

Rosie, think of the down side to what you just said. Which is that the boys have to use those nasty yukky restrooms "every" time they go. You'd swear the establishment owners never do clean them. Boys were just born dirty, and they never change.

 

[GypsyJan]

Those that don't have to clean it never bother to aim.
After childbirth, minivan living will be a cinch, LOL.
I must not be a female after all, cuz I am really excited and looking forward to full timing
in my tin tent!
No toilet, no shower, no standing inside....all worth it for the adventure....on the cheap.

 

[Almost There]

Blanch, I wasn't belittling anyone. I was pointing out that people with TTs have the 3 **MOST** important things that van dwellers do not typically have ... a regular toilet, a shower, and room to stand up. That is the major downside to the van.

Also, no room to walk around, no room for a couch or nice easy chair. I don't even have a refrigerator because they use too much power. I use a cooler, and most of the time don't have any fresh produce or meat. A van is really little more than a "metal tent", which is how I think of it. The only real difference from tent camping is you don't sleep on the ground. Totally different world from an RV or TT.

QR - whether you acknowledge it or not, YOU  have chosen to live rough. If you choose to think of your van as 'really little more than a 'metal tent' then that is what is will be. You  have chosen not to equip it for comfortable living for yourself for whatever reason.

I too, live in a van. I can  dance in the open space (and have), I have a fully functioning toilet, I have a very comfortable bed, a comfortable chair - yes, it  doubles as an office chair, living room chair and dining room chair, so what, how many of us sit on the sofa for meals and run the laptop from there too when living in a S&B. I have a fully adequate kitchen complete with a fridge and a deep freeze. I can prepare full meat, potatoes, veggies dinner and most regularly do so! I deliberately sacrificed an indoor shower in my floor layout but I use a solar shower and privacy tent when suitable and buy showers when needed/available. The bonus is I don't have to clean the darned thing!

I live in a studio apartment that thankfully is on wheels.

My signature should read something along the lines of 'senior female, living on the road in a van and loving every darn minute of it. I have sacrificed nothing!'

 

[John61CT]

You have chosen to sacrifice less.

Other would not accept your setup, and some make do in a car.

We each have our preferences and constraints, "vive la différence"

 

[QinReno]

ME TOO!!I'll be damned if I'm gonna wait in a women's long line when there's no men waiting. BUT I check to make sure it's not gross first. 

Rosie, just so's you know what to expect .... Speaking about "roughing it" and waiting in line, people who are not self-contained at RTR will have those johnny-on-the-spot toilets. They will certainly be unisex, have long lines, and tend to be unbelievably gross. I won't use them myself. 

Also, as you're new to the road, and traveling with a small trailer, I thought you might like this blog .... she's been traveling for 10-years now, tiny teardrop trailer, obviously minimalist.
- https://theblondecoyote.com/

 

[LivGolden]

- https://theblondecoyote.com/

Q- I visited her site, the other day. Really good! Thanks for the link.

 

[Dingfelder]

Yeah, how would a male ever know what a female is suited for.

There are threads here and videos on youtube with women saying their sanitary needs are complex compared to those of a male.  Many men have probably heard women saying that in casual conversation.  

Then for many women, security is a huge issue.  At least to hear some of them tell it.

Whether any particular individual finds those to be deal-breakers is a different story.  Like most things, it comes down to the individual.  It's still probably true that there are all kinds of general trends, though.

 

[rm.w/aview]

Kudos to you Headache in writing this presentation in the first person as it engages the reader and carries with it the potential to elicit a response on an emotional level, thus having the reader both looking within to ones own possible vulnerability while empathizing with the circumstance presented.

 

[JuliaAnne2018]

I personally decided to think of this for what it is. It's an experience that I don't have to necessarily carry on doing forever if I choose not to or if life took me in an alternate direction. I can't imagine being in so much physical pain all the time. That probably would make things extremely uncomfortable in a small space.

Sent from my RS500 using Tapatalk

 

[regis101]

I'm thinking that you aren't failing, you're learning.
No harm, no foul.

 

[Moxadox]

To Headache and TravelAround, I really do think the van life is not that well suited for ladies. Bob literally gloats about poopng in a bucket. I prefer to camp in CGs that have toilets myself. However, everything is a process of partial solutions and compromises. Nobody said life would be simple, certainly not our parents.

Perhaps a better solution if the van works out to be too inconvenient would to pull a small trailer like a Casita or Scamp, which provides standing room, toilet, and shower. RV-Sue did this quite well, and brought her 2 dogs along for fun and company.
- http://rvsueandcrew.net

Q, darling, I think you might have a more chivalrous view of ladies than many of us ladies do....FYI, many of the ladies I know who drag Casitas or Scamps use their lil bathrooms for storage. My two vans, the smaller I used the bathroom for storage and the larger one I used it for an actual bathroom. Many ladies live in cars or tents. I now have a 5th wheel, but only because the opportunity to acquire it came up at a time when I actually had the money, which was guaranteed to never happen again, and as I am old and decrepit I decided to jump on the chance for creature comfort. I miss my van....and am also grateful for the apartment on wheels!

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Moxadox]

Wow, mine sure did  I think "traditional" society in general -- meaning white folks -- by and large swallowed that hook, line, and sinker and used it aggressively to get off the hook for taking care of their kids or any generations after their own.

That is an interesting observation, Ding. I have been pondering this lately. Our parents' generation seems to have been the first to specifically not care about the well-being of the next generation. "We're spending our children's inheritance!"



The Dire Wolfess

 

[Dingfelder]

Yup. After beating the Great Depression and our second World War in just over 20 years, we were the most powerful country in the world by far and it looked like clear skies forever. But of course they were not, and could not be. We could have been more responsible with our optimism. Never has so much been so squandered.

 

[wanderin.pat]

I just read the OP's post.  I have not read every intervening one, so I may be repeating others. 

One of the first things I learned, as Headache mentioned (or I'm paraphrasing), is that this life is simply NOT for everyone.  In addition, many people have a tendency to blame Bob when things don't go as expected.  However, Bob does tend to give the information that everyone can do this.  No matter what, each of us is responsible for our own actions.  If we choose do go on the road, we need to accept the responsibility for it.  It is childish to blame our presumed failures on someone else.  

Headache, your post is very moving.  I find your willingness to be so open about your experiences to be important for all of us to emulate.  I wish you much success in the future, and that you will find a good middle ground.  I have often had some of the similar feelings, such as missing indoor plumbing.  

Right now, I'm staying out in the country.  3 days ago, we lost electricity, then the pump for the well quit working after the electricity came back, and it was cold and snowy.  It's a real good thing that my friend and I both are able to rebound after losing electricity, running water, and heat.   We haul drinking water from town, both have generators, and propane stoves. If I'd never lived this life, and still lived in sticks and bricks, I might have been seriously inconvenienced. 

It's good experience to have, this life on the road.  Even if you move to another way of living. 

Regards, 

WP

 

[ProfessorChaos]

To the OP, I am sorry it didn't work out but at least you gave it a try and know what the outcome is. Some people never take the chance and live the rest of their life not knowing what could have been.

 

[RAILROADGREEN]

THERE IS NO SUCH THINK AS CHEAP RV LIVING ! RV's are expensive to BUY , and that the cheapest part ! RV,s are really expensive to maintain , big time ! everything cost double , oil changes , tires , labor cost , towing service , hell you can spend $80.00 a month just dumping your tanks , and the biggest killer of all is GAS , on the west coast $4.00 a gallon and up ! LIFE IS PRETTY ****** OUT HERE WHEN YOU ARE BROKE ! just my 2 cents .

 

[RoamerRV428]

So true, nothing is 'cheap' anymore but then again, back when ya made less money it wasn't 'all that cheap' back then either

Money makes the world go'round. No doubt about that. Life is not cheap to live and survive and never will be. One thing we all face.

 

[John61CT]

THERE IS NO SUCH THINK AS CHEAP RV LIVING ! RV's are expensive to BUY , and that the cheapest part ! RV,s are really expensive to maintain , big time ! everything cost double , oil changes , tires , labor cost , towing service , hell you can spend $80.00 a month just dumping your tanks , and the biggest killer of all is GAS , on the west coast $4.00 a gallon and up ! LIFE IS PRETTY ****** OUT HERE WHEN YOU ARE BROKE ! just my 2 cents .

But hundreds of millions are paying a lot of money for housing every month.

Once that expense is eliminated, say you now have $2000 a month freed up, that covers a lot of such expenses.

 

[bullfrog]

RVing is only cheap when compared to buying into the housing market especially in places like California and for a lot of us provides an alternative to stationary exsistance which we do not enjoy. I'm always open to change and enjoy seeing people's ideas to live cheaper, got any?

 

[wanderin.pat]

THERE IS NO SUCH THINK AS CHEAP RV LIVING !  RV's are expensive to BUY , and that the cheapest part ! RV,s are really expensive to maintain , big time ! everything cost double , oil changes , tires , labor cost , towing service , hell you can spend $80.00 a month just dumping your tanks , and the biggest killer of all is GAS , on the west coast $4.00 a gallon and up ! LIFE IS PRETTY ****** OUT HERE WHEN YOU ARE BROKE ! just my 2 cents .

I have to say that it depends on what you define to be an RV.   The traditional definition fits your statement.  Class A, 5th wheel, travel trailer, Class B .... especially when they're new.  On the other hand , you CAN live on the road, in the kind of rig that many "true RVers" look down on.  I have been driving a 1/2 ton pickup and pulling a 6x12 modified cargo trailer.  This winter, I will be car-camping out of my 98 Jeep Cherokee XJ.  

Much cheaper than rent/mortgage and I get decent gas mileage, have no tanks to empty.  The scenario you mentioned is not like many of those who participate on here.  

Living this way; it helps if you want to do it.  If you found something living like this that you've never found before.

Regards,

WP