Any robots ever consider living in a small RV or van? I've been thinking a lot about sustaining yourself for the long term and I really can't see myself buying a house or renting for the rest of my life. The downsides I can think of are cops hassling you, staying cool/warm, and maybe finding bathrooms on occasion (gyms fix that).
I really don't care for life-time debts like mortgages. Please convince me that this isn't a good idea.
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Ya gotta make it robust, as theft is a common thing. Steel frames, thick windshields, etc.
This is my plan fuck buying into the jew meme of marriage kids and a mortgage
You can get by in one of these on $50 a week not counting food and Internet
What about the land and property taxes?
I'd try it out before committing to the lifestyle. If you're in the US, in some places you can get an entire house for the price of a fully-loaded RV. To me, that's a no-brainer. RVs lose massive value and require a lot more in the way of repairs than houses do. This is because RVs are constructed to be lived in for only 2 weeks or so at a time, typical vacation type stuff.
And, as you said, with houses, you'll never be hassled by the cops or made to feel second-class
>If you're in the US, in some places you can get an entire house for the price of a fully-loaded RV.
These places generally aren't good to live in, usually there's a high crime rate and sketchy people. Cheap places are cheap for a reason.
You'd be surprised. Have you spent any time investigating?
only if it says free candy on it
who v-v-v-vansion here?
Admittedly no, but whenever I look at cheap houses they are in sketchy places.
Actually, I think it's the reverse: whenever you look at shitty places, you see cheap homes. And that part is definitely true. But, there's also reasonably nice areas that have very affordable homes. The midwest, some smaller east coast beach towns, etc. I recently moved and spent a lot of time investigating where to go and cost was a big concern. You can also do some househacking where you buy a small multifamily, live in one unit and rent out the others. Do this correctly, and it's a secondary income source or, if you get a mortgage, you'd be living for free. And if you use a property management company, no-one even has to know that you're the landlord. I guess my point here is that smart use of real estate can be very powerful.
Yes. I want to buy pic related. You can easily and cheaply set up a 500 watt solar system, plenty for a full day of power including HVAC.
Check out gnomadhome.com and thevanual.com
I live on the road in a giant crazy van, and have done so for four years now. No rent, no mortgage, no property tax. I've never paid to park my van overnight. I just go somewhere and use common sense.
People like do not understand the concept of the lifestyle, don't listen to them. You don't do this lifestyle with a fully loaded RV. At least, not unless you have money and you want to live out of camp grounds. I paid $10k for my van. That's pretty cheap for a house. It's paid off, I have no debt, I have money in the bank, and I can choose how much I want to spend pretty much by how good I want to eat.
You will talk to cops occasionally, I've never had a problem with them, worst case they'll just say move along. Move with the weather to stay cool/warm. I don't use public bathrooms either. Honestly the only thing I would do differently about van life is doing it years sooner.
Picture related, my giant crazy van.
Van guy here. If you notice, that house is on a trailer frame. The idea is to hitch it up and move it. Maybe put it on a friend's back yard. Or maybe you buy a piece of land somewhere cheap, where the zoning laws do not define that structure as a house without a foundation, therefore the house is not assessed against the value and property tax is nil.
A farmer agreed to let me park it on his land because I like to hunt and I don't get in his way I don't cost him anything and I kill a fare few hogs every month
i use to think about this some years ago, instead of buying a house just get and rv and live next to the gas station next to the highway,seems like a nice little dream but ultimatly seems impractical,now that im 30 i guess im going to try and get an apartment or something, it would have been nice living there as a 20 something but i dont think i want to grew old on an RV
AIso what he said
Gonna shoot for a comfy tiny house instead, RVs seem too claustrophobic
how much are tiny homes ?
Looks very comfy. Do you ever meet people? Ever hike around? Where do you normally park it? How about electricity? Where do you piss and shit?
Idk about where your at but in Australia they're cheaper than a caravan of the same length alot of the time
Good'ay mayte. Whackka zozzage on the barby would ya?
One thats all fancy with two stories is like $50k but I've found one for $20k that looks good.
It's quite cozy. Right now I'm in the back typing on my laptop, parked feet from the ocean. Listened to the waves while I fell asleep last night.
I meet people all the time, everywhere I go. That includes girls btw. Chicks dig the van. But also, there are many introverts in the van life, because you can choose how much you want to socialize or hide if you want. Hiking, sure. Went with a group last weekend actually.
I like to be parked somewhere nice - by the ocean, a lake, or up on a mountain, whatever. In the southwest there's lots of BLM where it's just empty land no one cares about and you're allowed to be there. But also city streets where it's legal to park overnight... park n' rides... if I have to, a box store lot, but never Walmart.
I have 300 watts of solar panels on the roof, and a battery bank made out of deep cycle golf cart batteries. This gives me plenty to power my laptop, 12v dc refrigerator, water pump, lights, music, etc.
My van actually has a full RV style toilet, but I don't use it for that. If I'm in the wilderness I just shit outside. If I'm in a city I shit in a bag and fling it in a public trash can. This is perfectly legal.
This is sort of my dream but I figured califonia/the west coast is full of outsiders with the same idea and there is a small army of criminals and hobos and cops who take advantage of them
Post pic of the inside pls. Also how do you protect the solar panels from getting damaged during a storm or whatnot?
Right now I'm in San Diego, where it's actually against the law to "inhabit a vehicle," and I'm having no trouble with police. I've been in Slab City, downtown New Orleans, and all sorts of places with squatters and homeless, and never had trouble with people fucking with me.
Most people assume solar panels are something very fragile. Fortunately that's not true. They're made with tempered glass and I've seen people do dumb stuff like drop them, step on them, without breaking. Not that I'd recommend that of course, but I'm not worried about them unless fist-size hail starts coming down. All you have to do is wipe dust off them occasionally.
Lemme find some more interior pictures...
how many bitches have you fucked in that thing
Here's the back more set up. It also turns into a bed but I sleep in the overcab bed.
Honestly could not give you an accurate accounting if my life depended on it. Multiple dozens. Hundredish maybe.
>tfw vanchad is on Jow Forums
>turbochad on our board
Hey you asked. Or, someone asked.
I've perused Jow Forums since 2005. I like Jow Forums. It's one of the last boards here with its own culture and vaguely original content.
How miles on the van? How do you handle maintenance/repairs?
Only about 144,000 miles on it now. Most maintenance I take care of myself. What I can't do myself I have to coordinate with a shop, which is annoying since I live in it. I either explain to the shop that I live in it and need it back for the night or I go shack up with a friend for a couple days. But I've only had to do that twice.
Related, one of the times I had to do that.
Chad looks, chad personality, or both?
Anyway, how old are you?
I'd really enjoy the van life but it feels like having high speed internet would be an issue. In that regard, I'd think that a tiny home would be a better option for shut-ins and the type of people on this site.
Also how do people who travel a lot in their van homes manage to make an income? It seems like online business and content creation would be a good avenue, but then the issue of quality internet service comes up yet again. Are most vandwellers just rich trust fund kids or something?
Whereabouts do you live and how did you manage that arrangement?
>tfw you want to be a comfy modern huntsman, shooting pest animals and selling their meat for a living
I really don't think of myself as a Chad. Women are easy once you learn how to operate them, and having something going on in your life is a good place to start (e.g., being rad and living off grid in a van). I'm 30.
Picture is a girl I met walking by my van while I was sitting on the roof overlooking a lake.
Ever take any hitchhikers?
I've been picked up by a few vanbros, it's always very cool. One of them brought me to a punk show in bumfuck nowhere, then we spent a killer night playing some traditionnal drunken punk games.
Kek those penciled-in eyebrows
But yeah bitches like men who do their own thing and live their own lifestyle and move around all the time instead of standing in one place browsing the computer, bitches love that adventure lifestyle
t.Lived in Slab city for a couple months
This guy sells ebooks and does other online stuff, he lives out his RV and his channel is fun.
>I'd really enjoy the van life but it feels like having high speed internet would be an issue. In that regard, I'd think that a tiny home would be a better option for shut-ins and the type of people on this site.
High speed internet isn't a problem. I have a hotspot through Verizon. Streaming doesn't count against the data cap, and if I want to do something more data intensive which would (like torrent stuff) I go sit outside of Starbucks and mooch their wifi.
For many reasons I think a van or something on wheels is better than a tiny home on a trailer frame. Easier to move, go where you want and expand your options, and don't get locked into paying for land somewhere.
>Also how do people who travel a lot in their van homes manage to make an income? It seems like online business and content creation would be a good avenue, but then the issue of quality internet service comes up yet again. Are most vandwellers just rich trust fund kids or something?
No, most vandwellers are people without much money at all.
I used to have remote employment when I started because I thought the same as you. Now I work carpentry/general construction. I'm happier and I generally make more money too. I charge $35/hr when working for myself and I just keep that under the table untaxed.
majestic van chad
This is only a viable option if you plan to live in the middle of nowhere. If you near any city, it will make youa prime target for robbery/murder/cops fucking with you.
I pick up hitchhikers. Have a good story about bringing some french dude to slab city that way.
>penciled-in eyebrows
I know right. Apparently she had been around gangs in L.A. and got out. She was a nurse when I met her.
>majestic
*fist bump*
Hello uninformed opinion, we've already had you.
t. actually living in a van in a major city right now with no problems
I'm a french dude myself. Hitchhiked throughout most of Scotland, had a pure blast. Met some very fine people. Slab City sounds quite intriguing but I don't think it'd be my kind of place. Bloody Californian deserts are too hot.
Just become a trucker and get paid to do it.
I actually really want to build a small house, I've been hooked on tiny house videos and theyve inspired me to try it. I'm a robot faggot with zero goals outside of keeping myself not suicidal and depressed and I feel like this is something to actually work towards. I want to build a small log cabin type house that I can travel in and live comfortably. Already looked up a lot of stuff about solar energy, off grid technology, and mobile setups, and I think I could make it work.
I want to find some people locally who work on similar stuff so I can have some sort of guidance when I'm doing it on my own.
but ive actually been thinking about this. The added benefit of being able to drive it without hitching up a trailer or something seems ideal. You seem like you know what you're doing, vanchad, can you give some advice? I've seen some great van conversions, my only deal is that I'd want to be able to stand up fully in a living space.
Yes, in my opinion, you want something self-contained on wheels, and that includes a pass-through from the cab to the living area. This allows you to go anywhere and move from "driving" to "home" without moving around outside and totally letting everyone know you're setting up for the night.
My plan actually for this year is to upgrade my house. I want to buy an old mechanical diesel truck, rip the body off of it and stick build a house on it. If you're going to build from scratch I would suggest something like that over a trailer frame. However you may want to start out with a van, box truck, or similar, depending on your skills.
Also, I can stand fully upright in my van. Even stand fully upright and take a hot shower. It's more accomodating than it looks. Picture is my stove/sink area.
Oh yeah and I'm not so sure about this vanchad thing.
Nice that you can fully move around, that's a big concern of mine when I see people like this living in their tiny vans;
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but I've thought about that too, I really like the idea of something like one of these sorts of trucks and building off the bed of it but I wasn't sure if buying a truck like that would skyrocket the price or if it would be about the same to get a flatbed trailer to build a full tiny house.
If you build it on the back of a flatbed as a slide-off kinda thing you're not going to have any pass-through from the cab to the house. Which is fine if all you ever do is go to BLM or camp grounds, but not so fine in the city. Also the flat bed body is adding unnecessary weight and height.
That's why, more like your picture, I plan to remove the body, cut into the cab, and custom build everything around it. This does mean you're committed to the vehicle at that point. I'm figuring roughly a $10k budget for the truck and another $10k for the conversion.
Or you could buy a van similar to mine for around $10-$15k.
Another interior shot, mood lighting for the ladies.
Why? It's an honorary title, post more about fucking girls in a van
I'd like to. I would live in a friend's parking barely paying some rent, and it would be nice overall.
Cons would be that I couldn't exercise and I wouldn't have space for my dog. Rip
>post more about fucking girls in a van
Okay, what about it?
How far does the "adventuring chad in van" angle go in terms of getting their panties off? I don't think the average Stacy would be into that, then again you probably wouldn't run into a typical Stacy when living like this
I wouldn't keep a pet unless you're one of those guys that spends 90% of the time outside of the van and just uses it to sleep.
That does seem like a pretty sweet setup. So many choices and it only makes it more difficult to choose in the end, but I'm always really captivated by house trucks/van conversions when they still have all the luxuries of a house like these;
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>I don't think the average Stacy would be into that
You might be surprised! The majority of girls I hook up with are not other travelers/van people. Most girls I meet are conventional people in conventional houses. Like people in this thread, girls are interested in the lifestyle.
But like I said above, it you have to own the lifestyle. It depends how you frame it.
"I live in a van."
>ew what a loser
"I live off-grid and travel the country in my tinyhome."
>omg i want to absorb your coolness through your semen
My van has all the luxuries. Sink, stove, shower, toilet, furnace, water heater, refrigerator, two beds, standing height, internet, etc. All works off grid. I can have a hot shower and a cold beer in the middle of the desert.
She has a really thicc ass cuz
Yes. I taught her to like anal. And to be dirty in public.
How do long term relationships work when you're living the van life?
But what about finding someone who really likes you who for who you are, user? What about when road sluts become tiresome?
More to the point, if I can ask, if you were to do it again with a 20k budget, would you do anything differently?
reminds me of that guy who built his house in mid air off the side of a cliff so he wouldn't have to pay property taxes.
Yeah, unless I get a place to have the van and keep my pet in the garden. So it would be basically a rent. Not much difference
>How do long term relationships work when you're living the van life?
Yeah long term, not as much.
I've tried it in a few different ways. I've tried having someone travel with me in my van. Gotta really like someone to share that close space. I've tried traveling with someone else in a separate vehicle. It's hard to keep vandwellers together that way though. I've done some long-distance stuff a little bit too. Women have flown out to see me, amusingly.
Ultimately I've spent more of my time with short-term than long-term. But, I've had no shortage of women offering to travel with me.
>But what about finding someone who really likes you who for who you are, user? What about when road sluts become tiresome?
Ha-ha, good one.
Nah admittedly though I think I may finally be tiring of hookups. I've been neglecting all that lately. There are a few women in this neighborhood I already know and keeping up with them is enough not to bother with new pursuits. There's a girl I actually like, she's across the country right now, but she's flying to me in a couple weeks so that I can help her buy a van of her own and start this lifestyle.
>More to the point, if I can ask, if you were to do it again with a 20k budget, would you do anything differently?
Like I briefly described in this post above, I am currently figuring $20k for my new house build. But honestly the first thing I would do differently is just go through with it sooner. Whether it's in my $20k truck house or a $500 cargo van.
I thought about living in my car for a bit to see if I could do it but I always pussy out
Do it. What's the worst that could happen? That's how I discovered I enjoy this life.
> "investigating"
What crime are you investigating, Sherlock?
What do you do for work? I imagine a V8 full size van does not exactly get great mileage per gallon.
Quite astute. My van, at best, has gotten around 13 MPG. With all the weight, crazy ladders and shit I've attached, and the way I drive, it usually gets more like 8 MPG. My biggest expenses are 1) gas and 2) beer. Sometimes the order is reversed if I'm fairly stationary.
Like I said above I work carpentry for income. Sometimes on the books if I'm in one area for a while. Often, just under the table $35/hr cash. Right now I'm taking a few weeks off just hanging out at the beach because I live in a fucking van and I can.
Van guy, you're cool
dont be like that one guy who pisses in bottles, get one with a restroom attachemnt (outside) and dig a hole. kek
if you live in a trailer park or a parking lot you might want to get some bars for the window to avoid robbery. id just get one of those mobile tiny homes instead.
Thanks brah.
I actually have a revolutionary piss-handling method, but I didn't get into it above as I feel the world is not yet ready for it.
I currently live out of my car with a gym membership, Its great in spring and fall and awful in winter and summer.
>awful in winter and summer
Take your car, turn it on, point the wheels in a direction with a different climate. Problem solved.
This is what we call "wheel estate."
ugh thats 5/10 roastie (tats, eyebrows). well at least shes christian
Tattoos and piercings are a bonus. Your opinion is invalid. Eyebrows are kinda weird though I'll give you that. This has been discussed.
Anyway there are always more girls.
Are you murdering hookers van guy
How does the shower work?
No. Are you?
Also original et cetera.
Thusly.
This area of the van is the bathroom. The toilet is on the left in that area with white walls. That area is waterproof. When that curtain is up, the shower area is defined by the curtain, and all the water goes down into a drain pan and into a holding tank. There's a water heater, onboard potable water tank, 12v pump, and accumulator tank, all of which provide me with the same PSI you'd get in your house and I can stand there and take a real hot shower.
Thanks man, I was genuinely curious.
You're welcome.
Also I've been switching between my laptop and phone posting depending on where pictures are most convenient, and I really wish I could murder the accelerometer in my phone so that pictures would stop changing orientation.
No I live in a house (that went up $50,000 in value the past two years) and am happily married.
I get bored and come on here mostly out of habit. You're like the opposite of me and I find that interesting. Do you plan on driving around aimlessly well into middle age? I know that sounds passive aggressive but not having a long term plan would drive me insane.
Some people find comfort in the concept of "home" being a static location, somewhere always to return.
I find comfort in the notion that I do not need to return anywhere to be "home"; I can go where I want, do what I want, never need to turn back, all while being home. No one is looking over me, no one has an address to come knocking upon to tell me what to do, and there is nothing forcing me to pay money to live.
I plan to live on wheels for the rest of my life, yes, but I do not expect that to be "well into middle age." I expect I'll die right around middle age or sooner.
yeah, i def thought about it a lot. i even had plans to go through with it. but im on bux so i dont think itll pan out well
quite possibly one day in the future, but not today it seems. i like the idea for sure though
looks like a hooker lol
Oh shit dude, that's a nice set up! I'm looking to get into vanlife pretty soon, already have a van. I got a Dodge Ram van with (94 I think). It was a passenger conversion originally but i took out the seats and put a bed and some storage in it. Not XL like yours and I still need to pop the top. What would you say are the essentials? Next on my list is probably solar panels and batteries, you mentioned you had a fridge. Toilet isn't really a huge concern for me. But yeah, what would you say it still needs in order to be live-able? Also slightly unrelated, have you ever had issues with traveling with firearms?
You have remote, government-subsidized income, and you view this as a detriment to van life? All you have to do is maintain an address on paper. Make it a friend's house, relative's house, or a paid mailing service if you have no one who loves you. Receive your neetbux and go where you want.
I know a woman who travels with her RV and her manchild son. Their source of income is the mainchild's autism bucks. (He's legit the greatest sperglord I've ever met in person.) She will take a campground host job when she finds one but otherwise it's his government subsidy that allows them to travel in an RV.
She looks like a hooker but she's not a hooker and she's not dead just passed out.
can I ask about the dimensions of your van? Curious with how much you're working with, I'm the guy who mentioned the flatbed trailer vs house truck earlier, most of those I've looked at max out around 20 - 24 feet with the standard 8 1/2 width. Also height? And did you add anything to make it taller? I've seen some people who install poptops on their vans which seems like a neat idea.
Van guy here. I'm on the phone. Will continue answering questions later assuming this thread is still up.
I respect that. I just think that life sounds hollow and myopic.
I like watching my trees grow in my yard. I like how the ups and downs of my marriage make us stronger. I like putting down roots and making real friends and making a difference in my community. If there is a problem in my life I have to face it like a man instead of running away in my van. We want to have children soon and give them a stable happy life.
Does driving around place to place fucking different women and guzzling beer sound fun? Hell yeah sometimes. But in the long run it seems like you're just chasing something you can't catch.
Maybe I'm just over thinking things. You've got your thing and I've got mine. I hope you find happiness
You sound like the biggest fucking cuck.
Be careful or you'll drown in your smugness
just lol at how passive aggressive you are, "running away in a van"
i'd take his life over yours any day, the american dream is so fragile. there's no such thing as a stable life, one serious injury or even a divorce takes everything away from you
Okay pls answer me () when you get a chance senpai
When you find out your whore wife has been cheating you with vanchad and that you have been raising your wifes son for your entire life you will have wished you werent such a pathetic passive aggressive cuck living a life you think is right because that is how you have been taught since birth
I'd get into this lifestyle if I wasn't with my fiance
and I want a stationary home with a mobile home.
Currently I want to do camera installation in my future house, then mobile home.
From their work on security around the house
(I'm hoping to move to mid-west rural country)
How do you manage to get internet on your laptop?
Do you have a access point or a WiFi antenna?
Shit must be cash if you are close to a local cafe
Hit a nerve there wrong place
Still on the phone