Van dwelling and minimalism

[jl75]

I leave my campsite here in Ohio on Monday and am heading slowly north to Niagra Falls.  I've spent all I want to spend on campsites this month so I will be staying in my minivan for the remainder of August.  Until now, the longest stretch I have gone is 5 nights without getting a site to put up my tent.  

When I set out to be a full-time traveller, the idea was to mainly camp.  I have so many supplies for that lifestyle, from non electric things that run on propane to electric items.... Almost everything I carry other than my bedding is tent camp related.

This next half of the month will be a test to see how I do living solely out of my van.  If it goes well, I think I may ditch all the camping gear.  I prefer to be in cities- or towns outside cities to be more accurate- as I love going to my gym, and getting out around people and seeing the sights.  I also love having my phone signal be the full 4g lte, something I lack at campgrounds.

I also really like the idea of saving all that money I'm currently spending on campground fees!

Does anyone on here travel completely minimalistically- carrying nothing other than a bed, clothes, and toiletries with you?  Do parking lots get really old to everyone after awhile?

This journey is still very new to me and I have yet to get it all figured out.  I'm just afraid I will get rid of all my camping gear and come to regret it.  But I sure would like the extra space in the van to stretch out in.

Just curious about your thoughts and ideas on this.  I realize most of you on here live directly out of your vehicle.  Do you find that it has more pros than cons compared to tent camping?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

 

[SoulRaven]

Frankly Niagra Falls in August is one big overcrowded overpriced tourist trap. Everything is way overpriced especially gasoline in NY vs. PA.

Instead travel the length of US6 across northern PA. You can find all kinds of great campsites in the Allegheny national forest for $5-$10/day with 1/2 NPS access card.

http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/eastern/allcmp.htm#beaver_meadows

and

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania state forests offer free 7 day camping register at forest HQ plus get maps and advice where the best campsites are located and any road closures and Verizon signals.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/

 

[jl75]

Thanks for those links!  I know I'm crazy for wanting to do Niagra again, especially in the crowded summer season, but when I was there before I just fell in love with it.  I've been looking forward to going back for years.

Consequently, it is the only place I have ever seen solid black squirrels.  Love those!

But afterwards I do plan on heading out to Scranton, PA, and from there checking out the Poconos.  Looks like that highway will take me right there.

I'm a bit nervous to camp in PA forests due to the bears but we will see.  If I stay in my van instead of a tent I suppose that wouldn't be an issue

I noticed you mentioned staying out in the Poconos before... Any recommendations on sights to check out, things to do, places to hike etc?

 

[Reno]

I leave my campsite here in Ohio on Monday and am heading slowly north to Niagra Falls.  I've spent all I want to spend on campsites this month so I will be staying in my minivan for the remainder of August.  Until now, the longest stretch I have gone is 5 nights without getting a site to put up my tent.  

When I set out to be a full-time traveller, the idea was to mainly camp.  I have so many supplies for that lifestyle, from non electric things that run on propane to electric items.... Almost everything I carry other than my bedding is tent camp related.

This next half of the month will be a test to see how I do living solely out of my van.  If it goes well, I think I may ditch all the camping gear.  I prefer to be in cities- or towns outside cities to be more accurate- as I love going to my gym, and getting out around people and seeing the sights.  I also love having my phone signal be the full 4g lte, something I lack at campgrounds.

I also really like the idea of saving all that money I'm currently spending on campground fees!

Does anyone on here travel completely minimalistically- carrying nothing other than a bed, clothes, and toiletries with you?  Do parking lots get really old to everyone after awhile?

This journey is still very new to me and I have yet to get it all figured out.  I'm just afraid I will get rid of all my camping gear and come to regret it.  But I sure would like the extra space in the van to stretch out in.

Just curious about your thoughts and ideas on this.  I realize most of you on here live directly out of your vehicle.  Do you find that it has more pros than cons compared to tent camping?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

I'm living just as you describe;  clothes,  toiletries, and bed in the van. I enjoy eating out, having a flush toilet, and a shower at the gym.  Cell phone and WiFi  is plus.
On the other hand : parking lots are noisey. Constant hornblowing and door slamming, trucks idling,  loud music,  and Harleys with lloud  pipes.
Everything gets old, I guess. 
BTW,  you'd be surprised howmany people on this forum don't own a van or tent, and have never slept outside  a house.

 

[jl75]

It's good to know it is possible.  I guess I'm one of those that believes the less possessions the better (for me personally that is), and giving up the tent camping would definitely get me down to basics.

If it works out that I do well inside my van without feeling the needed to camp in a tent then I will likely try to find someone who can put my gear to use.  Maybe one of the house dwellers you mentioned, who just haven't taken the plunge yet

 

[jl75]

Oh, and Mack's ultra soft foam ear plugs off Amazon are very comfortable to sleep in and cancel noises down drastically. Highly recommend!!

 

[BigT]

Oh, and Mack's ultra soft foam ear plugs off Amazon are very comfortable to sleep in and cancel noises down drastically.  Highly recommend!!

Unless you have tinnitus.  Then ear plugs are a nightmare!   :s

If I need to drown out outside sounds, I plug my iPhone into one of my Acc plugs, so it doesn't drain the battery, and listen to music or an audio-book through the night.  

As to the OP's original question...  I hope to get there (minimalist living) one day, but I'm nowhere close yet.

 

[akrvbob]

I find a van 1000 times more comfortable than a tent so I never even considered living in one.

I can only think of one compelling reason to be in a tent instead of a van and that's to get out of the heat of a van. But I'm a snowbird so that's not important to me.

The extra room and being able to stand up might be an advantage to many, but to me they aren't a compelling reason to overcome their many disadvantages.
Bob

 

[jimindenver]

Someday I will have to set up the Mountain manor (our 10x20 tent) next to the rolling cabin. ( our 25x7.5 ft trailer) The tent is roughly the sq footage of the trailer and has three rooms and a 8 1/2 ft ceiling.

As for the rest, gear up for what you will be doing. The less unused gear you have is more room for what you will use. Less weight, less digging and if hyou change you mind, tents are cheap. Come out west and you never have to pay a fee. We haven't for years.

 

[Reducto]

I was in a minivan for a few years and was NOT minimalist. It had a nice single bed, an office chair with desk, running water, power, heat, generator, sewing machine, spare parts and tools (it was a rather old van) and more. I now have a compact cargo van that's about the same size, a little bigger than your basic minivan.

If you ditch the existing seats (you can always find replacements at a junkyard later on if you don't have a place to store them) and build in a bed platform you'll be surprised how comfortable you can make it and still have space for your stuff.

The only camping gear you might want is a decent chair and some sort of shade so you can sit outside in comfort.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Tent or van??
I'll take the van with a comfy bed and a solid roof any night.

Sleeping in parking lots...we do at times but do enjoy all the free camping we're able to find. We paid state park fees (senior pass) a few times this year but just for particular attractions.

Our van is our home so we have made it to suit our needs...even if weather keeps us inside for a couple days.

 

[jl75]

Thanks for the input guys!  I've all but decided that what started out as a 'hardly ever sleep in the van, mostly stay in a tent' kind of lifestyle will be an 'always sleep in the van' thing after all.  I do love the space and ventilation of a tent... this one is a 14x9 pop up that is mostly screen... But like Bob I don't see it being worth the effort.

Wouldn't hindsight be nice to have before spending mucho dinero instead of after?

Honestly without camping in a tent I don't see any need to keep about 90% of what I own.  And I really like trimming down my stuff so I think I will.

So then this leads me to another plea for advice.  I suppose this is a sensitive question but how do you get your friends and family on board with this lifestyle?  Before heading out I assured everyone who was concerned that I would usually be at campsites and only sleep in my vehicle when it was necessary.  I think that eased their minds a lot, removing that stigma of, dare I say, homelessness.  It seems safer and more acceptable to be amongst campers in a campground.  But now I'm facing the issue of explaining that I'd rather be in my van full-time after all.

I know it's petty to worry what others think, but I don't like worrying my friends and family anymore than I have to.  It's not disapproval I'm concerned about, it's more about giving them anxiety that I would rather try to avoid...

I may be overthinking it.  I'm thinking they've come to understand that I am not one to march to the beat of most everyone else.  The news may not phase them at all.  But even at 40 I'm afraid I will always possess the baby of the family mindset of wanting to appease the older ones

Okay, getting off the psychiatrist couch... I swear this board is better than therapy lol

 

[Almost There]

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!!

 

[jl75]

Wonderfully said!  I suppose I do worry too much about what my support base will or  won't find acceptable.  They are a crowd that likes to give interventions- 'you know you have other options, you know you're going to miss out bring here for this and that, you know you aren't normal, right?' Lol

When I took my 48 state road trip in 2010 no one thought I would make it.  I took my beat up Infiniti jxi that I had paid 800 for if that tells you the state of her condition, with almost bald tires, and zero mechanical know how and set off at fate's hands.  I survived it, and it transformed me into someone I didn't know I could be.  People asked me afterwards if I had 'found myself' and I told them that what I found was that was the least important question I could ask.  It was the beauty of the world, the strength of bonds that tied people together, the unity of all of us and all the creatures that make up this world... Those were the things to dwell on...

What took hippies large amounts of drugs to realize only took me a trip around the country.  And I use that term as someone who regards herself as a hippie chic

Getting back to that is what this is about for me.  I forget the important lessons I learned when I'm going through the daily stresses of a 'normal life'.  It seems to be only while traveling that the mindset and peace come to me.

It's hard to explain these things though, to people who still deal with the stresses of normalcy.  It's hard to explain a preference for living in a van down by the river when those I'm explaining it to aren't fortunate enough to be able to do it themselves.

I will try to emphasize that van dwelling is safer than tent camping and see if that approach works.  A dry, locked van is certainly less risky than being out in the elements.  Even a raccoon could unzip this tent and come in... I've had a few try just that the past few nights lol!

I'm glad you were able to give your mother's worries back to her.  Hopefully taking away that constant reporting in will ease her as well, though she may not even realize it.  My mom passed away when I was a teenager so I don't have that pressure.  She was an overprotective worrier when it came to me so I don't think she wouldn't survived me doing this lol

Having this forum has been a great blessing.  I wish I had had something like this that first trek.  But then again I wouldn't have changed going through the struggles... I had a lot of character building to go through.  Still, it's nice to know there are others marching to the beat I hear as well

 

[akrvbob]

Some thoughts:

1) You are a thousand times safer in the van than in any tent for either 2 or 4-legged predators. I suggest always parking so you can just drive away. then, get a remote start and if you are asleep and something scares you, hit the remote and the engine will roar to a start. 90% of the time whatever is outside will run away. If not, jump into the front seat and drive away. It's hard to be safer anywhere than in a van!

2) Invite friends and family to do a google search and find the crime statistics on public land like state parks, National Forests and BLM land. They will find their are none because there is virtually no crime on public land!!!!!! Every major crime on pulbic land makes a big splash on national news. Ask them when was the last time their was a story about crime on public land. It's very rare.

There are petty crimes on public land, but major crimes just are not common. It's rare.

3) Ask them to do research on crime statistics on cities. They have huge numbers of major crimes.

4) Ask them where it makes more sense to live and which would be safer?

The sad thing is logic probably won't work. Society depends on fear to control us and from the moment of birth we are all so deeply ingrained with fear to make us passive and malleable that most people simply can't let go of it no matter the logic. They think the 4 walls of their house is their only hope for protection from the horrors that surround them.

Little do they know that those 4 walls are actually a very pleasant prison that controls them and turns them into obedient little automatons who are "good, productive citizens."

Very sad.
Bob

 

[janncoo]

Happy travels to you. You have the mindset and insight as to what your life needs to be for you. It is your life after all.  Jan

 

[jl75]

I love that remote start idea!  Definitely need to look into that... I would feel quite safer personally if I had that. I feel approaching this from a safety perspective is the way to go.  It's a shame I feel like I need their permission to do things but as I've said, they are an intervening bunch and those lectures can get tedious 

You know, concerning the direction society pushes us in, my brother and I have had a number of talks about how the majority of aid for those who are destitute, disabled, and/ or homeless are places like boarding homes that put people in cramped, unsafe settings, or section 8 homes in dangerous urban areas, and these places take a chunk of that person's government assistance money for the privilege.  

Most of these people don't know they could get campsites for 1/2 price with an Access pass, or think of how much they could save living a mobile lifestyle.  And I've suggested writing a book geared to them to inform them of such things but my brother thinks if it became common knowledge they would revoke the Access pass and make boondocking harder to do.  He feels the powers that be are much better off having them end up in prisons, as so many do, because that is profitable for them, but suggesting they go off grid does nothing to make them money.

It's a sad state of affairs but I think he's right.  If it were widespread knowledge that mobile living was an alternative for them... And as someone with an Access pass I group myself in this category... I think efforts would be made to make this lifestyle much more difficult.

Sorry if I crossed into any political territory there.  It's just sad to me that we don't run out society with more compassion for one another.  I'm glad I have the option of being a full time traveller and the awareness that it even is an option as so many others like me do not...

And thank you Jan for those words of encouragement!  Very appreciated

 

[missnout]

I have to get mine in on the van? tent? Its my tent stays that have mr taking my plung, it was in all seasons and and I never wanted to leave. By the time you set tint hang lantern ,blow mattress, get dry box and wet cooler sit in chair build fire,,,,, enjoy. Although wants spending quality time tenting a van will be great. Your talking about great insulation and less worry during those heavy rains.

 

[missnout]

My apologies for typing in the dark and not useing spell check.

 

[cyndi]

So then this leads me to another plea for advice.  I suppose this is a sensitive question but how do you get your friends and family on board with this lifestyle?  Before heading out I assured everyone who was concerned that I would usually be at campsites and only sleep in my vehicle when it was necessary.  I think that eased their minds a lot, removing that stigma of, dare I say, homelessness.  It seems safer and more acceptable to be amongst campers in a campground.  But now I'm facing the issue of explaining that I'd rather be in my van full-time after all.

there are 10 pages of answers to this question in a great older thread that can always benefit from a bump up

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Should-You-Tell-Your-Family-Friends?highlight=family