What kind of vehicle to choose? RV or car or other. Safe place to sleep?

[Florid]

I was thinking a van would be most comfortable to sleep in, but would cost so much gas when moving it around. I guess as long as you park it in one place it would be ok though.<br><br>Can you sleep in a small gas efficient car like Geo? Or can you have some sort of ventilated trunk that you can haul behind the Geo where you could sleep in?<br><br>If you want to live in a warm place where there is plenty of sunshine all year round, such as South Florida or maybe South Texas or San Diego, where would be a safe place to park your RV or car?

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;If you have a choice in the matter, get a van (or a minivan). ..Willy.

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Welcome to the forums Florid! Your dwelling vehicle is such a personal choice that it's hard to give advice but I agree with Willy, if you can get one, a van is better than a car. Minivans get pretty good gas mileage and can be made into very nice homes. Look around the forums and also on Bob's blog for ideas. A lot of factors go into choosing a vehicle - the initial cost, cost of running and maintaining, where you'll staying. how long you'll be staying, how much you'll travel, how important physical comforts are to you,etc.<br><br>&nbsp;If you have to live in a city for work or some other reason you can stay on the street, easiest in industrial areas, and in big box store lots but you may have to move around to avoid calling too much attention to yourself. In the west you can stay on public lands for free as long as you want - just follow the few rules and you'll be fine.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

It depends, Do you need to work? <br><br>If you have the money, get a van, Just do not drive the miles, stay on one place longer. I know of people who live in a car and people who live in a Van. But NOBODY uses a car when they could afford a Van. <br><br>Best!<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Living/sleeping in a car is a heat score; really stands out. People would be knocking on your window and wondering if you're dead and the cops might just roust ya for being an obvious 'vagrant'. ..Willy.

 

[Florid]

If you live in public lands in the West, how can you get a job and how can you shop for food?<br><br><br>

 

[Les H]

Hi Florid, welcome. My experiance was this- I had always tent camped as a younger guy, and still do when on long trails or if the desire strikes. My first foray into vandwelling ( before I even knew there was such a thing) was to take the seats out of my wifes minivan when I had an out of town job for a week or so. I threw an air mattress in, a 13 " tv/ dvd and a 25' extension cord. Later, we bought an antique travel trailer and completely rebuilt it. We took that little 14" camper all over the northeast. I also used it for out of town work occasionally. We left it at campgrounds and state parks when we were exploring or needed to go to town for supplies and such. About 4 years ago, I discovered vandwelling. When my work truck needed replacing, I bought the mini bus van that is my avitar and outfitted it for a heavy duty work out of town vehicle, that also pulled my equipment trailers. I took that bus cross country north to south - north 3 times, plus tons of trips for fun and work. I sold it a few months ago to buy the small fifth wheel I have now and full time in. At the moment, its parked in a small Rv park in the outskirts of ft worth, tx. I am a contractor, and am employed, so, yes, it is absolutely possible to work and live in a van or Rv. In addition, I have a cap that I can out on my pickup for quick weekend camping getaways, though its in Alabama at this time. I personally like the idea of unto hooking a trailer and being able to drive away for whatever purpose without having to pack everything away, as you do in a van or drive Rv.plus, I have the added benefit of getting 21 mph hwy with my truck, as opposed to 12-13 like I got with my van, or with my trailer attached. Plus, I have a scooter,which, when fixed, will get 80-90 mph for " run around" stuff.
What is best for you? I can't say. This setup fits my needs for now, though you can see how they have changed over the years. A lot depends on what kind of experiance I want to have at any given moment. I have my backpacking gear with me in the 5er, and when I get settled in a bit, ill be looking for some weekends in the national forests around here. Mabye more than you wanted to know, but an example of how personal a decision it can be.

 

[Les H]

Geez,I think I blew right past your last question. Bob, the owner and founder of this site has done a fantastic job ofexplaining just how he and many others live, work, camp and play on public lands. Go to the top of the forum home page and click on cheapevliving.com or cheapgreenliving.com and there will be loads of jhelpfull and interesting articles. Also, check out a few of the blogs of members when you cone across them.

 

[twokniveskatie]

Les- I appreciate minimalism, but don't you think a 14" camper is a bit drastic?

 

[Les H]

I dunno Kate, its what we had at the time, so its what we used. Its also what i lived in for the first full month of true full timimg back infeb. I know of several people that live in tiny antique trailers, which are huge by mini van standards. .
.
The fifth wheel I have now is 21', that is 17' box with 4 ' bed portion over the back of the truck. Its almost twice as much room as the 69 Shasta, and at times it feels small. But its fine for me now and is much better than $800 a month for a hotel room."

 

[twokniveskatie]

Les- 14 inches?

 

[Wild_E]

LOL at Katie..<br>you know.. I saw your first question, read it again, then even after seeing your .. Les 14" still had to go back and check it out.&nbsp;<br>so.. you stayed in a barbie camper then, slippers !&nbsp;

 

[Les H]

Duhhhhhh to me, just reread and found it. That WOULD be **TINY** wouldn't it?

 

[Willy]

I WAS gonna make a 12"/14" joke.. but decided not to. This is admirable self-control for ol' Willy, considering that ya guys walked right into that one. ..Willy.

 

[Wild_E]

no.. we were avoiding that as I could have ....

 

[kidiekat]

Hi Florid.&nbsp; I have a small G3 2009 that I am going to start out in.&nbsp; If I thought I could trade for a short bed van that was dependable I would do it in a hot flash.&nbsp; A little more space for boon camping would be great.&nbsp; I am going west young man but ya gotta start out with what you can afford.&nbsp; NO creating debts.&nbsp; Period.&nbsp; I love tents but time will come when a hard turtle shell surrounding me will be a comfort.&nbsp; I'm still learning and studying though.&nbsp; Good luck with your choice.

 

[Niall-CorollaLiving]

I live in a Volvo V70, it's a huge upgrade from my previous Toyota Corolla. But&nbsp;I would not trade it for a van or a class b. I really like my wagon, it's a good car to drive around&nbsp;and still&nbsp;makes for a good night sleep. Because I only sleep, maybe make a sandwich, and live in the city; I do not need anymore room a van will provide.<br><br>Edit: I would consider trading for a Turbo Diesel Mercedes wagon.

 

[Suanne]

<p>Here's a "pro" car-living perspective ...<br><br>When traveling solo, I choose to live&nbsp;out of my&nbsp;car even tho' I can afford a van ... even tho' I have used a Sprinter van for&nbsp;road trips in the past.&nbsp; Furthermore, I've overnighted in my car&nbsp;at plenty of Walmarts, motel parking lots, rest stops, etc. and have never received a knock on my window.&nbsp; I have a clean car, tinted windows, curtains and ventilation when&nbsp;I park late in a well-lit spot, then leave early the next morning.<br><br>After doing a lot of research,&nbsp;I decided to keep the car I used for commuting to/from work prior to retirement, an '04 Prius.&nbsp; For solo travel I choose to&nbsp;utilize this car because: 1) I sleep comfortably in it, and 2) it gets great gas mileage (45MPG at max payload).&nbsp; Although I'm a part-timer, I've traveled for up to 6 months at a time in my Prius.<br><br>Since my goal in vehicle dwelling is to explore the back roads, national parks, and backcountry, my current car has been&nbsp;a good choice so far.&nbsp; It's biggest drawback is ground clearance.&nbsp; Consequently, I'm now looking at trading in my Prius for another hybrid car that will allow me to get further back into BLM or NF land.<br><br>If I had a hobby that required space for&nbsp;tools or materials (like woodworking, engine repair, solar installation, sewing, painting, large musical instruments, etc.) then a van would definitely be necessary.&nbsp; Or, if I saw myself living inside of the car, then any vehicle might&nbsp;be too small.&nbsp; But, I see myself living outside of my Prius, mostly in nature.&nbsp; My car is what gets me down the road with some storage and&nbsp;a comfortable/safe sleeping space; that's about it.&nbsp; Further, the only hobby I have that takes extra space is a smallish travel guitar.<br><br>I just wanted to provide a differing viewpoint from those who think a van is always a better choice than a car.&nbsp; I simply disagree.<br><br>If you want detailed information on how I set up&nbsp;my Prius, you can follow either of these links --<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://SuanneOnline.blogspot.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://SuanneOnline.blogspot.com</a> (look on right side column for articles), or<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://cheapgreenrvliving.com/priusliving.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://cheapgreenrvliving.com/priusliving.html</a>&nbsp;(for an overview)<br><br>I hope you find what works best for you -- car, van or RV.<br><br>Suanne</p>

 

[McBe]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">I’ve thought about in-town stealth a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>As I’ve walked around town and my apartment complex and looked at various vehicles, I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that for in-town stealth I would probably select a good size SUV or minivan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Most of them have tinted windows and the interior is deep (even more so with seats removed) ---- meaning I can’t tell if anyone is in there or not and they don’t look “suspicious” to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I would pick up a porta-potti for night emergencies, a membership at a fitness club for showers, a small stove for some simple meals in parks, a cooler, water jug, blanket or sleeping bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>I would hang out in parks or libraries during the day or after work and find a place to park at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Suanne, I’m curious as to what you have decided on for a hybrid with greater ground clearance that allows you to get further back into BLM or NF land and how do you like that small class C?</span></span></p>

 

[Suanne]

McBe,<br><br>The 20' Class C is an effort to get my husband to go exploring the back roads with me.&nbsp; So far, it hasn't worked and we've had it almost a year.&nbsp; To be fair to him tho', we've had a lot of family illnesses and&nbsp;a death in that time so we've needed to stay in the area.&nbsp; Personally, if it were just me,&nbsp;the Class C is a total overkill ... too&nbsp;tall, too wide, terrible gas mileage.&nbsp; It was a compromise because John would have preferred something larger with tip outs (e.g. 40' Class A).&nbsp; I must admit tho', for a 20' Class C, it feels very open and roomy even without tip outs.&nbsp; Here's a link to when we first got it -- <a href="http://suannejohn.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-is-ready-to-hit-road-with-me.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://suannejohn.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-is-ready-to-hit-road-with-me.html</a><br><br>I really like the Toyota Prius that I have for solo travel and if there was a history of successfully raising it with air bags, I'd do that in a second.&nbsp; But, so far, I can't find any such modification.&nbsp; A Toyota&nbsp;Highlander hybrid&nbsp;has 8-9" of clearance (4WD, 28/28 MPG), and there's a 2014 Subaru XV Crosstek hybrid&nbsp;that's advertised to have 8.7" of clearance (AWD, unknown MPG).&nbsp; I haven't test driven either the Highlander or&nbsp;Crosstek yet; so, I&nbsp;don't know if they'd be comfortable for sleeping and relaxing in.&nbsp; I do know that they are both larger than the Prius and, so, expect they would have more than enough&nbsp;storage space.<br><br>Also, I know Toyota hybrid technology allows me to use the internal combustion engine as a generator when I run the AC at night in hot/humid weather.&nbsp; The engine is quiet and only comes on intermittently to keep the batteries charged.&nbsp; I'm not sure if Subaru uses that same technology (I know Honda doesn't).<br><br>I've just started researching again&nbsp;... so, if anyone knows of any other high-clearance hybrids out there, let me know.<br><br>Suanne ... biding my time until I hit the road again