Van Life

Sooo… I bought a van. Back in early-February 2018, I purchased a very-used 2000 Chevrolet 1500 Express conversion van. #vanlife

A Man and a Van

There are a variety of reasons I bought a van. At the time I didn’t have a job, so I didn’t want to buy a new house, or enter into a lease, as I was entertaining job offers from all over the world. While I’m living in the van, expect my website to feature a vanlife article every now and again, or often! Did I not mention that? Oh yeah, I’m living in the van when I’m not couchsurfing with friends and family! Just call it my little life experiment…

If anything, I “blame” my Dad for planting the seed in my brain about vanlife. Further fueled by Google, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, well… I was screwed. I saw vans everywhere, then vans seeped into my daydreams and actual dreams. My parents have been incredibly supportive of me in this venture / adventure as the rest of the world raises a not-at-all-super-judgey eyebrow at my decision to remain downsized. I can’t thank parents enough for their support… it’s weird the comfort one feels when you have your parents’ approval.

The Purchase

I found a couple vans on Craigslist that sorta fit my criteria and budget. I only looked at one before I was stuffing money into the owner’s hands. In keeping with what I felt was surely a classic American vanlife tradition, I slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot that night! It snowed and got down to 15°F. I stayed warm by filling a 32oz Nalgene bottle with boiling water prepared in my JetBoil backpacking stove before I climbed into my Wiggy’s Ultima Thule -60°F rated Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System. I’ve owned the sleeping bag system since around 1992, so I feel it m-i-g-h-t be good to around -40°F. So I was warm; in fact, I would have to zip and unzip it all throughout the night. The rear bench that folded into a bed was very uncomfortable to sleep on, but I managed to survive. But my coldest night was a week later in Laramie, Wyoming where the mercury dropped to -2°F… that was cold! But I survived it too, so yay.

Pssst… It’s Karma

President’s Day weekend I started making my way from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to my parent’s home near Tucson, Arizona. I made it to Las Vegas, New Mexico, before the van broke down, and by “break down” I mean completely and utter catastrophic engine destruction. I feel I would’ve rather broken down in Las Vegas, Nevada, or even 30 minutes further down the road in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but ya get what you get.

While the repair shop dropped a new engine into the van, I had left town for about a week to visit family near Tucson and friends in San Diego, California. About two weeks later Karma decided to beat me about the groin, heart, and face, but the van had a new engine. All it took was money… a lot of money. My Dad helped me drop off a rental car in Santa Fe, and then we road tripped back to my parent’s home. It was pretty neat, we hadn’t been on a road trip together since I graduated from High School in 1992. For the next eight hours back to their place we talked about vans, vanlife, van people, van modifications, van travel, and van memories. I loved it… I needed it.

The Build

Over the next few days Dad and I built out the van by adding a storage organizer, full-size platform bed, and micro-kitchenette. You can check out pics on my Instagram, if you’re so inclined. It was a neat learning experience for both of us; heck, even my Mom got involved by helping me sew blackout curtains for the front and rear of the van.

So how long will I own the van or live in it? I haven’t a clue. If it’s any indication, I’ve owned my 1997 Jeep Cherokee since I bought it new in 1997! Jokingly / not-so-jokingly, I tell people that my plan is to drive to San Diego, live on the beach, buy a used surfboard, and not leave until I can call myself a surfer. After that, maybe I’ll turn serious about rock climbing, get back into skydiving, re-embrace mountain biking, or just keep on moving down the road… Tierra del Fuego, anyone?

What about you?

Have you heard of or thought abought vanlife? Do you know anyone who has done or is currently doing the vanlife thing? Could you see yourself living the vanlife lifestyle?