4 ms·

As cool as this, like a lot of folks here I don't see how a pickup and a gooseneck wouldn't be a better (probably cheaper) option, even if you had to renovate /

As cool as this, like a lot of folks here I don't see how a pickup and a gooseneck wouldn't be a better (probably cheaper) option, even if you had to renovate / shop around for the gooseneck. I know a whole lot of folks who live this way, mostly itinerant musicians. While this is a much nicer build-- I think it's quite beautiful-- it is a lot closer to a custom conversion van most folks I know have much different, less successful experiences with DIY RVs. To the folks who cite "stealth" as a rationale here, there are a lot of reasons why you might get kicked off a patch of ground... one persons "hack" is another person's criminal trespass. There are a lot of great places that you can camp out without getting hassled and without relying on other folks footing the bill for your plumbing and pavement. To the folks citing mobility, I still don't see how that kind of van is more mobile than a pickup. So while I think that it's really cool-- I gotta say that I think it would have to be cheaper / easier / more reliable to buy a pickup and 5th wheel or similar.

dougmany 10y ago
I am a big fan of the pop-up campers that go in the bed of the truck. I loved mine. I took three months off and traveled around the west coast in it. Had some great adventures. But calculating it all out, a Miata and motel would have been a lot cheaper. My Diesel F250 with the camper got about 8 miles to the gallon. 300 miles a day was over $100.
- 20yrs_no_equity 10y ago
  This is all about the ratio of travel days to productive or fun days I talk about a bit in my longer comment below. And sure, do the math- if you would be happier in a hotel anyway- and a lot of people would be- then it makes sense to get hotel rooms. But if you're parking the truck on BLM land for a week at a time, then that's happier and cheaper. Hell, you could go with a Miata and a camping tent, and just control the ratio of BLM land time vs hotel time. I think one viable strategy is 5off 2on. EG: Stay in a Hotel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (lower cost than weekends) and then camp on BLM land (or other cheap places) the other 5 days. State parks are 12-$25, while Motel 6 is $40-$60.

dougmany 10y ago

I am a big fan of the pop-up campers that go in the bed of the truck. I loved mine. I took three months off and traveled around the west coast in it. Had some great adventures. But calculating it all out, a Miata and motel would have been a lot cheaper. My Diesel F250 with the camper got about 8 miles to the gallon. 300 miles a day was over $100.

20yrs_no_equity 10y ago
This is all about the ratio of travel days to productive or fun days I talk about a bit in my longer comment below. And sure, do the math- if you would be happier in a hotel anyway- and a lot of people would be- then it makes sense to get hotel rooms. But if you're parking the truck on BLM land for a week at a time, then that's happier and cheaper. Hell, you could go with a Miata and a camping tent, and just control the ratio of BLM land time vs hotel time. I think one viable strategy is 5off 2on. EG: Stay in a Hotel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (lower cost than weekends) and then camp on BLM land (or other cheap places) the other 5 days. State parks are 12-$25, while Motel 6 is $40-$60.