The truth about vanlife and vehicle dwelling in the mountains?
*This is a living document and currently a work in progress.
I hit publish because someone needed to read it. Enjoy!*
First, I’ll wax on about some simple realities to consider.
Second, I’ll dig into the logistics.
Both sections are inherently different and individual to every person, so take my experience with a grain of salt.
Part One: Thoughts
To start…
People have been nomadic since the beginning of humankind.
It’s ok to be nomadic, transient, or whatever buzzword is trending this season.
I say this plainly because some of us need to hear it in our productivity-obsessed era.
No matter what your inspiration to pursue this lifestyle is, the one word I recommend we refine the desired result toward is: practicality.
Practicality for you might apply to a long-term lifestyle shift, a fully committed home on wheels, which can be significant.
Practicality for you might apply to using expendable income because you want a TikTokable weekend camping toy, which is also great.
Whatever the reason…
Know Your Reason(s) Why
We all desire a safe and dry sleeping arrangement, clean water, and a predictable food source.
Everyone has an amount of discomfort they will tolerate when these pillars are measured against another key human ingredient: [personal] fulfillment. I.e., dreams.
Having a roof overhead, predictable hygiene management (a shower), and a couch to binge movies from with a readily available microwave is beautiful. So why do we see periodic waves of people moving into their vehicles, no matter the generation?
For many reasons, these pillars of life fluctuate with each generation (and every person) to various degrees.
Wages fail to keep up with living costs, not to mention the impact of inflation. The ever-changing housing market can make renting a nightmare. This is a broad generalization, but the weight people feel from these stressors is real, and #vanlife can look like a quick fix.
It is unnatural for our brains and unhealthy for our human spirit to live in this increasingly production-obsessed digital environment.
I digress (for now).
Why do you want to live in a vehicle?
- Will it serve the practical purpose of allowing you to overcome years of debt or escape a harmful life situation?
- Do you want it for the ‘likes’ and because TikTok makes it look sexy?
- Are you a content creator who doesn’t know where to live after college, so this is a way to explore what might come next?
- Did the rug of your life get yanked out from beneath your feet?
There is no wrong answer, although some might contain more of the grit required to make it work than others.
Social Media and Van Life
As we work our jobs, pay our bills, and deal with the debt our upbringings encouraged us to pile on our future selves, we escape into the dopamine-injecting distraction of social media.
Social media is influential, with many pros and cons that now live in the palm of our hands (cliche intended). The social media landscape, especially right now as we all deal with whatever the heck is going on in the world, romanticizes a handful of polarizing messages:
- mental health and hustle culture
- productivity for constant measurable progress and slowing down to enjoy life
- treat yourself or rise and grind
- getting a degree for professional validation versus how college isn’t valuable anymore
Sprinkle on the garnish of #lifestyle #influencer #creatorfund, and all the positive aspects of these polarizing messages seem attainable by simply starting a YouTube Channel and buying a van!
What could go wrong? You can visit every national park, work remotely, and start a business online without rent to worry about! All of this, without stress, because you can do whatever you want, whenever you want.
Problems are solved with only dreams on the horizon. Success realized. Achievement unlocked.
Reality Check
Is the above possible? It certainly is, and I know people who are currently in various stages of living that dream:
- Some friends have been doing it for years with dogs and kids.
- A few are perpetually preparing to hit the road “next season.”
- Others tried, with pure intentions, only to figure out it was not for them after a lot of hard work and spending $X0,000+ on the endeavor.
I believe in you and know you can make it work if it’s right for you.
I do, seriously.
Living in a vehicle has pros and cons, and I highly recommend you exhaust a list of both for yourself.
One significant reality to understand is how available parking options are constantly decreasing. Multiple generations have been navigating the world’s ever-changing economic situation(s) with varying degrees of respect for those who allow them to park their home-on-wheels overnight on their property.
Walmart, Cracker Barrel, and 24-hour gyms could decide not to allow overnight parking without warning or obligation to consider the van lifer’s expectations. I have personal opinions on a human’s right to access sleep in a predictable place, but that’s a discussion for another platform.
The fact is: people and companies who own property, especially parking lots in the United States, have a right to make their own choice, and we, as nomadic people in the modern age, are the ones who can be significantly impacted by a simple change made at a board meeting somewhere.
What am I getting at?
The danger of the romanticized trend sets in when you realize it requires a lot of self-motivated — often lonely — effort to restructure your life completely.
You didn't want to spend the countless setbacks and large unexpected sums of money on those suspension parts and building materials to hit the road finally. Then, once you hit the road, what happens next?
After two to six weeks of adrenaline-filled fun and fresh content to post, your remote gig restructures your payment schedule! Now you’re stuck waiting and don’t want Mcdonald's again. Also, you accidentally miscalculated the power storage of that new Goal Zero, so you need to save for Starbucks in the morning to charge your devices. You get bored and doom scroll anyway, your laundry needs doing, and it’s too cold to crack your windows, so you stare at your laptop for even more hours before it dies and you’re sleeping in another Cracker Barrel parking lot.
I find all of those things, the process of figuring out and working through the countless obstacles, to be a rewarding chapter. You might as well, and I hope you do!
Kris, why do I feel like you’re ranting and bitter?
To be vulnerable, it’s because I have similar dreams and am subject to the romantic allure of a nomadic lifestyle. Thankfully, I have lived in a van, Jeep, Tacoma, and Subaru, almost always by choice.
I have felt the social, personal, and financial pros and cons of vehicle dwelling, with genuine intentions to do so again.
It is an equally abrasive and easy way of life that I miss, and don’t miss, simultaneously.
Resonating with my opening statement: vehicle dwelling, as a life choice, comes down to practicality.
There is no right or wrong way, just your way, and it should work for you, not for the narrative of social platforms.
My “warning” to anyone pondering the lifestyle change is to fully understand and prepare for the undeniable fact that van life is neither convenient nor a quick fix. However, it can be fulfilling and positively life-changing in immeasurable ways.
You can do what you want because you are a human adult. You can go where you want, whenever you want because you are in charge of allocating your resources.
Vehicle dwelling can be a fantastic opportunity to buckle down and reorganize your life. That is a massively understated strength of vehicle dwelling.
One more Minute on Social Media
As a topic for content creators to utilize: van life can be a conveniently packaged, all-inclusive solution to modern-day problems.
Buying a vehicle and converting it is a surefire powerhouse of a strategy to build an audience fast, whether you’ve slept in a car before or have even enjoyed camping.
No rent or utilities (we’ll return to this financial reality) and the ability to travel full-time, with endless content ideas! This is fun but can be a slippery slope. All pros, no cons but a marketable journey others want to take with you? How can that go wrong?
Many creators, who have now lived the life, have come around to sharing the candid reality of van life: gas stations, Planet Fitness, Walmart parking lots, and Cracker Barrel. These are, plain and straightforward, actual realities of modern-day vehicle dwelling.
14-day spots in National Forests are excellent — the cream of the crop — if you have cell service or don’t need it for a while. But let me ask, which tent are you leaving, alone and ready to steal, in that same spot each day when you need the nearest Starbucks for wifi?
There are many things to consider.
Recap of Part One
Practicality holds a lot of power, and you can make big moves if you are willing to thoughtfully prioritize conveniences and manage realistic expectations.
Part Two
How to Van Life in the Mountains (or Anywhere)
Where do you start?
- Why: What’s the objective? Why are you exploring the possibility of vehicle dwelling?
- Timeline: When do you need to hit the road?
- Budget: What resources are you working with?
Your answer will have a massive impact on every choice moving forward.
- Full-time or seasonal?
- Remote work while traveling or on-site employment simply without an apartment?
- Do you have a partner or a pet?
A van is the dream platform for one primary reason: usable space.
There are apartments in Manhattan — not unlike the one I lived in — with similar square footage as an extended Ford Transit. I’m not exaggerating all that much with that statement.
What’s my immediate advice, having lived in various vehicles for various reasons?
Live in the vehicle you currently have.
I’m not kidding.
Spend a week living in your current vehicle, and you will develop a quick list of conveniences and necessities you might prefer.
If you have an SUV or truck with a topper, you might like it enough to do that for a while before committing to a van.
Financially you will come out on top if you stick with what you have. But that’s not fun. You want something else, something better suited to your needs, right? Use what you have for a whole week of self-supported vehicle dwelling before making a big commitment.
If you spend time living in the vehicle you already have, you might find it suits your immediate needs, and you could hit the road the next day.
Doing this might save you a lot of money and headache, allowing you to live your life and prioritize what you want to pay for in the long run.
Here are my elevator thoughts on which vehicle to consider…
- Vans check off most boxes well enough for most vehicle dwellers, but they aren’t fun to drive in dense urban areas. Van choice triangulates around three things: standing room, offroad capability, and price tag. Pick two that you like and put up with the third. The right van is a well-rounded home on wheels.
- Busses are awkward for daily life. Parking is an immediate obstacle in most places. They are harder to find parts for and more expensive to tow when something goes wrong. Don’t even think about (most) remote campsites in the mountains; inside city limits, they scream, “I live here!” Even still, all that space is drool-inducing.
- Pickups separate the driving and sleeping space, which can be convenient and inconvenient, depending on the weather and location. The separation of life and sleep has pros and cons. When it rains, or you’re in a public parking lot, crawling in and out of the back is tricky. However, they can get to better campsites than a van and way more places than a bus. I’d recommend truck living if you primarily stick to less densely populated areas.
- An SUV might be too small for the amount of stuff you want, especially if you have a pet or partner. Although they’re usually long enough to sleep lying flat with the seat down, the floor offers storage, and you can pretty easily hide everything in the back by simply folding the seat up. Your SUV might not have the gas mileage of a Prius, but you will save a lot over a van or pickup.
- A sedan is doable, but you’re going to make more sacrifices. The backseat of a sedan is likely unsustainable for the long term, but if the back seat folds flat, it could be an ideal stealth camping option. This is probably the best gas and stealth option if you’ve got heavy tint on your windows and can keep the front area somewhat presentable to passersby.
- You don’t know until you try.
You might save yourself the trouble of impulsively buying a van that needs extra work because you gave yourself the time to test your personal needs.
How does one do it?
Here is a quick checklist to nail down, no matter what the vehicle:
- Invest in an intelligent sleeping setup. Buy a suitable 0* sleeping bag (or quilt) AND a heavy blanket. I recommend recognizable name brands for the sleeping bag and wool for the blanket. You can always unzip or not use a blanket, but when it gets colder than you planned, you can’t magically conjure something you don’t already have.
- A 24-Hour franchised gym pass is the number one purchase to prioritize. Unlimited access to a warm shower and easy access to work out. Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness are the two most people I know of choose. An excellent rec center pass might be an even better option if you stay local to one area.
- Coffeeshops. Find your favorite for the wifi and outlets, and you will be set on the prolonged internet access and thirst satiation fronts. I find chains have more predictable outlet access but always prefer the coffee and community of local shops.
- JetBoil. You can prep water for oatmeal, instant meals, or coffee, in the parking lot, in a matter of 2–3 minutes.
- Cheap heated blanket to pre-warm your bed, wool socks, a soft flannel or thermal shirt, sweatpants, and a puffy down jacket (700 fill or higher is what you’ll want). I sleep better in joggers than loose sweatpants, but do what works! I never sleep in clothing “at home” but find it more comfortable while sleeping in a vehicle on a short or long-term basis.
