Full time van living

[Lightning]

I like the westfalia but now thinking I could work around the loo issue after lightings post and the shower I think I’d use it outside even on winter days, just have to be quick
Apart from shower/loo is there anything else that stands out for the westfalia v ocean ?

The pop top means you can go anywhere, but with the roof up it’s not stealthy, and also with the roof up it can be noisy and you are in the elements. The permanent standing room would be nice for me but it’s a compromise on where you can park it if there are height barriers. Hot water would be nice too.

 

[Lightning]

I went through the same process, choosing between the Joker and California and Murvi on the new Transit body The California is all VW so there is one point of contact and an international dealer network. They are all great vans though. I would be happy in any of them though, I don’t think you can go wrong really.

 

[The Merle]

The pop top means you can go anywhere, but with the roof up it’s not stealthy, and also with the roof up it can be noisy and you are in the elements. The permanent standing room would be nice for me but it’s a compromise on where you can park it if there are height barriers. Hot water would be nice too.

I’ve never found the height an issue as carparks with height barriers tend to be in busy touristy spots or supermarkets and I like being out in the middle of nowhere.
I’ve owned a cali and joker and prefer the outside look of the Cali, but love the extra internal space of the joker and the roof bed is better.

I do like the grand Cali too, but the extra width squeezing down little tracks is the only thing that puts me off one of them.

 

[Lightning]

I’ve never found the height an issue as carparks with height barriers tend to be in busy touristy spots or supermarkets and I like being out in the middle of nowhere.
I’ve owned a cali and joker and prefer the outside look of the Cali, but love the extra internal space of the joker and the roof bed is better.

I do like the grand Cali too, but the extra width squeezing down little tracks is the only thing that puts me off one of them.

I thought about this at the time because I love the Joker and wanted one, but my priority was to not be at all limited where I could go, and keep the van as small as practical. I have had several instances at beach and forest carparks, supermarkets and even overhanging trees on narrow lanes where the height barrier would have stopped me. It’s less of a problem on the continent. It is simply down to what your personal priorities are I think. It’s very satisfying driving under a height barrier.

One other thing with conversions is that they are usually based on N1 commercial vehicles, whereas the California is fortunately not classed as a commercial vehicle. This has some implications for speed limits, parking restrictions and other stuff in the U.K.

 

[Alan]

Regarding cleanliness
When wild pitching in my Cali ( solo traveler) it’s so quick and easy to flannel down with hot water from a bucket and the same for light garment washing in the warmer months
As for toilet issues........what’s wrong with a small garden hand trail and bio degradable toilet paper kept in a small hand sack like what we used when back packing
Then there are apps you can download i.e “find my nearest w.c” the list goes on
For emergencies there’s blinds down, bd paper bags (leave the procedure to you to work out) job done,
pardon the pun

Alan

 

[Paul Grice]

Type "Van Life" into the youtube search bar and you will find a gigantic selection of people living in vans/cars on a full time basis ... mostly in the USA where it seems to have become a way of life for a lot of people. They mostly seems to do own conversions in vans that look like work vans to enable stealth camping anywhere, including in cities. You could start with this one

 

[Scrumpypops]

Following on from some fantastic responses

Full time van life with bike

I’d like to have the bike on a tailgate rack, however whilst at work, I’d rather not leave it on there. Don’t think it would be there long as on street parking etc. Live in safe part of the country but there’s always someone up to no good. My thoughts are whilst at work I’d need to put it in the van, wondered if anyone else does this, also thought about putting it in a storage bag as not to get oil everywhere

I will occasionally park a few miles from work and cycle in but due to shifts, more often than not I’ll be leaving it in the van

Any thoughts ??

 

[Amarillo]

Any thoughts ??

Brompton

 

[babble]

it won't fit very well in the van, and moving it back and forth will be a pain in my view. just get a decent D-lock and a relatively undesirable bike.

 

[Scrumpypops]

Yeah. Think if I do once gone so be it, it’s not expensive but people can’t help themselves, looked at various you tube vids, but most are pretty easy to break unless you buy serious locks, possibly stick a couple on and back up to a wall if possible. Maybe just take one wheel and saddle off.

 

[babble]

i read an article written by a group of ex-bike thieves (actually i read a lot on this subject) and basically they wont bother taking a relatively inexpensive bike, locked with a medium d-lock, because it's pretty hard work, and there are better pickings. This is the one that will do the job:

Master Lock Street Fortum U-lock

Great value cycle lock that's well worth considering

road.cc

 

[Scrumpypops]

Thanks babble..

 

[markbrown83]

Yeah, I'm a full time vandweller. Been living in my Cali for roughly 5 years now. As a divorcee it started out as a necessity, which then became a normal way of life.
I don’t exactly fit the perceived mould of someone who’s homeless and living in a van - I’m a professional, I work full time as a Solutions / Systems Architect, Technical Author, and a Tech Comms Manager, and move around a lot with work (UK and abroad), so living in a small van is convenient and cheap.

out of interest who do you use as an insurer that covers full time van life?

 

[The Merle]

out of interest who do you use as an insurer that covers full time van life?

You will struggle to find any company willing to insure you for full time living in a camper.
Just insure it under family or friends address if you are intending to go full time.
They tend to only insure A class motorhomes

 

[markbrown83]

Sterling Insurance seems to be the go to for full time vanlife. Also covers damage through cooking and heating loss which some cheaper general insurance doesn’t (when you read small print)

 

[tobyprivett]

Wild camp a lot but also had a half season pass at a campsite in the new forest worked out around £5 night, no showers but has water and chem point. It’s nice as there are no marked pitches you can camp right in the forest and not worry about getting moved by forestry commission as they are pretty hot on wild camping.
Love the freedom of going anywhere, just remember to travel light as the move clothes etc the more hassle.

Hi - did your season pass allow you to use any of the new forest campsites or just the one? Looking at the website, I can't see an option to order a pass that would allow using different sites.

Thanks

 

[The Merle]

Hi - did your season pass allow you to use any of the new forest campsites or just the one? Looking at the website, I can't see an option to order a pass that would allow using different sites.

Thanks

Unfortunately not just the one you choose, I asked ages ago if they could do a multi seasonal pass but no joy.
They are run by a different company since I asked now, but each site has different prices and some get very busy in the summer.
Long beech is pretty quiet and so is matley wood

 

[Scrumpypops]

Sterling Insurance seems to be the go to for full time vanlife. Also covers damage through cooking and heating loss which some cheaper general insurance doesn’t (when you read small print)

I’ve been with sterling for 2 years will probably go again next month
I’ve tried a few brokers all but one have come back with trinity lane as underwriters. All similar, full time is not cheap.
Make sure they’re fully aware that you’ll be somewhere different every night and not full time on someone’s drive. Took sterling a while to understand that one.
Also excess has shot up
Previously £750 now £1300 +
10+ years no claims
Sterling do insurance for claiming excess back £64 so I’ll do that
Just remember they’re not stupid and if they don’t have to pay for some technicality they won’t.
Happy to answer any other questions
Lee