Living on the Road My Friend
I have spent the last 4 months living in a van. In early June, Kim and I moved the remaining of our paired down belongings into a storage building now calling the road our home. We are one of the fortunate ones that have chosen this lifestyle and it was not forced upon us. Too many people are being forced into this lifestyle due to current economic and political conditions. It has allowed me to reflect on life and see how grateful I am for the life I am fortunate enough to lead. We are able to spend several weeks on the road at some of the most beautiful places in the US and then spend a few days to a week back home either staying with friends or staying in a hotel/AirBNB.
Our Next Chapter Begins
Today, I guess, officially I no longer live in a van. We are closing on our home in Chester, Virginia, just south of Richmond. We chose this location so we can be near our son, Austin, his wife Molly and our grandson, Ezra. We will continue to spend 3 weeks on the road in the van, but will have a place to call home during our downtime. Although we will continue to enjoy our time as vagabonds, this time has definitely allowed me to more appreciate a stable home and knowing where you will spend the next night. Although we always knew that we would sleep in the van, there are days we didn’t decide where the van would be parked until that afternoon or evening, with mild consideration where we would be the next night.
A New Perspective on Life
This lifestyle has been extremely freeing and made us realize how insignificant possessions really are. Living in a van 3 weeks at a time (45 days this last run), we have had to pair down what we travel with to just the essentials. We can’t load up on groceries when we do our shopping and decide later what were are going to eat. Each meal has to be planned, after all, we could be staying in a National Park for the next few days and 50 miles away from the nearest store. I have 10 shirts (anyone following me on Facebook may see a pattern on the shirts that I wear) and 5 pairs of shorts. Yes, I wear shorts a couple of days in between washing.
Time for a New Beginning
So how did we end up here? Ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, I never would have predicted the lifestyle that my wife and I are currently living but there is not much that I would trade it for. This path was an evolution over the past several years that got us to this point. The process of getting to where we are today was a meandering road with a few road-blocks along the way. It started in August of 2019 when Autoloop was acquired by Affinitiv and I suddenly found myself with quite a bit more free time. I was now forty-six years old and had lived in Houston for all but the first four years. It was time for a change. Kim and I were ready to call another place home as we endeavored down our next season of life.
But Where to Settle Down?
The big question was where were we planning on settling down these roots? We decided that before we could commit where we wanted to live, it was imperative to see much more of what this beautiful country has to offer. We attended the Overland Expo in Flagstaff in the fall of 2019 to weigh all of our options for mode of transportation. I immediately fell in love with van life. Kim, on the other hand, was not quite sold. She wanted something a little larger for us to call home on our extended journey.
Ready to Find Our Road Home
With a list of features that were requirements versus preferred, in February of 2020, we went to the RV show in Houston and looked at dozens of models from all the manufacturers. My goal was as small as possible that accommodated all of the required amenities that we had accumulated. We found the perfect model that checked all of the boxes. It was a 24 foot Class A, the smallest Class A that is made. Although the deeply discounted show prices were enticing, I had to do more research to make sure I was getting the best deal. After a little more research and checking every website that sells RVs in the lower 48, we located the deal that we were looking for and were ready to pounce. By this time, it was March of 2020 and we all know what that means, Covid. We decided it would be best to put a pause on our acquisition for a couple of weeks, until all of this passed over.
Van Life was Still Calling
During the next few weeks, I had a little idle time and that is usually not a good thing as my mind starts concocting crazy ideas. I couldn’t get the thought of van life out of my head but Kim wasn’t budging. I started proposing different options and we finally settled on one we could both agree upon. We would opt for a van but every 3 or 4 nights we would spend in a hotel so we had some space. The search for the right van was now underway. The usual van decisions were asked; buy or build, Mercedes or Ford, standard length or extended, bathroom or not, fixed bed or make bed daily, etc. Hundreds (and I literally mean hundreds) of hours were poured into YouTube and blogs determine the possibilities and the advantages/disadvantages for each configuration (technically, this research started right after the Overland Expo but it was now time to make decisions).
Building FinniVan
As to the decisions, we decided to build our own completely (BTW, we named her FinniVan). That way, if we ever had a problem on the road, we would be able to repair it (that and I am cheap). We ultimately decided on a Ford due to the extensive support network around the country. We went with the shorter length so that we could park it any parking spot but we went with the high roof so I could stand up in it. We also decided on a fixed bed and a bathroom but the bathroom tucks into a cabinet so we still had full views when closed. Due to me going back to school, we worked on the van on and off and it ultimately took us about a year and a half to build. In May of 2022 we launched and have been on the road ever since.
Features of FinniVan
The features of the van are too many to list. There are pictures below for you to see the final product. Some of the highlights include: 400 amp hours of lithium house batteries, 3000 watt inverter, 320 watts of solar panels on the roof (would have preferred more but lack of real estate), battery to battery charger so it can be charged while we are driving, shore power plug to be able to run the air conditioner, 30 gallon fresh water tank, 20 gallon gray water tank mounter underneath the van, sink and shower, propane tankless hot water heater, rooftop A/C, propane heater, microwave, chest style refrigerator, fixed position bed with storage below, upper cabinets on both walls, ….
Life on the Road
We usually go out for 3 weeks at a time and then fly home to get some down time because we can’t seem to get that in the van. Over the last 17 months, we have had some other down time due to our parent’s health and volunteer work but as of this post we have spend 143 nights in the van. We are currently in the middle of our longest run that will be 45 days when we fly home on Thursday. By the way, the deal about spending every third or fourth night in a hotel….has never happened. We were both so enamored with the van life that it has not become an issue. In fact, the opposite has occurred. The more time we spend in the van, the more off-grid we are willing to pursue (as long as we don’t need A/C). Except for when we are flying out early the next morning, we have never stayed in a hotel during our excursions.
Biggest Challenge of Van Life
So what’s the biggest challenge of living life in a van? Showers. Although we have a shower/toilet cabinet in our van, due to the limitations of space, water, messiness, etc, we haven’t used it too often, only when it was deemed an emergency. Going a couple of days with only a wet wipe shower is not unusual but you appreciate when you do make it to an RV park and get to take a real shower. Of course, RV park showers offer their own shortcomings, namely size of the stall and having to wear flip flops in the shower (never know what the previous person did in there). Then you have to dry off after the shower and put your underwear and shorts on without your foot touching the ground. Fun, fun.
Conclusion
We are very proud of the van that we built from scratch that started as a stock cargo van. We were pretty nervous cutting the first holes in the van to install the windows but by the end, we were looking for reasons to cut additional holes. We learned a lot along the way and I think we were happy we decided to build versus buy. We are embracing the minimalist lifestyle calling the National and State Parks home for the foreseeable future. This journey is not for everyone. There are many challenges in van life that I don’t have time to cover here (maybe a future post) but we are exhilarated that we are blessed enough to embrace the simplicity explore the beautiful country that we call home. We are also excited about our new home base. Will be weird not to call Texas home but we are excited about the next chapter.
P.S.- If you want to follow along with our adventures, follow me on Facebook (yes, I am old). There is a post most days with what we completed that day.
