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Information for Van Dwellers and Nomads
This wiki will help you live your best life if you want (or need) to live in a vehicle.
- Learn what to expect from “the van life”
- Learn how to choose and modify a vehicle to fit your unique needs
- Find tips for a great experience in an unconventional home
- Dig deeper for lots of ideas to incorporate into your own vehicle
- Read about common mistakes to avoid
FAQ for Beginners
Start here for a quick intro to life on the road. (The next section gets into more detail, or use the search box to find specific information. Check out acronyms we use if you run into an unfamiliar one.)
If you need to quickly move into a vehicle for financial or other reasons (homeless, etc.) start with this emergency quick start.
Why?
How?
- How will I use the bathroom?
- How will I stay clean and do my laundry?
- How will I cook food or make coffee?
- How can I refrigerate my food?
- How do I keep my van at a decent temperature? Can I run an air conditioner while parked?
- Is there a basic guide to solar power? What about a “solar generator”?
- How do I get internet access and charge my laptop?
- How will I get mail, and what address do I use for my taxes and accounts?
- How can I earn money on the road?
- How will I find things to see and do?
What will it be like?
- Will it be just like Instagram? #vanlife #vandwellers
- Can I just park wherever I want? Or go camping for free?
- How much does it cost to live on the road?
- Living out of the van vs. living in the van?
- Won't my friends and family freak out?
- What core skills do I need?
- What do vandwellers wish they had known beforehand?
- What are some avoidable beginner mistakes?
- Is there a checklist for going full time?
The Vehicle
- Is it possible to live in my car?
- Should I buy a pre-built campervan or build my own?
- What is the best van to get?
Van Life in Detail
Check the site map for a list of all pages.
Since this site is a wiki, you can help us make it better! Learn how to become an editor.
The Vehicle
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- Trailers - Travel trailers and cargo trailers
- Getting your own van or RV
- How to find your desired van or RV for sale somewhere
- How to assess a van or RV you have found. Is it a good one?
- Keeping your van or RV running
- Be aware of any known issues with your vehicle
- Rust - The cancer that kills vans
Building Out Your Vehicle
- Choosing your type of build: minimal, luxurious, or otherwise
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- Solar - Solar charge controllers, Solar panels, Shallow-cycling microsolar for cardwellers and minimalists
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- plumbed with black tank
- being "self-contained"
- Food
- dehydration
- canning
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Living the Good Life
- checklist for hitting the road
- collected words of wisdom
- Camping - snowbirding, boondocking (dispersed/free camping), private campgrounds, public campgrounds, truck stops, walmart, stealth, LVTA, rest areas, safety, camping in Canada
- hobbies - sewing, geocaching, reading, writing
Further reading
Nomad Life Wiki project
Learning from others - websites, forums, mailing lists, books, blogs, youtube channels, podcasts.
unoffical reddit /r/vandwellers FAQ
Synopses
- Cruisers and Sailing forum LiFePO4 batteries thread
Meta
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