Blue View - The Good and the Bad of Van Life
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Van camping is our cup of tea
Blue, our 2015 Ford Transit van, is still a work in progress. While it may seem like it is taking an inordinate amount of time to complete his conversion from cargo van to camper, my excuse is twofold: in the 2-1/2 years we’ve owned him, we’ve probably spent more time traveling, either in Blue or off trekking somewhere, as we’ve spent working on him; and there have been many other home projects that required attention along the way. From my point of view, this was by plan... I really didn’t expect to work on Blue continuously until the conversion was complete. On the other hand, some family members have argued that the very long timeframe could conceivably be because it usually takes me three to four times longer to complete most projects than I anticipate.
One positive to all this is that as we’ve traveled and camped in Blue, our thoughts on what we want and need in our van have evolved dramatically. If there’s a theme regarding the evolution of our thinking, it’s that simpler is better. Many of the amenities we originally thought were important and even essential have now been scratched off our list. No longer do we think air conditioning, a heater, a sink, water tanks or a host of other “conveniences” are essential or even desirable. We enjoy cooking on the campfire and eating outdoors, but then, everyone is different.
Salmon and corn on the cob on the grill… yum
An example, as I write this, we are in a lovely national forest campground. The folks next to us are at the opposite extreme of the camping spectrum. They have a large pickup with an ATV riding in back. The pickup is towing a huge fifth-wheel trailer which, in turn, is pulling a trailer hauling another ATV and an assortment of other gear covered by a tarp. We arrived at roughly the same time, and it took us about 15 minutes to unload the gear we’d be needing and set up camp. It took our neighbors two hours to get squared away. First, they had to unhook and park both trailers. Next, the fifth-wheel trailer had to be leveled, and then the various slide-outs and awnings had to be extended and locked down. When this was done, they began unloading their gear... both ATVs, a large charcoal grill and bags of charcoal, a large gas grill and propane tank, two reclining, full length camp chairs, and a large rug. Then they connected a long hose between their fifth- wheel and the only water faucet in the vicinity so they could have pressurized water. At least they added a ‘Y’ connector, on the outside chance some other camper might want to fill a water jug. Finally, the best news of all came when they pulled the tarp off a 6000 watt gas generator. This they connected to the trailer with a fifty amp cable, started it up, went inside and turned on the air conditioner, which was the last we saw of them that day. We did see the reflection of a large screen tv in their windows that evening... perhaps they were watching a nature show? The generator ran until 9:30 that night and started back up at 6:30 the next morning. It ran until about 9am, then they shut it down, climbed on their ATVs, and went exploring the nearby trails. We took the opportunity to move to a different campsite.
Now, I am relating this story not because I’m a curmudgeon, (although I proudly admit to being one), but to illustrate the high end of the camping spectrum. Their camping style just isn’t our preference, anymore than our camping choices are theirs. On the other hand, we are certainly not anywhere near the most basic end of camping. We made a few long camping/road trips using a tent and sleeping bags, and decided we wanted something more comfortable, and for us, our van is a very nice compromise.
But it is a compromise, and while we like most aspects of our van, there are certainly some things we’d improve on if we could. Here’s what we like and dislike about Blue:
Keeping it Simple.
Living on a sailboat for 18 years taught us that the more complex the various systems were, the more likely they were to break, and the harder they were to fix when they did break. I must have forgotten this when I was originally planning Blue’s design. Since then, we’ve made a number of decisions to keep things simple:
we might not have noticed that we were filling Up with thE stuff on the left if Our tanks wEre built-in. The ranger told us it was potable, but it sure doesn’t look good.
Water Tanks. Originally, we had planned to have small fresh water and grey water tanks. Before these were built and installed, we simply carried gallon water bottles for our fresh water. We found that these had a number of advantages, and instead of adding permanent tanks, we decided to just build shelves to store our gallon bottles. Here’s what we like about them:
They are simple to refill... just grab the empties and fill them at the campground pump, stop at a water refill kiosk, or bring them into most Walmart stores.
We always know at a glance how full our water tank is - just count how many bottles are empty.
If we find that the water source is foul tasting, we only have to dump the bottles filled with it, not the entire tank.
Our ‘tankage’ is expandable as needed. We normally carry ten gallons, but we have room for at least 20, and if we need more, all we have to do is buy more water bottles.
We usually want a few gallons of water on hand at our picnic table for washing and rinsing dishes, hand washing, brushing teeth, drinking, dousing the fire, etc. It couldn’t be easier than grabbing two or three bottles of water. It’s much more efficient and convenient than filling containers from a water tank and carrying them out to the table.
If freezing temperatures are expected, all that’s necessary to winterize our water tanks is to dump a couple of inches of water from the top of each bottle.
Sink. The built-in sink we originally thought we needed is now just a plastic basin on the picnic table. This serves just fine for hands and faces. If we need to do a more thorough ‘freshening’, we take the basin inside with a washcloth and/or baby wipes.
Kitchen. We had planned to have a small propane stove and prep area in the van. What we discovered is that 90% of the time, we really enjoy and prefer cooking outside, whether it be on the small two burner camp stove or over the fire. The other 10% of the time when it’s too cold or rainy, I doubt we’d want to cook inside our small van with it all closed up tight against the elements. Our compromise solution when there’s inclement weather is our gazebo/screen house which fits over the table. If the forecast is for prolonged rainy/windy day(s) or bitter cold, we find a hotel room and take-out food.
Propane Tank. Propane tanks are needed for a cooking stove, heater, some refrigerators, and/or a water heater. As mentioned in the last paragraph, we don’t have or want a kitchen stove. On occasion, we’ve camped in fairly cold weather when the temps have dropped down into the 30’s and found that we could get by just fine without a heater. We don’t have a water tank, sink or shower, so there’s no need for a water heater. Our fridge is 12v, and the solar panels and house batteries keep it running with no problems. Thus, there’s no need for a propane tank.
Other things we like
Blue is not too tall for this drive-thru
Self-Contained. We have a composting toilet, fridge, bed, interior lights, batteries and the solar panels to keep them charged, and lots of storage, so we are pretty much self-contained.
Coffee. We really enjoy our morning coffee, and to get our morning caffeine fix, we bring our coffee maker with us. Whichever one of us has to answer the call of nature first turns on the inverter and starts the coffee brewing. We lie in bed enjoying the wonderful smell of the coffee brewing before savoring that first cup. This adds a small amount of complexity to our lives, but it’s a luxury we enjoy.
Easy to Maneuver. I had some initial trepidation about driving Blue, but it didn’t take long to realize that Blue is almost as easy as any other vehicle to maneuver. He has a longer wheelbase than most cars, so making a right turn requires slightly more room to avoid running over the curb, but other than that, he’s no problem to drive. He is our only vehicle, and we both drive him around town on a daily basis when we’re home.
Short. Blue is 8’10” tall. Since most drive-thru’s are 9’ high, he fits with a few inches to spare. This was less important before the pandemic, but now that many restaurants only have their drive-thru’s open, it’s nice that we can fit.
Short (Another good reason) If we remove the solar panels and roof vent, Blue will fit inside a shipping container, making it possible to ship him anywhere in the world at a reasonable cost.
Fuel Efficient. Blue is reasonably fuel efficient, getting about 19 mpg. On the highway, if I keep it under 60, he gets around 22-23 mpg.
Parking. Blue is larger than most vehicles, but small enough to fit in most parking spaces. We rarely have a problem at grocery stores or malls, although we routinely park as far from the store as possible to get a few more steps and hopefully avoid door dents.
Parking (Redux). The HOA in our community in Las Vegas prohibits parking on the street or parking an RV at a residence. Fortunately, Blue fits in our driveway and looks more like a van than an RV, so we have no problem parking him in our driveway. Another foot longer, and he’d hang over the sidewalk, which would surely bring on the full fury of the HOA gestapo.
Storage. One of the things we’ve wondered about when we’ve looked at some of the commercial van conversions is the lack of storage. While they have every convenience, showers, sinks, stoves, settees, tables, running water, big screen TVs, etc. there doesn’t seem to be much storage space. We’ve gone the other extreme. We are pretty basic on some amenities, but we have a LOT of storage space. We have room for the basics - clothes, jackets, rain gear, food, kitchen utensils , pots and pans, toiletries, etc., as well as a whole lot more... bikes, bike trekking gear, hiking gear, backpacking gear, tent, screen house, firewood, tools, chain saw, camp chairs, folding table, cleaning supplies, three cases of wine, drone, camera equipment, camp stove, and a whole slew of other things. And there’s still space left, in case we find some other interest in life like - oh, I don’t know... maybe competitive wood chopping or fast draw competitions.
Blue fits just fine in a normal parking space
Unlike this guy
Dislikes.
There are also a few things that aren’t optimal in our particular style of van life - either because of the size of our van or our decisions to keep things simple:
Rainy days (and mondays?) always get me down.
Rainy Days. When it’s a cold, rainy day, we don’t enjoy sitting in Blue for long periods of time. We’ve been very blessed with good weather for most of our travels, but there were certainly days when we had to admit that there are advantages to the roominess, warmth and comfort of those big rigs. On the other hand, our van is a lot more comfortable than weathering cold, rainy days in a tent. And if it gets too bad, there’s always a hotel.
No Air Conditioning. We’ve camped in 100+ degree weather in southern Arizona and Nevada, as well as hot, muggy days in the Midwest, and so far we’ve been able to cope. Between the roof fan and our small 12v fans, we seem to manage. We could add an air conditioner, but to run it would require connecting to a 110 volt outlet or having a gas generator, neither of which is something we’d prefer to do. Still, there are times...
No Heat. There are basically three ways to heat a van; diesel, propane or electric. There is no perfect solution... all involve trade-offs between cost, complexity, size, convenience and noise. While we have spent more than a few nights when the temps dipped into the 30’s and did just fine without a heater, I think that if we ever decide to spend the winter months in Blue, we might need to consider adding one.
Parking Garages. A great many parking garages have 6-8 foot height limitations. McCarran Airport in Las Vegas is a particular PITA. Not only are all the close-in, short term parking garages too short for Blue, it’s not even possible to drive through the arrivals pickup area.
All in all, these are pretty insignificant issues... we are finding that we like our van just fine. We’ve been on the road since mid June, and while we do have a number of things to add or change, the list gets shorter with each expedition.