Van Life, A New Journey.

Hello everyone, it's time for a new project! I have been shopping around for cargo and conversion vans the past several months and have it narrowed down to two that I am going to look at tomorrow. One is a 1994 Dodge Ram Van 250, and the other is a 1993 Ford E-150 Van. Both around similar miles and price range. Here is the plan!

I am going to purchase one of these vans and start the conversion, making it into a camper van. I will be pretty much gutting out the whole van, insulating it, putting in custom hardwood floors, lighting, solar panels and battery bank/wiring, water holding tanks, full size bed, refrigerator, stove, toilet, shower, television. This thing is going to be livable and capable of being off the grid for up to 2 weeks at a time.

That being said, I will be updating this thread routinely with videos, pictures, and how to posts with van life, van conversions, and just cool things along the adventure. Once the van is complete I am going to travel the country again. Whoop. Im also going to be filming and documenting this from day 1 and will upload as much as I can on here as well as on my Youtube channel. I will drop in soon and update the thread if I end up getting one of the vans. Thanks for reading!

 

Sounds cool freedom, always wanted to do something like that

There's a lot of people who will pull funding from programs like kickstarter and do this

If you think you could put together a pretty good documentary, I'd suggest it, people dig that stuff up

 

DID do that in Hawaii. Wonderful way to live. Bought a bread van and converted it.

 

Here is a video I created today of a tour of my new van, before any modifications have been made. This is how I recieved the van. Lots of work to be done, updates coming soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y17S7LKxzBE

 

So cool Any updates?

 

I've been living in my 1995 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE since the 26th of last year. I love it. I could go with a bigger van, but it is what it is, and maybe some day I can trade her for something else. Right now, I'm looking to join a commune, so I may just give up the van life.

 

Yes! Have been living the van life for awhile now and love it, right now im in Florida but in a few days im going to Beluxi Mississippi, then to Louisiana! Not a worry in the world, I am joining an organization called WWOOF so I can work in exchange for a place to park the van and sleep as well as "room and board" and meals. Also in exchange for my work I get to learn about organic farming methods and lots of other cool things! I have sort of been neglecting my youtube channel but have been recording videos along the way and plan to edit and upload them all in the near future!

 

If you could dm me some info on WWOOF, that would be the coolest thing ever man. Very interested in van dwelling, and that organization sounds awesome.

Thanks man, and safe travels!

 

I started living out of a van in 1980 or there abouts. I did it on an off. I have a converted van now, an econoline 350. I have a bed with storage under it. I have a place I call the wardrobe to hang my clothes. I have a cooler and a butane stove. I lived out of it in 2014 and 15. I roamed the west coast, mostly around Arcata. Before that I had a Ranger pickup and an old camper. I spent a lot of time in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada at that time. I recommend getting familiar with FreeCampsitesDOTCOM and local laws so you don't get nailed for camping in the wrong place. Cops can be real assholes if they think you are just another homeless person. I am going back to Oregon and Northern Cal in May. Good Luck.

 

I know a couple of people who did the WOOF thing. One of them went to an organic farm in Portugal. She came back in a month and a half. She did not like it at all. I heard most of the places just want to use you and give nothing in return.

 

I worked with a lot of woofers when I was picking fruit in bc. They would take on other jobs like that in between woofing if they could to make actual money. Most of them said that some farm owners were nice and fed them well but others weren't great. Although most of the people I worked with had only done woofing in canada and the US.

 

Hi MatteKat, I hear you and would say you've got good reports from the Woofers. I would think that a volunteer would get treated better in Canada than in Portugal or some other remote place. I've been to Canada more than a hundred times since the seventies, mostly as a produce and meat trucker. I was always treated well in Canada. I only had Union trouble once, in Milton, Ontario, near Toronto. Overall, I would say Canada is one of the most polite and civil countries that I have visited. The USA can be rough, if a traveler or hitch-hiker gets caught alone in a crazy place like Dallas or Phoenix. California is sort of sleepy, because most people you meet just got done smoking something that made them sleepy. My favorite drive across Canada was from Calgary to Abbotsford. I loved going through Rogers Pass and Golden and Kicking Horse Pass and Salmon Arm. I used to deliver truck parts to Penticton and then drive the mountain highway to Richmond when I was finished.

 

Penticton is where I was fruit picking and working various other jobs for a couple summers. It's beautiful there I would love to go back some day.

 

I think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I think it is highway number 3 that cuts across to the west from there to Abbotsford and Langely and all the others. That road was beautiful. I knew some people who volunteered at Michael Beauchard Gardens in Vancouver Island. Some day I hope I can sail from the Puget Sound up that way, maybe all the way to Ketchikan and Sitka and Haines.