Q&A on van living

[vancuriosity]

I live in a high cost of living city in a high cost of living country. I am researching van living as an alternative to avoid paying so much rent. I have so many questions so I am hoping people here might be able to help. Any assistance much appreciated. 

1. Probably my biggest issue - sleeping. How does one get good quality sleep? Currently I have insomnia problems while sleeping in a house so thats my major concern. How have people found sleeping in a van? Any problems? How to make it most comfortable?

2. How do you deal with going to the bathroom? Number ones are easy for males by number twos? 

3. I have a suit and tie job and must be well presented at all times. How do people deal with this? Eg having ironed shirts etc ?

4. How do you deal with the elements? Ie the exposure to the hot and to the cold? 

5. How do you deal with food preparation and eating and storage?

6. How do you deal with a reasonable commute to work from the van when you live in a major city? 

7. How do you deal with safety when sleeping at night in the van? 

8. How do you deal with the security of your stuff while you are away from your van. eg at work etc? I dont much care about possessions but more thinking about my laptop and identity documents, identity theft risk etc

9. How is it when you are sick? Eg with a flu, bronchitis, or lower back pain etc? How extreme is the discomfort? 

10. What do you do when the van breaks down? Im thinking of the discomfort of essentially taking your whole home to a mechanic garage and if it needs to be left there for days? 

11. What are the best types of vans to live in and why? 

12. How do you deal with obtaining power for devices? 

13. What are the best modifications for the vans and how hard to do them? 

14.  I live in New Zealand. Is there anything specific to NZ that people on here know about that might change the above answers? 

There are a few questions here but would really appreciate some help. Will take me so long to research answers these things on the net. 

Cheers

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Vancuriosity! Most of your questions have been answered in this section of the forum: https://vanlivingforum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38
Read through some of the posts and if you still have questions feel free to ask. You'll get more answers if you post one question at a time under the heading that fits the question best.

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. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[grandpa pete]

You need to watch A LOT of you tube videos ….all your questions will be answered …….find a you tuber you like and go to their home page and follow them from their start point
Be careful in New Zealand ; iv'e read that any modifications to a vehicle ( welding wiring plumbing ) have to be inspected .

 

[bullfrog]

Most urban dwellers live "out" of the van. With health clubs with showers, a library for internet and charging devices, a laundry and fast food stores or Walmarts for most everything else there is little need to buy and build those things into a van. All of these places have parking. You just need to make a comfortable place to rest and lounge a few hours a day at each of them. A lot will depend on the weather as to how you build out the van. where you park and for how long can be as little as the hours you sleep or longer if you can rent a parking space or have one furnished where you work. How well you can simplify your lifestyle will determine how much space you need. Thinking you can make an apartment out of a van without compromise is just foolish but a lot of people try to do the almost impossible while spending a lot of money, most have to adapt to living in a small space. Look at some of the build outs and try some of the sleeping arangements where you presently live. Use cardboard boxes and tape to lay out the interior diamentions of a van you might consider and see if it can work for you. Remember everything you use daily must fit or be worked around. Good luck!

 

[uncagingmyspirit]

1. How does one get good quality sleep? I also have insomnia problems. I suck on cannabis infused chocolate covered blueberries before bed. Most of the time it works.

2. bathroom?
Portable toilets, bucket toilets, or people will do their business at a fast food place before going in the van RV excetera and going to bed.
Portable toilets. Once you do the duty (into a plastic bag) throw it in the dumpster.

3. ironed shirts etc ?
Same as home. fold your clothing correctly to minimize wrinkles. You can also use a shower bar to hang up all of your professional clothing. I've seen a couple people do this to also block the window.

4. hot and to the cold? 
Really depends on how cold or how hot your city goetz. Insulation, vents, good warm blankets, portable heater.

5. eating and storage?
depends on if you're in an RV, converted van, if you have a small fridge excetera. You can go shopping Daly or you can pack away a week's worth of food and add a few fresh ingredients. You can commit to a fresh and raw diet where you won't have to cook anything. Lots of choices.

6. reasonable commute to work from the van when you live in a major city? 
Public transportation, scooter, motorcycles, ride-sharing.

7. How do you deal with safety when sleeping at night in the van? 
Just as safe as an apartment condo, house, hotel or motel.

8. security of your stuff while you are away
Never leave anything worth breaking into, in the front area of your van. Make sure to have your rentals are rolled up, alarm on and be mindful of where you park.

9. How is it when you are sick?
no matter where you are, being sick always sucks.

10. What do you do when the van breaks down?
Always ask mechanic how long it will take. if he or she can't guarantee it will be done by the end of the day, plan on getting a motel room.


Do a lot of research - watch YouTube videos, look at Instagram photos, look at websites and really get a feel for what you want and what you need.



Sent from my 5049Z using Tapatalk

 

[wagoneer]

Welcome , For myself I just packed my 1 ton Ford diesel van and left, when I realized I needed something I made it happen. start with the basics a cooler bed,chair.table and practical clothing. At the start it was too quiet to allow me to fall asleep, sleep is very important to me so I got a 3" xx firm Natural Latex twin size Topper, perfect solution.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Hi for the level of comfort I think you are looking for and where you live, I assume Wellington or Auckland, but guessing Wellington. I would look for a high top Ford Transit, a Fiat Ducato or something like that unless you are less then 1650 cm tall then maybe you can stand up in a Toyota High Ace high top or if you can put up with bending a bit this is a great reliable and stealth vehicle, Even though the climate is reasonably temperate you will need to insulate and have a heat source preferably a vented heater of some kind either propane or deisel for those winter or wet evenings so you don’t have to go through a lot of hardship. If you are not comfortable you will not enjoy it. You will need good cross ventilation, roof vent or windows or both. A way to cook, refrigeration, food storage, a place to store your clothes, it would be easier if you were a tradie but doable,(wardrobe) In NZ there are plenty of public toilets but you will still feel better being self contained, with your own loo and look better if you ever get hassled by the aurthorities so a self contained certificate looks even better for the neighbours. A porta potty for emergency and a plastic container to pee in. There are plenty of vans for sale on Trade me already set up it would be a matter of finding one that suites you.. You could install a safe for your valuables, I think Super Cheap or Repco sell something like this or just have a secret hideaway built into the floor or wall somewhere obvious but not. You could also get way with a small Motorhome if Diy is not your thing as the legislation in NZ is pretty slack around parking on the the streets and with the housing problems I am sure the authorities are turning a blind eye to vehicle camping. You will find areas that work better then others this will come with experience. This is not the time to buy though as everybody wants them for the summer but come autumn they will be cheaper and plenty of them for sale. It is very doable check out some of the marine stores to get some ideas on what is available for heaters, fridges etc. And what to expect to pay for these things. Everything is expensive in NZ but if you get an idea of what you want you may be able to bring it in form overseas.. A couple of solar panels on the roof will supply all the energy you will need to recharge you phone and laptop, as well as lights, fridge and tv. As far as having to repair your van you could likely find a mechanic that would let you live in the van while it is being repaired if it were down for several day, you could double as the night watchmen. Good luck

 

[ramblingvanman]

1. Probably my biggest issue - sleeping. How does one get good quality sleep? Currently I have insomnia problems while sleeping in a house so thats my major concern. How have people found sleeping in a van? Any problems? How to make it most comfortable?
Build a comfortable bed. For me, light pollution was the biggest obstacle so I make it pitch black in my van. I sleep great.

2. How do you deal with going to the bathroom? Number ones are easy for males by number twos?
I am very regular. Unless I am sick, I never need to go #2 during my normal sleeping hours. If I did, there are plenty of 24 hour convenience stores around if I am in the city. If I am camping, I dig a cat hole.

3. I have a suit and tie job and must be well presented at all times. How do people deal with this? Eg having ironed shirts etc ?
I would get my coats drycleaned and leave them hanging in the bags until needed. When I took them off, I would hang them back up inside said bags.

4. How do you deal with the elements? Ie the exposure to the hot and to the cold?
Heat is my issue. In Florida, it never gets cold enough to worry about. I use rechargeable battery powered fans and all my windows have screens. I get a good crossflow of air.

5. How do you deal with food preparation and eating and storage?
I don't store much except rice, beans, and canned foods. For fresh foods I buy daily. I have a 2 burner gas stove and cook in the van most of the time.

6. How do you deal with a reasonable commute to work from the van when you live in a major city?
If you are sleeping in the same city where you work, how is this an issue? I park about a mile or so from work.

7. How do you deal with safety when sleeping at night in the van?
My safety is guaranteed by Smith and Wesson backed up by Mossberg.

8. How do you deal with the security of your stuff while you are away from your van. eg at work etc? I dont much care about possessions but more thinking about my laptop and identity documents, identity theft risk etc
People won't steal what they don't know you have. Strict OPSEC is your best protection there.

9. How is it when you are sick? Eg with a flu, bronchitis, or lower back pain etc? How extreme is the discomfort?
The same as anyone else, I guess. Luckily, I rarely get sick.

10. What do you do when the van breaks down? Im thinking of the discomfort of essentially taking your whole home to a mechanic garage and if it needs to be left there for days?
Maintenance. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

11. What are the best types of vans to live in and why?
LOL. I am also on a gun forum where we often get asked AR or AK LOL. Ask 10 different people you will get 7-10 different answers.

12. How do you deal with obtaining power for devices?
I haven't gone solar yet, though I plan to on my next van. I am very leery of mounting solar racks to my fiberglass roof. My next van will have a metal roof and I will go heavy into solar. For now, I recharge at work or at Panera, or other such places. When I was in Pensacola, I could recharge while fishing at the beach. If they would have had free wifi, I might have lived on one of those beaches permanently lol

13. What are the best modifications for the vans and how hard to do them?
IMO? A good bed. Sleep is very important IMO. A good bed, good mattress(I like memory foam) and good pillows(I like "My Pillow"). I couldn't do this long term if I couldn't sleep comfortably.

14. I live in New Zealand. Is there anything specific to NZ that people on here know about that might change the above answers?
I live in Florida and have traveled much of the US. I can't help you with NZ. Sorry.

 

[lenny flank]

Think of the van as a metal camping tent that moves.

Everything else flows from that.

 

[highdesertranger]

rambling van man,

please define OPSEC.

highdesertranger

 

[ramblingvanman]

OPSEC is operational security. Basically, don't advertise things you don't want people to know. Hide things you don't want seen, etc....