OK. Here I go…
To start I am homeless with a job. I’ve become a homeless veteran statistic. I currently live out of my storage unit and pickup truck. Due to COVID in South Florida, the gyms have been either closed or the showers have been locked up. I haven’t had a decent shower in over a month (gross, I know.) Food planning is difficult without refrigeration. And you can imagine how humid and hot it is here so at night I try and roll the windows down but then you have mosquitoes. I have mesh screens for the windows but it still a hot sticky mess when its not raining. When it is raining it gets so hot being naked doesn’t even help.
I have been looking for a van but I don’t have much savings (about $4K), so I cant afford a completed van build. I could do payments on a non-converted van but it would need to be at a low rate, so most dealers are out. And personal sellers are not willing to do a payment plan with someone they don’t know (understandable.)
After getting the van I plan to sell my truck and use those funds to either pay down the van payments or use it for the build.
Any advice for the hopeless, the desperate and distressed?
For under $500 you could build a full featured camper on your truck including full amenities. That’s what I’d do, since I don’t see any of cheap RV’s that were on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. Build it out of foam insulation, with duct tape, then flashing for all corners & joints, then use bedliner on it. Lots of windows for light & ventilation, and to accomodate a swamp cooler.
Check out how they build stuff for Burning Man. Cheap, relatively easy, lightweight, & sturdy. Also easy to heat or cool.
Cheers!
"Swamp coolers for the win to beat the heat." ~Road Warrior
Maybe there is a camper top or something offered near you in graigslist or even an affordable full blown camper addon for your truck bed, whatever that’s really called.
I never considered it, I have started looking in my area. Thanks for the great idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think to add a camper to the bed of the truck. I was so focused on a conversion van or even converting an enclosed trailer.
Regarding shower, I guess a pop-up shower tent for privacy would be good.
12V camping showers are everywhere, they come both as cigarette-lighter plugs and rechargeable battery ones. Boil water in a kettle, pour it into a collapsible bucket that has cold water and shower away. You can store shower head in the bucket too so it won’t make everything wet.
Since you are in Florida I’d guess a solar shower bag (essentially a black plastic bag of water) would heat up to nice temps there. Downsides are it needs sun to warm up and something to hang it when you use it.
Yes, the indirect type work great, I’m south of miami and mine keeps my whole van comfy even in direct sunlight, and on low it is only about 1 amp @ 12v. The indirect type also dehumidify just like energy hog compressor air conditioners do.
Cheers!
"Swamp coolers for the win to beat the heat." ~Road Warrior