Planning on living in my honda odyssey mini van and no one supports it

Newbie's Corner
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Hello, everyone I’m Belle (21) and I am a college student. I am in a program that requires me to do a ten-month practical and relocate to a small rural hospital. I was placed in a site that is quite far away from my hometown. I am in Alberta, Canada and experience some really harsh winters. Like I’m talking -40C. Before anyone discourages me to not do this I genuinely have no choice because housing is not affordable nor is it available. Driving back and forth is not an option either, since it is an hour and fifteen-minute drive and keep in mind the possible snow storms. Before I disclose my plan please keep in mind that this is a temporary solution. If it gets too harsh regardless of the season I will end up getting a hotel for the night. If housing were to magically appear at a reasonable price for a college student I would take it. I also do plan to travel home during the weekends or whenever I can so laundry is not a problem for me.

Here is my plan:
-take out the back and middle seats of the Odyssey and place a sleeping bag with a cot (I am 5’0)
-buy one or two generators/battery (one solar) to keep my electronics running like a space heater, a small fridge (for deli meats or meats in general), an electric stove or a panini press (I will obviously not be running all of these at the same time)
-install thick curtains surrounding the back of the van (sleeping area) for privacy and to keep warmth
-get cameras for a sense of security
-buy a membership at the local recreation center to access the showers, gyms, etc.
-I have a parking space available near my hospital site that has outlets

Honestly, I think I am prepared for this and it isn’t a permanent thing. It is a plan for not-so-harsh winters and or days when I do not have the energy to drive back.

Here are my concerns:
-is there a safety issue I am missing?
-what about ventilation for the winter?
-how should I stay warm without installing any insulation other than the curtains? If this is not possible is there easy insulations that I could install and take apart?
-is it okay to run a space heater in the van?
-what should I read to gain more knowledge about van life?
-any product recommendations that I an get here in Canada?

I really appreciate all the advice and help I can get. Everyone around me has been pretty unsupportive of this plan but I genuinely have no choice ATM. Thank you for your help!!!

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1st,This isn’t to hurt your feelings.
Safety concerns? Yes ! It’s called dying or winding up in the hospital. Along with a multi thousand dollar bill for rescue services.
I could write a book on the things that could go very wrong with your lack of experience extreme camping. Please try to consider a different option.

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Again I understand the concerns. I am still looking for other options it is a temporary solution and as I said in my post if things get too harsh obviously I will check myself into a hotel. I am not taking the van to travel everywhere. All I need is to be able to DRIVE HOME AND SLEEP OR NAP in the vehicle before driving home. Let me be clear on this I DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER CHOICE and I have CONSIDERED OTHER OPTIONS. It is either I drop out cause I can’t make it to my hospital site or I find a TEMPORARY accommodation while still looking for housing available. I AM NOT GOING CAMPING TRIPS OR TAKING THE VAN ON ADVENTURES. I do plan on driving back and forth for now. But what about the days I am so tired after working and learning at the hospital? Should I go back on the road and cause an accident instead? I am aware of the risks which is why I went on this forum. I am here to learn and educate myself about van life. Instead of trying to scare please just reconsider because I have heard it all from my parents BUT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO. My practicum is coming and there is no way I am dropping out after working my ass off in school. I am also not getting paid for this internship and there is no way I can afford a thousand dollar rent on a student budget.

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Newbie here and no van (yet) but I also live in Canada and taking winters into consideration. I found a guy on YouTube that lives in his van in Alberta. He’s got some videos on living through the winters.

https://www.youtube.com/@VanlifePLUS

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Belle
Here are my two cents or one Canadian Loonie in regards to your concerns:

Here are my concerns:
-is there a safety issue I am missing?
One pops to mind is the condensation that will accumulate inside your vehicle while you hang out and sleep. It can be a challenge to adequately vent this in the cold times and maintain heat.
-what about ventilation for the winter?
You will be opening windows a bit and or running a vent fan (if you have one). But the vehicle’s defroster may be the best option with the engine running.
-how should I stay warm without installing any insulation other than the curtains? If this is not possible is there easy insulations that I could install and take apart?
I strongly suggest to get bulk Reflectix and cut it to cover your windows. Glue/tape strong, small magnets to the Reflectix for quick install and take down. If the interior of your vehicle is not magnetic, you can install large (Loonie sized) metal washers using a hand rivet gun around the windows to mate up with the locations of the magnets. I can put up all eight of my Reflectix covers in less than a minute with this system.
-is it okay to run a space heater in the van?
Electric, sure with all combustibles away from it. Gas, not really, not without adequate make-up air/ventilation. If you do, make damn sure you have a carbon monoxide detector.
-what should I read to gain more knowledge about van life?
Google is your friend! The knowledge of van life humanity is at your fingertips. I do suggest you research tips and techniques for extreme winter camping and see what you can apply to your situation.
-any product recommendations that I an get here in Canada?
I don’t have any recommendations.
Best of luck to you.
Nancy

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Hi Belle,
I have a Toyota Sienna that I have converted to a camper with a ‘tear drop type’ kitchen at the rear. I plan to buy a special tent that goes at the rear and allows the hatch to open. I have a bed that converts to a bench for daytime. It pulls out to make the bed. I had to make it this way because I use a CPAP machine and need the battery, inverter and DC/DC MPPT charge controller under it. I have two 100W solar panels which fit exactly between the rails of the roof rack. I also have a diesel heater for the cold nights. Now when I say ‘cold nights’ I am talking like 5 degrees or so here on Vancouver Island BC. I don’t know that I would try to stay in it at -40 … I followed a plan I found on You Tube for the kitchen part. The rest I had to design myself. Before I installed the diesel heater, I had to start the van to heat it up which is a dangerous situation as fumes can always leak into the inside when a vehicle is idling and not moving. I would advise against doing that. The diesel heater works well but again must be installed correctly so as not to allow fumes to leak in. I am a firm believer in installing the proper alarms to monitor for gasses, and have done so. I wish you well with your endeavour and caution against being in remote areas alone.

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Greetings!

Without shore power (electric outlets), electric heating or cooking isn’t going to work, and in the winter, solar might be next to useless as well. For this reason, all of my essentials are fuel powered rather than electric.

These “generators” you are speaking of likely aren’t generators at all, and are only batteries with added goodies like outlets. I wouldn’t want to count on them unless you charge them while at work, or where you’re parked with shore power. That being said, if you’re sure you’ll always have shore power, I’d skip those altogether, they’d just be an unneeded added expense.

An electric blanket can go a long ways for keeping you warm while sleeping, and they be found in both 12vdc and usb models as well as regular electric. Old time hot water bottles still work quite well too.

Camp stoves don’t require electricity, and can be used for carefully for heating as well with proper ventilation.

A simple tent over your bed, made from a comforter or moving blanket, can really help keep the warmth in, as well as keeping prying eyes out.

I would strongly suggest a portable toilet for late night or emergency purposes. I even prefer my own shower.

Everything can be as simple or as complicated as you choose to make it. I prefer simple.

Cheers!

"A wise man learns from both the successes & failures of others." ~ Off Grid


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Find a way to rent a room or share an apartment. Put up (or have someone put up for you) a request on the hospital bulletin board.

I had a friend who applied for a gas station job while he was in law school. When he said he was in law school, the guy said, “You’re hired.”

“You don’t want to interview other people?”

“You’re a law student. You can’t afford to steal from me. It would ruin your career.”

People feel that way about nurses too. We don’t expect you to trash a place. We think you are worthwhile people. We’re willing to take a chance on you. During COVID, my wife and I offered our RV to a nurse who needed accommodation. We never offered it to anyone else. I don’t think we were even going to charge her.

So I’m guessing that people who aren’t even planning to rent out a room may change their minds if they hear that a nurse needs a place.

Ask the hospital administrators if they know of anybody, if they can ask around.

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By the way, whether you live in it or not, a “head bolt heater” might be a good idea in weather that cold. Otherwise your van may not start. My folks used to live in North Dakota, where -40 was common (we played outside in such weather, but wore ski masks a lot outside, along with snow pants, etc - basically ski gear). Everyone used headbolt heaters. And they sometimes tunneled through the snow from their front doors to outside. My family eventually moved to upstate NY, which had less extreme winter. But after one big winter storm, we and the neighbors started to run out of food. So my dad tunneled out to the car, put the chains they had from North Dakota on the tires, called up a grocery store whose owners lived above, and made an appointment with them to buy food for everyone.

I’ve done a fair bit of winter tent & car & van camping on ski trips. An electric blanket works well, and doesn’t use a lot of power. Though where I camped, it didn’t get that cold, so an ordinary blanket and/or winter sleeping bag worked too.

But you need to make sure you can survive the night even if your vehicle won’t start, and the power fails. That means lots of blankets and a good winter sleeping bag. They doesn’t need to be super-light, so I would suggest a washable bag and blankets - e.g., multiple layers (so you can adapt to temperature) of fleece. Down is lighter, but is very hard to take care of if you use it much. And maybe a vapor barrier liner, for if it gets colder than you expect - though it isn’t good for your skin to use a vapor barrier too much, and since it doesn’t breath, you can’t put your head inside. Don’t forget to use cold weather clothing on your head.

If snow covers your vehicle (this applies to tents too in the winter, but I hope you won’t try that without experience), fresh air will stop exchanging. You may need to wake during the night several times and knock off the snow with a broom.

It wouldn’t hurt to practice cold weather camping with a group of people who know what they are doing! There are so many things to consider that might not be obvious. Like keeping anything like batteries or soft contact lenses that can’t get too cold on your body, and inside your bag when you sleep.

As an alternative, I wonder if a fellow nurse and you could share housing to split costs? And you might ask current hospital staff - including other nurses with limited budgets, what they do, and if they would be interested in sharing. Other nursing and medical students who interned or whatever at the same hospital must have found solutions. You might talk to them to find out what your options might be.

Also, an hour and 15 minutes isn’t all that long a commute - though I admit that I’ve heard that nursing & medical students already don’t get that much sleep because of long hours. But I could see how stormy weather could be a problem, especially if you are in an area with high winds, or where fog forms in the winter. Driving in heavy fog is very, very scary.

SInce you live in Alberta, perhaps you already have emergency chains, traction mats, shovels, snow tires (do they allow studded snow tires), etc? And I hope 4WD or AWD? A little extra weight in the car might help traction too.

Some hospitals have group rooms that visitors to patients can informally sleep in. You might ask around the hospital if that is an option, part-time (like during the worst storms), or full-time. Or is that only large hospitals?

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One minor amusement. You don’t need to include the “C” in “-40C”. -40 is the one temperature that is the same Fahrenheit and Centigrade. And there is no -40 Kelvin. :slight_smile:

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While I totally recommend weather appropriate clothing and bedding, I much prefer heating or cooling my whole space.

Un-powered cold weather clothing can be bulky & awkward. For many of us, power can be precious, especially in the winter. However we can heat our indoor space without the need for power, and you can build one as cheap as only a couple bucks. My DIY heater/cookers are a little fancier, and cost $5 - $6 to make, then for the heat mode, I’ve added $20 heat powered woodstove fans. That gives me fan forced heat that requires no electricity or battery power.

Many of us find ourselves off grid in the extremely cold weather, and electric engine heaters use a lot of power. In the old days, they used kerosene or diesel powered engine heaters. These still work equally as well today.

There have been travelers living quite comfortably in terrible weather for many centuries, long before cars, trains, or electricity. We can learn a lot from their methods, they endured everything from desert to arctic conditions, and not only survived, but thrived.

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Also - at -40, your vehicle may need some pretty serious winterization, whether or not you camp in it. Many car and “shore” batteries won’t work well that cold. Snow is likely to cover your solar cells, so you can’t count on them. Some of your fluids, like oil and radiator fluid, may need to be adapted to work at that temperature. Consult with a local mechanic.

And even your watch and alarm clock may not work that cold if they aren’t inside your sleeping bag with you.

Maybe it just isn’t worth it. -40 is pretty serious cold weather camping for inexperienced people. Like I said, other nurses and medical students interning at the hospital from outside have likely found other solutions. Near some hospitals, charities offer inexpensive housing for people visiting sick relatives. Some churches and other houses of worship do that too - and you may not need to belong to the church. Talk to various staff, and find out what those solutions are.

I’m not certain, BTW, that you need a head bolt heater at -40 for modern vehicles. I wonder whether that has changed, because modern vehicles sometimes use relatively lighter engine oils to get better gas mileage. Though I have heard that in Alaska (at even colder temperatures), people sometimes use a propane torch to warm up the engine before starting it - which sounds dangerous to me.

But perhaps my concerns are silly. Perhaps typical Canadians have to be pretty tough to survive the winter, and were taught how to handle cold from infancy?

Maybe this folk song describes the average Canadian?