A Van Is NOT A House Vandwelling 101-1

One of the most important lessons is that while my van is my home, it is not a house. There is a learning curve and adjustment period when starting out.

I can almost see the puzzled looks and hear you thinking that I've lost my mind. I really haven't flipped my lid. Let's take a moment and explore this idea.

Usually a house has electric and you plug in or flip a switch. It has running water, a shower, and many things you think are necessities...but what if they aren't?

Living in my van is different from an apartment, a RV, or even camping. By discarding the ideas of making it a mobile house or a camper, we can approach the lifestyle from a completely new perspective rather than a pale imitation of sticks and bricks housing.

Let's make a list of what we really need. Everyone's list will be slightly different. I'm just going to go over some of the basics.

You need to be able to sleep comfortably. You need somewhere or way to store clothes.

You'll want to eat, cook, and stay clean.  Theres the matter of staying cool when it's hot or warm when its cold outside.

There's the matter of peeing and pooping.
These are everyday functions that we rarely think about how we accomplish them. Or we just try to adapt methods more suited to a fixed abode.

Looking at them in a fresh manner without preconceived ideas leads to an easier lifestyle.

You really don't need to wire your entire van like a house. In fact I rarely use the type of power used in a house. 12v dc (direct current) is much simpler, easier to learn and almost anyone can easily learn to safely do your own power system.

Sleeping. It's actually one of the easier parts of vandwelling to figure out and build your bed. Several types of comfortable beds don't require any actual building.

Your water system can vary from really simple to actual running water.

Storage for clothes, food, kitchen items can be modular or fancy custom builds.

Entertainment... Oh lots of variety and potential in this area. To TV or not to TV. How do I power my laptop? Where do I sit/lounge. Internet. Arggggh so many choices.

Showers and bathing...solar shower? Gym membership? Outside Showers?

How do I prepare meals? Do I want/need a fridge? How much power do I need?

Is your head spinning yet?

This lifestyle can be much simpler. You can actually start out with basics, and as you gain experience, your wants/needs will change.

A dear friend of mine had 4 batteries for power. She's now planning on selling two of them. Another person I know installed a 2000 watt inverter running off a second battery that was charged by her vehicle when running. We often buy more than we need when starting out.

Another person I know of is such a minimalist that she has 1 fork, 1 spoon, 1 bowl.

There are so many variations in this lifestyle from one extreme to the other.

I'll show you how to start with basic comforts. That'll get you going, there is a learning curve to this lifestyle and many buy way more than they need and have so little room that finding what you want is more work than necessary.

As you actually start vandwelling and gain experience, you'll start to figure out what your personal priorities are and you'll make better decisions about how to customise your van and amenities so that it truly is your home and lifestyle based on what is important to you.

That being said, this lifestyle doesn't suit everyone. This way, you can try it without totally overwhelming yourself.

Hopefully this introduction has caused you to think and ask questions.

See you around, more to come in the future.