New guy, 21 and considering the mobile lifestyle

[dg]

Hey folks, I'm a 21 year old university student working on my engineering degree and have been considering purchasing a diesel pickup and truck camper to call home. I've shared the idea with some friends, and while they thought I was absolutely nuts at first, after explaining my reasoning most were very receptive to the idea. I stumbled across this site while researching, what a great resource it has been so far, it's great to see there are plenty of folks who see the merit in this lifestyle&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">&nbsp;I'm looking forward to spending time here working towards my goal.<br><br>------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br><b>This next bit will be a bit long-winded, figured I'd bang out the full story in case anyone's interested, or to inspire other young folks with a similar idea, so don't feel obligated to read it all&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/crazy.gif"></b><div><b><br></b>Having autonomy over my life and simplifying my lifestyle has made me tick ever since I finished high school and started living on my own. I take pride in avoiding debt and saving/spending wisely. While my friends are scraping by living in overpriced, grungy apartments with less than a grand to their names (because they don't spend wisely), I prefer to be stable and live within my means. I find that reckless living makes me anxious, and I sleep well knowing I've got things sorted out.<div><br></div><div>During the winter I live on campus, I was fortunate enough to nail down a scholarship that covered residence for my first year, and got hooked. I thrived living away from home on my own schedule, and the alternative would be 2 hours of bus commuting per day from my folk's place. To afford campus living I worked as a residence advisor for the next two years which was a great job and covered the costs of room and board. I decided not to work this year because my course load was getting more and more intense, and I found myself missing out on my hobbies, exercise, spending time with friends and family, and most importantly... sleep. I splurged and am living on campus in a small apartment-style residence with 5 roommates, the rent is about $5100 for the 8 months. I'm really enjoying the lifestyle, but there's a few downfalls to note (aside from the cost). First, roommates... they're all great guys (3 of them were friends of mine before) but none of them have the same standard of cleanliness as I do and it gets a bit old. I'm not a clean freak by any means, but with 6 busy guys in a small apartment the bathroom, dishes, counters, and floors get pretty questionable. Second, I cannot afford to insure a vehicle or pay to park it on campus, that combined with a busy class schedule keeps me in the "campus bubble" and detached from the "real world". &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>During the summer months I live at home with my family and work full time in construction (to save up for the winter), and on my days off I like to jetski at the river, camp, hike, and enjoy the outdoors as much as I can. This is a comfortable way to spend the summer, and my family gets along very well, but I'm at the point where I'd like to get out on my own. Rent in the area is $500 a month at the very least.</div><div><br></div><div>I've got one more year to go, and accommodations will be upwards of $7000. The sad thing about spending that money is I'll never see it again, it's a straight up trade for the&nbsp;privilege&nbsp;of living on someone else's property for a given time. Then I started to think of alternatives, I can't afford to buy an apartment but I could probably swing a truck and camper. That 7 grand will put a huge dent in the cost of a mid-90's 7.3 powerstroke diesel and a camper, and at the end of the day I've got something that's mine instead of empty pockets. Young folks getting on their feet just can't afford to invest in property anymore, so the options are to live at home into your 20's, piss away your hard-earned dollars on rent... or think outside the box and buy a bachelor pad on wheels.&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif">&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><b>FAQs</b></div><div><br></div><div><b>Living in a small camper sounds boring, what about hobbies?</b></div><div><br></div><div>I'm big on skiing, so on the weekends I usually bus to my folk's place, borrow the old suburban, gas it up, load it up with a bunch of friends to split gas, and head up skiing for the day. With a TC, I could grab a few friends and leave campus on Friday, and have a "cabin in the mountains" for the weekend, plus all of my gear (and homework) comes along with me. In the summer I camp and jetski often, so having a camper and truck/trailer hitch will be quite handy. I'm happy with just a few hobbies that I'm really stoked on, and TC living would actually help me enjoy these hobbies more often.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Won't you get lonely?</b></div><div><br></div><div>Not at all, the key is I can drive my "home" around. Visiting my family won't involve an hour on the bus, so I can do it more often and spend the night without lugging an overnight bag along. Instead of being frustrated living with my messy roommates, I can go visit them instead. If I want to go have a few beers at a friends' places, I can park and sleep on their street, no more staggering to the bus stop.</div><div><br></div><div><b>That sounds fun and all, but what are you going to do when you graduate and start a "real" life?</b></div><div><br></div><div>Well, let's say I invest in a home and start living, now I pop the camper off the truck and have both a vehicle AND a recreational toy for camping, nothing wrong with that. With the current economy, continuing to live in my TC may be my best option even after I graduate.</div><div><br></div><div><b>What about the cost of diesel?&nbsp;</b></div><div><br><div>Diesel trucks get quite decent fuel economy. I've also been researching WVO dual-tank conversions and homemade biodiesel operations (it's the engineer in me...) and owning a diesel truck would warrant getting into one of these hobbies to produce my own inexpensive fuel from waste vegetable oil. Particularly, many find the ford 7.3 very receptive to WVO conversions and biodiesel.</div></div></div><div><br></div><div><b>Where will you park?</b></div><div><br></div><div>I can park close to work over the summer and rent a parking spot on campus to park over the winter. I'll have the perks of campus living without the high rent costs and "campus bubble".&nbsp;</div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>What about showers?</b></div><div><br></div><div>I have showers to use at work over the summer, access to the campus gym and aquatic center over the winter, my folk's place, and plan to get a camper with a wet bathroom for occasional use. I kind of like the idea that in order to have a nice morning shower, I can't skip my morning workout&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif"></div><div><br></div><div><b>Dude, what kind of chicks would date a guy who lives in his truck?</b></div><div><br></div><div>The kind who like to get out and do fun things, of course! Want to go camping or skiing this weekend? Want to chill down at the beach and catch the sunset over a drink? Choosing to live unconventionally does not mean you're a savage. Sure beats coffee at the crowded campus coffee shop or cramming onto the bus to go for dinner. And of course... you don't get much privacy with 5 roommates&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/sneaky.gif"></div><div><br></div><div><b>How will you afford&nbsp;maintenance and incidentals?</b></div><div><br></div><div>Everything requires maintenance, whether it's my TC setup or your home or vehicle. When you rent, you pay a premium to have the landlord deal with this for you. Since I'm not paying rent, that money goes into savings and comes out when needed. Diesel trucks are also very reliable.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Feel free to comment or shoot me some pointers, I'm still very much in the planning stage and appreciate any tips or suggestions along the way. If you think I'm getting in over my head and this doesn't make sense, don't be shy to tell me what you think. Cheers!</b> </div>

 

[ped]

<P>What are you going to do for electric?&nbsp;Then you need to think about fresh water and a way to dump the holding tanks. </P>An old motorhome might be something to consider instead. You could easily afford one with 7k and they will not only have a generator but you will have enough leftover for a nice big solar system and expanded battery bank. <BR>A class C generally has bigger tanks than a truck camper as well. About 40-50 gallons freshwater. It also has more room overall. Also don't forget propane costs espcially for heat. Depeding on your weather that could run you quite a bit of money. Running a small catalytic heater on high (9,200 BTU) will only last a #20 propane tank about 48 hours. That's about $280 a month to stay moderately warm if you're in a cold climate.<BR><BR>

 

[dg]

<p>What are you going to do for electric?&nbsp;Then you need to think about fresh water and a way to dump the holding tanks. </p>An old motorhome might be something to consider instead. You could easily afford one with 7k and they will not only have a generator but you will have enough leftover for a nice big solar system and expanded battery bank. <br>A class C generally has bigger tanks than a truck camper as well. About 40-50 gallons freshwater. It also has more room overall. Also don't forget propane costs espcially for heat. Depeding on your weather that could run you quite a bit of money. Running a small catalytic heater on high (9,200 BTU) will only last a #20 propane tank about 48 hours. That's about $280 a month to stay moderately warm if you're in a cold climate.<br><br>

<div><br></div><div>Thanks for the reply! For electric, I was thinking a pair of 6v golf cart batteries (still doing more research) as well as inexpensive solar panel. My main draw will be in the evenings, 30 watts from a laptop and the rest from lighting, and the solar panel will provide a trickle charge over the course of the day while I'm not home. I'll also have places I can go to charge the battery bank if needed. I can fill up with water at my family's place, and I've found 3 sani-dumps in the area for the tanks. I should be fine for heat, our winters are quite mild, usually only drops below freezing for a few days here and there but most of the time it's 10 degrees over. How much propane could I expect to consume for the fridge, water heater and stove?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I had a tough time with the class B, C and truck camper debate. I like the truck camper because I can run a diesel (rare in Bs and Cs) and have more versatility due to the truck (detachable if needed, mountain roads, fuel economy). There are also quite a few truck campers parked throughout the area, so it wouldn't draw as much attention as a class C. Another problem with the older class C is its age, the drivetrain and interior parts are going to require more maintenance.</div>

 

[ped]

<P>Well the motorhomes are usually low mileage. So don't worry too much about the drive train. It's the rubber hoses and what not that would be the concern as they sit much more than are driven. All campers will have interior issues. It's like a constant earthquake going down the road.<BR><BR>As for electric unless you have a really small laptop they will use about 60-90 watts. Or about 5 amps per hour. Lights will depend on what you use for bulbs but can draw roughly 2 amps an hour. You'll need to run exhaust fans some amount too. count on 2-3 amps an hour. As well you'll have some phantom loads like from the fridges circut board and what not. Maybe 10 amps a day. If you run a microwave at all that will take about 1.2 amps per minute. So add all those up for say 6 hours you're looking at somewhere in the 60-80 amps a day range. You'll need about 150 watts minimum of solar to cover that for the summer and about double that for the winter (unless you have tilting panels then maybe about 1.5X). Most 6v batteries are around 200 amps. So a set of them is the minimum you'll need and they'll have to be recharged everyday. In that case you might be better off getting 3 12v ~120AH. Then you can push&nbsp;3-4 days with a small solar&nbsp;system (40-80W). </P>One thing to consider too is if you get an older unit it may have been fixed already. If you buy a newer used camper its problems might just be showing up. I've heard a truck camper really doesn't do much better on gas. The bad mileage comes from drag mostly which a camper, even with a diesel, doesn't really solve. <BR><BR>

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Sounds like you've thought this out very well! Since there are other truck campers scattered around the area you probably be able to blend in and most people won't even realize that you're sleeping in your TC. Ped is right about the bad mileage, though, as soon as you put a camper on tha truck the mileage drops way down.<br><br>&nbsp; 100 lbs of propane lasts well over a month when we aren't using the furnace. We keep the hot water on all of the time and cook almost all of our meals so we're not conserving.<br><br>&nbsp;Don't buy a small trickle charge solar panel. You'll need to splurge a little and get one that can really charge your batteries. If you'll be driving around some everyday one panel may be enough but if not you'll need more than one. Check the brick on your computer - our two are 65 and 90 watts.<br><br>

 

[akrvbob]

Now that is an engineers mind!! Everything thought through and analyzed. It sounds to me like you are on 100% the right track You have everything to gain, and nothing to loose. Obviously you were born with an innate sense of adventure and you are going with it in a calculated manor. I only wish I was as bold and mature at your age. It took me another 30 years to figure it all out. <br><br>The one comment I would make is to talk to campus security about parking an RV on campus. Some schools are open to it and actually try to help you, others forbid it and will make your life hell. The more you know, the better decisions you can make. I also agree that the Ford 7.3 is a great engine, but carrying a slide-in camper I wouldn't expect anything over 15 mpg and probably less, maybe much less. The experts on truck campers is the truck camper forum over at RV.net. They can really help you if you think you might end up in one. <br><br>One idea you might consider is a step van with the Cummins 4bt diesel engine. That engine is legendary for its 20 mpg and reliability. A step van has tremendous stealth and lots of room. But, it won;t have the flexibility a truck camper will have if you later go back to house living (God forbid!) Good luck. Bob<br><br>

 

[Les H]

Welcome! I like your thinking so far. I have lived in a slew of places up and down the east coast since my late teens, almost always paying rent. Boy, would I like to have some of that cash back! My only question at this point is whether your school will let you park an Rv on thier property. Yes, you are renting a parking space from them, but they have a say as to WHAT can be parked there ( liabilities, etc). . There are a few college students on here that do exactly what you propose, ( Butternut, " the tuckerbag" is one) and some have had issues with campus PD. If you are not parking on campus, go for it!<img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[KatieinKansas]

<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Welcome dg! &nbsp;...Fun to read the ideas of all the different "out of the box" thinkers. &nbsp;Glad you're with us.</span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Katie</span></font></div>

 

[1oleman]

Sure wish I'd had your intestinal fortatude when I was your age!!!Good luck and a big"welcome". Ed<br>

 

[Guest]

Hi dg, I want to welcome you and say that you have some great ideas and as BobW sez are right on 100%.<br><br>My friend Paul who some have met is a huge fan of truck campers and lives fulltime in his Lance with slideout on a gas fueled truck<br><br>Mike and Terry Church, full time travelers and authors of the Camping in Mexico, Alaska, West Coast and Europe books have decided after many, many configs of vehicles, that a truck camper on a diesel truck is the optimum rig for them.<br><br>Paul keeps his ready to offload any time with a good set of electric jacks and can drop the camper in a matter of a few minutes and then has his truck to use however.<br><br>If I had the money, one of my favorite set-ups would be a diesel truck with a BigFoot camper.<br><br>My friends, Yasha and Juergen spent over three years in a diesel truck/Bigfoot camper touring the Americas before returning to Australia....<br><br>http://dare2go.com/main.shtml<br><br>Keep us posted....<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[SheketEchad]

<FONT face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif" color=#990000 size=3>You will find a lot of wisdom and advice here, in addition to a huge amount of warmth and encouragement.&nbsp; Enjoy!</FONT><br><FONT face=Georgia color=#990000 size=3></FONT>&nbsp;<br><FONT face=Georgia color=#990000 size=3>~SE</FONT><br>

 

[Kisatchieman]

Hi dg,<br>I've got a 2005 Mountain Star truck camper made by Travel Lite and like it. It's one of the few hard sided TC's that's light enough for a 1/2 ton pickup, in my case a Toyota Tundra 4x4. I get 17 mpg on the highway without TC and 12 with it loaded. I&nbsp; had to add Firestone Ride Rite air bags&nbsp;to level the rig from side to side and take a little sag out of the rear. Haven't had it long, bought it used, and am still learning how to load and upload it. Getting faster each time&nbsp;I do it. Can park it in any parking space, unlike the 23' class C motorhome&nbsp;I had prior to the&nbsp;TC. Can tow my ATV or boat trailer&nbsp;and back down boat ramps without any worries. Never liked doing that with the motorhome.&nbsp;My C wasn't set up to pull anything as heavy as&nbsp;"toad", so once I was set up at my campsite I stayed there until time to leave. Did take&nbsp;our bicyles and ride&nbsp;around on them, but not the same as exploring the country&nbsp; in a car. My biggest beef with the TC is that it is top heavy and not good at going over bad roads in the outback, though much better than the C.&nbsp;If you have any questions about a&nbsp;TC I'd be glad to&nbsp;help if I can.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>

 

[johnny_canuck]

<font face="Arial">Welcome&nbsp;to the tribe.</font><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">I had the option of buying just about any&nbsp;type&nbsp;of camper, RV or trailer. First I sat down and wrote a list of what I NEED, and not what I want.</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">A newer&nbsp;vehicle&nbsp;with low mileage. One that could be repaired anywhere I went. One that could be hooked up to a tow truck if need be. Comfortable to drive, reasonable gas mileage. A place for 2 people to sleep. Comfortable in the summer with proper&nbsp;ventilation. It had to have a safe way to heat it. It had to have a portable toilet. 12 volt and 110 volt. It could be parked anywhere. My "simple Survival&nbsp;Expedition" thread has all the details. I built everything inside my cap myself and it meets my NEEDS.</font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>

 

[Seraphim]

The one concern I have is sleeping in a rented parking spot. The city zoning department and possibly the place where you're renting the space have rules against it, and since you're parking in the same place every night, it might be difficult to be stealthy about. Someone's very likely to notice and rat you out.

 

[VanTrekker]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I like the way you thought everything out.&nbsp; I tried to do as much planning as possible&nbsp;and many of the ideas and notions actually worked out very well.&nbsp; There is still quite a bit a person will only learn by doing but it sounds like you are well on your way to a rewarding experience.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">One of the important things I learned is that the type of camping you plan to do is possibly the biggest factor in how you build out your living environment.&nbsp; Mine is equipped for mostly urban and short camping trips where I will always be near bathroom/ shower facilities and fresh water.&nbsp; That simplified things to where I don't need holding tanks and large quantities of fresh water.&nbsp; Some day if long trips are planned, I'm going to buy a cargo trailer to pull behind and make it into a bathroom!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I enjoyed reading your post and look forward to seeing you again!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">There is a great deal of experience on this website and lots of friendly people.&nbsp; Welcome!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bradford</p><p style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://vantrekker.blogspot.com" target=_blank>http://vantrekker.blogspot.com</a></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>

 

[dg]

Thanks for all the support folks! I was hesitant to post the idea because I figured there was probably something serious I was missing and that I would be shot down right away, but it's great to see you guys see this as feasible.<div><br></div><div>The parking situation is the one big kicker I have yet to figure out, in another thread there was a suggestion to try and source a place to park on private property (craigslist, etc). If I could find something reasonably close to campus, I could use my campus spot to park/live during the day and then head to the other place for the evening. A big plus to this would be a place to plug in, which will simplify the electrical. Most TCs have dual propane/electric equipment, so I'd probably save a good bit of propane doing this too, and of course avoid any trouble with the cops or nosy folks.</div>

 

[dg]

Most 6v batteries are around 200 amps. So a set of them is the minimum you'll need and they'll have to be recharged everyday. In that case you might be better off getting 3 12v ~120AH. Then you can push&nbsp;3-4 days with a small solar&nbsp;system (40-80W).&nbsp;

<div><br></div><div>That makes sense,higher capacity 12v are probably the best bet if I'd be going with a low wattage solar setup. I've been considering the generator route, I ruled them out thinking they'd be too expensive but I've stumbled upon quite a few inexpensive ones, like 800 watters for $100. This might be a better investment than the solar... a gallon lasts for about 5 hours, so you could burn an hour here and there to top up the battery bank when needed.</div>

 

[johnny_canuck]

<font face="Arial">I went with solar and 2 portable power packs with 12v and 110v and usb outlets. Battery powered LED lights.</font><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial">Everything in my truck cap is very simple. My 2004 Dodge Dakota can be towed easily and repaired anywhere.</font></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Henry David Threau is probably my&nbsp;favourite&nbsp;American author. He lived a mile from Concord in a one room cabin. Worked part time, thought deep thoughts, unlike myself.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">&nbsp;If he was alive today, he may have been a vandweller&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif">.</span><br><div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(253, 250, 245); ">&nbsp;</span><q cite="http://quotationsbook.com/quote/19257/" style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(253, 250, 245); ">I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.</q><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(253, 250, 245); ">&nbsp;&nbsp;- Henry David Thoreau</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(253, 250, 245); "><br></span></div><div><img src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7H2Llx_FiiGMHS9He1T9nma4qleaD_6HXxeZruELTsv64hTbz"> </div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V0foPGRso...ssAYHN35uc/s400/thoreau+was+10+by+15+feet.jpg"> </div></div></div><div><br></div><div>(sorry for the small pics of my ride. Could not figure out how to delete and post a larger one.)</div>

 

[akrvbob]

If you are going to be mainly in cities, how will you run a generator? The lifespan of those cheap generators is very low. Maybe as little as a few hundred hours. They are also extremely loud. I persoanlly think it is money flushed down the toilet. On the other hand, a Honda 1000 will cost about $600 but is lifespan is in the decades, and it is very quiet. Bob<br>

 

[dg]

Good points, I think I need to do my homework on generators. As much as I like the concept of solar, for my budget (and because we mainly get rain here in Vancouver from September to April) a decent battery setup and generator (for those times I can't find a place to plug in) may be the best bet. Any idea how effective the stock truck alternator is at topping up the house batteries?<div><br></div><div>Johnny, that's a great setup you've got there, I like how you tailored it to exactly what you need, looks great!</div>