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I live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet, and the most expensive city in North America. I'm sick of living with lovely roommates, sick of renting lovely lovely places with lovely landlords, sick of seeing fully half my monthly income go towards rent and utilities, and sick of being burdened by the collection of useless junk and trinkets. Cruising around town on my bicycle, I started to realize that despite having an insane homeless problem, there are probably more people living in stealth cargo vans, Class-B Motorhomes (hightop vans), and actual RV's in this city than there are people living on the street. There's so many, and the vehicles don't move, that I have a strong suspicion the local police force has no interest in cracking down. Thus, inspired by examples like this sickness, this hammock setup, this DIY, and this loving hipster. I'm interested in buying a cargo van, tricking out the back into a rad micro-apartment, and then saving shittons of money by parking it in the van-zone around a former train yard. The money I've saved can go towards spending a couple of years backpacking overseas, and while I'm gone the van will act as a zero-cost storage unit for my remaining possessions, parked with family. Has any goon spent time living the van life, that could shed some light on this plan? Rime fucked around with this message at 03:19 on May 27, 2014 |
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May 26, 2014 06:47
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:28 |
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This sounds like a great idea and totally safe from robbery and home invasions. Do it.
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May 26, 2014 09:05
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I live on the outskirts of the downtown area of my city (just past where the parking meters disappear), and we are heavy with those 1970's Winnebagoes. The rule in my city is that you can park on a city street for 72 hours and then the vehicle must move 0.5 mile. (You can come back to the same spot, you just have to go a half mile. I have no idea if/how they would ever track that.) You cannot sleep in a vehicle on a public street. If I call the cops (which, if you're parked on my block, I always do), they will come knock on your door and tell you these rules. If you don't answer your door, you're clearly not sleeping inside, so they just leave you alone. (In reality, you're still inside, and you just go back to sleep.) To combat this, I usually call just before I go to bed (sometime between 1-3 in the morning) and again when I wake up (around 8am). Then, generally, the vehicle moves of its own volition later that day. In 7 years, I have mostly rid my block of this problem - I think word got around that an rear end in a top hat lives on my street, and nobody parks here anymore. For surrounding blocks and having attended a lot of community meetings, I'll tell you that if you don't piss in the bushes, don't let your dog poo poo in the lawn you're parked in front of, throw your trash away somewhere that's not my lawn, don't put your coleman stove and camp chairs on the sidewalk in front of my house.. you could probably live this lifestyle in relative peace for a while. I see two paths: old winnebago, or newer conversion van. Old winnebago is a bitch to drive, and a maintenance hog. New conversion van you can't stand fully inside, and you can't really do much cooking in. With either one, I think where you piss is going to become a problem quickly - the 5 gallon bucket in the van is going to get old quickly, and dumping the tank in the winnie is a pain in the rear end. Either one will smell bad, and it's basically in your bedroom.
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May 26, 2014 09:20
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They never adequately show the bathrooms in these mini-homes. I want to see where you poo poo and bathe.
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May 26, 2014 19:50
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lidnsya posted:They never adequately show the bathrooms in these mini-homes. I want to see where you poo poo and bathe. There's a variety of options, example. Since I am looking to save extreme money, a $25/month 24/7 gym membership gives me unlimited shower access compared to building one into the van. I'm sure your local police department loves that you have been bothering them at 3am for nearly a decade. Brilliant waste of tax dollars so that you can feel like you have some power over others in your mundane life.  Granted, I do realize that insufferable busybodies are the greatest threat to this experiment. Rime fucked around with this message at 21:43 on May 26, 2014 |
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May 26, 2014 20:39
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This idea sounds like it will be hot as hell in the summer and/or colder than balls in the winter. Even nice RVs aren't particularly well insulated and running the engine or a generator to keep the temperature livable is gonna get old fast.
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May 26, 2014 23:33
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Yeah, I think the gym membership shower would probably better than one of those cramped things. You'd probably still have to have a toilet though and deal with dumping the poo poo. Also, yeah, it'd probably get pretty cold in the winter. If you found somewhere in the shade to park it wouldn't be too bad in the summer, I guess.
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May 27, 2014 00:22
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Rime posted:I'm sure your local police department loves that you have been bothering them at 3am for nearly a decade. Brilliant waste of tax dollars so that you can feel like you have some power over others in your mundane life.
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May 27, 2014 00:52
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I honestly love the idea, but I can't see how it would work in reality. Not being able to stand or shower in your house will get old very quickly. Plus you have the issue of power and heat/cold along with crappy internet options. An actual caravan made to live in permanently would be the best option. I guess the city you live in is probably San Fran or NYC. Would it be possible to live in a caravan park or something? That would be relatively safe and give you a place to dump your waste and get access to power.
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May 27, 2014 01:02
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His idea about showering at the health club isn't a bad idea - one can go to the health club every day, and even if you were only going every 2-3 days it's not unheard of to only shower a couple of times a week. But taking a leak is something you do 6-8 times a day, and storing that volume of urine, or drving/walking somewhere that often is a dealbreaker.
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May 27, 2014 01:15
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Vancouver, so with proper insulation (something lacking in many older B-class conversions) the winter isn't really a big deal. A flushable porta-potty takes care of waste, with weekly dumps at a sani-site. Power is usually provided by a pair of deep-cycle marine batteries and an inverter, charged either by solar or by driving around. Fridge and Stove run off either propane or LPG, as could a small RV furnace if I went up north for work or something. photomikey posted:If you read the whole post, you'll see a bevy of suggestions as to how to usurp the laws. Of course, if I knew you were going to be an rear end in a top hat, I'd have skipped all that. Bragging about going out of your way to inconvenience people doing this didn't really open me up to taking anything else you posted seriously.
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May 27, 2014 01:22
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As much as you're enchanted with the lifestyle, you're not entitled to squat in your lovely van in front of someone's house. If it bothers them, and its not legal in their municipality, then sorry, you'd be in the wrong. You're the rear end in a top hat, not him.
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May 27, 2014 03:13
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I don't see why they couldn't or even shouldn't, isn't the road and sidewalks communal (public) property? I'd rather someone live in their van than on the street. As long as the person on the street isn't littering or creating hazards than the guy calling the cops would be the dick.
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May 27, 2014 04:51
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Lord Windy posted:I don't see why they couldn't or even shouldn't, isn't the road and sidewalks communal (public) property? I'd rather someone live in their van than on the street. As long as the person on the street isn't littering or creating hazards than the guy calling the cops would be the dick.
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May 27, 2014 06:15
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Yiggy posted:As much as you're enchanted with the lifestyle, you're not entitled to squat in your lovely van in front of someone's house. If it bothers them, and its not legal in their municipality, then sorry, you'd be in the wrong. You're the rear end in a top hat, not him. Leaving aside issues of who owns the streets, most people doing this in Vancouver seem to park alongside parks, or the train station, as Rime is suggesting. Also, actually a lot of streets in Vancouver are residents-only permit parking. I do also notice, though, that the same van is never in one place more than a week at a time, at least the ones I bike past. I also notice a lot of vans idling their engines in the winter to run the heater, which could get expensive fast.
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May 27, 2014 08:35
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Rent-A-Cop posted:Zoning and sanitation are the tools the man uses to keep us down comrade! Live in vans, poo poo in bushes, viva la revolucion!  Where would someone get rid of that poo poo? I can't think of any services around where I live that I could take it to.
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May 27, 2014 08:42
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Rime posted:
As someone whose grand plan in life revolves around making GBS threads in a plastic bucket next to your bed in a small, enclosed space, I don't think you get a say in what is acceptable in society..
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May 27, 2014 09:34
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I'm confused get why people keep equating a flushable porta-potty with "making GBS threads in a bucket". I mean, really, it's like nobody actually clicked the links to check out the swanky living spaces people are building in vans these days. It's far cry from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsV48ReyKoo 
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May 27, 2014 21:09
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Dude, porta-potties are only about half a step above making GBS threads in a bucket, I've used them extensively on fishing trips on a 24" fishing boat. They suck horribly compared to a marine head, and those aren't great compared to a regular house.
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May 28, 2014 01:35
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The biggest dealbreaker is when you take a girl out on a date and she asks to go back to your place. But being that you are a goon fantasizing about living in a van I doubt you will have that issue often.
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May 28, 2014 02:37
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Hell, I see nothing that could go wrong.
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May 28, 2014 02:47
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Don't cars need to be safety inspected once/year so that they have an inspection sticker and won't be impounded? Hell I don't think any of the examples you posted would pass inspection. honestly have you ever tied commuting to work and parking in a major city for 8 hours ? its a pain in the rear end. It would be sick to have one of these babies to go camping in. but living in it in the city? 
Barfoid 3 fucked around with this message at 03:01 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 02:56
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Lord Windy posted:I don't see why they couldn't or even shouldn't, isn't the road and sidewalks communal (public) property? I'd rather someone live in their van than on the street. As long as the person on the street isn't littering or creating hazards than the guy calling the cops would be the dick. It comes with conditions like most everything in society does, you can't park on a public street for more than X amount of time (X varies with each municipality) and if someone reports you then, yes, you can be ticketed/towed if you are found in the wrong. It being public means you CAN park there (if it was private your rear end gets towed if the owner wishes regardless of time) but if you abuse it (you are denying a parking spot for someone) you get towed. Also, nobody is in the wrong if someone parks in front of their house with the sole reason of living there aside from the person in the van. I've reported abandoned vehicles (they have as much reason being there as a lived-in van does) because it's unsightly (I've seen lived-in vans and, trust me, the vast majority of the time they don't look like the hipster one in the link) and takes up good parking. Justin Godscock fucked around with this message at 00:54 on May 29, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 03:30
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photomikey posted:But taking a leak is something you do 6-8 times a day, Even considering you're an old man who wants the kids to get off his lawn, you should probably have a prostate exam.
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May 28, 2014 04:26
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I have lived in a van; anyone that thinks this is a good idea is a loving idiot. Protip: The proper way to poo poo in a bucket is to line it with a plastic grocery bag first. This way you don't need to clean out your making GBS threads bucket as often and can chuck the poo poo bag into the bushes. Rutibex fucked around with this message at 06:09 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 05:44
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Rutibex posted:I have lived in a van; anyone that thinks this is a good idea is a loving idiot. Or make a stash for the inevitable war with the neighbours.
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May 28, 2014 06:07
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Testikles posted:Or make a stash for the inevitable war with the neighbours. Not recommended. As lovely as living in a van is prison is shittier. Ask me about watching Trailer Park Boys on a $50 netbook with envy!
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May 28, 2014 06:20
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Rutibex posted:I have lived in a van; anyone that thinks this is a good idea is a loving idiot. This is the kind of first-hand harshness I was looking for, since dedicated forums on the topic are obviously biased towards positivity. How converted was your van? What in particular made it terrible?
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May 28, 2014 06:53
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Have you considered moving to a city that isn't such an unlivable place for the poor that it is literally pushing you into functional homelessness? I know people are attached to their homes, but there are plenty of "worse" cities in the U.S. that would make your life significantly better through their much lower cost of living, even with low wage jobs. You may lose friends moving... but living in a van is going to lose you friends and opportunities as well.
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May 28, 2014 07:25
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Rime posted:What in particular made it terrible? Probably the whole living in a van part. HTH
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May 28, 2014 07:25
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Rime posted:This is the kind of first-hand harshness I was looking for, since dedicated forums on the topic are obviously biased towards positivity. How converted was your van? What in particular made it terrible? It wasn't "converted" at all, just a normal van. I had a Netbook & stolen WiFi for entertainment and kept dry goods and some 2l pop bottles full of water for sustenance. I had a rice cooker and an extension cord as far as cooking; you can cook a lot of things in a rice cooker if you are inventive. A fairly bad aspect is the Canadian winter. A van has no heater if you don't plan on wasting all your fuel in single night. You aren't as exposed as someone living in a tent or under an overpass but it's still balls cold so be prepared to sleep in your winter jacket (I hope you have an arctic sleeping bag!) in in bitter cold. This is not the worst part though; the worst part is the shame of your position in society. No one that isn't the lowest of crack addict will be interested in socializing with you if you live in a van. Human contact is more important than you can ever imagine.
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May 28, 2014 07:33
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Off the top of my head, things that would suck: - It's illegal, so you'll be paranoid about the cops constantly. Even if it's a low priority for the cops it's still something to think about. - If you put a shitter in there you'll be reliant on RV parks for waste disposal. Not a lot of those in the inner city, and prices for disposal may be high. - Needing to keep propane/batteries/gas full is going to be annoying. Forgot to fill the propane? There goes your refrigerator/heat. You might be in for a cold rear end night if it's winter. - Stigma. Living in a van is higher on the homeless scale than living in a box under a bridge, or in a car. However, everyone is still going to treat you like a homeless person because your living in a van. - Initial cost. Have you priced wood lately? It's not cheap, and all those little camper goodies like propane tanks/toilets/stove tops/etc are going to add up. It's also gonna take a lot of work getting that poo poo into the van and setup. Not too mention the cost of the van itself. I could probably go on, but the short of it is that it's a bad idea.
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May 28, 2014 07:54
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It is a low priority for the cops, but keep in mind if one is living in a van long-term its almost guaranteed that the cop will have a slow day or finally accumulate enough reports to justify checking out that van that hasn't moved in a while. Expect to be hassled by the cops on a regular basis and "oh, I just live here and don't do/sell drugs" isn't going to stop it.
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May 29, 2014 00:58
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How do you expect to get laid while living in a van?
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May 29, 2014 01:17
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Justin Godscock posted:It comes with conditions like most everything in society does, you can't park on a public street for more than X amount of time (X varies with each municipality) and if someone reports you then, yes, you can be ticketed/towed if you are found in the wrong. It being public means you CAN park there (if it was private your rear end gets towed if the owner wishes regardless of time) but if you abuse it (you are denying a parking spot for someone) you get towed. They are all good points. I'm personally rather indifferent to what is outside of my house so long as they aren't making a mess. It just seems like a dick move to me when people say they would call the cops on essentially a homeless person. I'd recommend moving over living in a van however, even if I like the idea from the same place that makes all stupid ideas seem ideal.
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May 29, 2014 11:26
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Hell, I live in a cargo van.
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May 29, 2014 13:30
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Me : pulls up In a white cargo van, dumps out the shitbucket and hangs "home sweet" home sign. Neibor good families/parents: "I'm lovin it"
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May 29, 2014 13:36
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Lichtenstein posted:How do you expect to get laid while living in a van? Park in a bad area and leave the doors unlocked while he sleeps. Don't expect any cuddling.
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May 29, 2014 13:41
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This isn't near as awesome as you think it is. Find a different way to be unique and different. Dye your hair or something. If you can afford to have a proper place to live then you don't need to live in a loving van.
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May 29, 2014 16:43
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:28 |
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Vulpes posted:Even considering you're an old man who wants the kids to get off his lawn, you should probably have a prostate exam. 6-8 is totally normal for an adult. You must not intake very much liquid.
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May 29, 2014 23:52
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