minivan in northern california

[letsgo]

Hi everyone - Im a newbie. I have a new to me minivan which I love......doing a no-build build. I've been intrigued by RV living for years, once I came across Bob's videos I decided on a minivan not an RV because it seemed practical for me.  
I have pain issues from an old injury, and I've dealt with low energy from an undiagnosed mystery illness. Now that I'm stable I have both mental and physical energy I can't wait to get started! I've done a couple of overnights that were short but went fine. That helped me fine tune my reflectix and black curtains so I have privacy and stealth. But otherwise I haven't used my propane stove. I need to remove stow and go seats so I have storage (I call them my basements) I bought a tent to use as a decoy if I go to a campsite.
I would really like to meet fellow nomads. I'm sure it will happen once I'm a little more comfortable and less self conscious. I'm introverted by nature but friendly and accepting. I hope to one day adopt a dog to take on the road with me. 
Best wishes to everyone, you're in my prayers regularly especially those of us who are struggling. Imo our chances of happiness are better off in the nomad lifestyle if we stay healthy and build a support system. What a great support having HOWA. Thank you everybody who participates and contributes to HOWA - including the recipients who plan to pay it forward.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums letsgo! Glad you have your mental and physical energy back and are ready to go! Are you planning on going to Quartzsite this winter? There will be many forum members and HOWA facebook group members camping there so you will have a chance to meet friendly fellow nomads.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[TooFarGone]

Hi! I'm a newbie too.

I like your positive attitude!   You will probably be venturing out in your minivan before I have taken a few more camping trips in mine. I wish you good luck, and I hope you come back and tell us about your experiences on the road, and also in preparing to hit the road.

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum 

Congratulations on getting yourself a rig !    I'm sure you can find deals now on Tents new or used.
Have you thought of getting yourself a set of "ladder racks" where you could rig yourself an awning
that would extend out over the side doors.  This would give you something like a covered porch
where with some folding camp chairs it could be some extra enjoyable space. When you are in camp notice how many of the RV's, Camper Trailers, etc that have awnings.  Many will park so their awning
faces east so they get the morning sun before it gets too hot.  By afternoon they are in the shade of the
vehicle and cooler.   You might even pitch your tent under that awning to have a second roof above you
should it rain.

Good luck in our beginning ventures !   Take us some pictures.  

 

[roadniuu]

Hello there. I'm a newbie here too. I joined here this week. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Dingfelder]

Welcome!

I'm all for the awning, almost no matter how much sacrifice it takes. But I would want it on the west side, because that's where the sun is when it's hottest. A van or trailer or maybe even an RV can become an oven if it's not shaded. 5 or 10 degrees easily over the outside air, and that's really just the start. Even if you don't care about yourself, you might care about your pet(I hope), or cooking every foodstuff you have stored before it rots.

Example: Box of Raisins becomes: Raisin. I mean one raisin. Solid block melted by the heat.

Bottle of Vitamin E gel caps becomes: One bottle-shaped impenetrable glob. You can cut oily pieces out if you like and make a weird mess, but it's basically a brick with all its cells blended together in a way you can't separate and use. Fridge won't recover.

Bag of oranges: Fresh from the supermarket Day 1, fine overnight, you go to work ... tasteless mush on return and maybe even leaking that day, maybe even mold-infected the next day after that.

Heat is the enemy of fresh foods. So unless you don't care about eating much, do get that awning and find your shade both. Heat is an enormous enemy in so many ways; be prepared for the cruel revelations changing temperatures can bring.

 

[ckelly78z]

Welcome to the forums. You can use the decoy tent as an outside storage area to declutter the van. Carry things in totes, and restack into the tent for easier access. You can also set up a table for food prep, and use it as a changing room/shower room.

We used to do this when we camped with our boat, we would sleep in the boat, but keep everything in the tent.

 

[GypsyJan]

"You can also set up a table for food prep, and use it as a changing room/shower room."

I'm trying to wrap my mind around sing a table for food prep and a changing/shower room, LOL. Maybe if I pull the table cloth to the floor on one side and crawl under the table?

 

[ckelly78z]

Let me re-phrase; You can also set up a table for food prep, and (have a separate area) for a changing room/shower room (still inside the tent).