Trying not to obsess

[ChileGirl]

I'm new to the forum, but I think I've watched almost every one of Bob's videos and have read articles and forums until my eyes bled.

I've been retired for quite a while, and we just moved back home to Colorado after living in NH for seven years (hubby got laid off and retired a few years earlier than planned). We have a beautiful new house, but I'm going stir crazy. I love to travel and try to go to Europe for a month at a time when I can (fortunately, I have friends to stay with in several countries). But I'm really itching to see more of the US and Canada, and I know that if I get a little van I can travel very inexpensively compared to going overseas.

My husband doesn't share my sense of adventure, so if/when I do this, I'll be solo. My intention is to go on multiple road trips per year, each lasting two or three weeks. Then I can come home to spend time with hubby and my adult kids before setting out again. I've looked at so many videos and read so many opinions, but I keep coming back to the Nissan VN200. I don't want to permanently convert it, just maybe build a removable bed platform and add some removable shelves. I like the idea of not having windows on the sides so I have privacy and feel more secure, although I need to figure out ventilation at night. I've already made an exhaustive list of everything I'll need on the road, some of which I already have and some of which I'll have to purchase.

I'm going to be doing some temp work this spring, so I'm going to put my earnings aside to help fund this adventure.

Thank you to everyone on the forum for your insights. It's so helpful to learn from people who have already been doing this for a while.

 

[NomadJack]

"I'm new to the forum, . . . "

Hi ChileGirl - im new here too, just joined this morning.
When I started out I bought a coleman cot - $70.00 
It is lightweight, collapsible, and very comfortable. If I needed my van to haul stuff I just folded it up and put it in my trailer. Not attached to anything, just sits there.
Worth every penny.
Just wanted to share that, and say hi.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Chile to the CRVL forums! 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. highdesertranger

 

[Gr8ful]

I think you have the right idea & hope it goes well! I'm done with the cold, tired of all the things I had to have. Just want to find a good cause so I can still get some traveling in before what's left of my mobility's gone. America is a great place! Goog Luck & Enjoy!

 

[maki2]

You will enjoy seeing this set of videos from Laura Kampf. A young woman ""maker" in Germany who designed and built a removable living system in a newer van. She has a very good sense of design and the project is well executed. This is a series of 6 videos featuring the van build from her youtube channel "Laura Kampf" One video is an overview of the finished project, the other videos each show various aspects of the build including dimensions (metric). A carpenter or cabinet make you could do this work for you if you don't want to tackle it on your own. If its of course good for women to see other women doing both the designing and the building

This is the introduction video showing the completed project


This is the full list of all the videos related to the campervan project
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLsyCFICnr81IUVvNSZ9EABegzlRwjETr

 

[Weight]

Just another blog to read. rvsueandcrew.net
Sue is living in stick and brick right now. But her past posts about traveling as RV Sue are fun to read. She does a lot of explaining about her nomadic lifestyle.

 

[Doubleone]

Hi ChiliGirl,  Welcome to the forums.  I share in the wanderlust too... It's always an adventure to head out and explore the U.S.  Lots of friendly knowledgeable people here to help you achieve your dream.

Dreaming out loud with you...  I was considering the NV200 for a while.  Right now I'm in a Ford E350 class C that gets an abysmal 9mpg, and thinking I could extend my time traveling if I had better fuel mileage since fuel is generally my biggest cost.  I really like the idea of a mini van for better mileage and ease of driving and parking.  I really like the size and shape of the NV200 but the interior is a little short for me to build a bed and still have room on front side for driving. So I thought perhaps I'd build a mini class-c to extend the back a foot or two, and add some standing height, something like those Japanese micro RVs.  But then I looked at fuel mileage, and the NV200 gets about 23mpg and the Ford Transit about 24mpg.  I was shocked the NV200 was the same/less than a full size van.  I would have thought the opposite base on weight and size alone.  The NV200 also has a CVT style transmission which I am kinda leery of.  I have a good friend with a Nissan Maxima CVT that acts up in hot weather, and that's their flagship luxury model so you'd think they'd get that right.  Used pricing looks about the same for NV200 or Transit, so it got me to thinking... for me, maybe it might just be better to just go Ford transit for the extra space.  Another consideration is there are way more Ford dealers and parts out there if anything breaks, especially mid-west where its mostly Ford, Chev, Dodge, Toyota.  I can't remember seeing a Nissan dealer outside of the biggest metro centers.  FWIW, I also liked the size and shape of the Toyota Sienna but disappointed that only gets 21mpg, wondering how much less once I put a top on it, so back to the Transit.  Oh, well, like I said I'm dreaming out loud, maybe I'll do a mini class C on a Transit body...    

Links to real-world owner reported fuel mileage for NV200 and Ford Transit:
http://www.fuelly.com/car/nissan/nv200
http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/transit

 

[tx2sturgis]

But then I looked at fuel mileage, and the NV200 gets about 23mpg and the Ford Transit about 24mpg.  I was shocked the NV200 was the same/less than a full size van.  

Hey, we met out at Q, thanks for dropping by. 

When those mileage numbers get published by various websites, sometimes the full size Transit mpg numbers get mingled in with the Transit Connect. In the last several years, Ford has been under the gun for 'optimistic' EPA mpg estimates. They have been known to 'fudge' the numbers. 

The full size Transit with the gas engine does not normally average 24 mpg..more like 14-16. Abnorm has one and I think he gets about 10 mpg...but of course it is loaded and it's a hightop.

Be sure to look into the real world numbers for the full-size Transit before you buy one.

Info:

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-investigating-possible-issue-fuel-economy-testing/

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a...rids-and-plug-ins-see-fuel-economy-downgrade/

https://www.autonews.com/article/20...pg-estimates-on-6-models-after-internal-audit

A guy 'hyper-mile-ing' a Transit:

 

[Doubleone]

^^ Hey tx2sturgis, Good to know... thanks! Like I said, I was taken aback, wondering how it was on par or better than a smaller frontal area lighter weight vehicle. I thought perhaps it was from an overdrive or a virtual displacement system that shuts down some of the cylinders at speed. I never considered the numbers may have been confused with the smaller transit. I've been in Transit van pool vans that ride pretty good, have decent power, and seem to get incredible mileage. Might have to look deeper into this... For some reason, I just really like the size and shape of the nose of those NV200's. I just wish they'd sell HiAce and NV350s here in US.

 

[StarliteRambler]

Saw one on the road today and was thinking it would be perfect for ChileGirl's purpose- out a few weeks at a time. I sure wouldn't want to full-time in one tho...

 

[ChileGirl]

I'm going to go out in my 2017 Prius V5 first for week-long trips and see how I do in that. It works well, I'll probably do something like a Toyota or Honda minivan instead of a small cargo van. Better gas mileage, easier to find, less expensive, etc. I want to see whether I actually like it and can manage, given all my physical limitations (degenerative disk disease, arthritis, bursitis, etc.). The biggest challenge will be sleeping comfortably, but I've been watching lots of videos from people who live in a Prius, and it seems to work well for them. I have to wait until May, though. I live in Colorado and want to head for the mountains, but they're covered in snow right now. Lots of avalanches, too! But waiting a couple of months gives me time to outfit the car.

 

[Kaylee]

Chile: That's a great attitude!
You can experiment with most tasks (sleeping, cooking, power, cleaning) while parked at home, which will be fun, and keep you busy until the snow is mostly gone.

There's lots of great Prius sites & channels, mostly focused on sleeping & general layouts.

Here's my favorite YT cooking-in-a-car channel (he starts in a Saturn sedan, then "upgrades"):
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSt0f6D4P17VDJX4tgnBXEw
It's a tiny channel, but it's non-monetized, he's got a cheerful sense of humor/irony, embraces & demonstrates his own klutziness, and all his vids are short (around 5 minutes).

After watching the very first one, I immediately decided against a backpacker style stove (the wiggly wobbly kind), and bought a compact butane stove (the flat, idiot-proof kind). It cost more, but the canisters are much cheaper, so long term it's more frugal and immediately more safe.
I'm still new to it, but have cooked all my meals for about a month on it, without any problems.
I never used it inside my car, but did cook on picnic tables & similar. I've regularly cooked in my van, except for the last two months (mostly due to cold weather). Will be doing so as soon as I get to my first van dispersed camping site, in a few days.

The only other "new" cooking tool I bought was a kettle, both for thermos cooking and creating warm/hot water for cleaning.

I'm starting with just a couple of coolers (one soft-sided, one small hard-sided).
Sounds like that's a good option for you, in the beginning. It may be a good option long-term, if your trips are mostly one week, and if you don't have any special medication or dietary needs involving refrigeration.

What are you looking at, power wise?
Nice thing about the Prius is that you can skip solar for now, while you get a feel for how much you really use.

Sounds like you already have the hygiene stuff down.

My sympathies on the physical issues!
I have several hand and knee injuries/issues.
Fortunately, my back is ok (so far!) so sleeping has been ok, however I upgraded to a better sleeping pad, and it made a huge difference in my car.
Don't be shy about spending more on stuff like sleeping gear that will make the most impact.

 

[maki2]

I'm going to go out in my 2017 Prius V5 first for week-long trips and see how I do in that. It works well, I'll probably do something like a Toyota or Honda minivan instead of a small cargo van. Better gas mileage, easier to find, less expensive, etc. I want to see whether I actually like it and can manage, given all my physical limitations (degenerative disk disease, arthritis, bursitis, etc.). The biggest challenge will be sleeping comfortably, but I've been watching lots of videos from people who live in a Prius, and it seems to work well for them. I have to wait until May, though. I live in Colorado and want to head for the mountains, but they're covered in snow right now. Lots of avalanches, too! But waiting a couple of months gives me time to outfit the car.

given your health symptoms the quality of the bed and also the driver's seat will be the most important factors. Good overall support combined with a pressure relieving soft upper surface.

I would also recommend that you have heated seats and a heated mattress pad. Those two items will help sooth your conditions.

But if you get a heated mattress pad do not get a memory foam mattress because it is designed to be heat sensitive for your own body temperature range. A heated pad will mess up the response of that type of foam.

Also be sure you purchase a small portable fridge freezer so you can do cold packs as required.

The option for heat treating followed by cold to relieve swelling will keep you more comfortable and of course it reduces the need to take medication. So if you plan that kind of simply physical therapy treatment into your build then you will be your own clinic on wheels