Van dwelling and minimalism

[Silver]

IIWM I'd at least keep enough camping supplies to allow the impression that you're camping. I found at least one county in FL who wouldn't allow me in the RV section with my mini van because it wasn't an RV and then wouldn't let me use their tent camping area because I wasn't tenting... If there's one, there's bound to be more. And someday, you might just want to use a tent. Maybe sell the big one and get a littler one that will pack smaller.

As to getting family and friends on board with this idea, it's worthwhile to realize that you may never get them onboard. And it doesn't matter!

For ex. - take my family! Please take my family, pretty please!! - Sorry, old joke!

My parents travelled all over North America in a van for up to 3 months at a time after Dad retired. I lived in the US for 14 years travelling full-time by myself in everything from an Astro to a 35' Class A RV. You'd think that Mom would be the perfectly understanding parent.

NOT - at least once a week I hear about her fears of my going travelling again, usually something like this "I'm so afraid of you going off on your own, you're all by yourself, not even a dog and you're going to the United States, and at your age too! I won't sleep at night worrying about you all the time you're gone."

I'm not sure what my age has to do with it.. it's not like I am a teenager who doesn't know how to look after herself. The dog, well, both of them that travelled with me were more likely to lick a person to death than protect me and I did travel for 2 years between having a dog. You get the picture.

The fears are hers' to own, not mine. She knows full well that I'm not going to be in some church in Alabama and that I mostly stay well clear of large cities. We've had the discussion that her city of 125,000 is way too big for me, heck, even my village of a 1,000 is too big most days... She also knows that I'm mechanically intelligent and know how to deal with emergencies. They stayed in rest areas and W/M's some nights while on the road and I don't make it a habit of doing that.

I've recently had to break her of requiring me to call her when I get home after driving the 2 hours between her place and mine. Her fears and I was giving in to them...not anymore. She's welcome to call me the next day if she wants to but I'm not reporting in anymore. I tried reasoning with her, pointed out the fallacy of her fears and finally dumped her fears in her lap.

Some of my friends don't understand the concept of not having a s&B home to come back to, some don't know how I can live in such a small space day in and day out but at least they don't think I'm nuts. I've presented it more as an adventure that I'm going on than a 'I'm going to live in my van down by the river' concept. 

Maybe it's time to rethink the mindset of having to appease everyone else. In the greater scheme of things, it's more important what you think of what you're doing than what everyone else around you thinks. Truthfully, their approval doesn't count! If you're happy, that's what matters.

If you truly think that they would approve of you staying in a tent but disapprove of you sleeping in your van, you're overthinking it. Where you sleep is no ones business but your own!!

" wouldn't let me use their tent camping area because I wasn't tenting...

"

I'm looking to get a low cost or DIY tent .

Not for sleeping in but just to have for rare occassions.

 

[GrantRobertson]

I found at least one county in FL who wouldn't allow me in the RV section with my mini van because it wasn't an RV and then wouldn't let me use their tent camping area because I wasn't tenting...

I have lost track of the number of times I have read of people who set up a tent just to meet the requirements then sleep in the van.

 

[dhawktx]

I'm tempted to get one and put the trash can in the very middle of it!