Photos New member, full time traveler.

[TMG51]

Greetings. I've known of StP for some time but never registered before. I travel full-time with my bigass van and its customized off-grid amenities. I have remote employment and consistent income, so I simply go wherever I please.

I'm joining now because I think this community may be better for networking with other travelers. Lots of "van" groups are filled with retirees and people vandwelling by necessity. I get along much better with roadtramps and people who full time in the life, so I'm here to feel it out. My philosophy is to help out others on the road when I'm reasonable able - I still pick up hitch hikers, stop for breakdowns, etc.

Currently I'm in Quartzsite AZ for a gathering out in the BLM. We've been having a good time partying out here. It ends the 20th and I haven't picked a destination after that, but I'll probably swing by the Slabs, Joshua Tree, San Diego... follow the golden coast up to Oregon with the spring... Great Lakes in the summer... I make it up as I go along.

Anywho. That's me. Maybe I'll stick around. Here're a few shots from the last couple months to go with my intro.

 

[Tude]

Cool pics and welcome to STP!

 

[shred till yer dead]

really like your van topper must be great for extra space

 

[Kal]

Awesome pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should definitely check out Slab City cool place and the coast of Oregon is beautiful. Have fun and be safe. Welcome to S.T.P.

 

[TMG51]

Thanks for the welcomes and the well-wishes. Yeah, the van top works great for me. I'm 5'10" and have standing room throughout. I spent a lot of time choosing the right vehicle and setting up the systems as I need them. Solar, battery bank, water, propane, fridge, shower, furnace, water heater, stove... it's 19' long and legal to park on any street... three weeks ago I was downtown New Orleans and I'm equally at home there as I am now in the desert.

Highly recommended to anyone with a bit of ambition and ingenuity.

 

[Matt Derrick]

dude, i'm very jealous of your set up, it's pretty much exactly what i'm going for. how much was the van? i'm trying to figure out right now where to go and find work so i can save up for one of my own. i want to do the whole set up like you're saying, and make it a really nice livable space. do you have any advice based on what you went through with your van?

 

[shred till yer dead]

ive done the van thing i actually still have it stored at a friends place but i am 6 foot 2 inch so my dodge conversion van is a little short but i always hated having to park in cities and always having to have gas and other automobile essentials i resorted back to trains feet and thumbs but i am still young and am sure ill end up back in the van.

 

[TMG51]

dude, i'm very jealous of your set up, it's pretty much exactly what i'm going for. how much was the van? i'm trying to figure out right now where to go and find work so i can save up for one of my own. i want to do the whole set up like you're saying, and make it a really nice livable space. do you have any advice based on what you went through with your van?

Sure. When I started looking into van options I was largely taken in by the concept of "stealth"... Long story short, the van I have now isn't stealthy, I've been all over the country and never been woken up once at night. I never plan ahead, I just go wherever and find a place to park. I've literally never paid to park my van.

I bought it for $10,500. Which is a lot compared to cargo vans and etc but not a lot for a class b in good shape. Since then I've done a lot to it including replacing the engine and trans, solar, batteries, plumbing etc so I have somewhere near $20k in 'er all together. I know a lot of vandwellers, and most haven't spent nearly that much. I did it this way because I had certain criteria I wasn't going to give up when getting into this life... like taking a hot shower standing upright!

If I were to do it over again, I would still buy the same van if under time constraints to get out of dodge.

If I were to do it over again, but I had the time and garage space to do whatever, I would get some kind of long bed 4x4 truck, fabricate a steel frame for the bed/overcab, and stick build a house around it. Stealth be damned. Apart from advantages of designing your own space and better insulating, this would be a much more capable platform for getting into remote areas. But I'm comfortable building things while others may not be.

ive done the van thing i actually still have it stored at a friends place but i am 6 foot 2 inch so my dodge conversion van is a little short but i always hated having to park in cities and always having to have gas and other automobile essentials i resorted back to trains feet and thumbs but i am still young and am sure ill end up back in the van.

To each their own! I enjoy having my own space with my own amenities and it's never been a complication for me.

 

[Deleted member 14481]

Welcome! I can tell you're gonna have fun!