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Now ye're talking - to a man living in his van

Boards.ie: Niamh

Our next guest is a full-time professional who lives in a van in an Irish city.

He has chosen to live in a van to avoid paying high rents, avoid living with strangers in a house share situation and to save for a deposit for a more permanent home in the future.
He converted the commercial van to a home himself, learning how to do things by watching videos online.

He is here to answer your questions about his experience of living in a van.

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[Deleted User]

Don't even bother replying to insurance questions.
The same saps ruin every motoring related thread with the same ****e.
Just typical begrudgers

I'm living in my van, AMA

Donald Trump wrote: »

What about finding parking? Do you commute to work in the Van?

Ever been clamped? Either when you were in van or away

Am I the only one who automatically made the association between a man with a mattress in his van and dead hookers? :pac:

Never Been clamped

Finding spots:

I scout google maps, suburban areas,
Main Rule: Not the edge of town or the center of town.

Overnight Private Pay Parking can be very good, like 3 eruo from 10 PM - 6 AM. more secure and generally quieter than street parking.

I have found the best parking to be had is Church and Cathedral Pay car parks that have become commercial car parks. Very quite at night, good lighting and no hassle from anyone.

I commute in early Monday Morning from where ever I've been at the weekend, and then 5 min drive in and out to work Mon- Fri, which is basically switching car parks.

It sounds bad I know, but no dead hookers, honest.

I'm living in my van, AMA

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

Do you sleep well?
Have you ever had to stop staying in an area due to noise such as anti-social behaviour or early morning traffic like vin collections etc.

Sounds like a great set up you have!

Now I figured out the practical side, I sleep perfectly, it can be loud though if you are on the side of a road or get stuck parking in a less that ideal spot in the evening.

The most important piece of equipment you need for urban stealth vanning is Wax Earplugs. Enough to deaden everything, but you can still hear alarms etc.

I have had no real hassle at all, ever. But like I say, I do my research on where I plan to park, suss it all out and always have your wits about you.

If I parked the van in a dark spot in the wrong part of town overnight, I'd probably get hassle on the first night.

4068ac1elhodqr

https://thevanual.com/ has a guide, obvs an easier option if you're in SoCal or parked in a scenic coastal location with the address prefix 'Costa', or suffix 'Ocean/Pacific' Road.

Can see this emmerging as a new stealth lifestlye option (very seperate in identity, to the other trailer traditions).
for weekday white collars, who already spend spare time in the gym/cinema/takeaway/cafe/cinema/weekendflights/hotels/shop/mall/beach/parks.

Would likely require absoloute meticulous planning, before even considering.

I'm living in my van, AMA

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Do you worry its unsafe?

Is this what you plan to do longterm?

I dont worry, but you do need to be alert in the towns.

Not doing it forever, its a means to an end, the most direct route to my goal, less than 2 more years.

I'm living in my van, AMA

Donald Trump wrote: »

Did you ever consider upgrading to something like a houseboat?

Thats a lot of cash involved in those boats, I think they have become very popular in the last few years. But yes, they are awesome.

I'm living in my van, AMA

Soilse wrote: »

Dude as a female I assure you there are dozens of ladies who are more than OK with the lifestyle but you may not meet them in the city. When doing crvt do you have to remove everything coz it's not a camper. Do you do much miles. What about van maintenence do you do all your own if it breakdown what's the backup plan. When on hols if you go away do you just park at family. I second the get a co2 monitor life saver.

Thats good to hear Soilse, I think you are right tho, I am in a pretty conservative environment. Id rather be in the country, but the work is on the big town at the moment.

I passed my CVRT no issues, thankfully, but , yes I have to strip the van out each time and did get queried about it.

I want it all fully legit a camper ASAP, its a pain being in this shadow land with the paperwork.

Im doing about 15000 miles a year at the moment, I service it twice a year as I rely on it so much. I've no back up at the moment, so skin of my teeth still, if it came to it,maybe Id have to buy another van, rip this one apart and put all this stuff into another.

But Ive put so much into whipping this wagon into shape, Id just fix anything that went wrong at this stage. I love the thing at this point

Thankfully I have family a few hours away that I can dry dock the van in , and work on it or leave it if I have to go away. I pay a few bob if I use anyones facilities.

tedpan

I've noticed a van with the windows blacked out at work over the past few months. Do you work in Dublin 15?

I'm living in my van, AMA

tedpan wrote: »

I've noticed a van with the windows blacked out at work over the past few months. Do you work in Dublin 15?

Not me but where I am, I've spotted one or two other people doing some version of this.

I can spot them easy, they can spot me easy I guess!

I'm living in my van, AMA

Teddy Daniels wrote: »

What age are you? 28?

I was 28 a long time ago.

Im in a rush , making up for a few wasted years, hence the acting outside the box.

Shefwedfan

tedpan wrote: »

I've noticed a van with the windows blacked out at work over the past few months. Do you work in Dublin 15?

A guy from UK does contract over here, drives over and lives in van while working...then heads home

Could be him...

Donald Trump

tedpan wrote: »

I've noticed a van with the windows blacked out at work over the past few months. Do you work in Dublin 15?

That's the Feds staking you out

Tell me how

How has living in the van changed you?

Do you watch more/less tv or spend more/less time online?
Do you think that you were holding on to stuff for years that you didn't actually need?
What would you do if the van was stolen?

I'm living in my van, AMA

rainbowdrop wrote: »

Fascinating thread. My dream is to convert a van and head off whenever/wherever the fancy takes me.
Not sure if I could do it permanently, but 2-3months over the summer would be very do-able.

Do you drive your van day-to-day, to go to work/shopping etc? Or do you only move it when you are heading to a new sleeping location?

Do you cook in the van every day/or get takeaways? What would be a typical meal you cook in the van?

After this, I will always keep a camper van, so handy even a small one. For going off and doing fun stuff all over, they are worth it and it is great.

A camper is a great accessory to any house /family I think. You cannot go wrong and they do not have to cost the earth.

I drive, eat, sleep ,cook everyday in the van. I have a regular gas two hob cooker, chiller bag with ice in summer.

This has basically turned me veggie because of food storage say May thru Sept, rice, noodles, spuds, veg, currys, stir frys, pasta, cheese when its not too warm.canned food, loads of fruit. crisps chocolate. Normal I guess.

I do get the odd take away, but Ive been in debt repayment mode or savings mode, so few treats, well a few , but not take aways.

No toaster so Im mad into eggy bread now in the mornings, very handy.

I make the best Coffee in Ireland in the back of my van afaic.

turbot

Do you feel claustrophic?

If you were building your van a new, what would you do differently?

Is it a LWB, Extra high roof etc?

Do you spot other people in stealth campervans?

Would you ever consider buying / leasing a parking space and just keeping it in one spot?

What is the story with parking? I presume it is too big to park in normal spots? Do you need to park it parallel with curb?

What do you miss most about an apartment / house?

I'm living in my van, AMA

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Great thread. Do you get lonely in the van or are you happy with your own company?
Stay safe.

Edit: why don't you just drive and park in work when you're working? I take it no one can tell from the outside?

Thank You

Both, I can defiantly be on my own , no problem and like my own company, I have a few hobbies, and always van stuff to do, so I'm never bored.

But yes, it would be great to have a Co Pilot also, and hope to find one.

turbot

(thanks for sharing! With the amount of YouTube videos evangelising this, I'm surprised that there aren't more people already doing this)

I'm living in my van, AMA

[QUOTE=irishgirl19;1

10124579]

Edit: why don't yo

u just drive and park in work when you're working? I take it no one can tell from the outside?[/QUOTE]

I dont want to take the micky with work, I dont want what I am doing to cross over into work.
Living in the work car park may be tolerated in America, but I don't think it would be good in Ireland.
I have it set up very handy for myself now.

I'm living in my van, AMA

Odyssey 2005 wrote: »

OP I would be wary of a wood stove in the van,not because they are dangerous, properly fitted their great ,but living like you do the smoke would only draw attention to you. Diesel heaters would be a better option. Theres also cleaning the effing thing and storing a little fuel.
Great idea and a brilliant way to save a few quid.

Id like the solid burner because it give off a really nice 'dry heat' which is great for the van, and to be honest adds a nice log cabin vibe to the living area, makes things super cozy. But you need a 2 inch flu out the roof, and yes, some smoke will be coming out.

So I have a diesel heater setup also, which acts like Air Con, which is great, no real visible exhaust, and its under the van, but its noisy.

I'm living in my van, AMA

nthclare wrote: »

Sounds like you're quite free and have your priorities right.

Have you any hobbies like surfing or fishing?

Thank you, I do like surfing and fishing, which the van is great for, once you have the facility, all of this stuff becomes easy & free pretty much.
Lots of hiking the hills and forests also. You can get pretty lost and off the track (happily) when you have a camper.
I plan to get into a lot more stuff this year, all of it outdoors and nature!

ectoraige

Interesting thread. I'm considering doing a camper-lite version, minus the cooking facilities. I'd be somewhere with both kitchen and shower facilities and would really only be using it to sleep three or four nights while away from home, and maybe chill for an hour before bed.

What's the smallest van you'd feel would work for this?

How noisy do you find it? If you were starting again do you think you'd improve your sound insulation?
What sort of lighting do you have?
How do you recharge your leisure batteries?

Thanks for the AMA.

I'm living in my van, AMA

Alannah Scrawny Pinkeye wrote: »

https://thevanual.com/ has a guide, obvs an easier option if you're in SoCal or parked in a scenic coastal location with the address prefix 'Costa', or suffix 'Ocean/Pacific' Road.

Can see this emmerging as a new stealth lifestlye option (very seperate in identity, to the other trailer traditions).
for weekday white collars, who already spend spare time in the gym/cinema/takeaway/cafe/cinema/weekendflights/hotels/shop/mall/beach/parks.

Would likely require absoloute meticulous planning, before even considering.

That looks like a fantastic resource, I had not seen it before, great stuff!

I know its a little colder than America mostly , but this is possible in Ireland, if you do the groundwork. I dont get that more people are not doing it, its big in England I think

bfa1509

Any fears of becoming too fond of the van-life? Once I were to get enough for the deposit on a house, I couldn't trust myself to not piss it away on a nicer van.

Nekarsulm

Couple of points, firstly, once you have it converted to the standards required to register it as a camper-van, tolls fall to car prices instead of commercial vehicle prices.
Tax comes down to about 100 euro a year instead of 300.
You dont need to buy a car, if you have your campervan as your sole vehicle your insurance will be about 700 a year instead of 350 . (350 when you can show another vehicle policy for your "main" vehicle).
You cannot buy and tax/insure/test a car for 350 a year, so just pay Dolmen the 700 and be done with it.
lastly, only house owners/landlords pay residential property tax, tenants do not.

Good luck with your continued project!

ps, diesel blow heaters can be noisy.

I'm living in my van, AMA

Tell me how wrote: »

How has living in the van changed you?

Do you watch more/less tv or spend more/less time online?
Do you think that you were holding on to stuff for years that you didn't actually need?
What would you do if the van was stolen?

How has living in the van changed you?

Made me downsize massively, I've mercilessly sold, given or thrown away most of my possessions as they were just ,literally, baggage slowing me down. I've kept small sentimental items in deep storage in a loft, but eveything else is in the van.

Now I audit every item in the van , and everything I am buying - do I really need it and does it provide a functionality tha I do not have. Every single little thing takes up space and weight.
Basically every item in my van has to justify its exsistance to me and thats bled over into how I view all objects now.

I do like and have nice things tho, and I rather spend money on small high performance, long lasting quality things than lots of small crap I dont really need.

I have a higher tolerance for the cold, seriously.

I feel like I've placed a bet on myself, so this is all kind of forcing me to have confidence in myeslf.
When in doubt, just keep moving! Does that make sense ??

I just watch Netflix /You tube, about that same as before, I have a few small hobbies and van jobs I can always tip away at. So I do what a bit if stuff, not loads.

If van was stolen- Gutted because I have a bond with the van now, but practically- I travel light and the van and everything in it is replaceable.

I do not carry anything in the van that I am not willing to have stolen, thats a default position when you do this I think.

1hnr79jr65

Would you consider placing photoelectric material all over roof of van for constant energy generation, maybe in strips or blocks ?

How has your general health been since this project ? Any issues maintaining healthy weight, blood pressure, cholesterol...... things of that nature ?

Any trips to hospital since living out ? If yes how did you OR if no how will you, manage your vehicle being looked after ?

Pretty interesting idea you have going there, never thought about this before.

the_syco

I'm living in my van, AMA wrote: »

I never heard of the portable projector, Ill take a look into it.

The two magical words are "native resolution". A cheap Chinese piece of sh|t may take in 1900*1080 resolution, but if the native resolution is 320*240 the image that is outputted will be potato. You may need to Google some of the cheaper models, as they don't always tell you the native resolution, and the lads in the shops often pretend not to know. You'll see a few of these on Donedeal, etc. If you do see a decent 2nd hand projector, check out how many hours doe the bulb have left, as the price of a bulb replacement is often a few hundred.

the_syco

I'm living in my van, AMA wrote: »

If van was stolen- Gutted because I have a bond with the van now, but practically- I travel light and the van and everything in it is replaceable.

Consider buying a clamp for your van, and use it when you're leaving the van in remote parts of the country.

=-=

Here's a very old thread for you, but recommended reading for yourself. It's of someone who has done what you have done, but he has also put up pictures of how he did what he did. It may give you some ideas, such as having hinges on the bed so that it doesn't take up room when it's not in use.

nthclare

I'm living in my van, AMA wrote: »

Thank you, I do like surfing and fishing, which the van is great for, once you have the facility, all of this stuff becomes easy & free pretty much.
Lots of hiking the hills and forests also. You can get pretty lost and off the track (happily) when you have a camper.
I plan to get into a lot more stuff this year, all of it outdoors and nature!

Well I hope you enjoy it, i do it at weekends in my vw passat estate, comfort line lol
Plenty of space for a load of of big square cushions from second hand couches and all the rest...

I might see you in the lineup or spinning for pollock and bass in Clare sometime..

wally1990

1-How are you dealing with financial institutions, government departments(HSE, Revenue) etc when It comes to your home address?

Do you use a close family members?

2- regarding clothing, can you iron in the van or how do you manage washing/drying and ironing etc?

3-can you share any pictures of the inside?

4- have you made great progression on your finances and how long more do you think you will Continue living in a van?