Van conversion vs tiny home . 🚐 vs 🏡 Leaning towards Van life

Yeah I'd say van for sure. Most "real" homes are tiny AF anyways-not much different than an apartment or condo or even worse, besides the fact that no one else is in the building.

I remember meeting a sub 30:00 10K guy in the Bay area that was trying to put away as much money as he could. He had a nice job making more than $100,000 a year. He bought an old U-Haul truck and lived in the back. He showered at a YMCA that was close by where he would park.

Take into account: Dump fees. Camping Fees w hookups. Tires wear out fast. Parts always break.

Hi Donald! How's Mara Lago? wrote:

Take into account: Dump fees. Camping Fees w hookups. Tires wear out fast. Parts always break.

Don’t forget good old gasoline (or diesel).

OP, I’d rent one for two weeks or so before taking the plunge. It’s one of those things that sound good, but there are a lot of inconveniences, like lack of privacy and shower/bathroom set up.

Great channel on youtube - "vanlife" I thyink. Pretty cool videos on converted vans, school busses, etc. Always thought it was cool...

Tiny homes make no sense but Van life doesn't make much more sense if it exceeds one long summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpjyPXD9W7U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo_gZUXmy0k&t=205s

Tiny home better. At least you have some equity and a mortgage that won’t kill. No long term value in van life. You can still travel with a tiny home — depending on where you buy you can rent while you’re on the road. Good luck either way :)

When did we start calling trailer parks tiny home communities? The risky thing about living in a van is the lack of HVAC. If you are in a cold climate in the winter, the van gets cold at night and you can get black mold from condensate from the moisture in the air you expire and perspire serving as a growth media for black mold spores. Not great stuff for a runner's lungs.

You can have it both ways.

http://classiccardb.com/uploads/postfotos/1948-ford-coe-cabover-tiny-house-car-w-new-350-new-trans-ca-registration-4.JPG

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/c1/26/b3c12646a1f65dcdf8594064f6886691.jpg

https://tinyhousetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/Ford-Cargo-House-Truck-Tiny-House-RVs-001.jpg

Youtube is full of vloggers doing the van life. It is really fun and relaxing to watch and enticing to think about. No bills, no job, no obligations, go where you want and when you want.

But you will see that many of these vloggers do it for a short period of time then quit. It isn't any way to live for an extended period of time. there are downsides to everything and Van life has too many downsides to even talk about.

I lived in a tiny house for a little while after college. They didn’t call it a tiny house back then though, I think it was referred to as a “one-bedroom apartment”. Come to think of it, I lived in a tiny house during college too! Except that one was called a “dorm room”.

Van life watcher wrote:

Youtube is full of vloggers doing the van life. It is really fun and relaxing to watch and enticing to think about. No bills, no job, no obligations, go where you want and when you want.

But you will see that many of these vloggers do it for a short period of time then quit. It isn't any way to live for an extended period of time. there are downsides to everything and Van life has too many downsides to even talk about.

Speak for yourself on that first part. I know people earning six figure incomes, living the dream in ski towns while they are still young and saving.

Before the pandemic, if you knew the right places to look, you could get a Ford Transit XLT van for under $25,000. In some places that is less than a year's worth of rent. After year one, you have relatively broken even.

- $21,000 van, paid in cash

- removed seats except first driver row and second row (sold for $750 on craigslist)

- wooden dresser from goodwill ($10) plus mods including closet pole hanger ($50 & time)

- tinted windows $500

- bedding ($90 mattress, $120 in bedding including pillows and blankets, $200 in heavy

- yearly gym membership ($560)

- yearly PO Box ($120)

- $250 on organization (bags, suitcases, cases, modified shoe organizer, food storage, etc)

Imagine what that van is going to smell like after a few months 🤢🤢🤢

If you can work remotely, or don't need to work, absolutely van life. I would think the running community would appreciate the communal shower locker room feel. You can chase good dry weather and not have to worry about some of the downsides listed here. There are a lot of free dump stations and a lot of dirt cheap RV "resorts". I wouldn't worry about fuel costs as that can easily be curtailed by the amount you travel. If you are working remotely I would factor in the cost of an extra data plan or two.

joed|rt wrote:

When did we start calling trailer parks tiny home communities? .

You beat me to my joke!

Bought a Van in 2012 for $87k we also considered an A-Frame in Bend, OR that was selling for $55k on 1/2 acre. I sold the van for $60k last year with 75k miles. The A-Frame is worth $300k.

Different market now but thought I would share.

what do i know wrote:

Speak for yourself on that first part. I know people earning six figure incomes, living the dream in ski towns while they are still young and saving.

I can't see this being true in all honesty. I used to live said ski town dream myself and there are very

Uh, no. Homes are still getting bigger and bigger.

This is a pretty easy problem to solve. Diesel heaters are very cheap and very efficient. They produce a nice, dry heat.

This! So many people try it and hate it right away. I've done multi-week trips in a truck camper (similar in size and amenities to vans), and while I really enjoy it, I would absolutely not want to live in something that size full time.

Vanlife is also a skill, and it requires a ton of planning. If you haven't done long duration, vehicle-based camping trips, you don't have the skills, and jumping into full-time vanlife will probably be miserable.

A big part of it is just learning where to go. There's a lot of beautiful public land in the west where you can camp for free, but you'd be amazed how crowded it's gotten, especially in peak seasons. It can take a lot of exploring to find a good spot, and most people who know the good spots don't want to tell anyone about them. It's not fun when you planned to be at a new campsite by 3pm, but you're still driving forest roads well after dark, looking for a decent spot. Also, when you're out on remote forest roads, you may not get cell reception (even with a booster), so remote working becomes difficult.

When you're not in remote areas, you are probably trying to stealth camp, which means you can't just park wherever you feel like. Police and property owners will give you a hard time if they think you're sleeping in your vehicle.

Actual campgrounds and parks can be pretty affordable, but they're often booked months in advance if they're anywhere at all desirable.

Then there's understanding all of your equipment and gear, how to get water, get rid of garbage, do laundry, get yourself clean, get your vehicle out of rough situations.

And even if you learn all that, you have to understand that it's not like it looks on Instagram. You will be dirty, hot, and cold a lot. You will be drowning in gear and clothes, no matter how light you think you pack, simply because there's no space. You will have a fairly boring diet. You will not have any semblance of a normal social life. You will spend a week straight in a dirty motel in the middle of nowhere while a mechanic waits for a part to fix your van.