Hi all – my name is Pat and I’m exploring possibility of vanlife. Considering 1 to 2 years full-time traveling solo with my dog. Interested to read more about how people get started, tips, and experiences of members in the community.
Get a van, figure out the money and give it a try for a week or a month or whatever, just give it a try.
The van can be very basic to start… a cot, curtains, a chair, simple butane can cooker stove and a porta potty…
Greetings & Welcome 222RedDog!
Money, first, foremost, & always.
• Start with a reliable mobile friendly income.
• Start saving money with the initial vehicle purchase. More often than not, a cheap OLD motorhome will give you the best bang for your buck, be move in ready, and be more comfortable & convenient than anything you could build yourself.
• All this BS about building your own is pure baloney for most people. The promoters are paid well to convince their victims to spend money foolishly. DON’T BECOME A VICTIM!
• With a little searching, many nice, road worthy, low mileage, move in ready older motorhomes can be found for under $5k. Keep them original, and use them as they were intended. Don’t add solar, or lithium batteries, etc. Fix anything that needs it, but keep it original.
• An ozone generator will permanently kill any mold, mildew, bugs, or smells. Even stuff hidden deep in walls & crevices. That’s what the professionals use.
• Shine it up on the outside, after a wash & dry, use a sponge mop and household floor wax to make it shine like new.
• Keep up on maintenance & repairs, and when you’re ready to upgrade or sell it, it is likely to be worth considerably more than you paid for it.
Cheers!
Van_Dweller, isn’t ozone considered to be a toxic gas, particularly in a confined space like a van?
Greetings!
Re:Ozone
You need to vacate when using it for 2-4 hours, then let it air out for 30-60 minutes afterwards. Other than that, as far as I know it’s completely safe. So maybe temporarily toxic???
Cheers!
Greetings!
Re:Ozone
You need to vacate when using it for 2-4 hours, then let it air out for 30-60 minutes afterwards. Other than that, as far as I know it’s completely safe. So maybe temporarily toxic???
Cheers!
I hate to agree with what you said. Van dwelling started as a way to buck the system and live simply with less stuff and less money. We live in a capitalist consumer based society however that has turned it into something much different. Fitted out vans for a quarter million dollars. Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate and am impressed with what I have seen people do. There are some really incredibly talented designers/builders out there that do some amazing work. And, if I had the money, I just might have bought one.
As it is, I bought a water damaged RV with 47,000 miles on it for a thousand dollars and fixed it up myself. I used cabinets that I re-purposed from a house that was to be torn down.
I agree that a used RV will give the best “bang for the buck”.
My only advice is to not get something bigger than what you need.
Cheers,
Craig
Greetings!
While not trying to disagree with you, extra space can be heavenly though…
Cheers!
For sure! Which is why I prefer my class c to a van that is narrower by about a foot. Makes a huge difference!
Hi Pat! I’m Michaela. I purchased a 96 Ford E 150 Econoline Club Wagon from Facebook Marketplace. I went with this option because I could pay for it outright, it was mostly stripped down already, and had existing shelving which was nice for temporary non-converted van life. I got some mechanical repairs completed and now I’m in the process of removing rust, resealing windows from old seals being weak causing some leaks when it rains, and all the pre-build out things. I’m learning so much, as this is my first van conversion. I’m putting in a lot of intentional work and am really enjoying myself. One step at a time. This has allowed me to relax into the process and feel the high of completing things. I encourage you to do your own research, as there are many ways to do van life. And whatever works for you and feels good will be the way(s) for you! Relax into the journey and enjoy! #Vanlifesummit