Lots of these series online. I like this build done in BC with bike specific storage. Lots of tiny house tours etc. A toy hauler trailer conversion might be better for a family.

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2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

So where do you set up the bridge and mahjong table, in that thing :0) (in the winter, this is Canada).
And where do I keep the piano....does it get Netflix.....:0)
And in a truck, she said,I can have any car I like
as long as it's a Mercedes.
oh well
pw

The diesel emissions thing scares me, as does the added maintenance expense. If I were going to buy a van to convert tomorrow it would be the Ford Transit Ecoboost, 170" wheelbase, high roof. Can still fit into most standard parking spaces but roomy, engine has some get up and go, all the modern safety features (forward collision warning etc.), should be pretty cheap to maintain and repair.

I used to have a diesel truck / travel trailer setup, and I would do something similar when I push the retirement button. My wife and I would travel around a month at a time, mostly to Colorado and Utah. Fantastic trips and RVs are a great way to explore national parks and do outdoor activities.

A couple of things we learned:

* As much fun as it was to be away from home, I don't think I could live full time out of an RV. I like having a home base, especially since we have so much stuff. When I retire, I plan to downsize our home and get another truck / RV setup, although probably a fifth wheel next time.

* Using an RV for extended trips, you cannot have too much space. Our travel trailer was 34' long (4' was the tongue), which is on the large end for a TT, and it was very nice having plenty of kitchen space to cook and living room space to hang out.

* If you're going to tow an RV, skip the 1/2 ton truck and get at least a 3/4 ton. Even better if it's diesel but not necessarily required if the RV isn't too large. I've done every combination of towing with a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton truck to pull enclosed car trailers, utility trailers, and travel trailers. The 1/2 ton is okay for short trips but the heavy duty truck is so much better for long trips.

* I liked having a separate truck / RV so that you can separate your living quarters from your mode of transportation. I know a lot of folks tow a small vehicle behind a Class A, which is also a good option and what my parents do with their Class A and a Jeep Wrangler. Class A vs truck / RV is an entirely separate debate.

For anyone looking at a Class A, check out Motorhome Specialists RV near Dallas. They're one of the largest dealers in the country. You don't have to buy from them, but it's a good site to check for market prices.

I have a Sprinter 2500. It's an '07 been xc several times. No probs with maintenance. Mercedes diesel. What I love about it among other things is that I can roll into a rest stop, park in a regular space and climb in the back and sleep, then fire up some coffee and roll on. Trick it out properly and you'll have a blast.
As for housing, 1500 sq ft of well designed prefab on a low maintenance lot is a nice compliment to the Sprinter. Pull the door shut and go.

Freedom isn't free, but it's not expensive.

Great thread. Any thoughts/recommendations on the rooftop tents? Obviously not the answer for the longer travel stays, but seems like a low cost, relatively straight-forward option for the shorter outings. I'm not much of a camper (yet) but entering mid-50's thought it might be fun way to get away w/ the dogs and my bride for a few days at a time?

Assuming you have the kind of vehicle that can hold a rooftop tent, I’ve always viewed those as great if you’re moving around frequently, such as over landing. But if you’re setting up camp in a single place for a long weekend, it’s a lot cheaper and more spacious to use a traditional tent.

Check out a youtube channel called Trail Recon. It’s geared toward overlanding and 4WD, but he has a lot of gear specific videos, including rooftop tents.

Thanks - will check it out. We were thinking the rooftop tent option would be much easier/quicker to set up, as well as more comfortable for sleeping. And while we know if animals are really interested in us, they can climb up on jeep. But my wife likes the idea of being 5 feet off the ground :-)

That's before the emissions issues. The older ones are good.


Indeed. When I was a vagabond in the 90s, I lived on $3k/yr. For everything. Best time of my life.

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.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

My wife and I retired a few years ago. We ended up living in Florida. We bought a house with no mortgage and bought a Thor Motor Home. We traveled from here to Virginia/Tenessee twice, once to Galveston, TX. Then we did the biggie. We drove from Florida to Seattle. My right hip went bad during the trip, I"d already replaced the left one 4 years ago. It took us 5 weeks to get across the country. We had lots of fun and saw tons in our travels. We sold the RV in Seattle. We took a 1 week trip to Victoria BC in a rental car. We then took a last minute 1 week cruise to Alaska!! Holy, sh*t, everyone should do that one, its gorgeous!! Then flew home. It ended up being a 2 month vacation.

The RV was a hand full to care for. As we bought a newer model, the only problem we had was a broken windshield from a rock. It was replaced by our insurance for free while we were in LasVegas.

'Garage' under bed accessible from the back, have mounts for 2 bikes but can get 3 in fairly easily, 200W of solar on the roof. Used for camping trips and bike events, so dont usually travel solo, and dont live in it :)

We decided not to wait for retirement and bought a travel trailer about 2.5 years ago. We have no kids but three dogs, one of whom is 11 years old and a tripod and made tent camping difficult because he can't walk far anymore but its great to be able to have them with us rather than trying to find dog-sitters when we want to travel. We have spent around 150 nights in it so far and have rarely gone more than a couple of hours away from home, but just love to get away usually at least once a month. Sometimes just for the weekend and sometimes if we are somewhere within commuting distance we'll stay through the week - this is even easier now with working from 'home'. Finishing a day's work and having a beer by the campfire or waking up to sound of waves crashing on the beach is pretty sweet! It actually played a big part in us deciding to move last year out of the city to a more rural location (with room to store the trailer in our yard) and we ended up living it it for a month during the move. For our current usage the truck/trailer combo is perfect, but we also want to do more major road-tripping once retired and for that kind of travel I think a self-contained RV/camper wins over the trailer.

What was surprising about it? A good number of people in our society are quite poor... of all ages. The poor nomads working crappy jobs to scrape by are the exception though, not the rule. And you certainly won't become one of them just because you go the low budget route.

What was surprising about it? A good number of people in our society are quite poor... of all ages. The poor nomads working crappy jobs to scrape by are the exception though, not the rule. And you certainly won't become one of them just because you go the low budget route. //

That's what I was thinking too, ours would be an affirmative choice to live this way, where the Nomads are forced into it. We actually get to quit it whenever, theirs continues until their situations either improve, or deteriorate to pushing a shopping cart in some park.


I think I'm honing in on what my rig will be. A bit partial to the Mercedes diesel platform, need the triple pop out model though. Then I send it to these guys for the final and most badass retro fit;
https://whitefeather4x4conversions.com

If I decide to go with gas(probably Ford V10), I can get a few more feet, like 27 to 29ft, and then I send it to these guys here for the ultimate family Baja vehicle.
https://www.ujointoffroad.com

If you have a minute, check out the galleries from these two sites, they make me wet...

I've been teaching my daughter to drive in the Costco parking lot late at night and around back there is a small community of 4-5 RVs that are there all the time. They are pretty beat up Rvs for most part.

That build is sweet! Is that a 144" wheelbase?

Yep, build is really great, van is pretty old (220k miles) but with good care these things can last for 3-4x that.

Thanks for the question. And you’re right, the poor have always been with us.

The revelation was that so many people thought it could be a sustainable lifestyle and were caught up short by the realization that they couldn’t handle rising insurance premiums and medical bills, the physical strain of the few jobs available to them or the expense of the RV as it deteriorated with time and mileage.

And not to turn this thread into one focused on whiteness, wealth and privilege, I was educated by the author’s observation that the permanent RV lifestyle — both rich and poor — is mostly white. She wrote that Black and Latino people have not felt welcomed or included in a lot of outdoor spaces, including the RV life. She wrote that boondocking — parking on streets or non-official camping places — is far more difficult for non-white people because they don’t get the pass from many law enforcement officers that white people do.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

I'm not the least surprised that people fail to budget for what things actually cost them. And they don't prepare for typical "emergencies". If their entry point into this life is being broke and destitute, then they are likely to have problems... like they would anywhere.

I mentioned earlier that in the 90s til 2003 I lived on $3k/yr for everything. Even had health insurance! In today's money you'd probably need $5-6k. I made a very conservative estimate in the beginning that I'd spend $10k/yr or so, and I had $100k saved up. I put the money in long term CDs, and I had $140k at the end of 13 years.

Low budget vagabonds are frequently harassed by cops regardless of race. At least if they are guys... women probably get better treatment. Minorities probably have it worse, but then they do everywhere else, so that wouldn't be surprising. I met a good number of blacks and latinos living this way when I spent some time in Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara, and also at Rainbow Gatherings, but usually I was camped in the boonies far from people.

I looked up the beet harvest. You work your butt off for 2 weeks and make $2k. That isn't bad if you happen to be close, but if you are driving 1000 miles each way to get there, then forget it. The only job I had while I was living in my truck, was a couple seasons at Bryce Canyon at the tail end. I netted ~$15k in 7 months working as a waiter at the Lodge, and got unemployment the rest of the year. 2 years of that netted enough money to last for 8-10 years of not working. If you need to make money then a good tipped seasonal position at a resort is the way to go I think.

You might be interested in the Cheap RV Living channel and site.
https://www.youtube.com/c/CheapRVliving/videos
https://www.cheaprvliving.com/

Thought you might like this. Already 4wd and a quality make (that went out of business recently). A few dollars on wheels, tires, and suspension and it should be decent offroad.

https://www.rvtrader.com/...e-TRIUMPH-5013508349