Living in a van that isn't a camper?

[Heda504]

My question is about the possibility of living in a van that has not been converted to a camper. I don't have any skills to do the conversion myself so it would have to be a makeshift sort of thing. Mattress on the floor, etc. Do you think it is feasible or am I being too optimistic?

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Lots of people start out that way and that is what i did with my minivan.&nbsp; I popped the seats out (they do this easily) and threw a scrap piece of plywood i found to cover the tracks.&nbsp; Put a bunk mattress in there on top.&nbsp; Bought a couple totes to hold my stuff.&nbsp;&nbsp; A couple people full time it like that (i just part timed 2-3 days out of the week).&nbsp; I'd imagine it all depends on your comfort levels and tolerance.&nbsp; <br /><br />There is a member or two here that even live in a prius.&nbsp; So anything is doable.&nbsp; If you plan to stay in one spot though you have to consider temperature extremes and at least some insulation on windows.

 

[HoboBerg]

I've met alot of van dwellers who have done no improvements. Just a air mattress and a few jugs of water. Not for everyone, but definitely doable.

 

[peacetara]

Hi heda,

I Started exactly like that!

When I moved into this van, I moved in with a bedroll(camping mattress and sleeping bag) and a backpack of clothes.

It stayed that way for a month just about. This van is a cargo van, so came with shelves along one of the walls. They are very very ugly shelves, but they are super great at holding everything, and very functional.

My bed now has been upgraded, I went to Home Depot and bought a chunk of foam from them for $20. Best 20$ I ever spent <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

I've done other things like add insulation, eventually, but I think every human being can handle what I did:
Buy the cheap ($7/sheet) white foam insulation that has a foil side. At Home Depot and Lowe's it's branded R-tech and comes in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets.

You cut it with a knife and shove it into place. Bonus points if you buy 100% silicone sealant to stick it places, when it won't stay there all by itself.

I use the same stuff for the windows , it's way cheaper than the Reflectix everyone here suggests, and seems to work great.

I have been full-timing since August, this van since Sept or Oct I'm not sure.

It totally works <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> sure I want to change things, make it better, cuter and more like a home, but that will all come with time, and I'm not in a huge hurry.


With love,
Tara

 

[twokniveskatie]

Hi! It is absolutely doable! In fact, to some degree, it is even desirable. Starting out really basic can give you time to discover what you really need, and build toward that. Soapy of us equip ourselves to the ceiling with stuff, and then spend much time "downsizing and simplifying". Ask anybody who's camped with me

After a couple of years I still have a perfectly comfy modular bed made out of milk crates, plywood, and foam. The only built in thing is the wonderful shelving unit Bob and the others built for me behind my drivers seat. It houses my bookshelf, water jugs, and stove on a slide out tray. When they built it, they had also built a beautiful, sturdy bed frame attached to it. Unfortunately, the heigtj and width of the bed didn't work for me....the dimensions I requested weren't very practical for me. (26" wide and too close to the ceiling to use the bed for sitting on). Later, when I tried to remove the bed to shorten the legs and add some inches to its width, I ruined it. ( don't tell Bob and the gang that I actually backed over it. Then a shed fell on it) So, I learned that much thought and experimentation should go into "built-ins".

The very best thing you could do is throw an air mattress and a sleeping bag and yourself into your rig and find a gathering. They are on both coasts. There you can get some excellent advice and hands on help and brainstorming. And a buncha new friends

 

[Pikachu711]

This topic had me excited from the moment I started reading it last night. I wouldn't mind trying to start the van life as soon as I have the finances in order for all expenses after I hit the road. I almost want to just buy the van and move out within a week of doing so. I'll build the van as an ongoing project while I'm living in the van.<br /><br />I can live with just having a piece of plywood with a mattress on it for sleeping. Keeping my items in storage containers is very easy to do. But the key is starting my move at the right time of year. I'd have to start when the temperatures were somewhat tolerable. Here in Vegas it starts getting closed to the century mark in June. It's quite common to have a vehicle get to 130+ on some days as the year progresses. So I should start in the fall of next year when the weather is a little more "user" friendly. This way I can put my finances in order and can do the conversion while I'm living in the van. This is beginning to sound like something I'm going to enjoy!<br /><br />I'm discovering that I actually need very little in the way of material possessions to provide for my needs. Plus, as I mentioned earlier working on a van when it's 110F+ some days in July/Aug/Sep makes this project that much more difficult.<br /><br />Plus, I can't have my two kitties in a van where the temps get dangerously hot as well. Here in Vegas there are signs posted in parking areas that "Heat Kills" and mentions pets in vehicles. I can't do that to my two cats.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Will you be working while vandwelling pika?&nbsp; If not id go to higher elevations in summer <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[Pikachu711]

DazarGaiden: When I hit the road I'll have already had at least 4 months income set aside and I'd leave Las Vegas. I plan on working through one more summer. After next summer, then 28 years in Vegas, I'm going to cooler climates. I've had more than my fair share of extreme summers with 115+ some days here in the middle of the desert.<br /><br />When I leave I'll be 55 so I can't totally "drop out" so I'll have to do eventually do something like workamping, part-time work, etc. until I can actually retire. But working on (or in) a van in 100+ temps with living creatures (me &amp; my cats) isn't the best way to start my van dwelling life.<br /><br />I'll be looking for higher altitudes with better views. Living in this valley does have it's disadvantages. I'm ready for cooler temps. I'll visit or maybe even come back when the weather isn't too hot.

 

[Heda504]

Yee haa, so pleased to hear it is do-able because that means I can buy a much better van. Converted vans are much more expensive and I'd rather have a more reliable longer lived van than creature comforts. Thank you for all the responses and best of luck Pikachu711.

 

[blueberry]

That's my plan too, Heda. I'm trying to scrape together as much as I can to get a reliable cargo van by April, when I plan to fulltime it. <br /><br />But instead of building a bed, I'm going to have someone weld a couple of strong hooks to the frame, one at the back of the front passenger seat and the other on the opposite side, diagonally. I'll hang a hammock from them at night and take it down during the day. I think I'll sleep more comfortably than I would on a hard platform bed, plus I'll have more room for a desk and chair as well as a little food prep area and potty.<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[Van Tripper]

Heda, doooo-able, been living in my cargo van for a year come Feb. Work full or part time when I want, temp. service(semi-retired,semi-driver), monthly bills run less than $200(work 3 days,they are paid), gym(for showers+), storage locker(5x10),van ins. and pay as you go cell(track phone), that's about it(simple living). &nbsp;No rent/mortgage, utility bills, home ins. nor property tax, etc. &nbsp;Oh yeah, ins. includes rv/renters ins for things in van. &nbsp;Depending on location, the lack of a residence saves $1500+/month. &nbsp;Everything over food,fuel, maintenance and entertainment(still date), saved.<br /><br /><br />

 

[WanderingRain]

Oh definitely it's doable. As you can see, many on here begun like that.&nbsp;<br />I'm still in that stage, actually. I just put a flat board over 8 milk crates and put a futon mattress over that. I installed some curtains on all the windows and behind the driver's area.<br />Months later, I am still living like this. My clothes are hanging on a shower curtain on one side (fastened to the former seatbelt buckles) and my bed on the other.&nbsp;<br />My only improvement is I saw a wooden futon frame, stripped it of the folding part, but kept the frame and put that in my van.<br /><br />

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;A lot also depends on the time of year and location; winter up North.. not a good idea. Down South, on the other hand, is an entirely different proposition.&nbsp; ..Willy.

 

[Guest]

From my research it seems like most 'minivans' are about 16 feet long (Dodge Caravan, Ford Windstar, etc).<br /><br />With all the seats removed except for the driver and front passenger seat, am I right in thinking you will have about 8 feet of length to sleep in and a bit over 5 and a half feet in width?&nbsp; <br /><br />It certainly seems that way, but the manufacturers seem to be pretty coy about explaining exactly how long the distance from the front seats to the back bumper actually is.<br /><br />Thanks.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Im 6'4 and have no problem stretching out behind the driver seat in my minivan.&nbsp; There is a bit over a foot to spare I think.&nbsp; Plenty of space on passenger side for storage or whatever.&nbsp; If i really needed I could pack some serious stuff in there, because my van has 2 sliders, so I could use the driver side slider to get in bed and use the passenger side completely for whatever.&nbsp; I think your measurements may be right.&nbsp; From slider door to slider door it might even be a little wider than you think, at least in the voyager (this does narrow due to wheel wheels and crap they added in the interior like cupholders or whatever).<br /><br />I had measured it all out but never wrote it down.&nbsp; Ill try to remember when i get home and can give you approximate measurements (i put the 2nd row back in there and a bunch of cargo so id have to measure higher than floor level).<br /><br />Of course caveat is various vans are probably different.

 

[Guest]

Well I'm 5'11" so that's all I needed to know, thanks man.<br /><br />

 

[Lifemagician]

My six months in a friends Dodge Caravan gave me a good feeling for what size van I could live in, and what creature comforts were essential to me.&nbsp;&nbsp; Have since bought a conversion van, with just seats in it.&nbsp; The most essential thing for me was a hitop, so I could stand up in it.<br /><br />It is a great way to find out what you want.&nbsp; Also helps spread the expense over several years.&nbsp; I agree, converted vans are far too expensive, and often not exactly what you want.&nbsp; Go for it, you'll love it.<br /><br />Pikachu711, here where I live, in Oz, we have the Heat Kills signs as well. Only they warn against leaving children in cars.&nbsp; In fact, it is punishable with a mandatory jail sentence to leave a child in a car, summer and winter, for even a few minutes!<br /><br />Lifey