One Month In: Full-Time Vanlife

So, here we are, my van and I. Sitting at the isolated, leafy edge of a Target parking lot. It’s pissing down rain, and my battery’s at 37%…no sunshine on the forecast for the next week. That’s the lowest the power reading has ever been in the month I’ve been doing this, and it freaks me out a little. Damp, chilly, and unable to charge my various devices? Bummer.

Anyways, let’s ignore the bullshit weather…here’s how all of this first began for me. I moved to Philadelphia to pursue a career in tattooing in August of 2016. I got a decent apartment in West Philly (with 3 other roommates, sigh), and cultivated a tiring, but solid, routine. Got a day job, did my apprentice hours at the tattoo shop at night, drove back and forth from those two locations to my apartment over and over again. In short, I spent a lot of my fucking life-hours driving, or looking for parking, or walking to where I parked…and not that much time in the apartment I was paying a lot of $$$ to live in.

Then I came across a strange YouTube video, as one does, that got me thinking about an alternative way of living. I’d already been obsessed with the Tiny House movement. I watched channels feature tiny living tours, and my eventual plan was to set aside money, buy some land somewhere remote-ish, and build a tiny home of my own.

But then YouTube showed me vanlife, in the form of a girl crawling out of the back of her E-150 or Chevy Express or whatever it was, firing up a jet-boil, and making some soup in a parking lot. My immediate thought was, “cool, but no fucking way.” Something about it stuck in my mind though, and I watched more vanlife content. First just a few videos here and there, and then almost exclusively vanlife-related channels for nearly a year.

My lease on that decent West Philly apartment was up on July 31st. In May of this year I bought a forest green 2000 Chevy Astro, cargo version, 2WD, only 52,000 miles on it. In June and July I downsized my possessions, bought a bunch of vanlife-related stuff on Amazon, had it all shipped to my parents’ house in Rhode Island, and prepared to transition to full-time #vanlife.

I drove up from Philly to RI on the last Sunday in July. Over the next two weeks, my Dad and I built out the van. We made a wooden box, secured to the roof, for my solar panels to sit in. I have two 100-watt Renogy slim-design panels, connected to a Goal Zero Yeti 1000 solar generator. The Yeti cost just over $1,000 on the Costco website, and even though there are definitely cheaper ways to set up a solar system, I have no regrets. Zero goal zero regrets (ha). The system is pretty much idiot proof, and I probably definitely would have electrocuted myself trying to fuck around with deep cycle batteries and charge controllers and other vaguely intimidating accoutrements like that. So that’s my electricity sorted.

I also sprung for the Maxxair vent fan…not the super fancy one with the remote, but the next one down, or something. It actually doesn’t produce as much airflow as I thought it would, but it’s alright. I love being able to leave it open in the rain, and that’s mostly why I bought that model. Other than that, my build was super cheap and basic. I insulated it with Polysio 1” and 1/2” foam board, and some of the Gaps n’ Cracks spray foam. I also taped a vapor barrier over all the insulation (using a roll of plastic sheeting called “Membrain”), which I later accidentally drilled a bunch of holes through, so I have no idea if it will be effective. I suspect it won’t. Then over all of that is some pretty white-washed-effect paneling…the thin, cheap boards of it from Home Depot, you know the stuff. It looks nice, and makes the van feel homey…I love it.

I didn’t do anything to the floor really…it’s the rubber mat that came with the van, and sheet of the 1/2” Polysio, and a colorful carpet thrown over the top. The bed is built with 2x4s and plywood, and is in two separate pieces held together by a butterfly bolt, making it easy to take in and out of the van. I have a simple shelf-table build out from one wall, a little shelf for spices, and that’s it. That’s the extent of the build. If you’re still reading at this point, thanks!

I’ve seen complex, thoughtful, expensive, beautiful van builds on Pinterest and YouTube, as we all have I’m sure…but for my first van I wanted to keep it simple, cheap, and easy to change up if necessary. Mission accomplished, and so far so good. My bed is comfortable and just barely long enough (I sleep across the back, since I’m only 5’4”), and I have more storage and more floor space than I originally thought I would. The Astro and I are getting along just fine.

Summer’s winding down now. There were a handful of hot days and nights that were a little much for me, but overall, I’ve been comfortable. Cooler days might be here to stay at this point, which is exciting and scary at the time time. Fall is awesome, but followed by winter, which I’m sure will be…an experience.

Right now, at this moment, I feel good. I needed some kind of change, something to make Philadelphia feel new and exciting again. I’ve been in this city for two full years now, and that’s the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere in my adult life. Vanlife has hit the refresh button on my experience here, and even sitting in the semi-dark asphalted rainy-ness of a superstore parking lot—watching the power stored in my Yeti dwindle—I have no regrets. Vanlife is the life for me.

Thank you for reading, xo.

The view from the back, before I stuffed all my crap in it… (August 2018)