Suggestions for vehicle

[cdwhit]

Situation- I’ll be retiring in a couple years.  I’m seriously considering van live, at least for a couple years to decide where I want to retire to. If I like the “van life”, I might decide to retire to a nomad life. If I get it before retirement, I have more time for a build, and can use it for vacations and weekends before retirement.  I currently have a 2018 VW Tiguan that I love, which might work great for a weekend camp, but is more cramped than I would like for a couple years or more, so I figure I have a couple options....

1- Buy a cargo trailer and convert the trailer.  Issues I see, I only have a 1500 pound tow rating, and 220 pound  tongue weight.  I’m not sure I can even get and build out a trailer under 1500 pounds, but honestly, I have no idea how much this stuff weighs...Is this viable?

2- Buy a van, and build it out.  Issue is that, at my budget, unless I get lucky, I’ll be looking at a high mileage older vehicle.  How many miles can I reasonably expect to get out of a gas powered van? Is it worth building out a van that already has 150,000 or 200,000 miles?

3. Buy a truck and a camper trailer or cargo trailer.  If the truck dies, at least the trailer is most likely still usable, and I can drop a trailer and use the truck to go into town for supplies. Drawbacks I see is since I would be buying both a trailer AND a truck, the vehicle budget would be less, so probably older higher mileage than vans, and trucks I’ve looked at seem hard used and put away wet.  Also, while I haven’t been to many of the boondocks sites, the few I have been to, and what I’ve read, towing a trailer could seriously limit where I could go (That would apply to the Tiguan/trailer too.)

Those with more knowledge on this than me..what is the best option, or are there advantages/disadvantages to any I missed?  FWIW, I don’t see stealth camping as being much of a concern, but would probably go with cargo van or cargo trailer with limited windows for security and temperature control.

 

[bullfrog]

When you full time you carry your whole household. Have you backpacked any? If you have then your suv will work as everything you need is contained in a backpack. If you have a 3/4 ton truck with a topper and a small cargo trailer in which you can live while parked and haul an alternate form of transportation that might work well. Most vans are very small rooms you can’t stand straight up in. If you are a backpacker and use the van as a steel tent with a minimal no build build then a 1/2 ton van will work. If you expect to stand up, have a 600 watt or larger solar system and carry more personal items than will fit in a backpack then you probably need a 3/4 ton high top van. RV and camping trailers are more for those that want an apartment on wheels and require a lot of accessories to boondock in and usually if you don’t get them you end up spending time where there are full hookups. This is just my opinion and general overview. It is up to you to decide and modify what ever you think will work for you. I just saw a large teardrop trailer that is manufactured out of chicken feathers and epoxy that is under 300 lbs. so you never know what the future holds!

 

[cdwhit]

When you full time you carry your whole household. Have you backpacked any?

Yes, quite a bit when I was younger.  I have also lived for shorter durations (a week or 2 at a time) in a very small cabin cruiser, (24 ft total length, no power), small houseboat (33 ft total, with a generator or power when I was at the marina) and a tent (2 man up to cabin tents).  That doesn’t mean I want to live year round in any of them, except the houseboat, which is out of my budget.

RV and camping trailers are more for those that want an apartment on wheels and require a lot of accessories to boondock in ...  

While these might be nice, they are not in my budget, partly due to the “need” to use full hook-up which can easily run more than a house payment based on what I’ve seen just looking around and tent camping as well as my parents experience living in a large motor home.  Also, a “Camping trailer” or trailer RV is not stand alone.  Few of these are under 1500 pounds, and most the ones I have seen are $$$, and being a relatively new niche, at least in my local area there are few older ones available.  So they would require both a larger truck which seems to be popular these days, so is expensive, or that 200,000-300,000 miles I asked about, in addition to the cost of the trailer.  I was thinking more a smaller cargo van that would have about the space of a van, and doing a van type build inside. But as I mentioned, I’m not sure whether or not that can even be done under 1500 pound tow weight, and if it can’t I’m back to having to purchase another vehicle, and the trouble of keeping it under budget.

In an ideal world, I’d love to have a 3/4 or full ton van pulling a trailer, or a $100,000+ Sprinter van camper, but that isn’t likely to happen.

 

[bullfrog]

Take a look at the Teardrop and Tiny Trailers site (tnttt.com) in the “foamies” section but remember once your trailer’s profile gets bigger than your vehicle wind resistance is a problem. I built an 80”x80”x72” box and put it on a light weight trailer it was less than 1200 lbs. but wind resistance killed my fuel mileage and in a head wind top speed was about 60 MPH using a four cylinder Tacoma. Total cost to build was around $1200 to $1500 total.

 

[SLB_SA]

The post office is getting new delivery vehicles.  What happens to the old vehicles?  Would they work as nomad vehicles?

 

[cdwhit]

The mail truck that comes to my house is about the size of a Jeep. Bob has a video of a lady living in a Prius, so yep, it could work.  Unless you get a bigger one one though, it might be cramped.  Also, while I have heard the mail trucks get scheduled maintenance, when I talked to a couple mailmen, I was told the trucks are ridden hard, and the mailmen are not nice to them.  I think the steering wheel on the right side would drive me up the wall.

 

[bullfrog]

I had one of the old 2 wheel drive Jeep ones we camped out of not very comfortably!

 

[user 37446]

If you have an 18' VW Tiguan then unless you owe alot, that should at least be tradeable for a decent minivan.

Be mindful that any cargo van less than $4-5K will likely be beat to death and over 200K miles. Why would a business or contractor get rid of a good one?

Minivans are cheap (easily found under $4-5K), plentiful and usually have only hauled kids and such. If you reduce what you own/carry you don't need a big van.

 

[Lorelei072]

I think as vandwellers we need to nuke the concept of “consuming” our vehicles and junking them at “X” miles. I live in a ‘92 GMC with 231k miles. Everything in it can be replaced as it goes. Starting over with a new rig has a much higher overhead in material and labor costs. Besides, maintaining an older vehicle shrinks your carbon footprint.

 

[highdesertranger]

"nuke the concept of “consuming” our vehicles and junking them at “X” miles"

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately most people don't want to learn how to do the upkeep themselves.

Knowing what's going on doesn't mean you have to fix it yourself but it keeps you from being taken advantage of.

Highdesertranger

 

[Camper]

I had a cargo trailer and it didn't take me long to realize if a person came to do me harm, I didn't want to tell him to hang on so i could run to my truck to get away.

If a wild animal comes and stalks me for days.... I didn't want to have to tell him to hang on while I run to my truck to get away.

Now I have a van and can leave a bad scene in seconds.....

 

[user 37446]

Yep the above is the reason a self-contained rig is best. I'd not want a truck camper for the same reason as having a trailer.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Situation- I’ll be retiring in a couple years. 

{snip}

 I currently have a 2018 VW Tiguan that I love, which might work great for a weekend camp, but is more cramped than I would like for a couple years or more, so I figure I have a couple options....

With this vehicle and your timeline of a couple of years of weekend camping, I suggest you buy a lightweight teardrop camp trailer. You wont have to spend a lot of money, you will gain valuable experience camping, learning what you want for the long term, and in the meantime you might be able to save a few hundred a month towards your 'ideal' rig when you retire. At that time you can sell the teardrop and use that cash when you buy the next rig.

A stepping stone towards your end goal...so to speak. 

Or so it seems to me.

 

[bullfrog]

You know in a lifetime of traveling/camping and living on the road many times in a rail buggy or motorcycle I’ve never been attacked by a human or animal other than people’s pets they couldn’t control. Even in urban areas as long as I stayed in places that were safe for me to be in as approved by my “hairs on the back of my neck” I’ve never had a real problem. It is nice to feel safe and protected by a wall but after all because of space you really need to live outside the van most of the time. In my case it has never been necessary and really staying out of bad places and away from people has worked well my entire life.

 

[user 37446]

Theres enough news articles about drunken folk in public parks/N Forest campgrounds that cause issues that I wouldn't want to risk not being able to drive off without exiting the camper.
https://rvlife.com/campground-crime-at-your-campout/

https://www.outsideonline.com/2353856/national-park-service-investigative-services-branch

(Extract from the article above): [font=Georgia, serif]There’s a pervasive idea that crime doesn’t happen in our national parks, that these bucolic monuments to nature inspire visitors to be more noble, law-abiding versions of themselves. But parks are filled with people, and people commit crimes. Millions of visitors pass through national parks every year (Yosemite alone saw over 4 million visits last year), and despite the trill of birds and the majesty of the redwoods, they misbehave in ways that would be familiar to any big-city detective: they drive drunk, they rape, and they assault. “People who abuse their kids at home come to the park and they abuse their kids here,” McGee says.  
    [/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif][size=small]
New Podcast Looks at Mysterious True Crime Cases in ...
https://www.nbcwashington.com/lx/ne...s-true-crime-cases-in-national-parks/2381608/www.nbcwashington.com › new-podcast-looks-at-myst...
Aug 4, 2020 — Park Predators” is a new podcast that takes a closer look at true crime cases from national parks in Canada and the U.S. Investigative journalist ...[/font][/size]


Summary: While it's not frequent, you have to consider it.  A loud dog, bear spray or other means of defence is not a bad idea.

 

[bullfrog]

The best idea is to avoid bad situations. I’ve been in a highly visited National Recreation Area in remote Utah for almost 15 years, in the spot living here 6 or 8 months a year and never had a problem personally, bad things do happen but haven’t to me. I personally don’t think you can keep people out of your van long enough to get to the driver’s seat, start the van and drive off. Glass and thin metal aren’t going to stop a bullet. I think having a false sense of security and therefore thinking you can stay somewhere in your van your senses are telling you might be a little iffy is more dangerous than out in the open where they tell you it is safe. You just need to develop those senses and listen to them. They have served me much better than driving around in an armored van figuring I’m “stealth” and safe because nobody will know I’m somewhere I shouldn’t be and I’m faster than a speeding bullet when it comes to getting away from a bad situation. I just do not let myself get into those situations by parking behind bars or where there is a big party or noisy, roudy and drunk people.

 

[cdwhit]

I think as vandwellers we need to nuke the concept of “consuming” our vehicles and junking them at “X” miles. I live in a ‘92 GMC with 231k miles. Everything in it can be replaced as it goes. Starting over with a new rig has a much higher overhead in material and labor costs. Besides, maintaining an older vehicle shrinks your carbon footprint.

While I love the idea of repairing and continuing, it’s not always feasible. I currently have a Honda Element my daughter is using, that to fix all the issues would cost more than a new CRV.  Some new vehicles can cost over $10,000 to replace a motor, and my last pick-up truck (that I loved) was traded in because there was not even a replacement transmission or repair parts available.  
I have had some REALLY bad luck with used vehicles and older vehicles, which makes me nervous when the car will be my home.