College Student & Full Time"RV" Living

Jim Shoe wrote:
I say go for it. Frankly, I'm getting tired of trying without success to talk young college students out of wasting their money on a project they know nothing about.

Heh... I'm not young... I'm 35 years old. Reason I'm going to college is because I am disabled and no longer able to do the work I use to do. I need a new line of work and thus need new education.

And regarding wasting money, I don't see this as a waste. I see it as a way to get some of the functionality of an RV but still keep the functionality of the cargo van. That's why I'm not looking to do any permanent install of items inside the van. The bed is a prebuilt metal frame unit that can be taken out easily. The shelves are the same. I have a general idea of how to "install" everything and I'm even trying to come up with a "floor plan" if you will. But my biggest problem is that I know very little other then the absolute basics regarding electrical systems.

As I linked above, I believe I picked out decent yet inexpensive items that will suit my needs. 1-2 high capacity AGM batteries linked in parallel and mounted inside a basic container. An all in 1 inverter/charger unit capable of providing me with AC power needed to run just a couple of items that I obviously need AC power for. The inverter/charger would allow me to charge the batteries off the generator or I could simply plug it in with an extension cord and charge the batteries off "shore" power. I wouldn't even be doing any changes to the pre-existing wiring of the van itself. I am thinking that if I keep the batteries and inverter/charger close together, I won't need to run any wiring very far and I'm not looking to do any hard wiring of any electrical items.

I'm not interested in installing any form of running water such as a shower or sink or toilet so I won't need a grey water or black water tank. All I need is something for fresh water mostly for drinking or cooking. With disposable dishes, I wouldn't need to wash anything. Since I'm looking to purchase the van around April (start of spring quarter) I don't need to worry too much about making the van cold weather ready just yet so I probably won't need a heater.

The whole idea here is to actually save money as well as wear and tear on the vehicle by not having to commute on a daily basis. I won't have to worry about doing a whole bunch of grocery shopping either because I'll only be feeding myself during the week and only buying exactly what I need for a few days at a time so food won't go to waste. This also has the added advantage of putting space between my best friend (roommate) and I for a few days at a time so we don't grate on each other's nerves. And since most of my belongings will be in storage, I will only need the things that I absolutely need for a week at a time.

I've also thought about a couple things I can do that would make living in a van a bit more comfortable as well...

I thought about buying a folding outdoor chair (one of those camping chairs with a cup holder in the armrest) and one of those folding shelter things. Simply open up the back doors of the van, set up the shelter so that it covers just the back of the van and then set up my chair outside the back of the van. Instant back yard with a porch! This would not only provide me with shade for when the weather was nice, but it would let me get out of the van even if it was raining so I wouldn't feel cooped up inside. Or I could go even more simple and just use a few tent poles, bungee cords, and a tarp for the same effect.