New Dreamer

[Elliot S]

I have always been a wondering heart and miss the days when my family did road-trips. Not a big fan of the "rat-race" either. I am currently living on disability in public housing and have become interested in "off the grid" lifestyles. RV or van living interests me most. I have no skills to speak of other than cooking and live on a very fixed income. I am saving my money in hopes of being able to join you all out there. I am looking at getting either a cheap but well maintained RV or a pre-converted van. I have next to no tools and no one to help me make a stealth Van. All that aside I am working towards the dream while trying to keep things realistic. I have watched a bunch of Bob's videos and well as hundreds of others. Maybe in two years or so I can make it to the RTR. :  P.S. do any of you ride Motorcycles? I could not part with mine. A trailer would be the obvious choice I guess.

 

[bpdchief]

Hold on to your dream my friend.  I too am in the process of finding a van to get out of the rat race, my wife is on disability and I plan on drawing SS in two years. We want to build our van now and work out the bugs with short trips. Already downsized to minimal possessions and getting rid of more. I'm sure there are folks in your area who would help fit out a van. Check your local facebook vandwellers group.
Good luck.

 

[Gideon33w]

Well, I have an freshly converted van I will be posting for sale soon if you want a rig that is stealth and would only require tweaking to your liking.
My circumstances just changed. Here is my build thread: https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=25048
I'd suggest a hitch mount tray for your bike if possible. WAY easier than dealing with a trailer and doesn't hurt MPG numbers.

 

[sometimesido]

Hit up estate and yard sales for cheap tools. You'd be surprised of what you can make with just a drill and a jigsaw. and don't discount your skill for cooking. that saves you a lot of money. my daughter can barely make ramen noodles and she's 20...

 

[Almost There]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Elliot! You've already gotten some good advice here!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Elliot S]

Thank you everyone.

 

[Spitfire Riggz]

Elliot,

Also a big motorcycle person. You can't part with your specific model or motorcycling in general? I have a long, heavy cruiser and unless I build a cargo trailer that can accommodate the bike as well I'm thinking the next best thing is to downsize the bike so I can carry it on a hitch mounted carrier or even in the bed of my pickup. Might even be easier to take it in a cargo trailer if it's smaller and lighter.

 

[Elliot S]

Elliot,

Also a big motorcycle person. You can't part with your specific model or motorcycling in general? I have a long, heavy cruiser and unless I build a cargo trailer that can accommodate the bike as well I'm thinking the next best thing is to downsize the bike so I can carry it on a hitch mounted carrier or even in the bed of my pickup. Might even be easier to take it in a cargo trailer if it's smaller and lighter.

Yeah I plan to downsize. I have a bigger cruiser. It's not the big I wanted in the end just the one I started on. Looking at the Honda CTX 700. More practical. Thanks for the input!

 

[Gideon33w]

If your interested in mine, I just posted it in the Trading Post section and added pictures.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=26465

 

[Elliot S]

If your interested in mine, I just posted it in the Trading Post section and added pictures.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=26465

Sadly no. I am still in the planning stages of doing this. It might be 2 years before I am ready.

 

[SilverVoyager]

Elliot S, just to let you know that when I signed up as a member yesterday I put you as my referrer because your post was the one that made me join. I liked the fact that you were truthful about not having tools. Gotta have a hammer! And duct tape.

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard Elliot !
There are a lot of van conversions that actually reuse household furniture with very minimum modifications. Maybe this would be something you might be able to do !?

Added plus , some of your stuff goes with you and that much less to get rid of..........

 

[Wayne On The Road]

Keep at it Elliot! Don't let the light dim. It can be hard and sometimes disheartening but if you keep the focus things can fit into place earlier than you expected in ways you never thought of. 
Tenacity is key. If I had a dollar for every time I could have quit I'd be a millionaire. 

 

[kpinvt]

Yeah I plan to downsize. I have a bigger cruiser. It's not the big I wanted in the end just the one I started on. Looking at the Honda CTX 700. More practical. Thanks for the input!

Welcome to the forum and good luck on finding a rig that works for you. I've seen people at motorcycle rallies that haul their bikes in converted cargo trailers that they have some kind of sleeping/toilet arrangement in. I ride a 2014 Honda NC700X DCT and test rode a CTX700D with the Dual Clutch transmission when I was looking for a NC700 just to try out the auto-shift DCT. I've met more than a few riders on the CTX, both manual and auto-shift, that absolutely love the bike.

 

[VanKitten]

Elliot...

I found a couple pieces of furniture at goodwill that I took apart and reused.

I got a couple of doors that way. Beautiful wood doors for next to nothing.

When you got to goodwill ... take a tape measure with you. Think about how to take it apart and repurpose stuff.

 

[Born2Explore]

Hey Elliot!

Welcome to the Forum! My advice would be to begin setting small, easily attainable goals for yourself NOW so that you can start moving towards your two year goal! Start planning, setting money aside now. Commit to it! 

And my wife and I have thought about getting bikes for the road too! We both have our motorcycle licenses, but sadly sold our bikes to fund the purchase of our van. We want to eventually get some enduro bikes to take on the van.

Something like this with a hitch mounted carrier. (this isnt mine, just one that i found on the web)

 

[FibroWarrior]

Keep at it Elliot! Don't let the light dim. It can be hard and sometimes disheartening but if you keep the focus things can fit into place earlier than you expected in ways you never thought of. 
Tenacity is key. If I had a dollar for every time I could have quit I'd be a millionaire. 

Very well said! I agree 1000%. I get closer everyday.


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