I too have often thought about going super-minimal. I would do it in a 2011 Ford Transit Connect hi-top mini cargo van fitted out with solar panels/batteries, memory foam bed, places to hang my bike and stash my run shoes and kitchen chuck box.
And then I read
the book Nomadland, which looked at the phenomenon of older adults taking their lives on the road. And the scales fell from my eyes.
In some cases they were people who lost income and savings during the Great Recession And were so financially stressed, they cashed out their remaining assets to invest in a perpetually declining asset, an RV, trailer or camper van.
At first, people feel the freedom of the road, and embrace the community of others they find choosing the same lifestyle. But when the money gets tight, the rig needs repairs, medical expenses crop up, these aging adults turn to a cycle of low-paid seasonal jobs.
Some work summer campgrounds or amusement parks, then there’s the sugar beet harvest (actually one of the more funny-scary chapters, as these beets weigh ten to 20 pounds and they’re being thrown at you.) And some work in Amazon fulfillment centers, putting in ten to 15 miles of walking a day.
The book talks about the communities of individuals that crops up on the road and in the various camp spots where people may park for months at a time.
Anyway, the book is fantastic, and it’s being made into a film that should be out by the time we can all go back to a theater together.
Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018