I've been living in a van with my S.O. for 2 years now while
we finish our degrees. We initially bought the van to live in overt he summer
in AZ while we had summer jobs since we had to travel alot and didn't want to
pay rent for somewhere we would never be. We decided we liked van life and
continued to live there even in winter in Northern
Michigan. We had the van insulated with spray-foam insulation and
additionally we stay warm with thick down sleeping bags. We really don't have a
problem staying warm with the down and the insulation. We crack the windows
slightly at night for ventilation, but I am not too worried about CO2 since the
gaskets on the doors have dry rotted slightly and allow in oxygen as well. We
don’t have much living space in the van but we really only sleep there. We have
a queen sized bed and with storage underneath and a small area that we can
change clothes in, place our backpacks, etc. The van has no back windows and
you cannot tell form the outside that its anything other than a contractor van,
in fact it is: We use it to deliver packages for one of our summer jobs.
Because there are no windows we don’t have to worry about anyone who might
think it’s bad if someone sleeps in a vehicle (not that it’s any of their
business). At night we park in public parking areas where you are allowed to
park overnight, this sometimes includes park-and–ride lots. When we travel we
often park in neighborhoods or apartment complexes. We only stay a night and
often don’t even leave the car. I would not want to anger anyone or creep them
out by parking in front of their house, so I try to park where I will be out of
the way. As for cooking we eat out a lot, but we did this when we lived in an
apartment as well. We sometimes cook on a small camp stove in the car and we
wash our dishes with a little soap and water in an appropriate place, as in not
onto someone’s front lawn but maybe in the woods, or perhaps at a sink on
campus, being careful not to leave behind a mess. Dishes are not a big to-do as
we usually eat pasta or soup in two bowls with two spoons total. I sometimes
toss the bowls in my backpack for the day and give them a quick rinse when I
get the chance. Something I am sometimes asked about is where we go to the
bathroom. This is really a non issue. We don’t really just hang out in our van
during the day, we tend to be busy at work or school, so if were in the van
it’s usually for a quick nap or for reading. I try to use the bathroom before I
settle down for the night, so in a building on campus, perhaps the place we had
dinner at, or a friends house who we were visiting. If it so happens that
nature calls during the night I just squat in the bushes in front of someone’s
house… I’m joking, I have learned to use a wide mouth bottle to pee in if
necessary, it’s no big deal to me in the middle of the night. The next day I
will bring that bottle to a toilet with me (in a backpack so it’s not so
obvious) and dispose of it, rinsing the bottle out and reusing it for a week perhaps
before replacing it with another bottle.
During the day we are in classes or studying on campus. We use the showers in
the gym on campus and don’t really have any trouble staying clean.
Neither of us had very many possessions so we didn’t have
much trouble fitting our things in the van. I’m sort of a minimalist, if you
couldn’t tell, and I really scoff at people who pay for a storage unit. Perhaps
that’s because I don’t own much of value besides a really nice sleeping bag
(yup $300). I like living in a van because I always have what I need with me.
If I want to go away for the weekend I have only to buckle my seat belt and I’m
ready. I can take a nap practically anywhere… and in my own bed too! I save
lots of money on rent, obviously. I probably use a little more gas than I would
if I were in a house, and spend more on oil changes, repairs, maintenance, but
I have no electric bill, heat, cooling, phone line, water, TV, internet, or any
of those things. With the money I save I can afford to take more trips… and
like I said before, I’m ready for a trip at a moment’s notice. Some people
consider those who live in vehicles to be homeless, and think their lives are
quite retched. I don’t mind occasionally brushing my teeth in public (I
actually have always done so because I brush after lunch) for the opportunity
to travel more, have infinite convenience, and a simpler life without material
excess. I think many people who may be opposed to vehicle living have the wrong
idea in mind, and perhaps worry about crazy people doing their laundry in their
front yard, or shitting in their tulips. I think many people wouldn’t
personally like to live in a vehicle and think that anyone who does must be
really desperate. There certainly are examples of this, and I don’t mean in any
way to disregard the struggles of someone who is living in a car by necessity
instead of choice. The culture of suspicion surrounding people who live in
vehicles makes me sometimes secretive about my choices. I certainly don’t
advertise about my lifestyle (except on my blog of course). I sometimes worry
that the local police will “discover” that I am living in my van; I know it is
illegal to sleep in a vehicle in some places. I think that it is important to
accept people without undue judgment. I am causing no harm to anyone by my lifestyle
choices. I have heard it said that car dwellers should be unwelcome in
communities because they don’t pay taxes. I certainly pay income tax and sales
tax. I don’t pay property taxes and probably never will because I don’t much
aspire to home or land ownership. I hope if you’re interested in alternative
lifestyles that you enjoyed this writing, and that perhaps it provided a
different perspective or at least an entertaining read.
