Vandwelling 101 Vanlife Stealth and other trendy terms

Everyone uses the terms vanlife and stealth camping.  All of a sudden it's trendy and many experts abound. 

First of all,  someone will figure out you're in the van.  Most people don't pay a lot of attention. Most police don't bother you once they find out you're not drinking,  using drugs,  engaged in any illegal activities,  not begging or damaging anything.  If your vehicle doesn't look trashy and your license,  insurance,  and tags are up to date,  you'll find they aren't too bothered by you.  Also make sure you're legally parked. 

Businesses don't get upset as long as you don't abuse their property (including dumpsters), don't leave trash behind,  or interfere with their business.  

Be responsible.  Be considerate.  Don't draw attention to yourself. 

You'll find endless pages,  websites,  blogs,  and videos on how to rebel in lockstep with everyone else. How insane is that to rebel and conform ro all the other rebels.

That's not what vandwelling is about.  It's also not about feeling superior to those who chose a more traditional life. 

It's merely a different way of life.  It's not about begging or living free on public land.  Freedom isn't the absence of responsibility.

It's a highly skilled lifestyle. Everything you've taken for granted will have to be relearned.  Power,  water,  bathing,  personal hygiene,  belongings,  cooking,  eating,  trash disposal,  and dealing with human waste all must be relearned and thought about. 

It's not turning a van into a house or homemade rv.

It's thinking about every aspect of life and how you do it.  It's also about getting rid of distractions and knowing who you are. 

Solitude versus isolation.

Life still happens,  it's not a way of running away or a magic elixir to fix all your problems.  

The photos of that cute couple,  a van is small for one person,  add a partner and a pet,  and even the best relationships can be strained. 

And you'll find that person who blogs or does videos is not the bigger than life hero but an ordinary person in real life,  myself included.  

I've no major answers to the questions of life in a van,  just lots of experience and lots of learning from my own mistakes.  Mainly i know that vans break down and die,  and no matter what happens I've a few friends that care. 

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Welcome to life in or out of a van

Ok time for some more Lou mythbusting

Ok You know all those ones you think are really together and Expert

Here is reality as i am and have seen

First of all my van is never as neat or perfect as i wish. Some days the van and i are a hot mess. And some days you'd think I've lost what little sense i may have ever had

And far from having my poop in a group...some days it's spattered and far flung

I love those quiet boring Serene days

But between dogs and life and friends and things that crop up...lol

When i hear a strange noise in van I'm like omg oh hell no.
Organised and money perfect...nope not even close

My van will never be Shown as the nice set up

My van has been muh home for years. It's not got an official name. And i was surprised to be recognized. (Parts of van views plus really cute dog blew my cover)

My van is home. I'm actually pretty ordinary and dont stand out that much

Potty jugs still get spilled very rarely now
The dog had pooped all over my clesn sleeping bag. And something either finds three black hole in the van or a perfectly stored and secured item decides to go flying.

The coffee will get knocked over. And guess what i did on last two days

Left lights and and battery dead
Tonight it was being so busy i forgot to get gas. Engine stalled at light. Made it safely to station on fumes

My point is this

I'm good because I've made every mistake and then some.

The difference is
The other day when the hightop green 73 died. No panic. Trust me i had no time. But so used to the drill
Stranger pushed me off gas pump and coasted to good spot.
Went on store and told them. They are used ti it by now. Hooked 12v van in and turned on. Cold pop. Charged phone. Pulled front curtains for shade

And I'm not unique.
I could tell you at least a dozen of us old experienced ones take turns in this area.

Hell I'm so used ti vehicle being dead at gas pump it's more oh hell than omg

I had 2 or 3 months with zero van breaking something

It's this simple
Something will go wrong
You will be stranded and stuck..maybe an hour maybe weeks.

This is life. In a van or a house
.

And eventually you'll sometimes instead of fear..know ah shit me too here we go again

You'll handle it. Somehow we always do.  Breathe

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Vandwelling 101 - The Holiday Blahs

Many full time vandwellers are often far from family and friends during the holidays.

Some like to get tougher with others, some prefer to be alone at this time of year.

Here's what my thoughts and actions are at that time of year.

First of all, I'm not Christian. Although the holidays are very secularised, they are basically Christian religious holidays. Make no mistake. I'm not anti-Christian. Feel free to say Merry Christmas and celebrate your holiday. I'll treat you with just as much respect as i do other religions.

I don't measure my happiness based on how many people send me cards or gifts while ignoring me the rest of the year. It reminds me of those who base their view of themselves based on how many Facebook friends, likes, shares, or reactions to their posts.

I pay attention to my friends online who are feeling down or alone. Often just a few words letting the person know that it's ok to not always be ok helps them get through a tough period. By the way, i do that all year around, not just during Christmas holidays.

I stock up on favorite foods and snacks. I find a place where i can legally park with free WiFi. I treat myself to a mini vacation from people and things. This is my time to myself to rest and recharge, a time of reflection and solitude.

Solitude is much different than loneliness. I'm grateful for all that i have and that the need for excessive things is not part of me. I remember that I'm lucky enough to have the luxury of choice, to not measure my worth based on possessions, but on experience and friends. I'm rich in that.

So rather than be blue about what you don't have this holiday season but be happy focused on how much you do actually have.

Good coffee to you. See you down the road

Lou (and Kira)

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Vandwelling 101- Making $ On The Road

There are many ways to make money while on the road. I'm not talking about begging or busking, but real work and real skills.

First of all, let's redefine jobs or working. Instead of a traditional 40 hour job that you work for someone else, let's look at what skills you have that someone else will pay you to do.

I don't have any marketable skills you say...bull is what i say.

A job is anything someone will pay you to do. Let's confine all discussions to legal skills and honest labor. Let's also stay or of questionable areas. No selling paraphernalia "for tobacco use only."

People are busy nowadays. Some of the odd jobs they will pay you to do are: cook, clean, do laundry, yard work, walk the dogs, watch the children, water the garden, weed the garden, clean out a garage or storage shed. 

In the winter, shoveling snow and sidewalks can be very lucrative. 

In New Mexico, code enforcement issues like weeds or painting the house number on the curb is another good way to earn money. 

If you are willing to work, you can often find ways to make money legally. 

I am able to accept payment from debitcards and credit cards using the PayPal Here app and the PayPal card reader. The app is free, the card reader is also free. 

PayPal charges a small fee on each transaction. It protects both the buyer and the seller. The money is available instantly in my PayPal account. I have the PayPal debit card so i can instantly use the money at any store or withdraw cash from my account.

I can advertise free on Craigslist, the OfferUp app, or the Letgo app. 

It is important to have more than one way to make money. 

Today i picked up a writing gig, editing and fixing up a resume. Every few dollars adds up. 

See ya down the road,

Lou

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Vandwelling 101- revisiting free entertainment

I get tired of being online on social media. I also like going where there is no internet or cell signal.

So, what can you do for free entertainment?

I love having audio books on hand. My second favorite...the old time Radio drama serials. You can find many of them online and download for off grid listening. I'll often put one in while doing routine cleaning or organizing tasks. There are millions of books out there.

Don't discount the old battery operated walkman Cassette players. You can find old audio books cheap or free out there on cassette tape. I used to have a box that was 2 ft by 2 ft by 6 ft full of the old cassette audio books. Use the solar yard lights with AA battery as a solar battery charger. Borrow the cassette books on tape from a library. Copy using the old dual deck boom box. Listen at your leisure.

That old smartphone that's no longer hooked up to the internet, it's a cheap mp4 player now. Chances are you have one hidden away in a drawer. You can transfer movies, songs, and digital Audiobooks to it by usb cable from your laptop.

Taking photos. I bought a canon elp digital camera complete for $5 at a Flea market. It works great. It came with a 32gb SD card. Easy enough to slip in my Laptop and copy. I have an old universal battery charger that charges the battery.

Then there are crafts like knitting, crocheting, or weaving. You cut your old clothes and cloth items into one inch spirals. You roll them up like a ball. You ate them set up to crochet rugs, blankets, or weave. The old ways from our great great grandparents.

I can sit quietly for hours and watch the birds, the animals, the trees, and the lakes. I really believe that a half hour viewing the sunset or the sunrise is beneficial to anyone.

These are just a few of the things i do that are very cheap or free. Try some, see what works for you

See you down the road

Lou

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Vandwelling 101- Lights

Let's talk lighting in a van

First of all, the Luci light.

So many friends swore by it,i bought one to try. It was about S16 at Wal-Mart. Useless in my opinion. When it works, it works well.

The plastic inflatable was difficult to use.

The battery had almost no capacity. On low it might last 3-4 hours. It took longer and longer to charge. Within two months it required 3 days charging for two hours of light.

My opinion...a gadget not worth the money.

My GO XT dc powered tube light was $5. It's been in 4 of my vans. The light is a blueish light. It illuminates alot of the van. It does need to be plugged into dc socket. The switch is on the dc plug, the cord easily stretched the length of my old e250 extended length van.

My opinion- Hell Yes it's worth $5

My favorite, my Kaito Voyager solar/crank/battery weather radio. Yes it's a radio. I paid about $40 for mine.

With an internal battery, a space for 3 AA batteries, and it can also easily charge by usb.

Useful and bright, ith several charging methods. It will last a full night or two, is bright enough to read by.

My opinion- highly recommend. It's useful as a light and it's a multi functional device

My newest, I'm in love already with the bayco 36 LED light. At roughly $18, comes with both car charger and standard house charger. Recharge time is only 3-4 hours. It works 4 hours on high or 10 on the lower flashlight setting.

It's orange which makes it easy to spot. The hanging clip and the magnetic clip are gravy on an already good deal.

My opinion- highly recommend.

There are many choices out there. I do like having more than one type of light.

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Vandwelling 101-OMG ...I'm Stuck...What Do I Do

Getting stuck...snow or soft sand or mudholes

On my timeline, a friend has gotten stuck a couple of times in soft desert sands. I'm from Michigan. Had to be towed off 4 inch thick ice covered in snow.

Time to pass on a few things I know. This is one of the topics you want to prepare for but hope you never use.

Carry a couple of boards...you put under the drive tires. Older vans rear wheels
Cars and suv or minivan often front wheel drive.
Vehicles have steer tires (the front ) that turn and steer the vehicle. Drive tires move the vehicle down the road.some vehicles are front wheel drive, some rear wheel drive, some are 4x4, some are awd (all wheel drive)

Straighten tires so you're going straight forward or back

Carry a good tow strap.

Know how much your vehicle weighs. Any vehicle pulling you out needs tow capacity to pull your vehicle from dead weight.  Vans 4000-6000 pounds.

If you have tow strap and boards...find someone from the snow belt to pull you out...we are kinda experienced at this.

Also look up and learn weight distribution...it's important

You can use floor mats, old carpet, or cardboard also to increase traction.

Partially deflating tires (carry a 12v tire pump and a tire gauge to reinflate them after getting "unstuck"