Thinking about converting a an old cargo van and making it my "tiny house" (trailer, convert)
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I tried something similar last year with a real fifth wheel that I couldn't take with me and hated it, because I didn't always have hot water, reliable space, working plumbing, quality pest control, or a legal place to dump my trash, and I still had to pay around $100 per month lot rent and $50 or so for internet (okay, it was cheap). I guess it doesn't hurt to mention that work was around 20 miles away, and the roads were crowded and dangerous.
Even though I had a less-than-pleasant experience, I've found a renewed interest in a certain kind of stealth RV camping, called van camping, mostly because you can customize it and make it mostly off-grid, and it's mobile. You don't even need to stop at an RV park to rest and could probably go for a week or two just parking in a parking lot. I don't know, something about the freedom, and possible low cost, interests me.
Even if I had to go to a campground, they are only like $110 per week around here, so that's $330 plus finding somewhere safe to park for the extra week. It seems like I could potentially save a fair amount of money. I don't know, though. What is your opinion of stealth camping, and do you think I should leave this $525 per month studio apartment for a life of full-time freedom?
Being able to take overnight vacations on the beach on the weekends
Finally getting to own pets without a pet fee
Making every day a fun and exciting vacation
Now, I'm wondering what I would need for the actual build?
An old van--$800-$2500
Insulation that reflects heat to keep the place cool and dry--(unknown)
Some kind of system that charges the batteries to run small appliances when the car is running
Some kind of inverter that can change the DC current into AC current
Solar cells to help charge the batteries when the car is not running
A way of hooking the van to 110 current when and where it's available
A shower with a submersible pump (and maybe a grey water collection system)
A portable water heater
A portable toilet (for emergencies only, hopefully)
A twin-sized bed frame that stretches from one side of the van to the other (hopefully about 5'7 of space. I'm 5'6, so that would be okay.)
A twin-sized foam mattress
Supplies to make an outdoor gally
A few pet-friendly house plants (to feed my grey water to)
Seriously, has anyone tried van camping? How much does the whole van conversion cost? This looked like a lot of fun and left me thinking I could probably have a cool little stealth RV (easier to maneuver than any trailer and probably lighter than a motor home) for around $2K-$4K.
Now, I'm wondering what I would need for the actual build?
An old van--$800-$2500
Insulation that reflects heat to keep the place cool and dry--(unknown)
Some kind of system that charges the batteries to run small appliances when the car is running
Some kind of inverter that can change the DC current into AC current
Solar cells to help charge the batteries when the car is not running
A way of hooking the van to 110 current when and where it's available
A shower with a submersible pump (and maybe a grey water collection system)
A portable water heater
A portable toilet (for emergencies only, hopefully)
A twin-sized bed frame that stretches from one side of the van to the other (hopefully about 5'7 of space. I'm 5'6, so that would be okay.)
A twin-sized foam mattress
Supplies to make an outdoor gally
A few pet-friendly house plants (to feed my grey water to)
I've answered these requests in my other threads here! Haven't you looked at them?
I will write a book on surviving homelessness or living out in a van, as I have lived since Oct 2015 to now 98% of the time in my minivan towing my Honda Civic.
I've answered these requests in my other threads here! Haven't you looked at them?
I will write a book on surviving homelessness or living out in a van, as I have lived since Oct 2015 to now 98% of the time in my minivan towing my Honda Civic.
Okay, wow. Well, do you think this is the lifestyle for me? I work full-time and a half as a teacher. I make only about $20,000 per year. My rent here is only $525 per month, and it's a relatively safe place. If my car breaks down, my apartment is next to a bus stop. There's a Walmart next door. There's a security guard on site. It's an okay place.
The problem I have with this place is I can't customize it. It's not my own. If I get it dirty, I can't always take my time cleaning it, and of course I can't take it with me to the beach or anything. We have some great beaches not too far from here, but I would have to drive too far to go there on the weekends, and I would have to drive right back or find a hotel.
Plus, this place doesn't allow pets, and most apartments charge a pet fee for each pet. I want to be able to own rabbits, birds, and reptiles (maybe even a cat or two). Here, I can only own fish.
If I could get away with it, maybe living in a van would be worth it, but I need to consider the possible downsides.
This is what I've come up with:
Van dwelling may be technically illegal without being in an RV park (the RV parks that would be most convenient for me have a 1-3 week limit on staying, and I'm not sure how often they allow it).
It might cost a lot of money to convert the van
An old van from Craigslist might have mechanical problems and may stop unexpectedly on far away road trips.
How do you expect a bunch of complete strangers to know what you should do????
Because they are strangers who might have done it?
I had a 66 VW van that I made into a home away from home. It took 4 people, a dog and a cat on a month long coast to coast and back trip.
I have also converted a school bus.
Unless you can park your can out of sight, you are not going to get away with an outdoor kitchen.
Getting a bed frame for the bed is a big waste. A van is small and you want to use what little space you have as efficiently as possible.
Design is dependent upon the size of the van. Which you may have space issues for water containment.
Could forget a shower and water heater and just get a membership at a gym.
What you are looking at is quite a bit of work. It's certainly fun to figure out and build. We did the bus with found items and did not have to buy too much at all. But if you really want to give up the apartment, you might want to consider a van that is already equipped for light camping.
You will have a bed, sink, stove. It will likely already have the ability to plug in at campgrounds.
Water and power are the biggest challenges to taking a non-camped out vehicle and converting it. You will need to know how to use a welder, or know someone who does. Or at least, knows some metal fabrication.
From your list, regarding power. The inverter you need to turn 12vdc into 110vac for appliances is used regardless of the van running or not. No need for separate systems. What appliances would you be using? If they are all small draw appliances, an inverter can be found pretty cheap at any automotive store.
For TV and DVD players, they make those in 12vdc versions. Any thing you can get to run on 12 volts is better as it will save battery power. You will want at least two deep cell 'house' batteries and a separate battery for just the van.
Highly important the van can start at any given time, never use drive battery for house stuff!
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