Skier Need Help Choosing Home on Wheels

Hi there! I am a competitive skier from Washington looking to live out of a vehicle full time, but have had a lot of trouble over the past year trying to decide what vehicle would work best for me. My main priorities are that the vehicle is 4wd, has standing room, and can be well insulated and heated for living out of ski area parking lots. It would be nice to have a shower, toilet and decent gas mileage. Stealth could be nice as I may be in and out of Seattle for my engineering job, but I’m not sure it is a priority as I have friend’s houses I can park at. I am a mechanical engineer, so I am open to building a living space on my own, but am also hoping to have starting costs of no more than $20,000. The vehicle will mainly be used to live at various ski areas I am competing at, but will also be used in the summer for climbing, biking and mountaineering adventures. I am considering the following options: Truck w/ flatbed or slide in camper (open to custom build option), truck w/ trailer, euro style van (ram promaster or ford transit, ford econoline, or an ambulance. Any and all help deciding is greatly appreciated!

Honestly, given your budget I would go with an econoline diesel with a raised roof, still really tough to hit your budget.

You could cut that budget in half by not going 4 wheel drive. Get a 2WD Econoline and install an electric or pneumatic locker in the rear axle. You’d have almost as much traction as 4WD when needed, and the economy and weight of a 2WD when not needed (which realistically is probably 99% of the time). And nothing says you can’t put a winch on the front of a 2WD van for when you really get stuck.

Add a set of good on/off highway tires and you’re probably in better shape than many who have 4WD.

Also, if you get an E350 (1-ton) it sits higher than the lighter vans, so may not need a lift. But lifting can still be done on 2WD vans if clearance is the concern.