RV, Van Conversion, or Box Truck?

[zombiewriter]

Hi All,

I'm in the planning/dream stage of getting on the road and am trying to figure out what kind of vehicle I should start with.

About Me
I'm in my mid thirties, out of shape, and beginning to realize time marches on, and only I can make my dreams come true.

I write professionally as a (very) part-time job and have a contract for steady work. My real passion is novel writing, though. I have a zombie trilogy in progress.

One of my biggest dreams is to life full-time on the road. To travel, meet new people, see the country, get to know places I've never been, and write out of my RV.

But my sweetie of 17 years isn't interested. She doesn't understand the appeal or how we could possibly fit all of our fuzzy kids in an RV. She is supportive, though, and we're budgeting a little money each month toward a future vehicle and travel.

I have an invisible disability, so I get a monthly check from the government. But on my good days I'm very physically capable. This means I have lots of free time and don't have to worry much about money.

I'm pretty handy. I've never had any wood working classes, but if I can build simple things from drawings.

I plumbed in a new pedestal sink (that was taller than the last one) and toilet in my bathroom. I've fixed faucets and pipe leaks.

I'm good enough with engines that if I have a Chilton's manual, the right tools, and someone to point out the parts, I can fix just about anything.

What I want to do
I want to dry camp for a week or more at a time, without having to do dump my tanks or plug in or whatever.

I want to visit the back country and camp on BLM land and at primitive camp sites.

But while I do this, I want to use my laptop.

I'll mostly be solo camping, but sometimes my partner will come along.

What I want in an RV
I have very specific ideas about possible layouts, as drawing is one of my hobbies. But when I look at actual motor homes and trailers, I can't find anything like I would want.

1. I want seperate sleeping arrangements for two people, or an acutal king sized bed.
2. The bed doesn't have to serve as a bed all the time, but it would be nice.
3. I need a fully functional kitchen with stove, oven, fridge, and sink.
4. I think I want a flush toilet and running hot water, but I'm not sure.
5. I need STORAGE!
6. I want solar or wind power (or both).
7. I want to be able to put an Auto Moto three wheeled scooter on a bumper platform.

My partner says I should get a cheap older motor home for my first vehicle to see if I really like it.

I can find old motorhomes for $1000 or less in my area.

But I kind of like the idea of building my own so I can choose the layout I want. But at the same time, that would be a huge amount of work. . . If I build it, I can get a Sprinter cargo van with a diesel engine that will last forever. . . But a box van gives me more room to work with. . .

Any suggestions?:s

 

[LeeRevell]

A box truck/van will be cheaper, and has lots of options you can do. Those I have looked at have a lot of room under the floor along the frame rails that many ignore - plenty space for tankage and batteries. You would not have this with the Sprinter or any unibody structure. Also the box van generally has a stout suspension, and that scooter rack wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Patrick46]

Your partner is right.

Start with an older MH, and see if this'll even work for you. You won't be out much money or time this way.
after all....that's quite a list you've got going on there! :s

If it DOES, then you can always buy the rig you want, and modify it to your needs.



Welcome from Oregon!

 

[Luisafernandes]

Hi!
The amount of stuff you want or need will take up lots of space as sure you may know, so you'll need something big enough like a box van or RV. But you also want to go BLM camping so you have to consider the size of a box truck or RV, and their off-road capabilities. The Sprinter might be a better option to go off-road.
There's lots of people here with experience doing what you want to do, they'll help you with lots more details.
I too like to write and have a trilogy dancing in my head for quite a while, just need to write more than the few chapter I have so far.

 

[akrvbob]

It's really hard to go wrong with starting with a good, older RV.

For your needs, I would give serious thought to a truck and slide-in camper. Get a Cummins and you get 20 mpg with the camper off and it's a much better engine and much cheaper to maintain than the one in the Sprinter. Getting Service is MUCH more common. Take the camper off and it becomes a great daily driver.

Easy to find one with 4x4 so you can easily ad safely go deep into the back-country. Much deeper than any other choice.
Bob

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Our revered founder, Bob Wells, is constantly harping on the idea that you pay a good mechanic to look over any used vehicle you are interested in BEFORE you buy it.

I would suggest that this is even more important for old motorhomes. Old motorhomes can deteriorate just sitting there, regardless of how low the mileage is.

A few examples:

Old tires can have tons of tread left, but be unsafe because of dry rot.

Water heaters have a sacrificial anode in them that must be replaced when it is worn away. If not replaced, the galvanic action will start eating away the hot water tank from the inside out.

The refrigerant can leak out of air conditioners and refrigerators. Holding tanks can leak. And don't even get me started on what nesting mice will do to your electrical wiring.

An old motorhome can easily fit the classic definition of a boat: "A hole in the water into which you shovel money."

Personally, I prefer starting with a blank slate that I can build to suit myself rather than constantly fixing somebody else's problems.

On the other hand, it sounds like your girlfriend won't really be happy with anything less than all the comforts of home.

If there are any campgrounds nearby, they may be able to recommend a good independent RV technician you can hire to inspect a motorhome you are interested in.

Regards
John

 

[Hereandthere]

We're currently fixing up a 1982 Tioga, 24 feet long... my husband can pretty much do anything. It would meet a lot of your specs except that the cabover bed is a queen and we changed the sofa bed to have 2 desks in the main space. Paid $2800 or so for it, from friends. Have put a few hundred into repairs and gussying it up, aren't finished just yet.

 

[zombiewriter]

Thanks! 20mpg with a Cummins sounds amazing!

But I have a could of questions when it comes to a slide in camper. If a local bear or meth-head decides to attack my vehicle, how do I get into the drivers seat? Or should I just sit there and ride it out? And what about storage space? All the slide in campers I've seen are pretty short on space.

On the plus side, though, I can find slide in campers for a couple hundred bucks if I don't mind fixing them up a bit, and I don't. I'm looking forward to renovating whatever I get.

---

As it seems you are the most experienced and better writer, I would love to pick "your" brain on how you outline in general.

Thanks!

For non fiction I use fairly rigid outlines (if I bother making one), but fiction, in my mind, requires a more flexible approach. I'd be happy to tell you about my own approach, but keep in mind each writer is different and what I do may not work for you. There is no one way to write and that is one of the things that make it such a rewarding (and often frustrating) calling.

 

[LeeRevell]

If that bear or meth-head is trying to get in, that's where my Remington 870 12gauge comes out and dissuades them......

Reading your remarks on writing is great. I too have considered trying my hand at writing over the years. Haven't had the time to get serious. Now in retirement, that can change.

 

[akrvbob]

I'm going to move the writing posts to it's own thread, as it is a very good topic by itself and I don' want it to get lost.
Bob

The writing thread is here:
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=10583

 

[rvwandering]

I think an older motorhome would be a good starting point too. Don't be afraid of ripping stuff out to make it more suited to how you want to live. Go as small as possible so that you can fit into primitive campsites. You may not be able to go way back in the woods but there are plenty of places on public land that you can take a RV. Good luck with your search!

 

[LeeRevell]

Small is nice. You can access those areas that the rolling MacMansions can't get to...... ;-)

 

[accrete]

i'll share what my wife and i are doing for our adventure rig. We do full time (with all the luxury stuff) in a 38ft fifth wheel while we are still in the work force, but our jobs allow us to head out about every fifth or sixth week for a week of adventure. In that rig we have a van conversion we pretty much did ourselves from an empty shell (it doubles as my wife's DD), behind that we tow a tiny little fiberglass trailer. One thing this affords is two completely separate "rooms". While both can do everything (eat, bathe, sleep) we sleep in the van, and relax/cook in the trailer. If i want to get up early (which i often do) i can get out of the van and let her dream away while i go write, read, or relax in the trailer.

When we go out with van+TT it is typically off road on forestry roads and lands. Never had an issue with the rig in these situations. And since we sleep in the van, if we did park overnight at some big-box store while on the way to a destination we could just go into the cab, start the engine and head out without getting outside.

This lifestyle can be as affordable as you choose it to be. We don't _need_ the fancy 5th wheel but it is a nice place to call home while we are still working and not near the headache as the farmhouse/land was when we had that. As long as we can do it we will keep wheels under us. It just feels good to know _we could_ leave, even if we end up being where we are today (on the oregon coast) for the next ten years. Sometimes it's just the knowing you could that keeps you happy.

All that said, i'll add this; this was just as much my wife's idea for a lifestyle as my own. She is totally into it. Unless the two of you are on the same page it could spell disaster cuz you better enjoy being a hug-away from each other as sometimes, if you _just_ have one rig (motor home OR trailer only) arms length is about all you have. UNLESS you somehow are fortunate enough to live in perpetual sun and can be outside every day. Here in the Pacific Northwest we _expect_ rain to be a part of nearly every adventure or month, so the variable space can come in handy for sanity sake.

Best wishes on your research and quest for adventure,
Thom