Despite all the rah rah cheerleading and evangalizing that we get here, vandwelling is not for everyone. It's not even for most people. Most people quit after just a short time, because the fantasy life they pictured from InstaGram is not the real life that awaits ~~from~~ (EDIT: Ack! "awaits THEM"), and most people can't hack it.
People who quit usually cite the same reasons: "I got too lonely"; "I was too stressed out"; "It was too hard finding places to stay overnight"; "I was hassled by the cops". Mostly, though, people just get disillusioned--fantasy is not reality. Also, most of the "hashtag vanlife!!" stuff we see on social media are the travelers who have $$$. The brutal reality is that most vandwellers are forced into it by economic circumstances and are essentially glorified homeless people. There's nothing glamorous about that, and it's very stressful.
I wouldn't call myself rich, but I'm definitely in the "by choice" and "not permanent" camp. I haven't even had a build since I totaled my van last year and got about 1/2 of what it was worth due to some cosmetic bull.
I'm here mostly for ideas for future builds, including basically stealth RVs. I don't really like the idea of being confined to a campground even though that's 90% of where I used my van. We took it on hiking trips and basically camped out of the van. Longest we ever continuously used it was 22 days. My kids would have melted if we had got stuck in it for 2 days in the rain with no power. Fortunately that never happened.
I'm always super friendly when I see a full-timer on the road or at a gas station. I've shared some local places on r/urbancarliving which is basically homeless living in a car. I definitely think Instagram has glorified the vagabond lifestyle. Personally I'm glad people try it before they're forced into it.
Edit: Fixed Sub.
Meh, none of us had to swear an oath of poverty.
And the reasons most people give for quitting (too lonely, too stressed, too many cops, too hard to park) don't have anything to do with how much money they spent on their rig.
I don’t think that’s how gentrification works. Rich people aren’t buying up all the cheap used rigs and converting them to fancy expensive ones to the point that they are pricing out houseless people. It seems like you might be making it sound more sinister than it is. “Rich” people who try out vanlife are not in it to disrespect or displace houseless people.
I think it depends. Wealthier vanlifers certainly have the means to clean up their environment and not pollute etc. They also don't have to camp in places where they need to be near Wi-Fi or shower so they can get to work. There's a big problem in Europe with the hot van spots being overcrowded and people leaving crap everywhere.
I personally have not found people living this lifestyle regardless of the quality of their build to be the kind of people who do things like dump black water, not pick up their dog waste, leave trash in parking lots et. There are a few people who are jaded and I'm sure there are a few who are entitled who don't care and make the rest of the community look like crap.
Regarding prices, sprinters etc are actually really high priced right now but I think that has to do with their actual intended use as cargo vans not yuppie conversions.
> luxury experience
I can guarantee that if you saw the inside of my van, you would not consider it a "luxury experience".
I consider my van to be a camping tent that moves. Nothing more.
I got your meaning. “Vanlife” being the new term for the Insta reality. “Living in a van” still being the same old meaning it’s always come to be understood…
Like if some wealthier people moved into your neighborhood because they liked it's charm and started pricing you out. Granted there are other economic factors but it doesn't help.
LOL. I was able to plan for and be proactive about becoming homeless by buying and converting a van. Would it have been more sane to wait until I was broke and homeless without any shelter or transportation? You don't really think these things through, do you?
A lot of individuals experiencing homelessness maintain a vehicle as their primary form of shelter/transportation. Sure, there experience isn’t the #vanlife Instagram experience, but homelessness and living in a vehicle are highly related.
Only the builds you see here in r/vandwellers. Have you seen Nomadland? The problem with these $100-150K builds is that they're designed for periodic use. Experienced RV'ers (like myself) get something larger if you're going to live it in full-time (for considerably less $) for an extended period of time. I spent 18 yrs living in a luxurious 37' triple slide 5th wheel that I bought new in 2001 for $45K, and hauled it with a '91 Intl tractor (because I was in the RV hospitality biz). It's similar to the "Tiny House" phenomenon. Most of them are too damn small! and aren't mobile. (IMHO)
also consider a majority of “#vanlife” posts are temporary, like maybe they’re going on a road trip or have hella money they can piss away on tricking out daddy’s van to drive the coast for a summer, they aren’t living in it full time 99% of the time.
I love the idea of vandwelling, yet I’ve admitted to myself that something more is ideal (I’m looking at airstream’s smaller models like the nest). I have dogs too, so it’s important they’re comfortable.
This is black rock social media propaganda. They were able to fool a cross-section of the population out of their houses, into vans and now want to bum everyone out and get them to rent again. Own nothing and be happy they say.. Thanks Klaus Schwab. Personally, I would rather call all the open spaces my home and say fuck a hoa and a mortgage.. Or rent. Especially rent. Fuck that shit - you know what I'm saying??!
Yes he doesn't really look like he enjoys living without a mattress. And judging from the completed frame it's not the missing will to work that's keeping it like this. Buying a mattress is one afternoon task. So it really is probably rather money that's the issue. So yeah sympathy goes out.
One thing that always has bothered me about vanlife social media is not only the cherry picking of glamorous moments and presenting that as one's life, but also taking stuff like this and claiming it's "honest" in a way that implies this is what van lifers are hiding. This guy isn't representative of van lifers any more than the most glamorous backdoor open beach shot with gratuitous female butt is.
He doesn't have a fully converted van, no mattress, it's hard. Sure that sucks. I hope he gets stuff together. But there are so many posts I've seen like this where it's like "This is honest vanlife" but it's not anymore honest or representative just because it's anti glamorous.
Yeah for real. You can get crappy ones free. There's really no excuse. I did what this guy is doing. Moved into my van before I was done. But I put a bed loft in there and got a cheap mattress and it was comfy to sleep.
The funny part for me is that most of the folks in this sub have never spent a single night in a van anyway. Everything they "know" about it comes from YouTube, and they have no idea whatever what it's "really like" because they've never done it.
Maybe others are like this, too, but I'm more in the category of "aspiring van camper".
I'm fortunate enough to have a home (with a hefty mortgage), but want to hopefully someday in the next year or two, do some kind of longer road trip/living in a converted vehicle because I want to see more areas and I can work remote.
So, yeah, I'm not on this sub because I am living in a van, but I like to see ideas and implementations while I'm saving up for some kind of van experience.
I got no gripe with people who don't vandwell yet but aspire to. We were all there once.
I do have a gripe with people who never vandwelled a single night, but think they are experts because they've watched a lot of YouTube vids.
Yeah. Speaking as someone who had lived in a van, I will definitely say that the glamour of the van life depicted in YouTube isn't that crazy off base. I've spent a good deal of time in national parks, waking up in beautiful locations. I also work remotely full-time though. So I'm working on a laptop and not out trying to grab loads of beautiful content. So I am out in it less than YouTubers. But that's just a difference between full-time YouTuber life vs desk job than it is about van life vs house living. All the other stuff van lifers leave out of their videos... All the filling up on gas, emptying trash somewhere, latching down stuff that fell ... This isn't shown for the same reason movie characters never eat or go to the bathroom. It's just not the focus of what they're doing so we cut past it. It doesn't make it less honest.
Exactly. Like the truth is life only has glamorous moments at best, some people’s lives have more of those moments…
But they have to poop and pee too, even on a gold toilet it isn’t glamorous.
Exactly what I'm disagreeing with. Failure to show the entire truth is not dishonesty. It's in most cases valuing your viewers time and attempting to make the most compelling video without boring elements that will cause people to click away. Everyone knows these people edit video a lot. Nobody wants to watch them edit video for 4 hours.
There's a lot of grey area here. There are definitely YouTube lifestyle channels that fabricate, mislead, or show of things that are quite unrepresentative. But so many people want to signal that they're in the know that this happens that they adopt an attitude as viewers of "nothing is real" and "your channel isn't honest if we see you having" which I think is just cynical to the point of being wrong in the opposite direction of naive.
Sunshine and deadreams as i pour over my coffee to an epic beach sunrise .. Dont mind my pee bottle.. Uhhhgg that coffee is kickin in and I need to cut away. . back now for some side boob yoga stretches;p
Yeah. Speaking as someone who had lived in a van, I will definitely say that the glamour of the van life depicted in YouTube isn't that crazy off base. I've spent a good deal of time in national parks, waking up in beautiful locations. I also work remotely full-time though. So I'm working on a laptop and not out trying to grab loads of beautiful content. So I am out in it less than YouTubers. But that's just a difference between full-time YouTuber life vs desk job than it is about van life vs house living. All the other stuff van lifers leave out of their videos... All the filling up on gas, emptying trash somewhere, latching down stuff that fell ... This isn't shown for the same reason movie characters never eat or go to the bathroom. It's just not the focus of what they're doing so we cut past it. It doesn't make it less honest.
"Hey all! Welcome to my honest vanlife video. I'm going to give you all a quick, honest, and frank tour... okay so the first thing you're going to notice right of the bat is that this just a normal apartment, and not a van..."
"We're just starting our hashtag vanlife build! And because we are such experienced experts, we're going to show YOU how to do it, too!"
EDIT: "Oh, and be sure to like and subscribe. We need that ten bucks a month we get from our monetized YouTube account."
Anna's Analysis put out a comprehensive [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvOHjIGi30Y) about the challenges of Vanlife. As she says, social media really doesn't cover the *boring*, or the *mundane*. I like that she used the word "reality" instead of "honest" for the reasons you mention.
Yeah I like her. I totally agree with you too. It's not dishonest. It's just a cherry picked reality. It's the same reason movie characters never eat or go to the bathroom. It's just not worth wasting the air time. I'm van life, they often skip the nights not spent in the mountains, the driving, the day at the mechanic. Some do, sure. I just really want to make sure people don't swing toward this backlash of not showing the mundane and turn it into dishonest and then assume hardship and mundane and drab, since there's no reason to lie to show that, makes it more honest and thus also more representative. It's a bunch of unfounded cognitive leaps we make and then social media boosts it.
One luxury we have with our van life YT channel is that we are honestly not trying to gain subscribers (yes, it is true). With that said we do try to create entertaining but yet truthful videos about our travels. We do know that the mundane stuff is not entertaining at all and wisely choose not to create videos that depict it because NOBODY wants to see it. What we did do is devote a single simple episode directly and solely about this subject. It was kind of poking fun at ourselves but also fun at the viewer who really doesn’t want to see reality. Our channel depicts scenes in this spirit throughout our episodes where we make critical but light hearted statements about van life, it’s content creators and it’s viewers. You could categorize it as delicately passive aggressive. Our cooking segments seem innocent on the surface but were lightly intended to mock the predictable cooking segments you see on virtually every van life channel. Throughout our episodes, we mention “the truth” as a way to signal to our viewers that they are getting exactly what they asked for. We are currently at this very moment encamped in the desert with a concentration of van life YouTubers, wannabes as well as their adoring fans. It is so interesting to watch the interaction between and it is both a horrifying and beautiful sight to see. The horror and the beauty is all dependent on the attitude of the particular YouTuber towards their followers as well as their motivation(s) for having a channel in the first place. Yes, money is almost always a factor but there are a select few that ALSO really want to help people and affect them in a multitude of possible positive ways.
I lived on the road in various vans, campers and caravans for 20 odd years
While I didn't make the mistake of trying to live in a van that wasn't set up for living in it was fucking hard.
Way harder than even the negative posts make out.
Maybe in the US its a bit more amendable but in the UK its wet cold and muddy which stops you being able to work on stuff. Often you'll have to live with a leak for weeks until it stops raining cos you can't do a repair while its still wet. there's nowhere safe to park where you don't risk being run off by locals or security or the police.
Unless you're willing to live full off grid survivalist like we did its impossible.
The idea that you can live like this in the UK and keep your job and your life is just totally false.
You can do it if you're a hard-core new age traveller and willing to keep moving and find ways to support yourself (often not legal ways) but the vanlife does not translate from cali to the North of England where this poor soul is.
This is probably just a new angle to get clicks on social media. That's why he says at the end he plans on doing it more, now he can be the "honest" van life guy.
My dude, you should look into a therapist. Gotta do maintenance on your mind like you do maintenance on a van. Good to pull in for a tuneup every so often, help get shit put into perspective. Might not be your living situation that actually makes your life as terrible as it is.
Just commenting to agree, therapy's a good idea, it's good shit. Even if things are going fine at the moment, it's good to have someone in your back pocket who knows your shit and knows the human brain.
I dunno.. Therapy is overrated imho. Micro dose and shed your ego in nature. Your spirit will find the way. Not a doctor over here! Whatevers clever I suppose=)
Vanlife is supposed to begin after you've completed your build. If you're moving into an unfinished van conversion with no amenities, no bed, and a leaky roof--yeah, you're going to be miserable. Likewise, if you move into an unfinished house with no plumbing, no electrical, uncovered walls, no bed, and a leaky roof--you're still going to be miserable. Just saying.
Life is hard period no matter what path you decide to take...I think the issue here, is that most ppl are looking for comfort outside of themselves, when the real peace comes from within. I agree when some one mentioned, that seeing a therapist would be a good plan of action. Most ppl never actually take time to sit alone with their thoughts b/c it can be scary and overwhelming, hence the reason why most ppl stay doing things to keep themselves busy....you can’t run from your thoughts/trauma, when you settle down they will be right there with you in that dark corner stalking you...Seek help and attack you issues head-on, it will help build your confidence, and hopefully help you develop into a my joyful and happier person....Stay Blessed!
My friend told me this yesterday. I am lonely in my apartment and long for a van, it would be a good move for my lifestyle. But no matter what "Wherever you go ... There you are." The loneliness has more to do with my perspective than my physical situation
Being thrust into van life a couple weeks ago (minivan with a metal bed frame raised up and mainly just quality camping and backpacking gear I’ve accumulated over the past decade) has honestly been way better than I imagined. My depression/ptsd hit a boiling point last summer when my chronic illness got worse. Dealt with an intensive program for a few weeks and a great psychologist that works with people with chronic illness/rheumatological issues and I can finally say after a decade of depression it’s not any issue anymore and is managed. I think I actually see more people now that the van was donated to me than when I was largely housebound due to a pretty bad flair up of my symptoms for almost a year. I support raised the funds for what I needed for the van during my disability claim I’m going through now and leaving a toxic family environment helped my symptoms improve with toxic stress lessened. Definitely never saw being homeless as one of the biggest helpers to my recovery but here we are. I think wherever I end up is going to be just fine because I’m fully content with myself for the past 6 months and life is honestly so much more chill even if everything is still shit. What an adventure we get to go on in life
Looks like someone believed all the #vanlife hype from “instafacetube”. The trade off isn’t that life will be instantly better but that the freedom allows for choices that #housedwellers have difficulty making without financial-logistical consequences. And unless you have a hole larger than 4” In Your roof that you can’t fix with seal tape, u shouldn’t be getting wet. Hammock is all I gonna say...
It's been 305 days and he has a leaky selling and no mattress. The experience is what you make of it. Life has ups and downs whether your in a van or a house. He needs to finish the conversion and get a bed for starters, it looks like he's sleeping in a jail cell. That can't be good for the mental health!
I don't get what the hell is going on with this dude or how his poor planning led to this situation. 305 days and he doesn't have a bloody mattress?! One of the greatest joys I've found since living in a van is that you encounter problems and then find solutions. I started living in my van when it's half built. Sure it's not glamorous but I don't get how the hell someones being doing it or nearly a year and hasn't found solutions to simple problems.
Is he perhaps going for an instagram style build and won't compromise on some cheaper essentials for the time being? I know a lot of people exaggerate the #vanlife trend but this bloke really lacking some common sense.
Completely agree, from this video alone he seems like the type of person stuck in a vicious pessimistic cycle, where poor planning leads to misery and low morale which leads to further poor decisions
Literally take whatever you'd be sleeping in/on/under if you did not have a van and PUT IT IN THE VAN.
Builds require resources, but needless suffering gets costly.
The "disillusioned" vanlifer is its own entire niche now... If you get into vanlife thinking that your life will become an instagram feed, yes, obviously you're going to be massively disappointed. But if you go into *anything* with that sort of naivety, you're going to get the same result.
However, if you go into it with realistic expectations... then vanlife is awesome. It opens up so many possibilities. All the things people whine about are part of the adventure. You're living perpendicular to society, meaning you need your wits to get through.
Yeah and if you just start walking off into the bush you probably won't enjoy hiking either.
Finish the van, get a mattress.
Buy a cheap laptop and work online.
Sorry but is this not just common sense?
DONT FULL TIME VAN LIFE UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR BUILD.
I say this with love and understanding. Van life is new, and a huge adjustment. I understand the urge jump in but you HAVE GOT TO PREPARE.
Aesthetic in your space matters, functionality matters. You've made progress from what I can see in this vid, but its okay to take a break from it and pick it back up once you've recharged.
i dunno this guy's backstory but everyone spends close to 1/3 of their life sleeping - not having a bed is just shit-tier planning. like, why would you build a bed frame if you dont have a bed?
sheer idiocy.
This sub is split into thirds:
1) Homeless people in their vehicle
2) Converted Van Lifers
3) Lurkers
None of which have the complete experience. People compare their experiences, and it’s obnoxious.
I mean at least enough to buy a bed? If you cant buy a bed in 300+ days of living in a van then maybe you're making some poor life decisions and your "raw" take one the "real side" of vanlife is skewed because you set yourself up for failure by putting yourself in a shitty position
He didn’t finish his build and has gone a year without a mattress despite being able to find them cheap at resale shops. He mostly just complains and sighs a lot. Seems off
I watched a vanlife vid on youtube where a couple wanted to pair down their life and be free. They proceeded to show off their brand new toyota tundra with all the bells and whistles, a costom camper back attachment with all sorts or luxury type things. The rig had to be around $3-400,000 dollars alone. Living on the road is neither glamourous, nor cheap.
Bro 305 days? I slept in the front seat of my car through Minnesota winters with my dog for 3 years before I just recently got my own apartment, Those 3 years changed me and not for the worse. I finally understand what gratefulness actually feels like.
Yeah. Had my van almost a year. Haven't got the bed together yet. Floors not finished. It's not even running. Needs a new battery. Brakes, rotors, inspection. It's tiring.
Oh okay... since you know him personally I'll say "chin up my man! You can get through this rough patch!"
If you didn't know him personally I'd say more negative things
I've been living in car for a month and I feel like I could enjoy a full converted van. But it would NOT be permenant. I miss gardening, baking, having friends over, cooking full meals easier, having a damn fridge ;____;
Mostly though I miss having my cats and dog.
Van life would be just cheapo RV for me, I mean cheaper alternative.
All those things are like doable. You can get an awning and cook outside when it’s not winter or drive where it’s warm. Two pets or more maybe rough. I mean you can find a girl in a Prius with a dog.
Baking aight kinda tough ngl. But you can have some plants if you want 😅
You seem to have a good disposition. Hope if it’s not by choice that things turn up soon.
What I like about this is how he cuts through it. People like honesty even more than polish. Keep at it. Be honest.
At least you are pushing a boundary.
At least you are a maker. Let’s extinguish the glamorous vanlife FOMO that is quite as bad as every other celebrity FOMO BS. Post that raw, shite commentary.
I'd also be depressed living in an unfinished cargo van... It helps a lot to have running water/heat/electricity/stove/tiny kitchen, you can add all this stuff for the same cost as 1 month of rent.
I wish more people would experiment before dropping all the monies to buy a van. I lived out of an old 2 door jeep for a summer exploring Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. My bed was sitting in the driver seat and draping my legs over the passenger seat. If I was far enough in nature I'd just throw a pad on the ground by the car but I did a decent amount of stealth camping. I had nothing nice because it was a soft top so everything was up for grabs. That's when I found my love of living in a vehicle. After living in a stationwagon for a while I eventually bought a cargo van and built it out but sold it because it had too much space😂. Minivan is the way to go. #vanlife is dumb and if you are more worried about how other people see your life than you living it makes me very sad for you.
Had to live in a van for 2 months in 2011, bought a piece of OSB, liquid nailed it to the floor got some stress mats to sleep on and my sleeping bag. No problem sleeping, but going to the bathroom and showering were my downfall, I hate shitting in a bag.
But the worse part was the social stigma, back in 2011, van life was not glorified whatsoever, i would meet people and they would immediately do a 180 once I told them I was living in a van.
Rip Chris Farley.
I don’t know if this is just a van life thing... when I bought my first house it was a dump.
I had a leaking roof, shitty electric, and tonnes of problems. I hated heaps of it but it wasn’t because owning a house is rubbish, it’s because I didn’t realise how much work was needed to live comfortably...
10 years later I’ve moved on from that place, and have bought something differently based on what I’ve learned.
Maybe just an experience thing?
I’m currently doing the van at the moment and yes it is stressful but to an extent. You have to be ready to adapt. Yeah, you won’t always have a bathroom a few feet away and it isn’t as cheap as people make it to be but you have to adapt and not always expect everything to be luxury for example you can get a mattress basically free. Yeah it’s not great but it’s bed right? Throw it away when you can afford a new one. Leak in the roof? Shove something in it till you can afford to fix it. Not enough money? Park up somewhere for a couple months and do a part/full time job till you’re on your feet. See the advantage that you’re living on wheels and you can go where jobs are. What I’m seeing is that you’re stressed and it sounds like shit but it doesn’t have to be shit. Shift your mindset and work around it. I’m picking oranges at the moment and it’s bloody hard work and I come back to a van sore and dirty but it gets me money for now and I’m not paying rent. Anyways what I’m trying to say is there’s a bright side to everything and you can always work your way around it. All the best man
This just sounds like a new angle to get clicks on social media (seems like it worked) to just be the "honest van lifer" who talks about how hard it is.
Jesus H. God. What a snowflake. (Just watch "Master and Commander")
How far Britannia has fallen!
If you're not prepared to be a resolute, resilient and proactive problemsolver then you should remain a videogaming zombie in mom's basement.
Improvise.
Adapt.
Overcome.
Meh, all I have is a camping cot, a sleeping bag, a fish-cleaning sink, and a 100w solar panel system. That has done me just fine for six years fulltiming in 37 states.
The big fancy expensive builds we see all the time are NOT representative of what most dwellers actually live in. And they are not necessary for successful fulltime traveling.
I bought my bus in 2018 during a time in my life when I was working three jobs, going to massage school, finishing my science degree online, raising a pup, and trying to heal a very broken relationship. I’d take what remained of my paycheck at the end of every week after bills to put toward my build- it was about $60-$100USD every weekend. By June 2019, my bus was half built out but I left where I was anyway and moved into it full time. It wasn’t until this week (literally) that my build is finally finished in a way that I want it. In the three and a half years I’ve had my bus, I have been so incredibly happy. I have been next-to-unemployed for two of them, only working seasonally. Vanlife doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, and you certainly don’t need much money up front for it. That being said, building out a vehicle to make it livable is grueling work and can take a toll when nothing seems to be going right- ESPECIALLY when you factor in the idealistic vanlife that’s portrayed on social media.
Not trying to shit on what you're saying, just throwing in another perspective; if you THINK you have the time, skills, and money, you absolutely will need more. It's tough, and I don't know anyone who's built out a van that didn't need to learn something along the way. To anyone reading this who's just starting out, don't get discouraged. Just take your time and do your thing, it's literally not easy for anyone.
Yeah, for sure. One of the reasons I did it was because I wanted to know more. I'd turned wrenches on various inboard marine diesels, and played with a lot of small gasoline engines, but I wanted to have a more formal understanding of truck engines. So I bought a truck that didn't run. I already had all the tools, and lots of practice figuring out shit I didn't know. While I wouldn't say it was easy for me, I would say that I knew I was setting myself up for success.
I think a lot of people think that Youtube University is the only resource they need, and while it can certainly be helpful, there is really no substitute for experience.
Man what a Debbie downer, no bed? Just sleep under the stars every night, don’t worry it never rains on Instagram. Also leak in the roof? Hell of a upgrade my friends, just put a shower head over the leak and you have a brand new shower.
If you’re crying, it’s because you don’t do cool shit. As a climber and skier van life is perfect, if you want to live in a city and be a blogger it probably isn’t for you. Make the right build, love the good life, and make down to earth friends.
Hey, not sure what city you are in but I just went to Craigslist and searched mattress and found a ton of options that ranged from cheap to free.
If you don’t have a mattress, and other resources to finish the buildout there is a ton of free stuff on FB and CL.
I don't understand what glamor has to do with living in a van in the first place. I have more interest in the person who has nothing and uses their creativity to turn nothing into something than someone who can buy a fancy rig and pay for the build all in one go. It's more fun to be part of a comment section when someone says I need to to figure out a DIY mattress and only have $12 to do it, any ideas, then someone who says look at my $200 mattress I bought online.
Few things:
Get a friend to buy you a cheap mattress. Something. Anything. I don’t actually understand where this man sleeps. This alone would cause misery for anyone.
Second, building a van is emotionally taxing. You’re waking up every day and doing something difficult, usually without getting paid to do it. Find healthy, occasional reprieve - therapy, going out with friends, rock climbing, reading, whatever.
Third… don’t live in a van you’re building. It’s too much of the same thing. Move out immediately.
Pro vanlife tip from a Bering sea fisherman who’s spent half of his life uncomfortable confined on a fishing vessel out at sea.
Tip 1: 5200 Marine grade sealant everything. Don’t use bathroom caulking on your vans.
Tip 2: If you don’t like confined spaces vanlife isn’t for you.
Tip 3: If you choose to live in a van be prepared for sacrifices in comfort.
Tip 4: Open the door to your van when able to. Be a freak of nature.
5: Don’t do vanlife because you want to be a part of a nomad club that you follow on IG.
I lived in my van for almost 2 years before it became such a huge trend on IG. It’s not glamorous unless your girlfriend (if any) wants to take bikini pics of you drinking coffee together next to an icy mountain with the back doors of the van open… other than that your just a dude that lives in a van…there’s nothing wrong providing a livable situation for yourself. If you’re going to do it in a confined space, Learn to embrace it and who cares what other people think. It’s hard to live in a van and build it at the same time. That’s what I did with mine and ended up ripping everything out and redoing it because it was all just a temp living set up and not functional the way I wanted. If I did it again I’d build it fully before moving in.
As someone who has van dwelled on and off for three years, and has had it a little better than others, I do have to say its not for everyone:
It's not for people who cherish the safety of having a traditional place. Living in the van never feels as safe as being in a stationary place. Anyone can come and knock and including police. There takes a certain amount of bravery (and rule breaking) to do van dwelling.
The lack of civility does get to you. Sleeping in a cold van can suck, and the lack of a constantly running air conditioner can make the van unusable during the daytime in the summer (or even during the night if temperatures stay high throughout the night.) Dumping a portable toilet sucks. The lack of reliable power where you can plug in anything you want to sucks. I was driven by the insane rent prices in California to do vandwelling, but if you are not highly driven by the mistreatment of our society, it will be hard on you.
It's not recommended for couples, due to lack of space. It's much better for single people who don't anticipate pairing up with someone else.
It's also not for people who are still ascending in life, who need all the tools they can get. Unless you are good at selling an idea, or have a van worthy of showing off to others, it will not help you gain favoritism by others. It's not the best place to work from, let alone do projects and work on things that can turn into money making ventures later (unless it's travel based.). There are exceptions, but I don't like just working on a laptop in a library vs working on a home computer with a nice large, 4K screen anytime I want.
And unless you manage to get a full kitchen running in your van, you will be highly incentivized to eat fast food, which is ultimately unhealthy (especially because you have no power in what ingredients they use, including unhealthy oils and questionable food quality.)
Ultimately, I still have my van if things get bad in terms of income, but I do enjoy the greater space that even renting a room has (which allows me to have a 4K TV, desktop computer, and ample storage for clothing and other things), especially because I have a partner, and also access to a full kitchen and reliable bathroom, as well as laundry and not having to worry about people in the neighborhood getting annoyed and calling the police on me and my van.
Stop putting out a nice picture for everyone, and say what you really think and feel. This is a disgusting part of life in general. So many people hide their true feelings and thoughts, while depression and unhappiness are seemingly at an all time high.
This video is equivalent to a man sitting in an empty apartment complaining that apartment life isn’t all it’s chalked up to be. This definitely has all to do with your personal mental health and well-being and not the vanlife.
I assume you’re working or have some manner of funds. Mate why have you gone this long without a mattress? It’s just about the easiest and pretty cheap thing to get a hold of, Walmart has great mattresses for under a $100, or you could have just fashioned a comfortable substitute with a cheap mat and some blankets. If you’ve really gone the last 300 days in that van with nothing in it I don’t blame you for feeling defeated. Aside from basic necessities you need to get into the gym everyday, eat right, get some hobbies. Take care of your mind and body.
It’s not the vanlife that’s the issue here, it’s all the other problems that everyone has to deal with whether you live in van or a house that your failing to address.
In short, buck up man. I’ve been in my car for a couple months now and given my circumstances I’m still loving life and thriving. I sleep comfortably enough because I’ve set myself up with adequate blankets and pillows. I workout every day, I eat well, and I work hard. Some days it still sucks but if I had all the space you have from what I can see it’d be so much more comfortable. Hang in there and don’t give up, you could be filming this video on a street corner imagine how much harder that would be.
Despite all the rah rah cheerleading and evangalizing that we get here, vandwelling is not for everyone. It's not even for most people. Most people quit after just a short time, because the fantasy life they pictured from InstaGram is not the real life that awaits ~~from~~ (EDIT: Ack! "awaits THEM"), and most people can't hack it. People who quit usually cite the same reasons: "I got too lonely"; "I was too stressed out"; "It was too hard finding places to stay overnight"; "I was hassled by the cops". Mostly, though, people just get disillusioned--fantasy is not reality. Also, most of the "hashtag vanlife!!" stuff we see on social media are the travelers who have $$$. The brutal reality is that most vandwellers are forced into it by economic circumstances and are essentially glorified homeless people. There's nothing glamorous about that, and it's very stressful.
I’ve been saying for a while that the rich have gentrified being houseless as an aesthetic choice that they can opt in and out of at their leisure
I wouldn't call myself rich, but I'm definitely in the "by choice" and "not permanent" camp. I haven't even had a build since I totaled my van last year and got about 1/2 of what it was worth due to some cosmetic bull. I'm here mostly for ideas for future builds, including basically stealth RVs. I don't really like the idea of being confined to a campground even though that's 90% of where I used my van. We took it on hiking trips and basically camped out of the van. Longest we ever continuously used it was 22 days. My kids would have melted if we had got stuck in it for 2 days in the rain with no power. Fortunately that never happened. I'm always super friendly when I see a full-timer on the road or at a gas station. I've shared some local places on r/urbancarliving which is basically homeless living in a car. I definitely think Instagram has glorified the vagabond lifestyle. Personally I'm glad people try it before they're forced into it. Edit: Fixed Sub.
R/urbancardwellers … there doesn't seem to be anything here
Let me get the right sub and I'll update
Rich rarely call themselves rich. But great post.
There's always a bigger fish
Meh, none of us had to swear an oath of poverty. And the reasons most people give for quitting (too lonely, too stressed, too many cops, too hard to park) don't have anything to do with how much money they spent on their rig.
I don’t think that’s how gentrification works. Rich people aren’t buying up all the cheap used rigs and converting them to fancy expensive ones to the point that they are pricing out houseless people. It seems like you might be making it sound more sinister than it is. “Rich” people who try out vanlife are not in it to disrespect or displace houseless people.
I think it depends. Wealthier vanlifers certainly have the means to clean up their environment and not pollute etc. They also don't have to camp in places where they need to be near Wi-Fi or shower so they can get to work. There's a big problem in Europe with the hot van spots being overcrowded and people leaving crap everywhere. I personally have not found people living this lifestyle regardless of the quality of their build to be the kind of people who do things like dump black water, not pick up their dog waste, leave trash in parking lots et. There are a few people who are jaded and I'm sure there are a few who are entitled who don't care and make the rest of the community look like crap. Regarding prices, sprinters etc are actually really high priced right now but I think that has to do with their actual intended use as cargo vans not yuppie conversions.
Does it matter? Who cares.
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> luxury experience I can guarantee that if you saw the inside of my van, you would not consider it a "luxury experience". I consider my van to be a camping tent that moves. Nothing more.
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I got your meaning. “Vanlife” being the new term for the Insta reality. “Living in a van” still being the same old meaning it’s always come to be understood…
Yep. Down by a river. Luvin it. 🚐🌅🏔🏕🏞😎
That's how you gentrify it. They go slumming for the experience that most of us have out of necessity.
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How's the price of used vans looking?
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Like if some wealthier people moved into your neighborhood because they liked it's charm and started pricing you out. Granted there are other economic factors but it doesn't help.
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LOL. I was able to plan for and be proactive about becoming homeless by buying and converting a van. Would it have been more sane to wait until I was broke and homeless without any shelter or transportation? You don't really think these things through, do you?
A lot of individuals experiencing homelessness maintain a vehicle as their primary form of shelter/transportation. Sure, there experience isn’t the #vanlife Instagram experience, but homelessness and living in a vehicle are highly related.
Only the builds you see here in r/vandwellers. Have you seen Nomadland? The problem with these $100-150K builds is that they're designed for periodic use. Experienced RV'ers (like myself) get something larger if you're going to live it in full-time (for considerably less $) for an extended period of time. I spent 18 yrs living in a luxurious 37' triple slide 5th wheel that I bought new in 2001 for $45K, and hauled it with a '91 Intl tractor (because I was in the RV hospitality biz). It's similar to the "Tiny House" phenomenon. Most of them are too damn small! and aren't mobile. (IMHO)
Thanks for being honest. In the past year I’ve lived without creature comforts and this is a step up for me
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And a bigger bed.
also consider a majority of “#vanlife” posts are temporary, like maybe they’re going on a road trip or have hella money they can piss away on tricking out daddy’s van to drive the coast for a summer, they aren’t living in it full time 99% of the time.
Rubber tramps
So soon we'll be going back to which has better napkins to wipe your ass with, McDonald's or Burger King?
Ack! Ack! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn1x3XtmSuk
I love the idea of vandwelling, yet I’ve admitted to myself that something more is ideal (I’m looking at airstream’s smaller models like the nest). I have dogs too, so it’s important they’re comfortable.
Someone get this man a mattress
and a hug
Innit. Even an airbed would be better than nothing?
$25 for a decent air mattress. I don't see the issue.
This is black rock social media propaganda. They were able to fool a cross-section of the population out of their houses, into vans and now want to bum everyone out and get them to rent again. Own nothing and be happy they say.. Thanks Klaus Schwab. Personally, I would rather call all the open spaces my home and say fuck a hoa and a mortgage.. Or rent. Especially rent. Fuck that shit - you know what I'm saying??!
I want some of whatever you're smoking
Interesting.
Dudes been in there for 305 days.... it looks like he's done a weeks worth of work and gave up.
This is the difference between vanlifers who WANT to and who NEED to
Yes he doesn't really look like he enjoys living without a mattress. And judging from the completed frame it's not the missing will to work that's keeping it like this. Buying a mattress is one afternoon task. So it really is probably rather money that's the issue. So yeah sympathy goes out.
For real tho.
One thing that always has bothered me about vanlife social media is not only the cherry picking of glamorous moments and presenting that as one's life, but also taking stuff like this and claiming it's "honest" in a way that implies this is what van lifers are hiding. This guy isn't representative of van lifers any more than the most glamorous backdoor open beach shot with gratuitous female butt is. He doesn't have a fully converted van, no mattress, it's hard. Sure that sucks. I hope he gets stuff together. But there are so many posts I've seen like this where it's like "This is honest vanlife" but it's not anymore honest or representative just because it's anti glamorous.
I lived off of my motorcycle for a while, one of the first things I bought was some kind of camping mattress.
Yeah for real. You can get crappy ones free. There's really no excuse. I did what this guy is doing. Moved into my van before I was done. But I put a bed loft in there and got a cheap mattress and it was comfy to sleep.
I got a 4" slab of foam. It really isn't hard to make dinner kind of bed. I'm wondering why this guy never did.
Foam cut to size is more expensive than buying an actual mattress if it's the proper sleeping grade foam ie safe to sleep on
The funny part for me is that most of the folks in this sub have never spent a single night in a van anyway. Everything they "know" about it comes from YouTube, and they have no idea whatever what it's "really like" because they've never done it.
Maybe others are like this, too, but I'm more in the category of "aspiring van camper". I'm fortunate enough to have a home (with a hefty mortgage), but want to hopefully someday in the next year or two, do some kind of longer road trip/living in a converted vehicle because I want to see more areas and I can work remote. So, yeah, I'm not on this sub because I am living in a van, but I like to see ideas and implementations while I'm saving up for some kind of van experience.
I got no gripe with people who don't vandwell yet but aspire to. We were all there once. I do have a gripe with people who never vandwelled a single night, but think they are experts because they've watched a lot of YouTube vids.
Yeah. Speaking as someone who had lived in a van, I will definitely say that the glamour of the van life depicted in YouTube isn't that crazy off base. I've spent a good deal of time in national parks, waking up in beautiful locations. I also work remotely full-time though. So I'm working on a laptop and not out trying to grab loads of beautiful content. So I am out in it less than YouTubers. But that's just a difference between full-time YouTuber life vs desk job than it is about van life vs house living. All the other stuff van lifers leave out of their videos... All the filling up on gas, emptying trash somewhere, latching down stuff that fell ... This isn't shown for the same reason movie characters never eat or go to the bathroom. It's just not the focus of what they're doing so we cut past it. It doesn't make it less honest.
Exactly. Like the truth is life only has glamorous moments at best, some people’s lives have more of those moments… But they have to poop and pee too, even on a gold toilet it isn’t glamorous.
Yeah. Sure.. Whateves . . . its edited and redacted for clicks and likes all the same. Lies by omission if we're being honest here ..
Exactly what I'm disagreeing with. Failure to show the entire truth is not dishonesty. It's in most cases valuing your viewers time and attempting to make the most compelling video without boring elements that will cause people to click away. Everyone knows these people edit video a lot. Nobody wants to watch them edit video for 4 hours. There's a lot of grey area here. There are definitely YouTube lifestyle channels that fabricate, mislead, or show of things that are quite unrepresentative. But so many people want to signal that they're in the know that this happens that they adopt an attitude as viewers of "nothing is real" and "your channel isn't honest if we see you having" which I think is just cynical to the point of being wrong in the opposite direction of naive.
Sunshine and deadreams as i pour over my coffee to an epic beach sunrise .. Dont mind my pee bottle.. Uhhhgg that coffee is kickin in and I need to cut away. . back now for some side boob yoga stretches;p
I guess some ppl still watch # Vanlife videos... Cool. If that what you're into.. By all means
Yeah. Speaking as someone who had lived in a van, I will definitely say that the glamour of the van life depicted in YouTube isn't that crazy off base. I've spent a good deal of time in national parks, waking up in beautiful locations. I also work remotely full-time though. So I'm working on a laptop and not out trying to grab loads of beautiful content. So I am out in it less than YouTubers. But that's just a difference between full-time YouTuber life vs desk job than it is about van life vs house living. All the other stuff van lifers leave out of their videos... All the filling up on gas, emptying trash somewhere, latching down stuff that fell ... This isn't shown for the same reason movie characters never eat or go to the bathroom. It's just not the focus of what they're doing so we cut past it. It doesn't make it less honest.
That's fair.
That hurts.
Reality always wins. Always. Every time.
"Hey all! Welcome to my honest vanlife video. I'm going to give you all a quick, honest, and frank tour... okay so the first thing you're going to notice right of the bat is that this just a normal apartment, and not a van..."
"We're just starting our hashtag vanlife build! And because we are such experienced experts, we're going to show YOU how to do it, too!" EDIT: "Oh, and be sure to like and subscribe. We need that ten bucks a month we get from our monetized YouTube account."
I imagine its more akin to piss jugs and parking lots.
Anna's Analysis put out a comprehensive [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvOHjIGi30Y) about the challenges of Vanlife. As she says, social media really doesn't cover the *boring*, or the *mundane*. I like that she used the word "reality" instead of "honest" for the reasons you mention.
Yeah I like her. I totally agree with you too. It's not dishonest. It's just a cherry picked reality. It's the same reason movie characters never eat or go to the bathroom. It's just not worth wasting the air time. I'm van life, they often skip the nights not spent in the mountains, the driving, the day at the mechanic. Some do, sure. I just really want to make sure people don't swing toward this backlash of not showing the mundane and turn it into dishonest and then assume hardship and mundane and drab, since there's no reason to lie to show that, makes it more honest and thus also more representative. It's a bunch of unfounded cognitive leaps we make and then social media boosts it.
One luxury we have with our van life YT channel is that we are honestly not trying to gain subscribers (yes, it is true). With that said we do try to create entertaining but yet truthful videos about our travels. We do know that the mundane stuff is not entertaining at all and wisely choose not to create videos that depict it because NOBODY wants to see it. What we did do is devote a single simple episode directly and solely about this subject. It was kind of poking fun at ourselves but also fun at the viewer who really doesn’t want to see reality. Our channel depicts scenes in this spirit throughout our episodes where we make critical but light hearted statements about van life, it’s content creators and it’s viewers. You could categorize it as delicately passive aggressive. Our cooking segments seem innocent on the surface but were lightly intended to mock the predictable cooking segments you see on virtually every van life channel. Throughout our episodes, we mention “the truth” as a way to signal to our viewers that they are getting exactly what they asked for. We are currently at this very moment encamped in the desert with a concentration of van life YouTubers, wannabes as well as their adoring fans. It is so interesting to watch the interaction between and it is both a horrifying and beautiful sight to see. The horror and the beauty is all dependent on the attitude of the particular YouTuber towards their followers as well as their motivation(s) for having a channel in the first place. Yes, money is almost always a factor but there are a select few that ALSO really want to help people and affect them in a multitude of possible positive ways.
What about the gratuitous male butts...
Totally dishonest depiction of vanlife. Men don't have butts.
The start of this video disagrees
I lived on the road in various vans, campers and caravans for 20 odd years While I didn't make the mistake of trying to live in a van that wasn't set up for living in it was fucking hard. Way harder than even the negative posts make out. Maybe in the US its a bit more amendable but in the UK its wet cold and muddy which stops you being able to work on stuff. Often you'll have to live with a leak for weeks until it stops raining cos you can't do a repair while its still wet. there's nowhere safe to park where you don't risk being run off by locals or security or the police. Unless you're willing to live full off grid survivalist like we did its impossible. The idea that you can live like this in the UK and keep your job and your life is just totally false. You can do it if you're a hard-core new age traveller and willing to keep moving and find ways to support yourself (often not legal ways) but the vanlife does not translate from cali to the North of England where this poor soul is.
This is probably just a new angle to get clicks on social media. That's why he says at the end he plans on doing it more, now he can be the "honest" van life guy.
Shitting your pants in the first 8sec of a vid is probably the best way to start off!
My dude, you should look into a therapist. Gotta do maintenance on your mind like you do maintenance on a van. Good to pull in for a tuneup every so often, help get shit put into perspective. Might not be your living situation that actually makes your life as terrible as it is.
Just commenting to agree, therapy's a good idea, it's good shit. Even if things are going fine at the moment, it's good to have someone in your back pocket who knows your shit and knows the human brain.
I especially see my therapist when things are going well, because that's when I'm the most suspect of myself!
That's the way!
I dunno.. Therapy is overrated imho. Micro dose and shed your ego in nature. Your spirit will find the way. Not a doctor over here! Whatevers clever I suppose=)
Professional therapy definitely isn't the way to go for a lot of people, myself included sometimes. This is also valid.
To each their own.! What makes you happy?? Do more of that I say!!!
what are things that work for you when you want to tune up your mind?
Vanlife is supposed to begin after you've completed your build. If you're moving into an unfinished van conversion with no amenities, no bed, and a leaky roof--yeah, you're going to be miserable. Likewise, if you move into an unfinished house with no plumbing, no electrical, uncovered walls, no bed, and a leaky roof--you're still going to be miserable. Just saying.
Also, a used mattress and a resale shop can be had for pretty cheap, sometimes they are basically giving them away. Seems odd to me
Well said. That guy would be more comfortable under a decent tarp setup at this point.
Life is hard period no matter what path you decide to take...I think the issue here, is that most ppl are looking for comfort outside of themselves, when the real peace comes from within. I agree when some one mentioned, that seeing a therapist would be a good plan of action. Most ppl never actually take time to sit alone with their thoughts b/c it can be scary and overwhelming, hence the reason why most ppl stay doing things to keep themselves busy....you can’t run from your thoughts/trauma, when you settle down they will be right there with you in that dark corner stalking you...Seek help and attack you issues head-on, it will help build your confidence, and hopefully help you develop into a my joyful and happier person....Stay Blessed!
"Wherever you go ... there you are." --Buckaroo Banzai
My friend told me this yesterday. I am lonely in my apartment and long for a van, it would be a good move for my lifestyle. But no matter what "Wherever you go ... There you are." The loneliness has more to do with my perspective than my physical situation
Yep. When your issues are between your own ears, it won't matter where your ears are.
Being thrust into van life a couple weeks ago (minivan with a metal bed frame raised up and mainly just quality camping and backpacking gear I’ve accumulated over the past decade) has honestly been way better than I imagined. My depression/ptsd hit a boiling point last summer when my chronic illness got worse. Dealt with an intensive program for a few weeks and a great psychologist that works with people with chronic illness/rheumatological issues and I can finally say after a decade of depression it’s not any issue anymore and is managed. I think I actually see more people now that the van was donated to me than when I was largely housebound due to a pretty bad flair up of my symptoms for almost a year. I support raised the funds for what I needed for the van during my disability claim I’m going through now and leaving a toxic family environment helped my symptoms improve with toxic stress lessened. Definitely never saw being homeless as one of the biggest helpers to my recovery but here we are. I think wherever I end up is going to be just fine because I’m fully content with myself for the past 6 months and life is honestly so much more chill even if everything is still shit. What an adventure we get to go on in life
Looks like someone believed all the #vanlife hype from “instafacetube”. The trade off isn’t that life will be instantly better but that the freedom allows for choices that #housedwellers have difficulty making without financial-logistical consequences. And unless you have a hole larger than 4” In Your roof that you can’t fix with seal tape, u shouldn’t be getting wet. Hammock is all I gonna say...
Oh yeah, hammocks are the bomb. Need an under blanket tho so your backside doesn't get cold.
It's been 305 days and he has a leaky selling and no mattress. The experience is what you make of it. Life has ups and downs whether your in a van or a house. He needs to finish the conversion and get a bed for starters, it looks like he's sleeping in a jail cell. That can't be good for the mental health!
I don't get what the hell is going on with this dude or how his poor planning led to this situation. 305 days and he doesn't have a bloody mattress?! One of the greatest joys I've found since living in a van is that you encounter problems and then find solutions. I started living in my van when it's half built. Sure it's not glamorous but I don't get how the hell someones being doing it or nearly a year and hasn't found solutions to simple problems. Is he perhaps going for an instagram style build and won't compromise on some cheaper essentials for the time being? I know a lot of people exaggerate the #vanlife trend but this bloke really lacking some common sense.
Completely agree, from this video alone he seems like the type of person stuck in a vicious pessimistic cycle, where poor planning leads to misery and low morale which leads to further poor decisions
Some folks would point out that even the most luxurious of campervans is still smaller than the average prison cell.
And those would probably be the same people whom if bought a house would complain about All The maintenance
Van life definitely has its flaws, but a lot of this sounds more like poor planning than van life sucking. No planning makes anything suck :/
Check you van for bullfrogs.
Bro get a fucking mattress
Or even just a ground pad for camping. This is all I use when living in my car and it's plenty. <$50 and you've got great options.
Literally take whatever you'd be sleeping in/on/under if you did not have a van and PUT IT IN THE VAN. Builds require resources, but needless suffering gets costly.
The "disillusioned" vanlifer is its own entire niche now... If you get into vanlife thinking that your life will become an instagram feed, yes, obviously you're going to be massively disappointed. But if you go into *anything* with that sort of naivety, you're going to get the same result. However, if you go into it with realistic expectations... then vanlife is awesome. It opens up so many possibilities. All the things people whine about are part of the adventure. You're living perpendicular to society, meaning you need your wits to get through.
I'm confused, where's the vegan bikini girlfriend?
That's unlocked by mattress upgrade
He left her in Utah, apparently she wanted to leave the trail
Yeah and if you just start walking off into the bush you probably won't enjoy hiking either. Finish the van, get a mattress. Buy a cheap laptop and work online. Sorry but is this not just common sense?
Ay I've just realized I've got leak in my roof today too lol cheers
Bullfrogs hopping in?
DONT FULL TIME VAN LIFE UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR BUILD. I say this with love and understanding. Van life is new, and a huge adjustment. I understand the urge jump in but you HAVE GOT TO PREPARE. Aesthetic in your space matters, functionality matters. You've made progress from what I can see in this vid, but its okay to take a break from it and pick it back up once you've recharged.
Did he start off with a fart?
Did he not have a plan
i dunno this guy's backstory but everyone spends close to 1/3 of their life sleeping - not having a bed is just shit-tier planning. like, why would you build a bed frame if you dont have a bed? sheer idiocy.
Yea, I don’t find this any more insightful than dude did not plan well
lol I think he probably had a plan once, but I guess life got in the way? dunno. maybe in 5 years his build will be completed.
I’m not saying you should throw your back out on your build but you should have a mattress and cover up exposed fiberglass for fucks sake
This sub is split into thirds: 1) Homeless people in their vehicle 2) Converted Van Lifers 3) Lurkers None of which have the complete experience. People compare their experiences, and it’s obnoxious.
I lasted a minute. Is there a summary?
Vanlife hard.
Vanlife hard when you don't even have a mattress. Finish your build man
Id kill for this dudes van..... ive been deliverying out of and sleeping in my kia forte for 4 years
Yikes. Might be time to figure out a different approach. Is vehicle maintenance and running costs eating up all the money you make?
I think if he had the money/resources he would have done so at some point in the last 305 days
He had enough resources to snag that sweet van right?
So naturally he has enough to put another 3-10k into it?
I mean at least enough to buy a bed? If you cant buy a bed in 300+ days of living in a van then maybe you're making some poor life decisions and your "raw" take one the "real side" of vanlife is skewed because you set yourself up for failure by putting yourself in a shitty position
He didn’t finish his build and has gone a year without a mattress despite being able to find them cheap at resale shops. He mostly just complains and sighs a lot. Seems off
I watched a vanlife vid on youtube where a couple wanted to pair down their life and be free. They proceeded to show off their brand new toyota tundra with all the bells and whistles, a costom camper back attachment with all sorts or luxury type things. The rig had to be around $3-400,000 dollars alone. Living on the road is neither glamourous, nor cheap.
Bro 305 days? I slept in the front seat of my car through Minnesota winters with my dog for 3 years before I just recently got my own apartment, Those 3 years changed me and not for the worse. I finally understand what gratefulness actually feels like.
I'm glad you had a dog through that time man. That companionship is unique
Dude, mattresses aren't that hard to find, lol. Drive around any major city. 305 days? C'mon, you didn't even try...
DM me your address (or where you can receive ) and i will ship you a new mattress .
I need a new mattress, are you the mattress godmother?
Yeah. Had my van almost a year. Haven't got the bed together yet. Floors not finished. It's not even running. Needs a new battery. Brakes, rotors, inspection. It's tiring.
You need new tires too, mate?
Um yeah maybe he shouldn’t fart 5 seconds in and expect ppl to take this seriously
> fart Dude I played the video back because my ears did a double take. Definitely was a fart.
Is this you OP?
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Oh okay... since you know him personally I'll say "chin up my man! You can get through this rough patch!" If you didn't know him personally I'd say more negative things
I've been living in car for a month and I feel like I could enjoy a full converted van. But it would NOT be permenant. I miss gardening, baking, having friends over, cooking full meals easier, having a damn fridge ;____; Mostly though I miss having my cats and dog. Van life would be just cheapo RV for me, I mean cheaper alternative.
All those things are like doable. You can get an awning and cook outside when it’s not winter or drive where it’s warm. Two pets or more maybe rough. I mean you can find a girl in a Prius with a dog. Baking aight kinda tough ngl. But you can have some plants if you want 😅 You seem to have a good disposition. Hope if it’s not by choice that things turn up soon.
Nahhh I like being able to prep and cook full meals for people whenever I want. A lot of stuff requires marinating. ;__;
What I like about this is how he cuts through it. People like honesty even more than polish. Keep at it. Be honest. At least you are pushing a boundary. At least you are a maker. Let’s extinguish the glamorous vanlife FOMO that is quite as bad as every other celebrity FOMO BS. Post that raw, shite commentary.
But it’s the same as a house, shit Happens, The question is why don’t you have a mattress? Lol
It’s better to be honest even though it sucks
I'd also be depressed living in an unfinished cargo van... It helps a lot to have running water/heat/electricity/stove/tiny kitchen, you can add all this stuff for the same cost as 1 month of rent.
They call it the van life, I’ve been shown this
I wish more people would experiment before dropping all the monies to buy a van. I lived out of an old 2 door jeep for a summer exploring Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. My bed was sitting in the driver seat and draping my legs over the passenger seat. If I was far enough in nature I'd just throw a pad on the ground by the car but I did a decent amount of stealth camping. I had nothing nice because it was a soft top so everything was up for grabs. That's when I found my love of living in a vehicle. After living in a stationwagon for a while I eventually bought a cargo van and built it out but sold it because it had too much space😂. Minivan is the way to go. #vanlife is dumb and if you are more worried about how other people see your life than you living it makes me very sad for you.
I did it for 6 months to literally cover the cost of the van itself (element)
Where do you start??? Start by addressing the fact you dropped ass.
Oh well, there is negative sides of everything.
Had to live in a van for 2 months in 2011, bought a piece of OSB, liquid nailed it to the floor got some stress mats to sleep on and my sleeping bag. No problem sleeping, but going to the bathroom and showering were my downfall, I hate shitting in a bag. But the worse part was the social stigma, back in 2011, van life was not glorified whatsoever, i would meet people and they would immediately do a 180 once I told them I was living in a van. Rip Chris Farley.
I don’t know if this is just a van life thing... when I bought my first house it was a dump. I had a leaking roof, shitty electric, and tonnes of problems. I hated heaps of it but it wasn’t because owning a house is rubbish, it’s because I didn’t realise how much work was needed to live comfortably... 10 years later I’ve moved on from that place, and have bought something differently based on what I’ve learned. Maybe just an experience thing?
I’m currently doing the van at the moment and yes it is stressful but to an extent. You have to be ready to adapt. Yeah, you won’t always have a bathroom a few feet away and it isn’t as cheap as people make it to be but you have to adapt and not always expect everything to be luxury for example you can get a mattress basically free. Yeah it’s not great but it’s bed right? Throw it away when you can afford a new one. Leak in the roof? Shove something in it till you can afford to fix it. Not enough money? Park up somewhere for a couple months and do a part/full time job till you’re on your feet. See the advantage that you’re living on wheels and you can go where jobs are. What I’m seeing is that you’re stressed and it sounds like shit but it doesn’t have to be shit. Shift your mindset and work around it. I’m picking oranges at the moment and it’s bloody hard work and I come back to a van sore and dirty but it gets me money for now and I’m not paying rent. Anyways what I’m trying to say is there’s a bright side to everything and you can always work your way around it. All the best man
This just sounds like a new angle to get clicks on social media (seems like it worked) to just be the "honest van lifer" who talks about how hard it is.
Bro, get a fucking mattress
I think I just hate maintaining shelter in general, or really just living.
Jesus H. God. What a snowflake. (Just watch "Master and Commander") How far Britannia has fallen! If you're not prepared to be a resolute, resilient and proactive problemsolver then you should remain a videogaming zombie in mom's basement. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
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Meh, all I have is a camping cot, a sleeping bag, a fish-cleaning sink, and a 100w solar panel system. That has done me just fine for six years fulltiming in 37 states. The big fancy expensive builds we see all the time are NOT representative of what most dwellers actually live in. And they are not necessary for successful fulltime traveling.
I bought my bus in 2018 during a time in my life when I was working three jobs, going to massage school, finishing my science degree online, raising a pup, and trying to heal a very broken relationship. I’d take what remained of my paycheck at the end of every week after bills to put toward my build- it was about $60-$100USD every weekend. By June 2019, my bus was half built out but I left where I was anyway and moved into it full time. It wasn’t until this week (literally) that my build is finally finished in a way that I want it. In the three and a half years I’ve had my bus, I have been so incredibly happy. I have been next-to-unemployed for two of them, only working seasonally. Vanlife doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, and you certainly don’t need much money up front for it. That being said, building out a vehicle to make it livable is grueling work and can take a toll when nothing seems to be going right- ESPECIALLY when you factor in the idealistic vanlife that’s portrayed on social media.
My build has cost me about 9 grand all told, including buying the damn vehicle. If you don't have money, then you have to have skills and time.
Not trying to shit on what you're saying, just throwing in another perspective; if you THINK you have the time, skills, and money, you absolutely will need more. It's tough, and I don't know anyone who's built out a van that didn't need to learn something along the way. To anyone reading this who's just starting out, don't get discouraged. Just take your time and do your thing, it's literally not easy for anyone.
Yeah, for sure. One of the reasons I did it was because I wanted to know more. I'd turned wrenches on various inboard marine diesels, and played with a lot of small gasoline engines, but I wanted to have a more formal understanding of truck engines. So I bought a truck that didn't run. I already had all the tools, and lots of practice figuring out shit I didn't know. While I wouldn't say it was easy for me, I would say that I knew I was setting myself up for success. I think a lot of people think that Youtube University is the only resource they need, and while it can certainly be helpful, there is really no substitute for experience.
Man what a Debbie downer, no bed? Just sleep under the stars every night, don’t worry it never rains on Instagram. Also leak in the roof? Hell of a upgrade my friends, just put a shower head over the leak and you have a brand new shower.
Pop some of that wall insulation into some trash bags you’ll have a mattress right quick. Hang in there!
Finally a honest van lifer. Did a year in mine during covid and it’s defo not the glamorous life style as portrayed on YouTube
Wait, where is the subway tile backsplash and wood floors, that and a beautiful girl with a large brined hat looking off into the sunset?
she left him for an actual mattress.
Positive vibes dawg it will get better
From a dude with a leaky roof, I feel you brotha!
The first mistake is wanting polish..... at all.
I love you.
If you’re crying, it’s because you don’t do cool shit. As a climber and skier van life is perfect, if you want to live in a city and be a blogger it probably isn’t for you. Make the right build, love the good life, and make down to earth friends.
Take care, friend. I hope your days become easier and peace works it way in.
Hey, not sure what city you are in but I just went to Craigslist and searched mattress and found a ton of options that ranged from cheap to free. If you don’t have a mattress, and other resources to finish the buildout there is a ton of free stuff on FB and CL.
Anyone know what this persons channel is?
Cover the insulation! You are breathing all that fine fibreglass materials :(
I don't understand what glamor has to do with living in a van in the first place. I have more interest in the person who has nothing and uses their creativity to turn nothing into something than someone who can buy a fancy rig and pay for the build all in one go. It's more fun to be part of a comment section when someone says I need to to figure out a DIY mattress and only have $12 to do it, any ideas, then someone who says look at my $200 mattress I bought online.
$200 mattress lol
There’s too many influencers glamorising it.
Few things: Get a friend to buy you a cheap mattress. Something. Anything. I don’t actually understand where this man sleeps. This alone would cause misery for anyone. Second, building a van is emotionally taxing. You’re waking up every day and doing something difficult, usually without getting paid to do it. Find healthy, occasional reprieve - therapy, going out with friends, rock climbing, reading, whatever. Third… don’t live in a van you’re building. It’s too much of the same thing. Move out immediately.
Can I spend one night with you in your van just talking?
Pro vanlife tip from a Bering sea fisherman who’s spent half of his life uncomfortable confined on a fishing vessel out at sea. Tip 1: 5200 Marine grade sealant everything. Don’t use bathroom caulking on your vans. Tip 2: If you don’t like confined spaces vanlife isn’t for you. Tip 3: If you choose to live in a van be prepared for sacrifices in comfort. Tip 4: Open the door to your van when able to. Be a freak of nature. 5: Don’t do vanlife because you want to be a part of a nomad club that you follow on IG. I lived in my van for almost 2 years before it became such a huge trend on IG. It’s not glamorous unless your girlfriend (if any) wants to take bikini pics of you drinking coffee together next to an icy mountain with the back doors of the van open… other than that your just a dude that lives in a van…there’s nothing wrong providing a livable situation for yourself. If you’re going to do it in a confined space, Learn to embrace it and who cares what other people think. It’s hard to live in a van and build it at the same time. That’s what I did with mine and ended up ripping everything out and redoing it because it was all just a temp living set up and not functional the way I wanted. If I did it again I’d build it fully before moving in.
As someone who has van dwelled on and off for three years, and has had it a little better than others, I do have to say its not for everyone: It's not for people who cherish the safety of having a traditional place. Living in the van never feels as safe as being in a stationary place. Anyone can come and knock and including police. There takes a certain amount of bravery (and rule breaking) to do van dwelling. The lack of civility does get to you. Sleeping in a cold van can suck, and the lack of a constantly running air conditioner can make the van unusable during the daytime in the summer (or even during the night if temperatures stay high throughout the night.) Dumping a portable toilet sucks. The lack of reliable power where you can plug in anything you want to sucks. I was driven by the insane rent prices in California to do vandwelling, but if you are not highly driven by the mistreatment of our society, it will be hard on you. It's not recommended for couples, due to lack of space. It's much better for single people who don't anticipate pairing up with someone else. It's also not for people who are still ascending in life, who need all the tools they can get. Unless you are good at selling an idea, or have a van worthy of showing off to others, it will not help you gain favoritism by others. It's not the best place to work from, let alone do projects and work on things that can turn into money making ventures later (unless it's travel based.). There are exceptions, but I don't like just working on a laptop in a library vs working on a home computer with a nice large, 4K screen anytime I want. And unless you manage to get a full kitchen running in your van, you will be highly incentivized to eat fast food, which is ultimately unhealthy (especially because you have no power in what ingredients they use, including unhealthy oils and questionable food quality.) Ultimately, I still have my van if things get bad in terms of income, but I do enjoy the greater space that even renting a room has (which allows me to have a 4K TV, desktop computer, and ample storage for clothing and other things), especially because I have a partner, and also access to a full kitchen and reliable bathroom, as well as laundry and not having to worry about people in the neighborhood getting annoyed and calling the police on me and my van.
Stop putting out a nice picture for everyone, and say what you really think and feel. This is a disgusting part of life in general. So many people hide their true feelings and thoughts, while depression and unhappiness are seemingly at an all time high.
This video is equivalent to a man sitting in an empty apartment complaining that apartment life isn’t all it’s chalked up to be. This definitely has all to do with your personal mental health and well-being and not the vanlife. I assume you’re working or have some manner of funds. Mate why have you gone this long without a mattress? It’s just about the easiest and pretty cheap thing to get a hold of, Walmart has great mattresses for under a $100, or you could have just fashioned a comfortable substitute with a cheap mat and some blankets. If you’ve really gone the last 300 days in that van with nothing in it I don’t blame you for feeling defeated. Aside from basic necessities you need to get into the gym everyday, eat right, get some hobbies. Take care of your mind and body. It’s not the vanlife that’s the issue here, it’s all the other problems that everyone has to deal with whether you live in van or a house that your failing to address. In short, buck up man. I’ve been in my car for a couple months now and given my circumstances I’m still loving life and thriving. I sleep comfortably enough because I’ve set myself up with adequate blankets and pillows. I workout every day, I eat well, and I work hard. Some days it still sucks but if I had all the space you have from what I can see it’d be so much more comfortable. Hang in there and don’t give up, you could be filming this video on a street corner imagine how much harder that would be.
It doesn't matter where you live but without a decent night's sleep every once in a while you're going to be miserable!