To stand or not to stand

[Reducto]

I full timed in a van with about 48" total inside height and am now part timing in one with only a few inches more. I have a very low, comfortable chair that allows me to straighten my back fully when I'm seated so the only hunching I do is when getting in and out. When I say I was full timing, I mean many 23+ hour days inside the van. My back suffered when I didn't get a lot of exercise the same as it did when I was equally inactive in a house.

Being able to drive and park anywhere I want is more important to me, personally. I have not yet found a parking garage I can't maneuver, including a really cramped 6'6" one I just used in New Orleans.

I suspect that for many people the choice is more psychological than based on height or back health. I find confining spaces comforting, most people feel the opposite. Having a low roof would make them feel trapped, causing stress. You just have to figure out what sort of affect it will have on you.

Putting on pants while sitting down IS difficult, I'll give you that.

 

[bullfrog]

Come to think of it when I was 20 years old I usually had on cut off jeans and never had to tuck in a shirt maybe that's why living in a van was so easy!

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm doing fine without standing. I spend less than a minute a day bent over. Usually I'm sitting or lying down, occasionally kneeling. Or I'm outside.

 

[maryann1976]

I'm in the minority where standing in a van isn't a priority for me.  Luckily I am short and limber.    I was attracted to teardrop trailers which is basically a bed on wheels and so it wasn't a stretch for me to decide to start out in a minivan.  It's going to be about your personal comfort level and your lifestyle.  Bob always talks about finding the sweet spot.  A minivan affords me better gas mileage, more stealth in neighborhoods when boon-docking, less-expensive starting costs and because I'm very much a minimalist...I don't need a lot of room...even head room.   But I have no doubt in 10-15 years my needs and comforts will be probably very different.  Good Luck!

I appreciate your point about the sweet spot. I'm fairly short. Since it will be my first van, I'm thinking the boon docking/ stealthiness is more of a priority. Understanding that this will change later. Lots to consider.

 

[maryann1976]

I think I am going to have to get a short van because of my crazy dog. At least at first. She is terrified of storms to a degree where even with Xanax, she can get out of hand. Since my full timing is not going to involve quitting my job and since my job will require me to be in the office at least some of the time, that means leaving the dog alone in the van. This dog absolutely cannot be left alone, even in my house, during a storm. Currently my solution is to leave her in my car which I park in an underground parking garage a few blocks from my office. The maximum clearance is 8'2" so I need to be below that, solar panels, fan vents, and all!

She will be 9-10 by the time I am out there so only an issue for 5-6 years max. I guess I can live with not standing up but I am a little sad not to get the Roadtrek of my dreams as it is too tall. I have seen some interesting vans with pop tops though. Maybe something like that? Maybe a VW bus or Eurovan camper if I can learn to poop in a bucket?

Good points here. I'm currently in an apartment w/ the same height clearance parking issues. And I won't be getting the van and immediately leaving either. So having it fit and of course, the stealthiness factor is a priority for me because I'm so new to this. 

I looked at the pop tops but I'm worried about maintenance and leaks. I'm not a mechanical person.

 

[maryann1976]

Being able to drive and park anywhere I want is more important to me, personally. I have not yet found a parking garage I can't maneuver, including a really cramped 6'6" one I just used in New Orleans.

I suspect that for many people the choice is more psychological than based on height or back health. I find confining spaces comforting, most people feel the opposite. Having a low roof would make them feel trapped, causing stress. You just have to figure out what sort of affect it will have on you.

I think parking is my biggest concern at this point. Interesting about the psychological perspective. I've been logging how much time I spend in my apartment in a standing position. I work like 9 hrs a day. When I'm home I'm sitting on the couch (working, reading, etc) or sleeping most of the time.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

When my hubby and I started looking at vans, there was not any question that we needed a high top. We're old with bad backs (among other things) and crouching is no longer acceptable. We did enough of that in our tenting years.

A major positive, though is the increased storage. Our bed is very high (we need to use a step stool). There is a ton of storage underneath. And we also have room for upper cabinets on both sides of the van.

If only for the storage, a high top is worth it. Standing to make coffee is terrific. And we can't dance, but I think hugging while squatting would not be too easy.

But, we'll be carrying a bow saw and lopper to trim foilage that may impede our progress. And have installed a rear ladder to get up on the roof easily. We already brush above branches here and there, so I can see that our 10 foot profile may be a problem occasionally. The trade-off is acceptable.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Living in a vehicle that I could not stand was fine until I ran into a week of bad weather.  Then not being able to stand inside was miserable.

 -- Spiff

 

[TooManyDogs]

Warning:  Heavy Scarcasm!

I've spent quite a lot of time living and camping in a regular height van (a shorty Ford and an extended Dodge).  I'm 5'8" and it didn't bother me.  That's just how it was.  

If it's raining for two weeks straight and you're going stir-crazy, maybe you should have made other plans, or make some new ones now.  Your van has wheels -- did you notice?  Some people on these forums live in cars.  Are they complaining that they can't stand up?  I don't think so.  They're doing what they can with what they've got, and they aren't whining about it.

***Some of us still work and can't just drive away. I'm 5'4" and love being able to not stoop. I (and two co-workers) unloaded 10 tons of supplies by hand on Monday and was VERY sore the last two days. I'm currently in my van for work. It's nice to stretch out and stand without cramping.

Far too many people have an obsession with Absolute Perfection.  Well, guess what?  It doesn't exist.  Are you quite wealthy, with a good income?  You are?  Good for you!  You can just go out and buy whatever your little heart desires.

***Some of us can't help being perfectionists. It's a curse. I'm half kidding.

The rest of us might need a reality check.  You only have $1500 cash to pay for a van, but you're going to insist on a hightop?  You're going to travel with the weather, but you HAVE to stand up to put your pants on?  You're 5'2" and you NEED to be able to stand up when you're cooking in the van, despite the fact that you will usually be cooking outside on a Coleman on a folding metal table?  You're so desperate for vertical space that you won't put a 1/2" mat on the floor?  You're obsessed with stealth camping in the city, you'll be gone 8-10 hours a day, but you really, truly NEED six feet of headroom?

***Last week for work, we saw 3 black bears. You bet I wasn't cooking and sitting outside. Also, noticed gnats this afternoon and I pulled a tick off of me tonight.

[quote pid='269568' dateline='1489001127']

Are all of you so used to having everything you want that you can't possibly settle for a 48-52" high van?  Well, isn't that nice!  So......... why are you looking at living in a van?  Get an apartment and you'll have lots of vertical space!   Oh, wait, you can't afford an apartment because you've spent your entire working life spending money like a drunken sailor?  Right now, you have a $500 car with a $5,000 sound system?

***I have a house. I'm 44 and currently am working part-time at a job with a boss who is flexible enough to let me take my van AND the 3 dogs to the worksites with me. I just figured out that I can work a day a week and that would be enough (though I'm sure the boss would not like that). I choose to live in a van. Or will, after I get up the nerve to quit the homeownership and sever the ties here. It's a little scary to think about.

I think a lot of people need to sit down and make a list of what is REALLY important -- what they NEED, not everything they want.  If they can even tell the difference between the two.

***Oh, I know having a high top is optional. But the van was in the same price range as others I looked at, so why not?!
[/quote]

 

[akrvbob]

Of my 15 years on the road, 14 of them were in vehicles I could stand in so I assumed I had to have it.

Turns out I was wrong.

I've been in my regular height van for a year now and I don't find it to be a problem at all. It's possible I will put a high-top on this van down the line, I'll have to wait and see. But right now I don't think so.

 

[hepcat]

Warning:  Heavy Scarcasm!

I've spent quite a lot of time living and camping in a regular height van (a shorty Ford and an extended Dodge).  I'm 5'8" and it didn't bother me.  That's just how it was.  

If it's raining for two weeks straight and you're going stir-crazy, maybe you should have made other plans, or make some new ones now.  Your van has wheels -- did you notice?  Some people on these forums live in cars.  Are they complaining that they can't stand up?  I don't think so.  They're doing what they can with what they've got, and they aren't whining about it.

Far too many people have an obsession with Absolute Perfection.  Well, guess what?  It doesn't exist.  Are you quite wealthy, with a good income?  You are?  Good for you!  You can just go out and buy whatever your little heart desires.

The rest of us might need a reality check.  You only have $1500 cash to pay for a van, but you're going to insist on a hightop?  You're going to travel with the weather, but you HAVE to stand up to put your pants on?  You're 5'2" and you NEED to be able to stand up when you're cooking in the van, despite the fact that you will usually be cooking outside on a Coleman on a folding metal table?  You're so desperate for vertical space that you won't put a 1/2" mat on the floor?  You're obsessed with stealth camping in the city, you'll be gone 8-10 hours a day, but you really, truly NEED six feet of headroom?

Are all of you so used to having everything you want that you can't possibly settle for a 48-52" high van?  Well, isn't that nice!  So......... why are you looking at living in a van?  Get an apartment and you'll have lots of vertical space!   Oh, wait, you can't afford an apartment because you've spent your entire working life spending money like a drunken sailor?  Right now, you have a $500 car with a $5,000 sound system?

I think a lot of people need to sit down and make a list of what is REALLY important -- what they NEED, not everything they want.  If they can even tell the difference between the two.

Wow...  Trainchaser...  easy there big guy...  no need to blow the pressure valve here...  it's just a discussion!

First, there's a big difference between being 5'8" tall in a shorty and being 6'5" tall.  It really DOES make a difference to anyone 5'10" or taller. I had a '92 e-150 van conversion for years that was the family truckster that I loved... but I had to crawl around inside on my hands and knees because there just wasn't any way for me to 'walk.' I just couldn't do it. There wasn't room to 'duck walk' and the top wasn't high enough for me to even bend at the hips to move around.

Yes, I'm used to getting everything I want and at a price I want to pay.   I looked for my high top B-van almost daily for two years before I found this one...  and I paid $5k for it with 26k miles on it.   I generally look to keep a van/moho/trailer for about three years, use the h*ll out of it, and then sell it for more than I paid.  It doesn't always work, but I generally at least break even. 

And my earliest recollections of camping are sleeping on the fold down seats of the new 1959 Rambler my folks just bought.  I've been camping (full-time and part-time) now since then in every conceivable way that there is to live outside of a dwelling structure.  I pretty much know the difference between what I need and what I want.  I have my needs down...  and now I look for what I WANT.

Unfortunately, folks just starting out often don't have enough experience to know what they actually need vs. what they THINK they need.  When I was backpacking up in the Emigrant Basin above Hitch Hetchy reservoir forty years ago, I went with some folks who lugged a half-gallon of canned chili, a dutch oven, and 72 donut holes in a Tupperware container.  They'd never been camping before and had absolutely no idea what it'd be like, but in their preconceptions, those things were important to them.  They needed them.  Or thought they did. 

I just spent three nights holed up in my van in Spencer, IA with single-digit (7* to 9*F)  lows and 20 mph winds.  I stayed toasty warm with my propane furnace running.  I'm glad I had my high-top van, my stove, refrigerator, and generator.  I'm winterized and using a porta-potty, bottled water and a dish pan for the sink.   On my last 34 day outing, fleeing south for warmer temps, my first night was in Wichita KS where it was 16*F overnight.

So...  yes, I have sheltered under a tarp lean-to in the back country when I needed to.  I've hiked out of high country in a blizzard knowing that I'd not survive if I stayed up there.  And I recognize that what I recommend to folks may not be what they need to survive, but it'll sure make them a lot more comfortable long-term if they can find it.  I'm also very frugal.  I don't modify my rigs much because the market for an un-molested van/moho/trailer is much better than for a custom-built.  

I think we're on the same page on much of our thinking...  I'm just at the point in my life that I don't have to take the first thing that comes along and make do.  Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.   I understand when folks need something now and have to make do.  Been there, done that too...  but most folks considering this have time... time to learn about what they need and what leads to not only surviving, but being comfortable.  Being comfortable makes a world of difference. 

Oh, and BTW, my $5,000 sound system in my van when I'm on the road is a $12 gizmo that broadcasts free accuradio.com (or NPR or whatever other audio I choose to listen to) from my smart-phone app to my 1995 in-dash stock Ford cassette-stereo.   

Peace and safe travels.

Rog

 

[deadwood]

For me I only had two requirements looking for a van. I had to be able to stand up in it and I had to be able to park it in a normal parking spot. I can see the pros and cons of both heights of van. But it also comes down to personal choice (like everything else). I don't park in parking garages and I wouldn't think of going through a drive through. I like have the room to move around but the high roof vans also very visible. Which isn't always a good thing. But with all things considered I'm happy with the headroom and never feel cramped inside. I'm not full time but have take two and three week trips so far. Once the van is all built out I'll go for longer trips of up to a few months at a time.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Those were my only requirements, too, deadwood! I just got lucky and got a couple of "wants" as well, like all the freakin' windows and an extended length... I don't think I'll be cramped at all!

 

[reflex439]

I think a lot of people need to sit down and make a list of what is REALLY important -- what they NEED, not everything they want.  If they can even tell the difference between the two.

There are those that hitchhike with a backpack/tent and have no need for a van at all, be it a stand up or a hunch over. There are those that can’t do without a 56” TV, sofa, and triple slides and its a definite need for them.

So yea, people can live in a standard height van, or a solo tent, or a 5’x6’ cardboard box for that matter if forced to. But we have choices, and some may choose a more comfortable option based on their desire and ability, not necessarily need. We are allowed to have more than we need, and it's desirable to do so if we have the ability. Otherwise we would all be cave dwellers in Mesa Verde, because that's all humans really need as history has shown us.

And that would create a whole new website, CheapCaveDewelling.com

 

[BroccoliVan]

I am still debating on this but really leaning more towards standing height. I notice a common trend among van-dwelling boards is that many treat high-top owners like they are snobs for wanting to be able to stand upright.

For me, working inside my van will be a source of income. Having to hunch over every time I want to move would get really annoying very fast.

People who say owning a high-top is a luxury also probably say the same about eating good food and generally taking care of yourself. To each his own I guess.