I'm thinking about buying a van and living in it while traveling the US. I'm sick of Michigan and I need to find a wife or friends or something. Is America one big shopping mall, or are there greener pastures? Where should I go?
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Heat with an oil lamp? All other propane sourced heaters are to big. I think 1000-2000 btus with a monoxide detector would be possible. The other alternative is a small rv furnace or make my own.
>Don't go near the cities unless you have a reason to be there. The fewer people you interact with, the smaller the chances. That said, you can normally spot a druggie. Never answer questions about what you have with you, never answer questions about where you are sleeping. You don't know where you are sleeping, you haven't decided.
>You don't have much of anything, you're recently kicked out and you're just carrying a backpack of cloths, "my life is just as bad as anyone's..." And then you leave. Anyone asking too much is angling for something, maybe an undercover trying to get you to sell him something, maybe a petty thief looking to break in, might be a preacher looking to prove you're living a life of sin and save your soul on the spot.
I have a hard time identifying with this as I don't see myself associating with these people in the first place. It seems as though you could just maintain a low footprint and fly under the radar for most. The only issue I see with that is that crackheads may probe if you're parked at a Walmart for too long.
I'm more concerned with AC than heating honestly
Get a roof vent. ebay.com
These ones automatically close when it rains and It barely draws any power. Its a must if you have solar and deep cycle batteries.
Interesting, thanks for the tip
bump
That's exactly what they want you to do
they want you to not have a mortgage?
I think what "they" want you to do is fall for the Tiny House meme, or get a mortgage on an overpriced place you can't afford
Also build a sliding door to separate the driving area from the back. Lots of heat comes through the front window so if you put a shade up and physically block it off the temp in the back will be insulated. If you get the fan make sure you pur really good bugscreens in your windows. Having a cross breeze is a must.
They want you to pick a city to live in and take out a loan to buy a mcmansion.
This lets you find the good places that are left in the country and settle there. Make a real house and a real family uncorrupted. And no debt.
They make a 12\24 volt portable ac. Zero breeze. Some Kickstarter alternative s but I think most of them are scams. 100-120 watts. Also they do make miniature van sized furnaces. Outside combustion and they draw about 2 amps.
>What about women, user?
I'm a believer in chastity so I can't help you there. There are literally millions of women who will marry you if you're secure. Finding a virgin wife at your age?? I think you're looking for a gal that's going to pair bond despite having had a boyfriend in high-school and another in college. She does exist.
You're not going to have a problem meeting all kinds of women, literally bumping into them at groceries, at church on Sunday (you'll be a real hit in the small towns, all the single women will smile at you), in the gas-station.
> crackheads may probe
You'll find out, the petty criminals who are in and out of county lockup are quick. they will hit you when you don't expect it right off the bat. distractions to grab your wallet, or stressful situations to get you answering questions you wouldn't normally. there are more ways to scam people than there are ways to defend. Literally just mind your business in every situation, and have the management call the cops if you think someone should step in. Be nice, but be firm, you're not their property but you're not their enemy. Don't give a sociopath a reason to defend what he perceives is his honor if he's already looking for a way to rob you.
Some friends of mine did this. The engine exploded twice and they had to give up.
So my advice is to get a great van and don't bother at all if you can't.
>I'm a believer in chastity so I can't help you there. There are literally millions of women who will marry you if you're secure. Finding a virgin wife at your age?? I think you're looking for a gal that's going to pair bond despite having had a boyfriend in high-school and another in college. She does exist.
So my best bet is a woman who has had a few partners already in your view? I don't know, I always just assumed that I could lock down a younger girl and that would be that. Are you already married?
>You'll find out, the petty criminals who are in and out of county lockup are quick. they will hit you when you don't expect it right off the bat. distractions to grab your wallet, or stressful situations to get you answering questions you wouldn't normally. there are more ways to scam people than there are ways to defend. Literally just mind your business in every situation, and have the management call the cops if you think someone should step in. Be nice, but be firm, you're not their property but you're not their enemy. Don't give a sociopath a reason to defend what he perceives is his honor if he's already looking for a way to rob you.
Yikes, do you have any stories in this vein?
I have some friends that do this and it seems like absolute freedom,
that said we all work in the outdoor industry
Had some huge dude follow me once in a different neighborhood where people prey on drunk, naïve college kids who wander off the beaten path. I probably looked like one such person with the way I was dressed. After following me at a distance down redundant turns on side-streets, he caught up to me when I thought I was close enough to the main drag to be safe--letting my guard down was a mistake. I felt his hands touch my shoulders at which point I spun around and hit him with my left forearm while stepping back with my right foot and drawing a pistol with my right hand. One instant he initiated contact, the next instant I hit him with one hand and produced a gun in the other, the instant after that he thew his hands in the air and backed off before murmuring incomprehensibly and staggering off.
Not really a fight but that's the closest story I have. I try to keep my fights in the gym and use situational awareness to keep me from having them anywhere else.
I live in my E-150 in an overpriced California college town. My advice is to get used to a standardized diet with a low number of ingredients before you move into the van. Stocking lots of stuff is a drag and the quick change will give you stomach problems which SUCKS when your toilet is 500 yards away from your bed.
What do you friends do for money when they do this?
So he was trying to mug you?
Tires, tires and plugs for tires as well as oil, oil filters, and fuel filters.
Also: air compressor
You don't want open flame in a van. Unless you have a built in heater, you're going to need to get used to heating the vehicle every few hours for about 15 minutes. One way to help this is to keep the vehicle very warm all day during the winter. If you're in the van and moving, the heat is on high and you're in you're naked before you turn off the heat. You want everything which can possibly soak heat to be warm. This still won't be enough on really cold nights. You'll want layered insulation placed, rubber linings on all doors, and maybe even a plastic cover for the windows as well. Another problem is that you are a bag of water and most of the US is humid, so when the temps change around and in your vehicle your breath will help grow mildew. Thus, you have to consider you may have to do tear-out in a few years. The other option is to get a van with a proper thermostat and a self-starting generator. Even that isn't a guarantee, you're just going to have water on the exchange surfaces.
>500 yards
?
Hi OP, I lived in a 1985 VW T25 for a year from last august to this September.
Ask me anything, glad to offer my tips.
Reposting some questions:
What's the sweet spot between cost and comfort?
Should I worry about a shower in my van or should I just go the gym route?
Are composting toilets a meme?
I have no experience with untrustworthy cops, can you give me the rundown? I'm a normal suburban white guy and have never had a run-in with the law of any kind. My experience with them is limited to "yes, sir, here's my license" and "I didn't know I couldn't do that"
How do I avoid the crackheads? That's my #1 concern.
Is this sustainable? That's probably the greatest question.
And for you in particular, what were your motivations, and what did you learn or accomplish?
Britbong vanfag here. I bought an twenty year old Luton type van three years ago. Cost me about 1000 quid. Probably spent the same again on fitting stuff and camping supplies. Reckon I'd get most of that back if I sold it and I've used it as my daily transport so it's cost me nothing really as I'd have needed a car anyway.
For reasons I've never actually had to use it for its intended purpose. I have took it on a few tours and it's comfy a f.
Cover your sleeping area from view and sleep naked. Most places in the US get cool enough at night. In the day time you're not going to stay in your van, you're going to be doing your programming in the lobby of a hotel or at a library. You're going to be clean dressed, smiling, and you're going to look like another business traveler who is just getting some emails out of the way.
The vehicle is home, but it's not a play den.
So how do you get mail? What do you do when your house breaks down? Are you just parking it at a walmart or some shit? Sounds like you'll be a deadbeat moving from couch to couch with friends that feel sorry for your meager existence.
This guy is pretty cool and he has a build series for his van. Maybe it'll give you some ideas youtu.be
Everything ive read is this. It is a great life if you can be comfortable shitting in a bag. But the reality of living this way is it will be raining outside and you will shit in a bag on your nice bed more often than you think possible now.
Having said that, here is what I have learned of living this way.
Get a newish white construction workers van, and make your camper a "stealth camper" Can park and sleep anywhere, parts are plentyful and cheap.
Get a membership to a nationwide gym. Showers and wifi.
Get a Badboy router. bitstorm.com
PO Box
lets go, fren. I'm in
mail forwarding services. But he wont have any bills but for his cell phone.
That's true, good points
Thought about something like that but they are small and waaaaay over priced. My Luton is seven feet tall and the cargo area is about 15 feet. I've got a sofa in there now I never use but it made the place look less empty. Also, no windows in cargo area but the roof is clearish perspex allowing loads of light in. This means that when you park the thing on an industrial estate it effectively disappears.
What do you van retards do for money when you are living in a van?
I have thought about this. My plan was to get an automatic car starter, and hook that to a thermostat for both the AC and heat. Like they do in Semi trucks
>But he wont have any bills but for his cell phone
Ok, so no insurance or anything? Sounds great if your 16-18 I guess.
>bitstorm.com
Seems a bit steep, a netgear nighthawk is $200 and unlimited data is $30/month from at&t
Right now Im making about $1500 a month from stocks on money I saved. I realize this is a singular time for that to happen, but I think it could go on for another 6 years or so...
Dude, research "webasto heater" it's a separate heater for your vehicle, burns just a tiny bit of fuel even though the engine is off. uses a separate exhaust pipe
running heat while you sleep in a vehicle is dangerous and expensive. I've used blankets and sleeping bag layers from below -30F in the Bakken to above 105F in Dixie (heat sucks a hundred times more). In extreme cold, cover your face with a blanket or scarf so you breathe in warm, moist air instead of dry cold air: I learned this lesson the hard way sleeping with just a hat and got the worst nose bleed of my life. Get rain guards on your windows so you can leave them cracked in the heat regardless of precipitation, and you'll want to leave at least the front windows cracked in the cold if you can tolerate it: the condensation from your breath will freeze on the windshield and windows and you'll have to scrape it inside and out before you can drive safely. Don't leave the windows open enough for anyone to reach in and fuck with you. I've actually thought about installing cargo bars on one side to put the window all the way down while I sleep, but haven't done it yet.
>Never answer questions about what you have with you, never answer questions about where you are sleeping. You don't know where you are sleeping, you haven't decided.
This. If your coworkers find out you live in a van and ask where you camp, just tell them you camp somewhere different every night to avoid making a pattern that might cause someone to mess with you.
I don't know, I didn't ask and he didn't say anything intelligible.
No, I don't mean to say she doesn't exist. But be realistic. You don't want a high-school girl in America, she's a child 95% of the time. And women older than this, they are still women and are designed for mating just as much as you are.
>Yikes, do you have any stories in this vein?
Only a few. I like to keep cash and ID/Cards separate. One of them, in small amounts I'm expecting to be using that day, is close at hand in my front pocket. The remainder is somewhere else. If you have a backpack seal the zippers together so they can't be opened easily. Never walk places you think are too sketchy with items you cannot afford to lose. Be aware of where you carry what items, some things can be carried in a bag, others should probably be on you, and under your clothing not just in it. Try to avoid being cornered, apologize and keep moving. You are not her defender, unless you want to be in traction.
If they accuse you of things you clearly didn't do, or are making a scene over things which clearly aren't a big deal to everyone else in the world, they are likely setting you up, and you don't want to stick around to find out what for. Keep your eyes to yourself, keep your words friendly, and get away.
You can get a "night heater" runs on diesel from your tank. Fitted as standard in semis so pretty common. Expensive thou and requiring some high degree of mechanical skill to fit.
>So how do you get mail?
General delivery for stuff you need on the road and a relative's house for anything else.
>What do you do when your house breaks down?
Fix it, or pay for it to be fixed. For long visits to the shop, rental cars are a thing (through insurance or out of pocket) and it shouldn't be an issue to either sleep in a rental van or a hotel for a few days if you're working and using vanlife to hoard cash instead of being a deadbeat degenerate. Don't be poor, use vanlife to save money and hoard cash.
>Are you just parking it at a walmart or some shit?
Sometimes. I prefer to find innawoods spots when I can.
>Sounds like you'll be a deadbeat moving from couch to couch with friends that feel sorry for your meager existence.
I make pretty decent pay and lead a healthier life than most, I just happen to sleep in a van.
>running heat while you sleep in a vehicle is dangerous and expensive
dude, webasto. webasto.
>I need to find a wife
Women do not marry men who live in vans.
Yeah, thats why I was thinking an aftermarket remote car starter, some hacking and an arduino with a thermometer shield...
>No, I don't mean to say she doesn't exist. But be realistic. You don't want a high-school girl in America, she's a child 95% of the time. And women older than this, they are still women and are designed for mating just as much as you are.
What exactly are you suggesting? I understand that they're immature, but so what? My choice is between an immature person with a low partner count or an older woman with some miles on her, I would choose the younger woman every time. I'm operating on the assumption that late-20's women in today's society suck 10 cocks on the way to their cars
>automatic car starter
You're a programmer, have you done the conversion on Watts to BTU? Very few of those auto-starers will have enough to keep you warm, and if they do they won't last long enough because you'll be charging them every day. And you can't put a lead-acid directly in your cab, it produces vapors.
Really, you can get naked, your bigger problem is cold because even if you have a sub-zero sleeping bag, all your supplies will be frozen solid every morning.
Any more details btw?
Huh, I'll have to look into that. Any idea what those systems cost, ballpark? I'm especially interested in the air conditioning.
I've been in a serious committed relationship for two years. I've been living in a van for four.
You can probably get tons of hot babes with a sweet rig like that.
Whats the problem here. Womem (young women especially) want to travel. No they won't marry you, but they will live with you in a van as long as your are traveling.
Titanium goat stove.
>If your coworkers find out you live in a van
I'd just hide that fact from them
You don't need mail. If it can't come to you via text, it probably isn't that important and it probably will do just fine sitting in a PO Box for a few weeks until you get back to it.
>>I want to live in a van
>>I want to find a wife
You can only pick one
>Ok, so no insurance or anything? Sounds great if your 16-18 I guess.
Most people pay bills online now.
Lived out of my car for 6 months, 5 years ago, almost exlusively in the WalMart parking lot in town. Stay near the back/other RV's, don't make yourself a nuisance and you should be okay. Cold as fuck in winter though, I'd put on two or three pairs of socks inside my boots and still would lose feeling in my toes at night.
What is the power draw on electric blankets? Might be a good alternative for heat at night if a battery bank can keep it going.
BEWARE OF KIKE BRAINWASHED COLLEGES which is all of them
Women, who are easily subverted by the jew, and many other lobby groups, have destroyed the education system... and in turn have destroyed the west, family and any hope of coming back UNLESS we ban colleges and stop all zionist education .....
we need to end universities
kind of expensive i think like 5k. they're meant for transport trucks - guys who actually live in a vehicle.
They want to stay at a resort when they travel. Who told you they want to stay in a van? The deadlocked guy in a VW bus?
If I was rich I would do this as a passion project but if you are trying to "find yourself" living in a van won't do it. Join the French Foreign Legion if you want to do that.
No Im talking about the remote car starters that start the engine of the car. Program the arduino to use the remote start kit to start or stop engine, then set heating or cooling before you go to sleep
>your bigger problem is cold because even if you have a sub-zero sleeping bag, all your supplies will be frozen solid every morning.
In the winter, I put my iceblock of laundry detergent in my sleeping bag the night before laundry day and visit the grocery store once or twice a day to avoid storing too much food in my van. I do store things like nuts, dried fruits, dried meats, dark chocolate, etc. innavan during winter.
They often find out, especially working construction where everyone parks together. I try to not tell them but without lying or being weird about it.
That's actually better than what I thought you were going to say. I might have to get an air conditioning setup next summer.
From what I've heard on Jow Forums, FFL isn't nearly what it used to be in that regard.
Final piece of advice. Learn how to patch a tire and keep a tire-patch kit with you. You will probably patch a tire at least once every 3 months and on the weekends and late nights it can be hard to find someone without paying them $100.
Carry an automatic tire inflator and at least one large bottle of SLIME brand. You can fix a small nail hole (when you find it) just by pouring a few squeezes of slime into a tire, inflating the tire, and then parking the vehicle with the leak side down for a couple of hours. You can use more slime if you have to go faster, but it can make your tire off balance.
Or, if you have the space, carry 2 full sized spares, change the tire, and then slime it on the rack. The last one will get you moving faster. Also, buy an extra belt for every belt your van has, finding belts at 4am when you're just trying to run the engine to keep from freezing can ruin your day. (obviously you're going to want the 21 piece ratchet set and your spark-plug adaptor).
Go here
It's a depressing way to live. You'll be harrassed by the cops. You'll have dirtballs sniffing around your van. The van breaks down a lot, so you'd better be a good auto mechanic and handyman.
But where to wash oneself? That's the biggest problem I see.
No, he can do both. But he has to be realistic, she will want him to settle down once she's with him. You don't want an infant choking down diesel fumes if you can avoid it anyway.
This was my first thought, comfy as fuck
>What's the sweet spot between cost and comfort?
FDunno exactly what you mean by this but I will answer as best I can by posting stuff I consider worth the price and not an unecessary expense:
1) Bed. Money is no object, get a good rock and roll bed fitted or a permanent one that is really well built. If you only have one thing that you can upgrade, let it be this.
2) Sleeping bag. If it cost 500USD and has excellent reviews, don't hum and haw, buy it.
3) Yoga matt and sweat resistant pillows. If you need to use blow up pillow so be it. I had down filled ones and they got moisture in them from mmy head and when I stashed a few in a van cupbaord they got mouldy. Found out when I pulled them out in the dark and laid my tender head on them and smelled an unspeakable smell.
>Should I worry about a shower in my van or should I just go the gym route?
Gym 100%. I had a larger motor home for a while before the van and had to move onto a campsite permanently while I sold it as I was so frustrated. To have a shower it has to have a whole wet room, and it makes the van enormous and shit to drive. IF you are traveling get a T4 or similar. The built in shower is a waste. I would rather go without for 2 days than have to haul that big Hymer 1992 around again. Although it has a sick living room.
>Are composting toilets a meme?
While they are not a mythical creature, see shower above. They go in the same wet room and are a pain. Also shitting in a cramped little room is nigh impossible. You'd be amazed how you get into the routine of thinking about when the supermarket or cafe or public toilets are gonna shut and whether you need to pinch one before settling in for the night.
CONT...
No, Walmart doesn't let people camp overnight in their parking lots anymore. Hell, I once dozed off in my car during the day and the cops came knocking on my window. I hadn't been asleep more than 30 minutes.
>food during winter
Stainless steel double-wall vacuum thermoses and a cooler will help a ton during both the hot and cold months.
Trick to winter sleeping is to never sleep with clothing on because the clothing will trap your body heat and the moisture and then freeze against you. You're literally warmer sleeping naked. Wool socks are the exception.
Okay, but what does that have to do with the topic of this thread?
I never looked into that myself. Was always too worried about losing the starting battery since I didn't have a proper generator pack or spare lead-acids hooked up. Again, to get a comfortable temp you're gonna burn most batteries out of charge in a single night.
Clever. Sounds like a good idea, just make sure you are parked aware of prevailing winds and you don't get drift over the tail-pipe.
24 hour gym chain, state park camp site, truck stop shower if you want to pay for it and don't have better options, baby wipes and deodorant to avoid smelling like ass in a short-term bind, sponge bath in a single-person public restroom if you get desperate
If you live in a van, can't you just go south when winter approaches? You know, like birds.
Easy, public swimming pools. I know because i lived in my car for a week while finding an apartment.
Don't mix with homeless people, no matter how friendly they may be. Only associate with others who are living in their vans and look presentable. Keep a low profile. Don't sleep in the same place more than one night. Have at least 6 places and rotate through them on a nightly basis.
Looks like a more expensive version of what I linked.
Your ass is literally your worst enemy in this regard. You can smell like armpit and women will still want you, it's pheromones. But you cannot smell like poop.
>Cops
You'll be alright. If you're white, polite and not full of shite, you will do okay. I oddly never got a knock on the door from the cops. I parked in the corners and darker areas of parking lots, or away from the main road, or in really rural areas and lay-by lanes where people are encouraged to nap on long journeys. And my van was bright yellow. Just make sure you are abiding by as many laws as possible and don't be a criminal.
>Crackheads
Closest I got to this was a few drunk lads who decided to jump on my bumpers and rock the van whilst chanting some soccer songs at 2am. Shit me up as I was sleeping and they were really aggressive. Make sure no one can see in and you have a panel van or great blackout windows or curtains. Then park in the most secluded and out of the way area. Make sure your locks are all good and your van doesn't look valuable or shiny or too new.
>Sustainable
Depends how you mean. If you mean can you do it for years yourself without major problems, then it can be with some common sense. The only things you have to worry about is an address (iassume the USA needs an address for documents and registration) That is one headache annually though. As for sustainable, I say if you can do it for a week, you can likely do it for a month, and if you can do that, you can do it for ever. A gym bag with clothes, a dry bag for laundry, a laptop bag with necessary electronics, some baby wipes and tonnes of bottled water (good grief never run out of this, there is nothing like a thirst that hits at 3am without any running water or businesses open). These are the things I needed and a weekly trip to the laundramat and a monthly valet and clean by a car cleaning place and it was great. Get a van that isn't in bad shape but old enough to be sturdy and you will be sustainable. It can wear down on you if you don't have the comfort thoguh, like the sleeping bag.
Any more questions user and I would love to answer.
Yes, but everyone who doesn't have the money to live in a van and is homeless is already there, and they are homeless and don't have money because they are criminals, or insane, or just fucking degenerate in general.
During the summer this can work. During the winter there are "community centers" in some towns which have pools.
10-120 watts. Should be the lowest layer.
If you decide you need mail (and, more importantly, a legal domicile to attach your drivers license, insurance, auto registration, Texas concealed carry permit) then there are a bunch of services for full-time RV-ers out there (mostly in states that have no income tax).
Escapees dot com is one. They run a mail service that includes online notifications and mail scanning (and you use the website to have them selectively forward/destroy mail).
40-yr old boomer who did van-life for a few years but still keep up the remote address even though I’m off the road now.
I'm thinking 2-3, 6 seems excessive
Sounds good man, if you are still interested, I am selling aforementioned van. It's a 1985 T25 and is good condition, going for 5000.
They are certainly overpriced, but they are damn good and I got this one at a steal and am selling it for a little less.
The only reason I ask is I have it up on autotrader and other sites but the amount of knob jockeys that come along and kick the tires and offer me 1000 is insane.
If you are happy with your van though, that's great man.
It depends on the Walmart, but you are correct: the corporate policy of tolerating camping has lapsed and the policy is now at the store manager's discretion.
There's some high-paying work in the cold, plus a number of undesirable degenerates migrate south in the winter. I agree with This.
>sure no one can see in
This is really important for your shit. Keep it covered and make sure they can't see you at night.
Sleep?
>Truck Stop, or a KoA
Heat?
>Webasto independent heating system
Also drill holes in vehicle body, spray insulating foam in, plug with grommets.
Shower?
>Public Swimming Pool (usually free or $0.50), or Truck Stop
>Eat
Save money use the grocery store in town, do not get into the habit of fast food truck stops or you will be broke asap. Find a park, use a coleman bbq
>Internet
Truck stops, coffee shops, public libraries. probably want a yagi antenna, little amplifier.
I know some of these things because I lived in my car while going to work and finding an apartment.
I wasn't aware of those services, I've always used the combination of a relative's house and general delivery. Thanks.
I had a full time job in an office. Made downloading stuff from Pirate BAy for watching on my laptop easy.