Newcomer here

[danielinkley]

Hey everyone!!! My name is Daniel and I'm 24 years old. I love the idea of nomad living or just living out of my vehicle, I have no problem with small spaces.  I currently work from home and live with my parents. (They only charge me $200 a month for rent and utilities) So  I have spent the last 9 months clearing up all my debt, putting every last penny I can towards it. I will be completely debt free come January, I have a really great job opportunity out in Colorado and I currently live in Utah, I do not want to get an apartment or home and waste all the extra money on a place to live. I love the idea of stealth camping but I prefer a truck over a van. Thinking of making a stealth truck cap camper. I have very little belonging and can fit them all in a backpack. (except my desktop pc and tv). I also have a friend out there who can let me use his shower or washer and dryer.  Any thoughts  or recommendations are welcome. 
Excited to join the group here, everyone seems really nice and great.

 

[djkeev]

Tough to make a stealth truck camper of any size. A camper on a pickup screams "I'm Camping Here!!!!"

Best you could do is a large cap that looks like a carpenters truck. Put a ladder rack and a ladder on it........
it won't be roomy doing this but...........

Dave

 

[WriterMs]

Welcome Daniel!
The biggest problem I see for you to solve is the Colorado winter. Even the best insulated van would require running a heater a good deal, I'm sure. Running a heater in a truck cap seems on the dangerous side. What did you have in mind to keep warm? With a good sleeping bag, extra covers and thermal/fleece jammies, you could stay warm for sleeping I think, but what about evenings and morning before and after work?

Were you planning to stay in the driveway of your friend's house where you might be able to run a cord for a heater? Not sure how safe that would be with snow...

You have a good outlook and a minimalist lifestyle that is great, so I"m betting you will love van... or truck camper dwelling, but you do need to figure all the safety angles.

Let us know more of what you're thinking.

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard the good ship CRVL Daniel!
A pickup with a cap is what I was in 35 years ago.

After a few years I built it up a little with a 24" wall between the side rails and the cap for a little more room and it made it much better !
The back wall was all plywood . I removed the tailgate and used the cap door to make a vertical door. 2" of polyiso insulation all around and 1/4" ply painted white to finish it all off. I just reused the bed and shelves I had in the old set up and  a medium sized propane heater set me up for the harsh winters up in Maine. I used that set up for 12 more years .

 

[danielinkley]

Thanks for all the feedback, Really I would just be using the truck camper for a place to sleep and keep my belongings. I will have access to all the amenities in my friends home and will spend my time there. He just does not have a place where I can sleep and keep my things. (at least for the moment) but I love the idea of going full time in my vehicle. I will most likely convert over to full time as time goes by. Ill keep you all posted if anything changes. Glad to be here!!!

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Daniel to the CRVL forums! 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. get your self a really good sleeping bag, winter is here. highdesertranger

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forum    


If you were to be operating in that part of the country,  would it be possible for you to find a Box Van that could afford you space to live in with adequate comfort. 

A 350 or 450 series would stand up to the distances you would be traveling out there. 

I'd invite you to look through my sites below.  The first one is about converting a Van and the last page is
about equipping a Trailer for the utilities.  That way the Van could be driven each day with the Trailer left in camp.  The Van would have the kitchenette and bed on board so it could be used while out on the road.
The Trailer would have the water supply, water heater, shower, and laundry center along with storage. 

This will require some investment,  but if you are an avid shopper and are resourceful you could do it for a reasonable amount of money. 

I once had a Van similar to the one in the website below and an inexpensive economy car I could tow behind it.   Today,  I'd have the utility bearing trailer.   A basic white Van is one of the most stealthy vehicles you can travel in.

 

[cyndi]

Stealth is over rated. It's more about your frame of mind and blending in.

Pull in late and leave early.