Vans..... The perfect RV, or claustrophobic nightmare ?

Roses are red, violets are blue, clicking the pics, says something about you.

Some boondocking neighbors of mine are hard at work turning their class "A" RV into a sailing ship of some kind, maybe a schooner, or possibly a pirate ship. I'm hoping it's a pirate ship because then their class "A" would be a class "Arrrr"........ Sorry, I just couldn't pass that up.

Vans.... To full-time or not to full-time? That is the question. Is a camper van, either homemade or factory-built, the right vehicle for "comfortable," and I emphasize the word comfortable, full-time living?

I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who one day will be an old man. At the moment, I'm advanced middle-aged, so I will have to use my imagination to determine the viability of living in a van for those that already have both feet planted deep into geezerdom....

I apologize for my use of the words "planted deep," I've been informed those words are offensive to the elderly and I shouldn't use any words or phrases that describe old geezers as being below ground level, on the wrong side of the turf, counting earthworms, or as birdwatchers like to say, fallen off their perch. I will try and be more sensitive in the future.

I have some experience dealing with this van question because I have traveled in a homemade camper van in the past.  And although not full-time, I've traveled extensively in two pop-up slide-in truck campers which actually have about the same amount of living space as your average van. So living for weeks in a tiny space is not new to me.

There are so many variables about living in a van it's hard to know where to start, so I will begin with, your comfort level might depend on your age. Vans are relatively small compared to ordinary RVs. And the more stuff you put in them, be it cabinets and beds, or just the stuff you can't live without, like your clothing, your cooking utensils, and your antique cannonball collection, they get even smaller.

Even though most vans I see in my travels have two people camping in them, because of their relatively small size I would think it would be far more comfortable for a solo traveler. Less clothes, less food, less everything, will give you a lot more room to turn around, and even walk around without bumping into something or someone.

And if you're old and geezerly moving around in them and bending over to reach things that your used to having at eye level, can be a challenge, which you can tolerate at first but becomes more and more despised the more you do it. So size is one of its problems for full-timing. And I believe the older you are, and the larger you are, the more of a problem it will become.


The only other things I can think of that are a bit of a problem is the factory-built ones are costly for what you get, they often cost more than a small class "A."  There's not a whole lot of room on the roof for solar panels, which is a big deal for me. And if you have an engine problem, your transportation AND your home sits in the shop for a week.

There's also the problem of relatively small holding tanks. This won't be a problem if you're going to be staying in RV parks and plan on dealing with decreasing vacancies, and ever-increasing rates, but it might be if you want to boondock for longer periods of time, and have to find a place to dump your tanks every week or more. There are some ways around this, which I will touch on in the future. But keep in mind vans probably aren't going to have enough room for big holding tanks and lots of propane to keep you warm, your food cooked, and your refrigerator running.

But despite the drawbacks, I've managed to live in small van like spaces without giving up too much comfort, and I've talked to more than a few folks who are full-timing in their vans, and they all say they enjoy it. But I've only spoken to one person who was about my age, and he was a dyed in the wool vanner that said he had been living in a van for over 20 years, and still enjoys it. Most of the other folks I've talked to were middle-aged or less and probably didn't have any of the geezer problems I expect I will eventually have in 10 or 15 years.

I still have more to say on this subject, surprise surprise. Tomorrow, I will talk about some of the good things about van camping of which there are many. But as we all know, any RV is a trade-off requiring you to appreciate the good and learn to deal with the bad, if you want to be a happy camper.

                                               theboondork

My neighborhood. I'm almost surrounded by vans. And speaking of surrounded, I've been here almost 2 weeks now.... My how the time flies..... And almost all the folks that were here when I arrived are still here.

I wonder if word has got around that because of the Bat flu the Bureau Of Land Management is not enforcing the two week stay rule. But then again I never noticed them enforcing it before.

This van has a few dents and dings, but it's still on the road. My guess would be, based on no solar panels on the roof, and a couple of gas cans sitting outside, that this boondocker has a generator.

Some vans are really loooong.

Some vans are really short. I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted this boondocker using a very rare camping tent designed for folks who prefer to sleep standing up. It keeps you off the cold ground, but you have to zip up your sleeping bag all the way or it will fall off during the night.