Van or tent?

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

pinto

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2021
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Why live in a van if you can have a tent in the trunk of your car? I read all the pros/cons charts e.g. https://www.advnture.com/features/camper-vans-vs-tents but most people have a car and a tent, after minimal setup the tent is very spacious, you can have the same portable stove and toilet u have in the van. If you're not moving very often and prefer nature to the city a tent is probably good enough.
Is the real benefit here living in colder places and big city centers? I'm just trying to understand the much talked about van-linving concept/trend.
 
Can you elaborate why "living the rest of your days" would make a difference?
 
Why live in a van if you can have a tent in the trunk of your car? I read all the pros/cons charts e.g. https://www.advnture.com/features/camper-vans-vs-tents but most people have a car and a tent, after minimal setup the tent is very spacious, you can have the same portable stove and toilet u have in the van. If you're not moving very often and prefer nature to the city a tent is probably good enough.
Is the real benefit here living in colder places and big city centers? I'm just trying to understand the much talked about van-linving concept/trend.
I spent one winter in Quartzite... I saw a few people with tents. One of them had their tent severely damaged from a windstorm. One thing I noticed was that tents seemed to not last the elements longer than people would think they should last...

I couldn't imagine sleeping in a tent on the ground with all the bugs and everything so close by. My minivan has a nice air barrier from the ground, plus a hard shell for the rain, hail, wind, and dust storms to block out. Even with my minivan I got soooooo exhausted from setting up and taking down my "camp" which was just moving things around inside the minivan to get it into driving safe mode.

Next time I get back on the road I want to be able to create "an addition" to where I can have a tent space to have a home office I can work during the day. There are going to be times when your traveling you don't have time to set up a tent, or times when your to tired to set up for the night, then you have to just sleep in your car.. Unless your able to successfully plan your movements to always be able to set up your tent site each time, then your by far very talented at planning.
 
Can you elaborate why "living the rest of your days" would make a difference?

As with everything in life layers of preparedness is key. A tent is just fine, but what if you move around a lot and don't want the tent take down and pack up burden every time. What if you are "living the rest of your days" and want a real bed, sink, stove, tv, fridge/freezer, warmth and above all protection from animals. What if it hails golf balls, winds get up to 50+mph gets to 20 degrees, snow heavy rain. The list goes on about advantages of a real mobile structure to protect you and a easy way to move from place to place.

Think back to all the people that went west in the 1800's. They didn't just jump on a horse, they took covered wagons that would allow the ability to carry better/more gear but they also could "round them up" for protection.
 
Nobody makes a great tent that fits in the trunk. There are really fine walled tents that are used as hunter cabins up in Alaska. But they take a while to put up. Bob Wells had a video last week about a $2200 Teepee styled tent that goes up with one strong pole in the center and is staked out nicely at the base corner points. I built my first mountaineering tent back in the early 70's. It was a simple A-Frame design. It stood up in the snow to 90mph winds. Now lately this past decade I have been working with 10oz and 14oz vinyl coated polyester fabrics that are sun resistant, wind proof, and basically bomb proof. Even though I do carpentry I'm convinced that I need to do a demonstration on how to design and build your own bomb proof Teepee styled tent, with a floor in it, bug proof, and for well under $500. It won't be light, but it will be amazing in the wind, rain or snow storms.

Most people can't do this thing without a template. They need to learn how to weld the seams together and to add zippers & grommets if you need them, and strong points that won't wear out. I can see this as a class at an RTR and if someone would film it, this would make for a nice how to do it video. I can see this as a Nomad Tent coming out of this. So I will get the fabric and other materials for making one in front of everyone at next year's (2023) RTR. All it takes is a single panel template for each of the six or eight sides of the Teepee. It's all done with HH-66 glue that is designed to weld this fabric together. No sowing required and the seams are way stronger. The pole being used is the standard very sturdy painters extension pole found at most Home Depots. It even has the same ventilation system found in the $2,200 tent. It can even have flaps for windows with screens if you want to keep customizing it. There is no need to spend thousands and just about any person with basic skills can build one. You need to know how to draw a line on the fabric and cut it with scissors. You need to do a nice clean job of gluing the panels together.

This would help a lot of people I think.

Just brainstorming right now. I can teach anyone to make the basic template from something like cotton painter's drop cloth. It looks like it will take about 18 yards at $7 per yard.

18 yards 10oz vinyl coated polyester ( many colors available )-- $150 shipped.
2qts HH-66 glue $60 shipped.
Tent zippers for the door $40 shipped
Center pole $40 Home depot
Stainless Grommets and punch installer kit $40 shipped.
Dacron Sailing rope (sun resistant) used for top ventilation. $20 shipped

Looks like $350 with no extras like screen doors, clear vinyl windows with screens or wood burning stove pipes through tent wall mountings. You could have a really nice custom Teepee if you go for it.
 
Nobody makes a great tent that fits in the trunk. There are really fine walled tents that are used as hunter cabins up in Alaska. But they take a while to put up. Bob Wells had a video last week about a $2200 Teepee styled tent that goes up with one strong pole in the center and is staked out nicely at the base corner points. I built my first mountaineering tent back in the early 70's. It was a simple A-Frame design. It stood up in the snow to 90mph winds. Now lately this past decade I have been working with 10oz and 14oz vinyl coated polyester fabrics that are sun resistant, wind proof, and basically bomb proof. Even though I do carpentry I'm convinced that I need to do a demonstration on how to design and build your own bomb proof Teepee styled tent, with a floor in it, bug proof, and for well under $500. It won't be light, but it will be amazing in the wind, rain or snow storms.

Most people can't do this thing without a template. They need to learn how to weld the seams together and to add zippers & grommets if you need them, and strong points that won't wear out. I can see this as a class at an RTR and if someone would film it, this would make for a nice how to do it video. I can see this as a Nomad Tent coming out of this. So I will get the fabric and other materials for making one in front of everyone at next year's (2023) RTR. All it takes is a single panel template for each of the six or eight sides of the Teepee. It's all done with HH-66 glue that is designed to weld this fabric together. No sowing required and the seams are way stronger. The pole being used is the standard very sturdy painters extension pole found at most Home Depots. It even has the same ventilation system found in the $2,200 tent. It can even have flaps for windows with screens if you want to keep customizing it. There is no need to spend thousands and just about any person with basic skills can build one. You need to know how to draw a line on the fabric and cut it with scissors. You need to do a nice clean job of gluing the panels together.

This would help a lot of people I think.

Just brainstorming right now. I can teach anyone to make the basic template from something like cotton painter's drop cloth. It looks like it will take about 18 yards at $7 per yard.

18 yards 10oz vinyl coated polyester ( many colors available )-- $150 shipped.
2qts HH-66 glue $60 shipped.
Tent zippers for the door $40 shipped
Center pole $40 Home depot
Stainless Grommets and punch installer kit $40 shipped.
Dacron Sailing rope (sun resistant) used for top ventilation. $20 shipped

Looks like $350 with no extras like screen doors, clear vinyl windows with screens or wood burning stove pipes through tent wall mountings. You could have a really nice custom Teepee if you go for it.
Thats a class I'd like to attend.
 
When I first moved out of my parent's house, I lived in a tent in national parks my first month. Now I live in a Chevy Express 3500 van with a six-foot ceiling. So I can directly compare tent and van. And the conclusion is that I absolutely prefer the van over the tent. Here are some of the reasons why:

In the tent, I always heard every noise around me at full volume as though I were outside, animals came up and pushed against the canvas which pushed against me, someone's child decided to jump on the side of the tent not knowing I was inside which broke one of the aluminum poles as he landed on me, the Colman heater was not nearly strong enough to combat the tent's poor insulation on cold nights, rain always made everything 100% damp inside, the floor was seldom flat, wind whipping the canvas was very noisy, and I couldn't own anything I wasn't able to pick up and carry to the car each day.

The van solved ALL these problems, every one of them and more. I love my van. I super-appreciate my van. I will NEVER go back to living in a tent.
 
Like a tent is an improvement from living in the bush or river bottom bare to the elements, a van is a large improvement to living in a tent. But, to each their own in the end, though. Preference is strictly subjective, even when considering objective measurements of collected data.
 
I have lived up to 6 months at a time in a tent over the years. It was much easier when I was younger. It is work to set up camp but I continued to do it well into my 60's. I still have a 10' x 14' spring bar type tent but haven't used it for the last couple of years. My wife still prefers it over anything else in good weather. We eventually went to using a small enclosed utility trailer to store and carry it and sleep in in very bad weather or while doing over night stops while traveling distances. Tents limit your stays as you can't just leave a wet tent stored without drying it out and with the expanded room a tent offers you tend to carry more gear like cots, tables, shower and kitchen gear. Having a secure space to meet your basic needs (sleep for instance) in all weather conditions and locations differs with each person. I knew of one fellow that had a tarp and sleeping bag he rigged under his Suzuki Samurai as a dry place to sleep at night and didn't even bother with a tent. It all depends on you and what is acceptable for you.
 
Tents limit your stays as you can't just leave a wet tent stored without drying it out
You can store a vinyl coated polyester tent soaking wet and set it up at the next campsite if it is wet. If you are living from campsite to campsite in a Teepee like this then you will know the difference between store purchased crap and bomb proof DYI. I like 10oz for the lighter weight but I like the 14oz for its strength.. There's even 22oz if you want to bolster hard points, not to mention your floor. This glue & welding method is fantastic. I need to go full tilt on this.
 
Most people don't have a tent. As a matter of fact, I would think only a small percentage of people have tents because the majority of the US at least doesn't go camping.

Saying that, it amazes me that people actually stay in tents. There's nothing separating you from the world - and danger - but a thin piece of fabric. It seems inherently dangerous and requires a level of trust I just don't have as a solo woman.

I also don't want to leave all my valuables in something a person only needs to unzip or use a pocket knife to get into and I'm definitely not packing stuff up everytime I leave. I'm always seeing videos and FB posts from people who had their stuff stolen and I'm like "Duh."

Plus I'm in cities a lot so a safe vehicle is better than a tent.

If having a tent works for you, then do you. No one is here to convince you that having a vehicle is the best way. There are a lot of people traveling with tents. This life is all about finding your own truth.
 
Nobody makes a great tent that fits in the trunk. There are really fine walled tents that are used as hunter cabins up in Alaska. But they take a while to put up. Bob Wells had a video last week about a $2200 Teepee styled tent that goes up with one strong pole in the center and is staked out nicely at the base corner points. I built my first mountaineering tent back in the early 70's. It was a simple A-Frame design. It stood up in the snow to 90mph winds. Now lately this past decade I have been working with 10oz and 14oz vinyl coated polyester fabrics that are sun resistant, wind proof, and basically bomb proof. Even though I do carpentry I'm convinced that I need to do a demonstration on how to design and build your own bomb proof Teepee styled tent, with a floor in it, bug proof, and for well under $500. It won't be light, but it will be amazing in the wind, rain or snow storms.

Most people can't do this thing without a template. They need to learn how to weld the seams together and to add zippers & grommets if you need them, and strong points that won't wear out. I can see this as a class at an RTR and if someone would film it, this would make for a nice how to do it video. I can see this as a Nomad Tent coming out of this. So I will get the fabric and other materials for making one in front of everyone at next year's (2023) RTR. All it takes is a single panel template for each of the six or eight sides of the Teepee. It's all done with HH-66 glue that is designed to weld this fabric together. No sowing required and the seams are way stronger. The pole being used is the standard very sturdy painters extension pole found at most Home Depots. It even has the same ventilation system found in the $2,200 tent. It can even have flaps for windows with screens if you want to keep customizing it. There is no need to spend thousands and just about any person with basic skills can build one. You need to know how to draw a line on the fabric and cut it with scissors. You need to do a nice clean job of gluing the panels together.

This would help a lot of people I think.

Just brainstorming right now. I can teach anyone to make the basic template from something like cotton painter's drop cloth. It looks like it will take about 18 yards at $7 per yard.

18 yards 10oz vinyl coated polyester ( many colors available )-- $150 shipped.
2qts HH-66 glue $60 shipped.
Tent zippers for the door $40 shipped
Center pole $40 Home depot
Stainless Grommets and punch installer kit $40 shipped.
Dacron Sailing rope (sun resistant) used for top ventilation. $20 shipped

Looks like $350 with no extras like screen doors, clear vinyl windows with screens or wood burning stove pipes through tent wall mountings. You could have a really nice custom Teepee if you go for it.
This is an excellent idea.
 
I've done both.
For a while when I lived in Northern California I'd spend 4 days a week living in my car so I could get up and go to work at my 9-5.
The balance of the week I'd camp out either at a legit campground like Point Reyes (highly reccomended!) or someplace on BLM land that was free, but without actual campsites.
That had the advantage of being super cheap on gas compared to a van. And I kept my car really clean and plain looking so it did not stick out when I was parking in residential areas to sleep.
Later when I got a van, it was a lot more convenient to set up a car fridge and pack all the things I wanted to have with me beyond the bare necessities.
One advantage to a van over a car or tent is of course insulation. You can insulate a van nearly as well as a house, since there are a lot less windows.
This isn't just about cold. I can park my van in direct sunlight and it takes hours for it to heat up. I have to point the front of the van into the sun if I want it to warm the van. It kinda backfires on me in the cold!
While I really did like sleeping in a tent under the stars and all there were two things I hated.
Even with the best pads, cots or air mattress, it's never as cozy as a legit bed. I have a full sized mattress in my current van. Comfortable as heck!
The second is raccoons. No matter how clean you are, raccoons will smell that tiny amount of food that splattered on the ground and come chittering around your tent.
I really hate being woken up at 2am by raccoon sounds!
And those little trash pandas are clever. They can open up a lot of things that you wouldn't think.
Nothing quite like having your coffee and grits all wrecked by pandas.
OTOH yes, a car and tent are a lot cheaper. Vans are in super high demand right now. I spent months looking for a van. Ended up settling for one smaller, and a different brand than what I wanted, for a lot more than I wanted to pay.
 
They represent different types of use. Yes, you can sleep or live in a tent, but the downsides have been mentioned already, as well as some of the upsides. I lived in a real old school 16' tipi off and on a couple years, they are absolutely awesome shelters, but do take real time and effort to set up and take down, and are bulky and heavy and require the pole set. Id still love to have another one, but its somewhat of a niche shelter and takes some knowledge and experience to do well. To me, the benefits are quite tangible, very roomy, very stable in all weather, can have an open fire inside, and are fun to use. Ive been in 0 deg temps and it was shirtsleeves comfortable inside with a fire going. I dont think the so-called tipi-tent that arent an actual tipi share any of the real benefits of a true tipi, they should be classified with common tents.

Ive also spend months living in a canvas wall tent, mine is 9x12 with 5' sidewalls and 8' ridge. With the metal pole set it withstood 80 mph winds fine, with the wood pole set, its easier and lighter to carry, but not quite as secure. Ive not had it in higher winds with the wood poles. Its very comfortable inside, when i spent several months in it I took a metal twin bed frame and mattress, small bedside chest, folding table and bench, and a carpet. I also have a folding sheet metal Sims woodstove for it. Its very nice camping in it if youre going to stay in one place a while, or even an overnight if you have time for setup and all. You can also have a fire in front of one to be out of the weather and still enjoy the fire.

Vehicle. Mostly just park and done. Simple, fast, more secure, not generally as roomy as the larger tents mentioned above. Ive only had pickups with shells and SUVs, so cant comment on the room in a van for camping. Vehicle camping is certainly less conspicuous. You can of course have a tent for times when you want more space, or for projects, day use, cooking, whatever. When I get back to semi-nomadic status I plan on a cargo trailer camper and will have my wall tent along. I dont think Id make it a car vs tent question, they both work but in different ways. Vehicle camping is more practical overall for most people and situations. A tent gives some more options, but i wouldnt want it to be the only option. In much of the areas ive camped in northern Az in the past I threw a tarp on the ground with my pads and sleeping bag and slept out under the stars. Its my first choice for decent weather, but wouldnt want it to be my only choice either. I spent about 5-6 years nomading around, mostly N Az, in a combination of tipi, off the motorcycle, out of the back of my pickup with shell, and out under the stars. All types have their appeal and use.
 
I'd add that if you are going to live in a tent. Do it right or don't do it at all.
I used to have a cheap Big 5 sporting goods tent. I think it was $30?
Utter garbage. Lasted maybe 3 weekends. Leaked like crazy. Broke a strap the 2nd time I put it up.
Upgraded to a slightly more expensive Coleman. Now Coleman isn't the benchmark for great tents. They certainly aren't light.
But it's stayed dry inside so far and nothing has broken under normal use.
It's also super important to put a footprint under your tent.
I stole an idea from my buddy Marcus. He puts a packing blanket down under his footprint tarp.
I go one better and use 2 tarps, sandwiching the packing blanket in between. This insulates the floor of the tent well, and makes for a much more comfortable experience. Of course it isn't backpackable, and won't work in the rain. But that isn't a concern 9 months of the year in California!
 
I'd like to weigh in with my experience from my first four months of full-time traveling. My system on the road is just a slight adjustment from several years living off the grid in a small cottage.

Perhaps the most important distinction between my choice of sleeping arrangements and nearly everyone else's is that I haven't been comfortable sleeping in a regular flat bed for nearly 20 years. I much prefer a semi-inclined position. On the road or in the cottage, I haven't owned an actual bed in all that time. I've alternated from hammock to zero gravity reclining chair for the most part. The development of this preference meant that when I embarked on my journey, I was in a position to prefer and enjoy sleeping in the front seat of my Jeep Grand Cherokee. The seats recline to nearly flat, though I mostly recline it to about 45°. Reclined to 60° and I can still lie on my side.

I left with my old 8' x 8' tent but have now upgraded to a 10' x 15' two-room cabin tent. I can (and have) sleep in the tent using the zero-g recliner I brought with me. But with the colder winter nights in Arizona, I pretty exclusively sleep in the car. I use the tent for storage and hanging out during the day. When Spring brings the warmer nights, I look forward to sleeping under the stars in the tent. With the rain fly removed, the ceiling is almost 100% mesh.

I know most people could no more fathom not sleeping flat on a bed than I can comprehend how they manage to sleep like that. My first 40 years were spent with traditional beds and what I remember most were the frequent morning back aches. Since switching to hammocks and recliners and now comfortable Jeep seats, I haven't had any back problems.

I'm just throwing this out as a suggestion to consider a different option. It won't fly with everyone, but sometimes questioning an "unquestionable" precept can lead to a life-changing revelation. 😁
 
Why live in a van if you can have a tent in the trunk of your car? I read all the pros/cons charts e.g. https://www.advnture.com/features/camper-vans-vs-tents but most people have a car and a tent, after minimal setup the tent is very spacious, you can have the same portable stove and toilet u have in the van. If you're not moving very often and prefer nature to the city a tent is probably good enough.
Is the real benefit here living in colder places and big city centers? I'm just trying to understand the much talked about van-linving concept/trend.
I'm lazy, getting older by the day, and my knees aren't what they used to be.

I like being able to open my van door and crawl inside to take a nap or go to the bathroom without having to set up a tent.

Setting up camp takes five minutes to pull out my chair and portable table. Tents take a lot longer.

A good heavy duty tent tall enough to stand up in is really hard for a short older woman like me to deal with alone.

I like roadtrips, changing locations every few days. Constantly breaking down and resetting up a tent would be a PITA.

I'd be afraid to tent camp in bear country.

I like the illusion that I can jump into my driver seat from the back without exiting the van and take off in a hurry should the need arise.

I've lived in the desert and the winds can be atrocious. It's bad enough when the van's a rockin'. A flapping tents or one being blown down would be a nightmare.

Tents are great, they just aren't for me.
 
Nobody makes a great tent that fits in the trunk. There are really fine walled tents that are used as hunter cabins up in Alaska. But they take a while to put up. Bob Wells had a video last week about a $2200 Teepee styled tent that goes up with one strong pole in the center and is staked out nicely at the base corner points. I built my first mountaineering tent back in the early 70's. It was a simple A-Frame design. It stood up in the snow to 90mph winds. Now lately this past decade I have been working with 10oz and 14oz vinyl coated polyester fabrics that are sun resistant, wind proof, and basically bomb proof. Even though I do carpentry I'm convinced that I need to do a demonstration on how to design and build your own bomb proof Teepee styled tent, with a floor in it, bug proof, and for well under $500. It won't be light, but it will be amazing in the wind, rain or snow storms.

Most people can't do this thing without a template. They need to learn how to weld the seams together and to add zippers & grommets if you need them, and strong points that won't wear out. I can see this as a class at an RTR and if someone would film it, this would make for a nice how to do it video. I can see this as a Nomad Tent coming out of this. So I will get the fabric and other materials for making one in front of everyone at next year's (2023) RTR. All it takes is a single panel template for each of the six or eight sides of the Teepee. It's all done with HH-66 glue that is designed to weld this fabric together. No sowing required and the seams are way stronger. The pole being used is the standard very sturdy painters extension pole found at most Home Depots. It even has the same ventilation system found in the $2,200 tent. It can even have flaps for windows with screens if you want to keep customizing it. There is no need to spend thousands and just about any person with basic skills can build one. You need to know how to draw a line on the fabric and cut it with scissors. You need to do a nice clean job of gluing the panels together.

This would help a lot of people I think.

Just brainstorming right now. I can teach anyone to make the basic template from something like cotton painter's drop cloth. It looks like it will take about 18 yards at $7 per yard.

18 yards 10oz vinyl coated polyester ( many colors available )-- $150 shipped.
2qts HH-66 glue $60 shipped.
Tent zippers for the door $40 shipped
Center pole $40 Home depot
Stainless Grommets and punch installer kit $40 shipped.
Dacron Sailing rope (sun resistant) used for top ventilation. $20 shipped

Looks like $350 with no extras like screen doors, clear vinyl windows with screens or wood burning stove pipes through tent wall mountings. You could have a really nice custom Teepee if you go for it.
You could also film this and put up on various platforms as a paid course. Or do an ebook with the plans and a supplemental youtube series. Reach a wider audience and maybe earn a bit while you're at it.
 
I have been on the road fulltime for 12 years and have not yet upgraded from my tent. People ask how I can still do it (63 years old, solo female), and I reply that I would live in my tent all the time if not for the weather. I bought a Pathfinder 7 years ago in order to pull a camper, but find that I am not yet ready to give up my freedom - the freedom to go where I want when I want, and to do u-turns when I see something fun!

I also do not want to turn my car into a home, having to squeeze myself and all my possessions into a tiny area. My tent, albeit it a 2-person size (can put it up by myself and is all I need), is my bedroom, nature is my living area, and my car my closets. To me, it is a perfect setup (when the weather cooperates).

Tents these days are disposable, anything under $300 anyway. So I look for the cheapest rain-proof tent each time. My latest $50 Coleman has lasted a summer, so far. When the weather gets extreme, I get a cabin or hotel (very last choice) or sleep somewhere in my car (in the driver's seat). Some campgrounds have campers for rent. My night-time range is 35 degrees (wool blanket is enough) to 80 - daytime temps not important. Altho I did spend 4 days near Phoenix in July once, and survived it, lol. I prefer to stay in the western states where the weather is not that crazy.

As far as safety goes, I have developed a high sense of self and have been known to drive into a campground and drive right out again. So far, knock on wood, all good.
 
... I'm convinced that I need to do a demonstration on how to design and build your own bomb proof Teepee styled tent, with a floor in it, bug proof, and for well under $500. It won't be light, but it will be amazing in the wind, rain or snow storms...
I spent last summer, almost three months, in a canvas wall tent with my son. The tent did well in various weather conditions, but it took two of us to setup and breakdown camp. Before purchasing our tent, I worked on several designs (A-frame, teepee, yurt, etc.) using different materials (army canvas, vinyls, painters canvas, tarps, etc.) to balance effort, cost, living space, and weather protection. I almost made my own, but did not have the time before our lease was up and we had to move. Next summer, we're going back out, probably permanently, but we will have two smaller tents, one for each of us. I have time this spring to build something. We pull a utility trailer for gear, so weight isn't that much of a problem. I'd love to see your design!
 

Latest posts

Top