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stealth camping

Van life in Vancouver
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Van life in Vancouver

Wow, that is my first thought about Atli and how she lives! She is a part-time bus driver, she can afford to work part time because she doesn’t have rent or other major housing expenses. Before Atli started her mobile life, she noticed a few other fellow bus drivers living under a bridge next to where they all worked, they lived in vans and were actually teased about being the “trolls under the bridge”, but instead of joining in on the good natured teasing, Atli decided she wanted to be one of those trolls.

Atli purchased and with the help of her dad, converted a commercial looking van into her home. I love that her dad helped her in this, that so reminded me of my dad, even the pictures of Atli’s dad made me think of my dad, it is so very sweet.

The van is very non-descript, she can park it anywhere and not draw attention, something that helps keep her safe, no one is going to pay attention to what looks like any ordinary commercial van, she purposely kept that appearance by not installing windows on the sides and by building in a bulkhead with a small door just behind the front seats. That also helps with privacy.

With the lack of windows, Atli felt that she needed to have some natural outdoor lighting so she installed a skylight right above her bed in the back, this not only gives extra natural light, she can look at the stars from the comfort of her bed. Atli also installed 2 roof vents, one has a fan, the other does not, this helps with ventilation, especially in the warmer more humid times of the year.

The van is fully insulated, not only to help keep the temps more enjoyable, it also keeps down condensation from the inside metal surfaces. Atli used a lot of wood in her van, personally I would have not used the tongue and groove wood as it does add a lot of weight, I would have preferred a lighter (weight) paneling, maybe something that had a light colored finish, but that is merely my opinion, everyone has their ideas.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how much room she has inside this van, it’s not cluttered or crowded at all, she can fully stand up and walk around, there is plenty of storage and she can cook real meals on her 2 burner cook top. There is running water and a sink, cleverly made from a stainless steel bowl purchased from a dollar store. There is a pull out table with lots of room for eating or working, it fully retracts under her bed, a design feature that I find very handy.

The only “lack” in this setup is a bathroom facility, no toilet and no shower, things that Atli doesn’t require because she is able to …

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Community

Stealth camping in the city

Most of the people I know of who live in their vans or other vehicles are travelers, they camp, they don’t tend to live in the city, not so for Jay, he lives in a retired U-Haul truck with his cat and a great dane! Yes, I said a great dane, as large as those tend to be, it’s apparently not too big for this conversion.

I like how Jay did his conversion, he kept everything very simple, which kept the weight as well as the cost at a minimum. Though the weight was much less of a factor since he used a commercial moving van as the base, it’s meant to carry a lot more weight than standard build vehicles.

I have always thought that U-Haul moving trucks would make a great camper van, they have plenty of power, they have lots of space, the kind of space you can use to create your own personalized living space. The other nice thing about the U-Haul (commercial style) trucks are they are inconspicuous, you will not draw much attention, especially if it’s painted white, it will blend in with any other commercial vehicle in the city.

Jay does in fact use his van as a delivery vehicle, so he is actually driving it around town, he left a space between the back roll up door and the inner wall/door so that he can place the items he delivers without showing that he is actually living inside his vehicle, and when he’s not using it in town, ie in a safer place, he can leave the roll up door open and use that space as a porch.

I was a bit surprised to find that Jay needs 2 air conditioners to keep the box cool, mainly for his animals, but only during the hottest part of summer, I wonder if he could add any more insulation, especially to the roof area, that might help keep the box from overheating and help keep in the cool air.

Watch and enjoy, let me know if this is something you would like to do, I’d be curious to know how you would implement this.



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People

How to Lose Your Job in 60 Days

“I want to go full nomad and be free, but I need to figure out how to get rid of my job first.”  When I say this to people (friends and strangers alike) an almost hysterical look washes over their face, followed by a humorous smirk with a suggestion to just pick up the phone and quit.  I wish it could be that simple… or could it be?  I have a job with a large car dealership as a Web Administrator/Graphic Designer.  I appreciate it, as it’s the best-paying job I’ve ever had (which still isn’t much).  Instead of answering phones all day and watching the clock, I get to use my creativity.  My days and weeks usually sail by.

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Mobile

Stops Along the Way: Part 2

Five o’clock quickly arrived at my desk on my first night as a full-time RVer.  I left my office and walked into the dark parking lot knowing I would be home in less than 30 seconds.  No one from work knew it.  Since I land acting and print gigs on occasion, they believe my camper is to go on jobs out of town.  Half-truths go a long way.  I also made it a point for them to know that owning an RV has always been a dream of mine.  I considered letting my co-workers know of my new lifestyle, but I’ve grown less trusting with age.  My managers may feel less compelled to give me higher raises since I have fewer expenses.  My supervisor may look at me with scorn if I come in late on a snowy day. Co-workers may think I’m just plain kooky… and they would be right!  Yes, none of these things would be fair, but life isn’t fair and neither are people’s judgments and actions.  If the folks at work ever did find out (and some may already suspect), I guess it wouldn’t be a big deal.  However, why put myself out there if I don’t have to?

As I approached close to my camper, I visually took it all in.  “This is my home!”.  Realizing this felt odd, good… and a little scary.  I got in the van and drove to my RV friendly parking spot.  Like a dog, I instinctively circled the lot twice before parking.  There were two big rig trucks settled in for the night, so I parked next to them under a light post.

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Stealth camping

A cleaner, warmer and quieter way to camp. Here’s the how-top and the where-to

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