What Sort Of Van Lifer Are You?

I'm Basically a caravanner, which is quite appropriate as I have a caravan and am a member of the caravan club..

Hoping to do a bit of van life stuff from next year. Was a 'static vanner but that's gone so now it's car and posh tent, but looking to buy a people carrier version of a van next year.

Yay, free as a bird (well, I will be when I retire in about 4 wks).

Can't afford the bloody van though...

Basically a caravanner

I wish. Never met a caravanner who spends more time working on their caravan than using it.

Full time since September 2022.....

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No intention of going back to a "normal" life.

Find the term "van life" a bit cringe, especially when used by someone who is basically on holiday for two weeks.

@alpin I hope you got the insta-influencer answer in the quiz, with all that shirt off posing 🙂

A wannabe van-lifer, that's the sort I am.

@alpin Well jealous..

You've got to have bf Goodrich all terrains fitted to your sprinter/ crafter/ ducato/ t6 and a YouTube channel to be a real #vanlifer it seems.

@stwhannah..... I couldn't say as I can't read the article.

But I don't bother with insta and all that crap.

Oh, and just be glad I had anything on....! Often not the case!

@alpin all my childhood holidays were on nudist campsites, I would not be shocked by the appearance of a naked camper. But I have made a note to get the seats thoroughly valeted if I ever have cause to buy your van.

But I have made a note to get the seats thoroughly valeted if I ever have cause to buy your van.

🤣😭

There's no option for LeCeuset kettle & mugs, smidge, Laphroaig Oak Finish and full size double bed with deep memory foam topper and van special bedding....
This image brought to you live from the oab's RAB van

Was that taken on your bed?

I'll find out on Tuesday night as I'll be kipping in a Puggy Partner rather than a tent for Duke of Edinburgh support...

Single person airbed, sleeping bag and pillow, a cool box and some cooking stuff...

full size double bed with deep memory foam topper and van special bedding….

Unless I'm misreading that picture, there's a wardrobe unit at the end of that van, which means it's nowhere near full size double bed.

You need custom low side furniture to get a full size bed in a T5.  Obviously even then it isn't proper full size, but better than the pokey effort that fits in next to a wardrobe :-).

You need custom low side furniture to get a full size bed in a T5.

https://www.bilbos.com/bilbos-campervans/komba/

Was that taken on your bed?

How about the massive garage full of crap but still got a proper king size bed, self-built, vanlifer.

I'm writing this lying on an air mattress in the back of my van with the dog, in the Peak District.

My van isn't a camper, it's just a panel van.

There are hundreds of camper vans everywhere here but I'm on a campsite.

So I guess I'm a #panelvanliferer

Couldn't afford a flat in Munich with a balcony.... But my van has one.

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Just realised I don't have any pics of the garage/bikes/tools.... I'll take a couple when I leave this spot on a few days.

Previously basic.
Foam from work, duvet, dog, chemical bog.

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Nowadays a bit more upmarket
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Very funny Hannah - and somewhat true, yes we do have Caravan club membership, I like the clean showers 😉 Though our van is a very basic glorified metal tent (we break also sorts of club rules not having a fixed table etc!).

You need custom low side furniture to get a full size bed in a T5.

Or don’t bothered with the side furniture at all, and we’ve got a kingsized bed 🙂

Rat Race Escape - which is exactly why we have it and it’ll be getting a lots use for that. Plans a foot for escape through Yorkshire in coming weeks.

Or don’t bothered with the side furniture at all, and we’ve got a kingsized bed 🙂

We sold our van life van when prices went silly in Covid times. For a similar cost we now do floating van life.

Fewer restrictions on stopping for the night and the ability to get to some remote places.

Closer to home last night though  

Curious how people fund such a lifestyle?

If youre retired and with a pension income then I guess that's doable but doesn't van life significantly reduce your earning ability?

If youre retired and with a pension income then I guess that’s doable but doesn’t van life significantly reduce your earning ability?

but if you either have no house costs, or are renting a house out then you have substantial saving / passive income.  It may not be the most financially astute decision, but then pursuing the “traditional” lifestyle is not necessarily great financially either!  My brother earns very nicely but lives in a crampt house that most people would say is too small for them.  He paid his mortgage off years ago and now lives a pretty stress free life doing what he wants with his excess surplus cash.   In reality I suspect most “van lifers” don’t live in their van all year round.

@moab - I’m intrigued does your crueset kettle take an age to heat up because it is so heavy and thus use double the gas or do you think it holds the heat better so it actually reasonably efficient?

doesn’t van life significantly reduce your earning ability?

In my case, yes..... However, I'm fortunate that I've a decent amount of cash invested, although I've not had to dip into it.  I have taken on a few cash in hand jobs. Most recently spent three months in Finale installing doors, a kitchen and a few other odd jobs for a friend who is building his house. I've got two months work lined up in Munich for the end of summer which we're combining with visiting the GF's folks (and the Oktoberfest 😉).

The GF is a self employed branding consultant and clicks about on her computer. Earns more than enough to cover our costs. She's just finished one job and that will pretty much covers our outgoings for this year.

Essentially she looks after the financial side of things and I'm the house(van) man.

We've worked out we need 20-22,000€ a year to cover ourselves. That includes food, diesel, insurances, servicing, meals out, bike bits and

Our fixed costs in Munich were much higher. And we had had enough of Munich, high taxes, expensive and bad coffees and the general stresses of city life (a big building site starting 2m away from our bedroom window was the final push). We knew we didn't want to be there long term so didn't see the point spending another ten years there, running faster each year just to standstill.

Financially we're better off now than two years ago.

We've now got more freedom, more money and, most importantly, time to do the things we want.

We're in no rush to be anywhere specific. We're not dashing from one spot to another every other day, which massively helps reduce the money spent on diesel. Will often stay parked up for a week or more at a time, perhaps longer if there's a source of water nearby. Been at this current park up for four days and will stay till our water runs out.

I built the van so that we're pretty self-sufficient. No chemical toilet that needs emptying (dry toilet with a fan/vent that removes the shitty air). Enough solar/battery capacity that we can go for days without any solar/charging (only once have I had to plug the van into the mains and that was when parked on my sister's driveway in the depths of UK winter). No gas tanks on board, the stove and heater both run off diesel (drawing off the vehicle tank) so we've only one fuel source to worry about. Raised floor in the living area that is stuffed with non-perishable food. 160ltr water on board.

I'm going to walk 3km to the nearest village because our bin is full.

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It’s custom.

It’s a Bilbos Komba.

Sorry, which is it. Is it custom, or off the shelf Komba?

It’s a couple of cm narrow of a full double bed

Ok, so not a full sized double bed then.

Or don’t bothered with the side furniture at all, and we’ve got a kingsized bed 🙂

That's what I'm talking about.... 160cm wide...

I'm getting van envy now....

@poly - I don't ask such things or have such thoughts, as apparently this is van life style over practicality...
I makes nice brews..

Mines just a big car that we can sleep in, it'll take 8 people but we usually leave a row of seats out as we only need it for 2 adults 2 kids and a dog.

@thegeneralist - did you get out of your bed the wrong side today?
😉

It does appear so doesn't it!  I couldn't find the side, it was so far away....😄

😆

Should have opened the wardrobe door and stepped out...rather than find a side! 🤣🤣😉

did you get out of your bed the wrong side today?

😉

Now you know why women are usually so pissed off.

…ads what’s that bed thing?

@jkomo - It's one of these, not cheap but works well and packs up small (ish). Can be set up partially in the boot then pulled out, over folded down seats. I was using it with a self inflating mattress but now have an actual foam mattress.

They're in Spain, nr Barcelona, but I had it delivered to my sister's house in France and brought it home after a holiday.

https://www.likecamper.com/Shop/gb/folding-bed-bases/19-likecamperbox-m190.html

I'm a Rat Race Escapee apparently. Sounds almost right. My van is a 96 T4 high top. She's 'well loved' but sleeps our family of 4 in relative comfort. Wouldn't want to live in it though.

I'm converting an old minibus. It's still not finished, are they ever?

So I've not actually got a van yet, so I answered the quiz based on my plans, which gave me the result free as a bird.

Then I did it again with the reality of being me taken into account.

So I'm basically a caravaner who aspires to be fee as a bird. Figures.

Basic van life. 2 full(ish) width beds and the sea.

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It’s still not finished, are they ever?

Ours was finished for about 20 minutes three months ago.  Nice looking conversion @wimpsworth.

burko73Full Member
You’ve got to have bf Goodrich all terrains fitted to your sprinter/ crafter/ ducato/ t6 and a YouTube channel to be a real #vanlifer it seems.

Guilty as charged!  No Youtube channel though.

Been a vanlifer (hate hat label) since before it was called that!  Did 6 months full time in Europe prekids with the Mrs in the old van which was a Japanese import Toyota Hiace that was apparently a factory conversion.  The van never missed a beat on that trip aside from the fridge dying.

Sold the old one when it was becoming a bit of MOT fail-prone liability and got a nice new shiny T6.1 with a Jack's Shack conversion, solar, double leisure batteries, under slung gas, fridge with icebox, double hob, sink/tap, skyline pop top, etc

Just enough storage space...

Kit lockers and Muddy kit stash at the rear of the van...

Not cheap but I intend to keep it for the next decade plus...

It's just big enough for the 4 full size humans plus the hound.  Feels luxurious when it's myself and the boy/boys

I would have considered a Crafter or a Sprinter but a LWB Transporter was as long a vehicle as I could fit on the drive.

We have a big drive away awning which is fine if you are going away for a week to one place but for quick trips I much prefer the tarp.

The Skyline Aurora Pop top is ace as it gives the kids somewhere cool to hang out.

Off to Aviemore with my eldest in a couple of weeks for a post-GCSE trip - can't wait!

Basic van life. 2 full(ish) width beds and the sea

< Checks Photos to ensure compliance>

Ok, pass.

🥺

Van life looks so comfortable. Bike life is the real deal. If you can't be a cowboy, be a bikepacker.

(Or a tourer..same thing)

Posted from a tent carried here by car, feeling like a campervan would be a good step up .. ha