Are you really cut out to Live in a Van or Tiny Home?

Is Vandwelling Really For You?

Vandwelling or Tiny Home living seems to be a lifestyle that people either love or hate. While some people love McMansions and space and decorating their homes and entertaining, other people prefer a simpler way of life, or at least many people think they'd enjoy a simpler way of life.

I recently heard a stat that about half of people who buy or live in tiny homes are not living in them a year later. This leads me to believe many people who think they will enjoy this lifestyle may not really enjoy it in reality. That said I think it depends alot on your values and your lifestyle as well.

What Type of Person will Truly Enjoy Vandwelling?

While the idea of vandwelling is romantic, and while the idea of being minimal and not having a ton of stuff or a ton of space to take care of may seem very appealing, you really have to look at all aspects of your life to determine if Vandwelling truly is for you.

I think climate is a huge determining factor. In warmer climates people tend to utilize a lot of outdoor space. If you live in a climate like the midwest with a cold winter your going to be stuck in your van or small house for a vast majority of the year. That said if you live in a warmer climate with no winter or a very temperate winter you can enjoy your outdoor space most of the year. While people do live in vans in cold climates, just watch Youtube, the ideal location will be a warmer climate. 

If you like entertaining, Vandwelling may not be for you. I know on the Tiny House shows we see how furniture folds out of all types of crazy places and we see them entertaining half a dozen friends. In reality most people aren't going to want to hang out in a cramped van, and just the size limits how many people you can have over at a time. If you enjoy throwing dinner parties, entertaining family, etc Vandwelling may not be for you.

If you're a homebody Vandwelling may not be for you. I notice many Vandwellers, and many of the people who enjoy the lifestyle the most are people who are either travelers traveling the country or people who are into rockclimbing or other outdoor activities. They spend most of their time outside of the van either doing physical activity, hiking, camping, etc. 

If you're someone who enjoys chilling around the house reading, playing with your dogs, watching movies, having friends over, etc. Vandwelling may not be for you as while you may feel like you spend the vast majority of your time in one room at home, a lot of people find they need some space to move around and change locations even if just within the house. 

Lastly, if your someone who likes stability and routine Vandwelling may or may not be your cup of tea. While some people have friends or family who's property who they can live on, many Vandwellers are going to be constantly moving around from campground to campground, from friends house to friends house or from stealth parking spot to stealth parking spot. If your someone who likes a routine and consistancy Vandwelling may not be for you as one of the big draws of the lifestyle is the lack there of. 

What Type of Person will Enjoy Vandwelling? 

If you're someone who enjoys traveling and wants to spend time traveling the country Vandwelling is an excellent way to do it. You can travel for a fraction of the cost of hotels, you can park right near the landmarks you want to see and in the State and National Parks you want to visit. 

If you're someone who's a minimalist and someone who enjoys not having a lot of stuff to maintain you may enjoy vandwelling.

I especially think people who spend a lot of time out of the house may enjoy vandwelling. If your someone who only comes home to sleep and spend most of your time either hiking, biking, out and about at the library or wherever and spend very little time in your house or apartment the transition to vandwelling while still a challenge logistics wise with internet and laundry and showering, it will be a lot easier as your not someone cooped up in a van for hours per day.

Wrapping Up

To wrap up, the cost of trying out Vandwelling is going to be a lot less than buying a tiny house. For a couple thousand bucks you can either buy a van already outfitted, or do the work yourself. If you don't like it after a few months you should be able to recoup most of your money and go back to living in an apartment or house but if the above sounds like you it may be worth giving it a try. 

Vandwelling What to Expect Living in a Van

Van dwelling – What to expect?

Van dwellers are those people who live in their vans by choice. The reason of living in vans could be anything. Either they like to travel or they find it rather comfortable and cheaper to live in their vans. Living in vans may sound like a fascinating idea, but it can prove to be a tough one for you as you may have to leave some luxuries of life behind and make many compromises to live this kind of life.

A van used by van dwellers need to be equipped with different items to facilitate the person living in there. Read on to know about some of the problems faced by van dwellers and how they cope up with them.

Food and other eatables:

Food is one of the basic necessities of life. A van dweller obviously cannot take extra food with them reason being they do not have enough space. Secondly, the perishable items do not sustain for a longer period of time.

Some van dwellers like to keep a small sized fridge with them to store the food. Other keeps dry and canned foods with them as they can sustain for a longer period of time. It gets easier for them who do not eat animal or dairy products. The better option is to keep a limited supply of ingredients with you while traveling.

Toilet problem:

One of the toughest problems faced by van dwellers is toilet issue. Using public restroom can be an option. But other than that, you can carry pee-bottles with you or keep small chemical toilets which should be used for only emergency purposes.

If you are looking for van dwelling lifestyle, you need to say goodbye to your habit of taking shower daily. For taking showers, some truck shop offers shower services by charging a few bucks. If your idea is of staying in only one city, you can take gym membership and take shower there.

Internet access:

Internet access was a problem for van dwellers but not anymore. Many portable internet devices are available for them to use. Additionally, they can use mobile hotspots. Van dwellers can also find many free wifi internet spots like coffee shops, libraries etc.

The idea of van dwelling is to stay organized and more disciplined. Although, it is a way to save money but it requires discipline, work, and capital. Some people quit van dwelling after some time because either they find it difficult to get a parking place for their vehicle or because they start feeling lonely of living and traveling alone or simply because they get bored.

Van dwelling is not an easy thing to do; you need to take care of so many things before thinking of heading out for this experience. Things like what to take and what to leave, the condition of the vehicle, basic knowledge of repairing are few of the important aspects that you must need to know before experiencing the idea of van dwelling.

Is Air Quality A Concern Living In A Van Or Small Spaces In General?

Air quality is an important issue for our health. Though air quality is an important health issue for everyone, it's especially critical to myself as I have asthma. I'm more posting this looking for help, suggestions and advice even more so than myself sharing information because I imagine some of you current van dwellers out there can probably touch on this topic.

Air Quality Issues For Van Dwellers

Oftentimes when watching Youtube videos about vandwellers, I hear people talk about how they selected a certain type of material because it doesn't put off elements or odors which are harmful to people, animals and respiratory health overall. Being new to this whole vandwelling movement and not really being that familiar with construction or construction materials I am reaching out to you guys looking for assistance?

If anyone can comment on certain types of treated wood, carpets, plastics, insulation, or even paints put off harmful chemicals please list some of these in the comments section below, or if you'd like I'd love to invite you on to do a blog post on this very subject matter.

I would imagine living in a small space air quality is of even more importance since there is less air for harmful things to be dispersed among and because living in a small space like a van with not the best ventilation your sitting with stale air much more so as well.

I seem to notice many people who have completely wooded interiors mention they do so because wood doesn't put off harmful chemicals or odors like many plastics and other materials.

One last thing I wanted to comment on and ask of current vandwellers. I notice after getting home from a road trip and long driving I often don't feel the greatest, have a headache or breathing is a bit more difficult I wasn't sure whether to attribute this to being in a closed up car with stale air or just roadtrips in general. I am a smoker and driving can get boring so I do tend to smoke more. Also on roadtrips you tend to eat a bit more junkfood, get a bit less sleep, etc so though this could also attribute to feeling under the weather as well but I was curious if any current vandwellers can touch on the subject of whether they notice themselves getting ill more or having any respiratory problems after living in a van?

Lastly, if anyone would care to share any tips, tricks, how to's, or products that help with air circulation and keeping clean air in your van we would love to hear that as well.

I'm Considering Living In A Van

For a while now I've had an interest in small space living such as shipping containers, RV's, or even just a Tiny House. I've also been thinking about simplifying my life, living a more minimalist existance, and doing more traveling. So when I first discovered the concept of VanDwelling it obviously appealed to me.

Once I began doing research, I was quite surprised to see how big this movement and lifestyle really is as well as how many people are interested in it. There's quite a number of blogs, websites, forums, and even Youtube stations dedicated to this very topic. While some Vandwell out of necessity others do it because they like to travel, and some do it because they like the lifestyle.

VanDwelling - Living In A Van

I'm still on the fence and still investigating whether full-time van living is a possibility for me. I pretty much most definately plan on buying a van and converting a van into a camper, as to whether I live in the van full-time is another story. Not only do I have two dogs. I have a girlfriend who is allergic to my two dogs so living in a small space with dogs would be a challenge. Another challenge would be in the wintertime having two dogs cramped up in such a small space without anywhere to run around. This may be possible with a small dog or even a single dog, however I have two dogs. I have a 100 pound Olde English Bulldogge, and a smaller Chihuaha/Dachsund mix.

Like I said, I will most definately be buying a van and converting a van into a camper, whether it becomes a residence or just a mode of transportation for weekend trips is still up in the air. Regardless I wanted to document my entire journey from investigating which type of van would best fit my lifestyle, to planning out the design and layout of the van, to the actual construction and outfitting of the van, so that's what your in for.

As I'm in the preparation stages I'll probably share some of my research as well as thought process as well as some of my concerns about van living and how I plan to address them. In this process I would love for your guys questions, comments, and suggestions so please feel free to comment below all the articles if you have anything to add and at anytime if anyone is ever interested in doing some guest blogging give me a shout. Look forward to connecting with some of you current and future vandwellers out there.