No solar no problem.

So it looks like I will be keeping the same van after all. It really was a great find that I am grateful for everyday I lay down on the bed in the back and not the back seat of the Camry. The lack of solar panel and power bank is not as big of an issue as the other van dwellers have reported to me. Yes, it would allow me to do some light cooking and take less trips to the cafe for power, but it also lets people know that someone lives in there drawing unnecessary attention to myself. It also assumes that I want to sit in the van all day rather than the cafe or library. Not my prerogative at all, especially for this area. There is just too much great weather during the day to not get out and enjoy the fresh air.

Creating a routine has solved most of my creepy van guy image that feel I was putting out when I had that cough. Getting up early and moving the van to different spots depending on day of the week has led me to feel like part of the community rather than a squatter in their coveted parking spots. Finding spots to move to is not that hard if you get there early, fingers crossed if you try to sleep in. Daily morning yoga and gym solve this issue and lets me get to the cafe before the lunch rush and secure a table for the mid part of the day. The shake is working out for the most part in light of not being able to cook but the clean up is hard in the current setup. I have to take the cups to the gym and wash them there, not too bad I guess and they all fit in my backpack with  the blender itself so its working out. The occasional snack or meal out is keeping me sane and not too far out on the fringe, participating in very little of societies norms. 

The vanning will continue for the foreseeable future with upgrades in setup when they are needed. The current layout is allowing for almost everything that I need and more while keeping it ready for sale at any moment just incase. My days as a scout are paying off as I remember living in tents for many weekends and summer camps. A van has its own set of issues but nowhere near those of a tent. If there were campgrounds open in CA, all closed due to drought, I would have started in a tent and gone super spartan. This was a much better idea in retrospect.

Workout that cough.

After many showers at the gym, athletes foot was my primary concern, so when the super flu swept through I just took it to the face. Seriously, I have never had such a long lasting cough and cold. For the last month and a few days it has persisted off and on, ruining my concentration and overall mood. 

The steam room, which had up until this point been my favorite part of going to the gym everyday, was the likely culprit and I can remember vividly several days where someone in the mist let out a huge and wheezing phlegm filled cough that undoubtedly contained this plague. The whole area had it and it seems to last about a month with or without antibiotics. I didn't get the full stomach flu but I almost would have rathered a 3 day onslaught compared to this slow death march that I faced for the last month.

All that to say I haven't started the teardown yet and will likely sell the current van for a newer model with a few less miles on the transmission and engine and a pre stripped interior. Powering up at the cafe isn't so bad plus it gets me out of the van during the day for a good reason. 

The winter cold season seems to be coming to an end and I look forward to getting back into the gym to get my steam on and perhaps put up a few weights while i'm there. 

Up Next

• Van trade up or convert?
• Please just 5 degrees warmer at night.
• Solar panel thoughts and power install.

Dark and dry

The rain has stopped and i’m still rocking the van. After 2 months of car and van living some changes were needed to be more home like. 

Dry air: I can’t say that loud enough. The damp of the rainy weeks left me in a camping situation where everything you put on is cold and stays cold be to how wet it is. Add that with the fact that I still have no heater for the cabin and you have a soggy bowl of rice krispies, bleh. I mentioned this to my aunt, and she already had the solution, Damp Rid containers. They were cheap, powerful, and did the job, granted the rain has stopped, but plenty of moisture builds up from just being in the van for long periods without opening the windows.

Now that I had dry clothes again on to the next change. I spoke about privacy in a previous post, but let me say that when you don't have any, you feel it. I mean you can feel the eyes wash over you, sometimes with a look of concern but mostly curiosity. I’m all for people being people and that means that they will be nosey, but it’s getting a bit irritating. Not that I need complete privacy, I generally work out of a coffee shop or public space, just a bit of mid day gawking reduction. Shade upgrades acquired. I had read about felt or blankets being a good option to use and I decided to give it a shot. Up until now I had been using my dry-cleaning or hangers with pants on them. This was good for the car as a dry-cleaning bag doesn't look out of place in the back seat of a Camry, but to be in 6 windows of a van its starts too. I cut out the components and hung them with lengths of clothes line. The blankets are dark grey and work with the window tint to black out the van. I also have one cut into a T behind the front seats acting like a wall enclosing the rear area. Looking out to some stranger staring at me changing or working is over. I expect that in a public but not at home. 

The power pack will have to wait a bit longer as the alternator will not be strong enough to charge effectively. The van would have to run for 3-4 hours to fully charge up and “boondocking” is not an option yet, nor is the solar setup with the recent weather conditions. Its not needed quite yet as I can still charge up at cafes anywhere, and the battery on my laptop and phone generally last through the night and more if I start at full charge. I will get a portable heater with carbon monoxide and smoke alarms to be safe and beat this chill that has blown through northern CA.

Lastly the teardown is in the last stage of prep, storage space organization. This will allow me to store the removed van components in there for later resale. In just removing the seats it will allow me to get the mattress and build out the bed/couch frame. 

Next up 1.12.15

• Pics of the tear down
• Updates on the power situation.
• Store or purge

Week 4 - Prep for conversion

The rain is ongoing. It is putting my tear down on hold until there is some clear days to have everything pulled out of the van and reassembled. So far the the plan is to add some of the basic mods on the list then over the next month install the rest of the tech and comforts like solar panels and decor.

The first items that are up include new bed / bench combo and power bank for lights and charging up portables. This is the easiest part I think, cutting a foam mattress in half and affixing it to some wood panels so that it can be put in either configuration, bed or bench, with storage underneath via classic rectangular bins. The power bank is fairly straight forward, 3-4 deep cycle batteries wired in series with a digital voltage meter and multiple outputs for usb and AC power through an inverter. The setup will run $150 for the bed and bench combo and around $500 for the power bank providing enough power for 18-36 hours of uninterrupted juice. The power bank will also be able to charge from the alternator until the solar panels are installed to take the brunt of the charging over, but with the rain it seems that this mod will have to wait. I can't wait to not have to hit the coffee shop every morning to charge up! 

Details for the mods will be listed under the guides section for part numbers and actual cost and instal times.

Here we go!

Lets get started

    I decided to live out of my car for a few weeks to see if this was a viable lifestyle while working a normal job. This seems like a good test to do before I commit to an option that is too extreme. Living out of my car was super easy, I have at times had to do this for short periods of time when apartment move out / move in dates didn’t align and this was a great time of year to start this experiment as the car wouldn’t be roasting or freezing at any time. The space of the car allowed me to do very little in the way of recreation, couldn't really stretch out and relax. The appearance of the back seat was a constant concern as it was filled with sleeping bag, pillow, back pack, gym bag, extra shoes and my dry-cleaning. Now the dry cleaning was a blessing because it offered shade and blocked anyone from looking in for the most part and the sleeping bag could be stuffed lower to allow the bag to cover it. I also had a bike on the trunk that blocked the rear window a bit thus decreasing the overall back seat visibility from the outside. I lasted 4 weeks with weekly chiropractic visits to help with being cramped all night and no adverse reactions to where I parked, which I’ll go into more later. I took a week long trip to Peru at the end of those 4 weeks and gained some perspective that really helped fuel the van plan and so I set forth with rebellious intent and searched hi and low for a van to get started. I could no longer take the back seat of the car so I took a place on a couch for a few weeks while I searched for a suitable residence. Reverting back to couchsurfing was terrible. At a certain age a random couch in a party house just doesn't have the same allure as it once did. I purchase my first residence on Dec. 12, 2014. This will be my next 2 years or more and will certainly be filled with tales and fringe life events that could only be had by those living out their dreams and seeking their own way in all things.

    Ok back to the Van. What do I need to have in there and how do I make this a place to call home while not being seen as “the creepy van guy” lurking for a spot to park overnight. Some people may be embarrassed or ashamed that they live in their car or van but I embrace it as being more efficient and living life on my own terms. This may be a fall back for some people and their only resort but making the most of it should be the motto and realize that its way better than the street or a tent. 

My criteria for lifestyle.

• Mobility
• Efficient
• Convenience 
• Privacy
• Modern
• Comfortable

This is all made possible through van dwelling of my math is correct. Living in a car is too small so van it is. With ($3,000 - $7,000), half what you would pay in the best conditions for rent, you can have your own van home and be an adventure all at the same time. The mobility is covered by virtue of being a van. Efficiency is had by mounting solar panels and being conscience of what you spend on consuming. Privacy is the name of the game when you can go to remote areas or put all the shades down in the middle of the city. Modern and comfort is up to you but I intend to tech up my van and have it like a home and office in one. 

Dwellings comfort and modern criteria? 

• Bed / Bench combo
• Storage, hanging and bin style
• Themed decor
• Multi monitor computer setup
• Sound system
• Power, solar and other
• Emergency kit
• Meal prep, blender, single induction burner, crock and quick hot water pot

With my list in hand I seek out the first part of the journey, finding a van. Craigslist and eBay are obvious choices as they offer quick purchase if you are in immediate need. Van dealerships are a decent option but you will spend 2-5 times more depending on the condition. Older model work vans and conversions are the trade here and can be mixed in initial setup options. I initially wanted to go with a pricey $7,000 newer ‘00 work van but opted for a ’94 pre converted dodge for $2,500 on craigslist. This option came with a bed and basic comforts like storage and closet type setup but also carried the risks and extra costs like repairs and new tires. I blew the radiator day one after purchase and noticed a slight slip in the transmission. $800 for new radiator and service puts the van at $3,300 so far and with my desired repairs, setup and additions would put me around $6,000 for a reliable and outfitted rig that will serve me for the next 2 years or longer.

Next step is the teardown and modification that will be discussed in detail in later updates.