Rubber Tramping Vehicle of Choice

[Zigali]

A Jeep Cherokee XJ lifted for them out of the way places plenty of sleeping and storage room and lots of off road maneuverability

 

[Joe Btfsplk]

Nothing opulent. A small 2007 Mazda 5 minivan which is more like a station wagon with sliding doors. I bought it new.

It has a five-speed manual transmission. Only van-type vehicle at the time with a manual. My preference. Love it.

I did twenty-odd years driving big trucks and learned the advantage of transmission control. Shitty winter storms and mountain drives are the top two.

I am more comfortable with manual. Anyone else? Another advantage--theft deterrent. Thieves don't know how to operate them. Most people don't.

Anyway, as said, this is not opulent. I travel with a small luggage bag, a sleeping bag, a DC powered cooler and a box of beer.

I fold down the back seats and have enough room to crash for a few hours between motoring; just a nap and back on the road. I stop at cheezy motels for long sleeps and showers. They are interesting. The stories...

I can cook while driving with a small DC slow-cooker. Again, not opulent but it satisfies after roading. Stroganoff, spaghetti, lasagna, that ilk. Better than restaurants. I make them at home ahead of the trip, freeze and put them in the cooler . They feed for a good while. The cooler is interesting.

Big, heavy AC/DC cooler with no wheels. Heavy when filled. Mine was used for cans of beer and food. It was heavy. No ice, it was DC. Didn't date the AC coolers...

 

[dumpster harpy]

Mine's not currently road-worthy, but I'm sure that some of you know the lofty highs and abyssal lows that come with ownership of a Chevy Astro.

 

[Grubblin]

Your perfect vechile depends on your needs and how and where you want to stay. I have a small SUV with a factory lift on it. It works great for me bc I like staying on the tops of mountains and mesas when possible. My truck is much more maneuverable than a van and has more ground clearance than most. Even the four wheel drive Vans are typically lower to the ground. Plus a van engine has much less space to get your arms into when you have to work on it yourself.

So that being said, a van would have much more room for you and your stuff. I can see where that would be much less cramped and much more convenient and organized. I wouldn't mind a four wheel drive van but I go to too many wild places to ever have a motor home.

It's all about what you want to suit the need that you have. As I've said, it's just me so I don't need much and can make do. I make do to live how and where I want. It's not perfect but nothing ever is and at 310k, every thousand miles is a gift to be thankful for.

 

[Wild Ty Laserbeam]

Me, my partner, and our hound dog stay in a 26 Ford e450 diesel shuttle bus I converted. Gets about 6 to 10mpg for now but I'm planning some mods. That's not great but there trick is to stay put more often. We saved up a few thousand dollars working shitty restaurant jobs and selling off our possessions. Mainly a couple cheap cars. We're planning on doing high pay short term jobs such as the sugar beet harvest, Amazon, Christmas trees, fireworks, and trim as well as picking day with on Craigslist as needed or when we're bored. With food stamps and free campground our only real expenses are fuel, beer, and luxuries.

The conversion it's very basic with a Coleman propane stove running on a 20# tank,A7 gallon water jug positioned above a sink drain to a bucket, and a handful of cheap solar or USB charger lamps providing light.

We have 3400 in the bus and less than 1000 in the rest of it. That may sound expensive to some but we pulled it off with shitty jobs and a lot of frugality. Hope this helps

 

[Sameer]

I like traveling. But the truth of the matter is that I really live in a corridor that extends from Yuma in the South to Durango, Colorado. I spend my Winters in Ehrenberg Arizona which is across the river from Blythe. During the summer is when I am more mobile and travel as far up as Durango, Colorado but mostly spend my time in Flagstaff Arizona, for example today it is 74 degrees. To me van dwelling is very practical because it allows me to live in the most beautiful places. A Chevrolet G20 engine is easy to work on. I have taken off the running boards which looked like crap anyway and I have more ground clearance. To be honest, 14 days in one spot is sufficient. Everyone needs to do what suits them best. There are a lot of advantages to a conversion van like great windows. It is better to look like exactly what you are doing as the idea of stealth is Just an Illusion.

 

[Coywolf]

1993 Xtra cab Toyota pickup, with camper shell. It's all around awesome, I don't really live IN it, more of out of it. 4WD, great gas milage, old Toyota reliability. God I love my truck!

 

[VikingAdventurer]

1993 Xtra cab Toyota pickup, with camper shell. It's all around awesome, I don't really live IN it, more of out of it. 4WD, great gas milage, old Toyota reliability. God I love my truck!

Yeah, years ago, I had a '99 Tacoma with the TRD off-road racing package.

I miss that shit.

 

[autumn]

I'm rolling around in a Dodge Ram Promaster City. It's great on gas and simple enough to be moderately stealthy. There aren't any side windows and only driver and passenger windows open. Not so great in terms of ventilation. I keep it pretty simple; I have a cot in the back, as well as some bins and bags for storage. I even have enough room to store my bike inside.

My biggest complaint is with how stuffy it can get inside without any windows open but that's really not too much of a problem. I pay for it by doing all sorts of small jobs. Bike courier work through Postmates and Favor, as well as, article writing through Textbroker.com.

Have you thought about installing roof vents (like an rv has)? You can get them with fans as well. Without a vent cover it's very low profile, you just can't open the vent when it's raining. They're easy to install once you get the cutouts done

 

[wanderlovejosh]

Started with a 2000 ford E150 conversion van, did minor build out, after living in it for a year and traveling around, decided I personally wanted a little more comfort, so I bought a 2012 16ft rebuilt salvaged travel trailer.

Few reasons for this, it'll be easier to find a RV park to stop for months while I work, which I know some people have only the van so they can stealth, but I personally got tired of this, i'd rather have the trailer in one place, drive to work, and come home with no issues.

I also wanted a full kitchen that I could comfortably move around in. After being hunched over in the van for a year cooking, and washing dishes with a weed sprayer, I felt there was no reason to deny myself of making life a little easier. I wanted to be able to stand up, and after seeing so many people say, "if you want to stand up go outside" I realized this was bullshit, when it rains for a couple days and there are two of you, being able to have room helps a lot.

I also looked for one with bunk beds, that way there would be extra room for a friend to have a place to sleep should they want to fly out to where I was and chill for a few weeks.

 

[ThatDrunkGuy]

For me it is a conversation van. Easy to do the mechanics and has WINDOWS! Mine is a 93 Chevy G20 with high top. I am not stealth. I look exactly like what I am doing. Squatting on Public Land.
View attachment 36460 View attachment 36460

love the set up!

 

[Roxannefartz]

got a 2007 jeep grand cherokee 4x4 its nice, the back seat folds down into a decent sized platform not really ideal for sleeping, especially since i have tools back there

 

[mouse]

Have you thought about installing roof vents (like an rv has)? You can get them with fans as well. Without a vent cover it's very low profile, you just can't open the vent when it's raining. They're easy to install once you get the cutouts done

Window vents might not be a bad idea, either. They can stay open an inch or so in the rain. Or in the heat if you are away from the vehicle. Can't tell from the outside that the windows are cracked.

Maxxfan makes a roof vent with a built in cover/snorkel. Lays pretty flat when not in use. Pretty expensive but I am working fulltime and could make the investment

 

[travelingheathen]

"Maxxfan makes a roof vent with a built in cover/snorkel."

If you can swing the investment install one. You will love it. Planted one on the van and leave it open all the time... pouring rain, no problem, dry as a bone inside.

 

[darthvader]

To me its not about the vehicle of choice but it's more of a lifestyle choice. There is no perfect vehicle as each will have pro's and con's

 

[mouse]

Currently my micro setup is a fat tire bike with a honda 160cc mower motor and camping gear is about 50lbs in a mid size pack.

Have you thought about a bike trailer? It might be a more comfortable way to bring gear along.

I recently bought baby trailer at a garage sale for $15. I'm going to remove all the material and make a plywood platform for carrying stuff:

 

[NattyKiwi]

I'm looking into a decent sized minivan. The Chevy Venture I wanted to look at got sold last night, so the search is back on.
But my reasoning for wanting a minivan is that it's inconspicuous, has good gas mileage in comparison to most full sized vans, and I don't want nor need a lot of space to start off with. I may upgrade down the road, but we'll see.
As for affording gas, I aim to pick up seasonal and odd end jobs as I go. Ren Faires will be a big one for me in the summer.

How do you get into the Ren Fair seasonal job ?
And is it pretty fun ?