I lived in a cabin for a couple of years with no plumbing. I want to suggest something I used that will work in this setting. I heated water in a metal bucket . I used a natural sponge which holds a lot of water and very easy to use to take a bath/shower. They can be bought at auto stores . Dont mistake it for normal sponges. It's not to clean wipe with. It's made to pick up water and release it in your hand. A lot of water.
Life in a low top van or suv
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bandaidqueen
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I have an old Ford E250 extended cargo van, standard height back in 2000 when it was made. It doesn't bother me that I can't stand up in it, if I'm inside I'm sitting on the bed or laying down, and I sit on the bed to get dressed. I shower at the gym and work 6 days a week so I'm not hanging around inside a lot. But I have a stove and oven and in the rare occasion I cook or bake, I usually just sit on the floor or a bucket. I like to play guitar and I do that sitting on the bed. If I'm watching Netflix (on my phone, no computer ATM) I'm usually laying on my stomach like a fat slob, on my very comfortable bed lol. Honestly I think most people spend indoor time in a regular house mostly sitting or lounging, with the exception of cooking and getting dressed. Maybe if I wasn't working and had more van time I would notice it more, but for me the low roof is a non-issue. Budget had a LOT to do with it, I bought the van for only two grand and it only needed $500 in repairs, that was ALL the money I had so I guess it worked out. A high top wasn't an option and I knew I wouldn't need it. I absolutely LOVE Vanessa. Everything about her including the manual roll up windows, no windows in sides and back, and low roof. A cheaper van is less noticable and I don't have to worry about blacking out back windows. She runs great and had very low mileage for a 20 year old work vehicle (under 100K at time of purchase). Takeaway is, you have to consider your life and personal situation and figure out what's important for you. Medical condition and needing to stay inside the van most of the time vs. working 50 hours a week then spending time at the MMA gym or with friends in evenings, very different situations. Everyone's VanLife journey is unique. You've got SOME idea what you can handle and what you'll be comfortable with. Just go from there.
BinDerSmokDat
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I'm 6'4" and the GF is 6'0".
We don't live in our standard roof Econoline year-round, just extended trips here and there and weekend camping.
I have 1/2" foam board and 1/2" plywood on the floor, stealing an inch of height.
I use those 3/8" interlocking foam squares for flooring so it's soft to the feet but easy to remove shakeout sand/wipe clean.
The roof is 1/4" paneling attached directly to the roof ribs with 1/8 foil faced roll foam floor underlayment.
So I sacrifice about 1.75" in total interior height with my build.
I look at the roof height as a tradeoff.
I wanted insulation on the floor and 1/2" ply to anchor boxes/bed/cabinets without drilling lots of holes through the floor.
All furnishings are held in place by carriage bolts coming UP from beneath plywood with big fender washers distributing weight.
The plywood is then bolted through the van floor where there were already existing factory holes/knockouts.
If I went with a fiberglass high top, I'd get a bit more room to sit-up in bed, but still neither of us could stand.
And I'd get reduced mileage, higher center of gravity and more work fighting crosswinds.
We've found that with one of us sitting in the reversed passenger seat and the other in bed or sitting on the floor, we can both be very comfortable.
As for getting dressed, if it is a boondock site or relatively private remote site, we can hop out and slip into clothes under the side door awning with sides.
Otherwise we do the "wriggle into long pants" while lying on the bed.
Our next van will be a Transit/Promaster with a high roof.
We still won't be able to stand but we will get more wall space for shelves cabinets.
These newer vans have a lower center of gravity, lighter base weight and have better aerodynamics, so the extra height comes at less of a penalty.
We don't live in our standard roof Econoline year-round, just extended trips here and there and weekend camping.
I have 1/2" foam board and 1/2" plywood on the floor, stealing an inch of height.
I use those 3/8" interlocking foam squares for flooring so it's soft to the feet but easy to remove shakeout sand/wipe clean.
The roof is 1/4" paneling attached directly to the roof ribs with 1/8 foil faced roll foam floor underlayment.
So I sacrifice about 1.75" in total interior height with my build.
I look at the roof height as a tradeoff.
I wanted insulation on the floor and 1/2" ply to anchor boxes/bed/cabinets without drilling lots of holes through the floor.
All furnishings are held in place by carriage bolts coming UP from beneath plywood with big fender washers distributing weight.
The plywood is then bolted through the van floor where there were already existing factory holes/knockouts.
If I went with a fiberglass high top, I'd get a bit more room to sit-up in bed, but still neither of us could stand.
And I'd get reduced mileage, higher center of gravity and more work fighting crosswinds.
We've found that with one of us sitting in the reversed passenger seat and the other in bed or sitting on the floor, we can both be very comfortable.
As for getting dressed, if it is a boondock site or relatively private remote site, we can hop out and slip into clothes under the side door awning with sides.
Otherwise we do the "wriggle into long pants" while lying on the bed.
Our next van will be a Transit/Promaster with a high roof.
We still won't be able to stand but we will get more wall space for shelves cabinets.
These newer vans have a lower center of gravity, lighter base weight and have better aerodynamics, so the extra height comes at less of a penalty.
Jim_Rockford
Well-known member
to me a low top van will keep me from getting too comfortable and staying in the van all the time, I need to be out and about .
You people that have done a lot of one thing dont realize how much knowledge you have gained . That's always the case with nearly everything. That's why first year in business has such alarming failure rates. Why marriages have an alarming rate at failure imo. There are of course other issues. So you prolly know a lot more than you think you know. Even on a simple sounding subject as this. It's not simple .
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