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re: Van Life. Has anyone here done, currently doing, or plan to do this lifestyle?
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:44 pm to TheMagicMan
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:44 pm to TheMagicMan
quote:
I know van life isn't all glamorous like it's portrayed on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok,
The reason it seems glamorous is because it's mostly attractive women who have the ability to get clicks from thirsty men & other dumb women. They run with their dog on the beach during the day & read books by scented candlelight at night. What you don't see is them spending all day shooting & editing video or racking their brain trying to come up with new ideas to portray their life as way more glamorous than it really is or else they don't make any money.
0
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:47 pm to TheMagicMan
When I retired two years ago, I went on a trip out to the Southwest in my Wrangler and lived in it for two months.
My situation
- Slept in the back of the Wrangler on a foam mattress (I'm 6'2).
- BC I was in the SW, my goal was to not pay to park / camp anywhere (I only had to pay for a couple of nights I stayed in Col. Springs). I stayed primarily on BLM land
- I didn't necessarily have $ restrictions, but didn't spend much.
- I prepared nearly 100% of my meals. I had a fridge, powerstation, camp stove.
- There are apps for free camping, water sources, etc. I used profusely.
- Goal was to shower every day: joined Anytime Fitness (more of these in smaller towns than any other gym). Worked great. Also used portable shower alot.
Pro's
- Freedom to roam wherever. Peace and quiet. Would go a couple of days without talking to another human.
- Learned I can sleep anywhere, truck stops, rest stops, Walmart parking lots. No shame.
- The feeling you get waking up and having to move the window screen aside to see because you can't remember where you are is pretty cool.
Cons
- Don't have cell service in many places out in the boonies. Read a lot of books (would buy the cheap books at local libraries).
- I'm not a foodie, so my meals were much the same day in and day out. Lost 20 lbs.
- At first some anxiety of being disturbed in the middle of the night. Pistol next to me provided comfort. Never got "the knock" or disturbed once.
- Pooping into a hole was weird at first, but became a reflex.
Would absolutely do it again and will sometime. Highly recommend.
My situation
- Slept in the back of the Wrangler on a foam mattress (I'm 6'2).
- BC I was in the SW, my goal was to not pay to park / camp anywhere (I only had to pay for a couple of nights I stayed in Col. Springs). I stayed primarily on BLM land
- I didn't necessarily have $ restrictions, but didn't spend much.
- I prepared nearly 100% of my meals. I had a fridge, powerstation, camp stove.
- There are apps for free camping, water sources, etc. I used profusely.
- Goal was to shower every day: joined Anytime Fitness (more of these in smaller towns than any other gym). Worked great. Also used portable shower alot.
Pro's
- Freedom to roam wherever. Peace and quiet. Would go a couple of days without talking to another human.
- Learned I can sleep anywhere, truck stops, rest stops, Walmart parking lots. No shame.
- The feeling you get waking up and having to move the window screen aside to see because you can't remember where you are is pretty cool.
Cons
- Don't have cell service in many places out in the boonies. Read a lot of books (would buy the cheap books at local libraries).
- I'm not a foodie, so my meals were much the same day in and day out. Lost 20 lbs.
- At first some anxiety of being disturbed in the middle of the night. Pistol next to me provided comfort. Never got "the knock" or disturbed once.
- Pooping into a hole was weird at first, but became a reflex.
Would absolutely do it again and will sometime. Highly recommend.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:47 pm to Gifman
quote:
Watch this video first then see if you still want to do this
Van Life Reality
It made it less than a minute of that dude yapping. Yeesh.
Do whatever you feel OP. Don't listen to these curmudgeons. If you feel the desire to do travel around the country and live in a van, do it. You'll regret it if you don't. If you find that its not for you, then you can always stop doing it. You'll probably learn a good bit about yourself, and grow as a person either way.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:49 pm to TheMagicMan
quote:
Pretty big difference between living in a small coupe or sedan car because you have no choice and living in a highly modified Ford Transit Cargo Van with most modern needs by choice.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:49 pm to TheMagicMan
I mean how is it any different than rv or camper life? Or people that live on boats?
This isn't new. These younger generations always think they discovered something.
This isn't new. These younger generations always think they discovered something.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:50 pm to TheMagicMan
quote:
I would essentially give myself around $100,000 budget to buy a Ford Transit Cargo Van and have the cargo area retrofitted with a bed, portable 12V cooler, small portable toilet, minisplit A/C and a tire pressure control system. I would use solar showers or just buy a gym membership at say Planet Fitness for showers.
As a guy that's rebuilt cars and boats, I would highly recommend NOT doing this.
You can get used RV's for cheap. Under $50k easily. Don't plan this as a forever thing. Plan it as a 6 month or 1 years thing.
Realistically you will put under 20k miles on it in a year. Which is a ton unless you want to just drive all the time. You can buy a used vehicle for say $45k, put 15k miles on it, and sell it for $35k.
Total cost of $10k and 0 time
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:56 pm to TheMagicMan
OP, I’m in a similar situation and fantasize about it all the time. I don’t know how realistic it is. One thing to keep in mind, any place that you’re going to want to be because of natural beauty or good weather… other people will be there. And it will not be cheap and you’ll have to plan well ahead.
I have a good job that I can’t walk away from. I think when I do retire though, I will rent short term places where the weather is nice and bounce around. Summer in Montana, winter in Arizona, etc. I’ll find a way to make money so I can at least cover my expenses.
I have a good job that I can’t walk away from. I think when I do retire though, I will rent short term places where the weather is nice and bounce around. Summer in Montana, winter in Arizona, etc. I’ll find a way to make money so I can at least cover my expenses.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:57 pm to TheMagicMan
No I have not seriously considered, but have watched youtube channels for years. Most last 2-3 years before given it up.
Key notes to me:
* can you maintain a minimalist lifestyle and mindset?
* okay with being disconnected from others and enjoy nature?
* understand its a journey and will at some point likely end.
Key notes to me:
* can you maintain a minimalist lifestyle and mindset?
* okay with being disconnected from others and enjoy nature?
* understand its a journey and will at some point likely end.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:59 pm to TheMagicMan
A lot of people giving out advice are simply saying I couldn't do it and I don't want someone to do it and succeed. So, I'm sure you're ignoring all of the idiots calling you a bum as you should. A lot of people on this board are morons.
Sounds like you have some money to where you can probably afford to do it for a few years if you wanted to, so that's good. If you're handy with getting stuff done like fixing your vehicle and fixing it up (accommodations and such) yourself, then maybe it's worth a go.
Not sure how much money you have, but do you plan to work as you're doing this? You could work remote if you're say a software developer or something like that. There was a woman I knew who was and did the van life thing and was able to pull it off though she did quit at it after 3 years for reasons many here have mentioned (mainly roots and such).
Or you can do some more of the labor intensive type work as you go though it almost surely won't be steady.
But if not, if you're not of retirement age and you're in good health, there's no time like now to be productive (as in working your arse off) at adding to your nest egg for later. Spending a few years away from that, you'll be wasting some time that you could have spent on making more money.
If you don't care about any of that, then with all things, I say go for it and see how you like it. Just see what happens. Though it is a good idea to do this in bite sized chunks to see what your tolerance is for it.
Sounds like you have some money to where you can probably afford to do it for a few years if you wanted to, so that's good. If you're handy with getting stuff done like fixing your vehicle and fixing it up (accommodations and such) yourself, then maybe it's worth a go.
Not sure how much money you have, but do you plan to work as you're doing this? You could work remote if you're say a software developer or something like that. There was a woman I knew who was and did the van life thing and was able to pull it off though she did quit at it after 3 years for reasons many here have mentioned (mainly roots and such).
Or you can do some more of the labor intensive type work as you go though it almost surely won't be steady.
But if not, if you're not of retirement age and you're in good health, there's no time like now to be productive (as in working your arse off) at adding to your nest egg for later. Spending a few years away from that, you'll be wasting some time that you could have spent on making more money.
If you don't care about any of that, then with all things, I say go for it and see how you like it. Just see what happens. Though it is a good idea to do this in bite sized chunks to see what your tolerance is for it.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:05 pm to TheMagicMan
Not that it's a documentary, and I'd be open to suggestions if there is one, but go watch Nomadland with Frances McDormand
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:13 pm to TheMagicMan
Tell me if I have this straight-
At the age of 42, you are going to cash out your 401k with taxes and penalties for early withdrawal so you can spend $100,000 on a cargo van to live in, once your mother is too old to travel to visit you....
At the age of 42, you are going to cash out your 401k with taxes and penalties for early withdrawal so you can spend $100,000 on a cargo van to live in, once your mother is too old to travel to visit you....
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 1:17 pm
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:32 pm to TheMagicMan
I’m planning on doing it within the next 12 months. I’m 43, single and my youngest gets just graduated High School. I work 2 weeks on 2 weeks offish for the most part and can be anywhere on my off time and my company will just airline me from anywhere to where I need to be at the start of my work trips.
I currently have a 4BR house that I live in by myself. It’s a waste of my time and money keeping up with it. I’m budgeting about 150K for my van. I want a shower, toilet and battery bank large enough to run the AC for extended periods. Gonna have a secondary alternator installed to charge the battery faster. Nowadays you can even program the van to automatically start and run at high idle once the battery reaches a predetermined charge state. For those talking about the black tank issue, I’ve read good reviews on the dry -flush toilets they have now that seal all the shite up in a foil bag.
I’d of course like to head out west and see the national parks but I also think it’d be cool to follow the LSU football and baseball teams around and catching the road games.
I only plan on doing it for it 2-3 years by which point I’m sure I’ll be sick of it and want to settle down somewhere permanently again.
I currently have a 4BR house that I live in by myself. It’s a waste of my time and money keeping up with it. I’m budgeting about 150K for my van. I want a shower, toilet and battery bank large enough to run the AC for extended periods. Gonna have a secondary alternator installed to charge the battery faster. Nowadays you can even program the van to automatically start and run at high idle once the battery reaches a predetermined charge state. For those talking about the black tank issue, I’ve read good reviews on the dry -flush toilets they have now that seal all the shite up in a foil bag.
I’d of course like to head out west and see the national parks but I also think it’d be cool to follow the LSU football and baseball teams around and catching the road games.
I only plan on doing it for it 2-3 years by which point I’m sure I’ll be sick of it and want to settle down somewhere permanently again.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:42 pm to baldona
quote:
As a guy that's rebuilt cars and boats, I would highly recommend NOT doing this.
You can get used RV's for cheap. Under $50k easily. Don't plan this as a forever thing. Plan it as a 6 month or 1 years thing.
Realistically you will put under 20k miles on it in a year. Which is a ton unless you want to just drive all the time. You can buy a used vehicle for say $45k, put 15k miles on it, and sell it for $35k.
Total cost of $10k and 0 time
Seems like everyone here equates RV's to being exactly like Vanning, but to me they are very different.
With an RV you stand out more, so I think you run a bigger risk of being run off if you're trying to sleep somewhere like a Walmart parking lot, Cracker Barrell parking lot or rest area.
Plus with an RV, you're going to have to tow a smaller vehicle, which to me is just an added expense. Now if I were to do, then yes, I would spend the vast majority of the time outside of major cities and out in nature. But if I were to go into some cities, then it's annoying because you have to park the RV and then use your smaller car to drive around the city.
With a Cargo Van, there's no worry about towing a vehicle. A Cargo Van is easy enough to drive around even a major city. I've driven a lot of Cargo Vans so I'm comfortable with them. I've genuinely never driven an RV and they seem like a bear to drive. The most comparable thing I've driven is a U-Haul and that's always a miserable experience. I know you can get smaller RV's, but to me there are still more negatives to RV's compared to Cargo Vans.
Am I wrong in that assessment?
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:43 pm to TheMagicMan
Also, I’d think you’d be the biggest target for crime these days. Everyone knows these van life kids don’t believe in guns or protection. Hippie life. Blah blah blah. It’s all fun and games until a group of thugs or people with nothing to lose steal all your shite, run a train on your girlfriend, and leave you for dead because you basically chose a life you weren’t prepared for.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:46 pm to TheMagicMan
I thought this was about people who drive vans instead of trucks, cars or SUVs. So you would be living out of this van? frick that. I assume you work right? An old boss told me this years ago. One day the conversation of what everyone does to make sure they don't use more utilities than they need because they don't want their utility bills to be high.. A bullshite conversation, but someone said that they keep their AC on 76 degrees and at night turns it down to 75. Everyone was giving him a hard time about that and he said something like "yeah well I am the one saving money". My boss told him "A working man deserves to at least be comfortable in his own home". Obviously meaning, unless someone has financial issues, you shouldn't be uncomfortable just to save $50-$60 a month.
That sort of applies here. You are 42. If you have the means to do so, instead of staying in a van, plan your travel around hotels/motels so you can at least take a hot shower and sleep comfortable without worrying if where you parked will draw attention and someone comes and wakes you up to tell you to move. Van life seems like something 23 year olds do for a month, when they realize it wasn't as good of an idea they thought it would be.
That sort of applies here. You are 42. If you have the means to do so, instead of staying in a van, plan your travel around hotels/motels so you can at least take a hot shower and sleep comfortable without worrying if where you parked will draw attention and someone comes and wakes you up to tell you to move. Van life seems like something 23 year olds do for a month, when they realize it wasn't as good of an idea they thought it would be.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:51 pm to TheMagicMan
Your life isn’t so magical is it man?
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:55 pm to TheMagicMan
quote:
Travel, go to all 50 states,
That would be one hell of a van.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:59 pm to TheMagicMan
Sorry to be so blunt, but what would you do for pussy (if that’s your thing)? Seek out a local prostitute in every town you’re close to?
Posted on 7/22/26 at 2:00 pm to baldona
Jimothy-assed RV
Posted on 7/22/26 at 2:05 pm to TheMagicMan
quote:
I would cash out some of my 401(k) for this. I would essentially give myself around $100,000 budget to buy a Ford Transit Cargo Van
Lots of people think living in a van or camper is a romantic lifestyle.
Until they get sick of it and sell their van or camper at a huge loss.
I wouldn’t shell out $100,000 for something new, you can find another vagabond to buy the same thing from much cheaper.
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