# Rubbertramping with an infant?



## VikingAdventurer (Aug 26, 2016)

I have a very serious question, that I really hope someone here has a few answers to. 

It has recently become a possibility for me that I *might*, HOPEFULLY, within the next year or less, be traveling with a good friend of mine. 

The only issue is that she has a 1-year-old daughter. 

I know that my friend REALLY wants to travel with me, but she's torn because she can't just leave her daughter behind to run off and live in my van with me.

Does anyone have any advice on how to go about making my van suitable for traveling with a 1-year-old? 

I really am quite serious about this, because I'm quite serious about this woman & her daughter.


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## Kim Chee (Aug 26, 2016)

I haven't rubbertramped and I haven't traveled with an infant.

I would like to think if you weren't doing anything illegal or endangering the child (or using him/her as a prop for receiving money) that it would be just fine.

But, I think in some states that a vehicle is not legally considered adequate shelter.

If you do resort to traveling with an infant, bring toys, make sure that the child's every need is met and be prepared to explain what is going on.


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## Hillbilly Castro (Aug 27, 2016)

I have two little brothers, and I have spent days watching them in Brooklyn, and have found that when I am in "full punk nomad" mode in terms of dress, I get a lot of hostility from certain types of people. I would think this would be felt in the extreme if it was perceived that you were full-time traveling with the child. That said, you could mitigate this by "playing the game" a bit: Wear a polo, keep clean, play up the "we are young professionals who live alternatively vibe." If you have a laptop you can say you work online, dispelling any notions that you can't provide for the child that appears to be yours. In addition, I think staying rural and off interstates would be a pretty good idea. In all the rubbertramping experiences I've had (rolling with people, never my own rig), I've noticed that as long as you can seem relatable and friendly and not like a satanist anarchist metalhead, these people tend toward being more understanding than not. I remained quite clean cut for a long time and found rural folks to treat me much better once it was established unambiguously that I was a non-threatening "good 'ol american boy". Far better than the way homeless-perceived folks are policed intensely on the interstates and the cities. 

I wonder whether it'd be easier to do this in Mexico or Canada, rather than the US. Choose isolated campsites, and whenever you are on the road, just act like it's an extended camping trip. Just tossing ideas out, I don't know a lot about it.


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## Mankini (Aug 27, 2016)

Fuckin sexist bullshit. 
Dudes do childcare, too. Fuck.

Do you realize how fucking long it took to find a pic of a man with a baby in a sling??!!

At any fuckin rate, snugli type slings work best. I have several young nieces and nephews: these slings are the best, other than kelty external frame carriers.


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## Kim Chee (Aug 27, 2016)

@voodoochile76 those are some good ideas, but I don't think that is what the op is looking for.


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## MilkaNoobie (Aug 28, 2016)

There was a sprinter van conversion I seen that had a child's bed off of the main bed ...jacked up bed and Childs bed hung from ceiling with a port hole ...just under there was a futon esc couch


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## creature (Aug 28, 2016)

Viking... Hola : )

my first reply was eaten by the neighbor's dog, so lemmee try again..

first off, & before anything else, you have to make sure you have the resources in place for the two of you to take care of the child, in case the vehicle shits it.
Have work lined up, or good leads from point to point, make sure you have folks you can hang with, etc.

If she hasn't already, see what mom can do about any non-confining social service benefits..

if you're going to be doing any wwoofing of agricultural stuff, talk to pros... the are people who raise entire *families* on the road, though they do it as organized laborers.

have at least a grand (or near it) put aside for nothing other than child emergencies.

when you & mom are comfortable with being able to step out, *then* the van will be ready at its barest minimum.

traveling with an infant is probably pretty damn cool..
i've spoken to a lot of parents who have done it & they've said it's the best time, because because the state has very little legal hold on where the child must be.
i've talked to others who wanted to, but didn't, & they regret it, because once the kid needs to be in school, all kinds of obligations & complications take hold, and traveling is generally off the table.

also, little kids, & i mean 1 - 5 year olds are *smart* little thingummies, and traveling even that early in life makes a *huge* impact on personal ethics, perceptions, social skills, empathy, intelligence, inquisitiveness, etc..

traveling with a small child is a great idea, but as yer fully aware, the kid comes first, & rigging the van out for the same purpose means that first & foremost it has to be seen not just as a shelter, but as a protective enclosure.

the main issue will be the crib.
it needs to be able, as much as possible, to survive a head on or multiple rollover.

i'm just going to throw a crazy idea out, but what about a fire safe, old valuables safe or an old gun locker?
3/8" - 1/2" steel, box or cage, 3" memory foam padding, etc.. bolted to the frame.
just an idea, but the crib/child space has to be addressed from the perspective of survivability.

secondly, insulation.
traveling guys don't need to worry too much about much more than their sleeping bag & their coats, but you might want to look at what people have done for low cost van insulation.
-if you go in the van, are you going to do a full teardown & rebuild on the interior?
along the same line, heat.
there are a lot of small propane heaters out there that are sufficient for a van, but with a child you'll need to look at additional venting & guarding, as well as where you will stow your tank.

thirdly, water.
you'll need at least a 5 gallon reserve tank (about 2 days for a family), as well access to your standard water supply.
one possibility is a hand operated air-pump sprayer.
they can be used as an effective on demand system.
if you have a 5 gallon main tank, you should be able to get away with two 1 gallon bottles stored out of reach, for backup.

4thly, cooking;
i'm a die hard advocate of gasoline stoves.
you can get them from 1 to 3 burners, with 2 being common & easy to find used for $20 or less.

practice with the fuckers, away from anything flammable or consumable, until you get the art of lighting & regulation down.
they are cantankerous fuckers, too, & require cleaning, repair (pump seals, typically) & often enough replacement.
they are, however, the absolutely cheapest form of cooking you can do on the road, unless you decide to deal with propane tank swapping, multiple propane tanks or propane hose extensions, (to get to picnic tables).
the thing i like, even though propane by swap out may be as cheap, & def. cleaner, is that if you run out of fuel you only need about a pint of gasoline to do two decent meals, & you have a much better idea of how much fuel you have left..
but gasoline stoves are def dirtier & more inconvenient, unless you put in the time (&pain) to learn how to maintain the fuckers.

the same is true of gasoline lanterns.
i personalty am not fond at all of white LED light.
if you decide to go the route of 12v incandescent, with long cords & separate battery, or rechargeable table lamps or whatever, that's the top of the convenience list.

pressurized gasoline lamps last a long fucking time, & are the brightest fully portable source you can get (unless you use small propane canisters), but the thorium fabric mantles are fragile.

another option i've looked at, but haven't used, are the old Alladin style kerosene lamps with a ceramic-thorium illuminator (these things were designed back in the 1880's, i believe)... they appear to be pretty rugged & inexpensive.

hell.. i might try & experiment with one, at some point, to make a kero stove.. all you need is an old kero lantern & the ceramic mantle.. but, i don't have 1st hand knowledge.

all this being said, there is always the problem of gasoline fumes, so that shit needs to be stowed outside, for sure, another disadvantage against propane..

finally (uhmm.. almost), for the moment, is the rig registered as an RV?
what state are you in?

FL allows re-titling of a van or bus to RV by affidavit.
an RV is way cheaper to insure than a van, and the advantages of an RV title are well documented in the StP archives..
one thing in particular are that seatbelt laws are less stringent for RVs.. this is relevant, because on of the biggest space-saving things you can do is pull out the front passenger seat. put your icebox there & use it as a box seat..

anyways.. i think you'll have fun..
some work ahead, but not too bad..

i hope i make it to the jambo.. that's the next post up..

arrrghhh... &;(#)


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## bluebadgerblue (Dec 13, 2016)

I love that so many people have so many good responses here. This page is great. 

So, the child in question will be about two or so when you're looking to hit the road? As a mom on the road with a child (albeit my daughter was 8 when we started) I have a few thoughts. 
Firstly, strictly legal stuff, does your lady have full, well-documented custody of the child? Any contentious ex could easily make a case for taking custody by saying the child isn't adequately housed. 
I agree with keeping off of well-trafficked areas. More people = more questions = more problems. 
Have a story to tell people! "oh, yeah we have a super-great house back in Wherethehellever and we definitely don't live in this van! This just how we take road trips to see the country!"
Take extra care with your appearances in terms of cleanliness. (A solar shower is a glorious thing!) Unkempt parents with unkempt children immediately get more ire and suspicion no matter what. 
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. 
Good luck!!


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## wickedwench (Dec 14, 2016)

Fair disclosure, @bluebadgerblue and I travel together, so we've been around this and back (and have similar opinions). Never get pulled in front of a judge, and you won't have to worry about much! 

I'd add that if you talk about it anywhere on the 'net except here, you'll get buried in hate--even threats. We did a video interview on it and were glad it was taken down because the comments were so bad. We get nothing but love in person when people actually meet our little one, though!


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## creature (Dec 14, 2016)

Wait.. Wait..

You.. You dinna raise yer kid in a concrete block box??

Oh man.. Bad, bad, bad non-conforming, evil, leftist, eco nut, tree hugging commies..


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## bluebadgerblue (Dec 19, 2016)

OH! And another thing! As soon as the child is old enough make sure she knows the rule of "We never tell strangers the truth and we never tell cops ANYTHING!!!"


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